Lydia Kang's Blog, page 19
October 18, 2012
Character Creation: The Stuff 'n Remove Method
Hey guys! I have a post up on the Lucky13s Blog on how I create characters.
I promise, there are cartoons worth viewing! Thank you for stopping by!
October 15, 2012
Medical Mondays + Newsy Stuff!
Good morning! Hope you all had a great weekend. This is another bag o' stuff post. Here we go.
*spills bag rather messily*
First off. Medical Mondays. I've posted a little poll over yonder ➪➪➪
I'm curious about what you'd like to see more of. Please vote, I would greatly appreciate it! If there is something I haven't mentioned, then let me know in the comments.
Second. I have a few poems that were recently published in Hektoen International, A Journal of Medical Humanities. The entire issue's theme is on pregnancy and birth. One of my poems is about having a baby in the neonatal ICU. You can read them both here.
Third. I've been working with a group of twenty MG and YA debut authors, and our website has finally launched!
Hooray for The Class of 2K13! I have a post up on what inspired me to write CONTROL, and you can read many of the other authors vlogs and posts on the same subject. Follow us on Twitter too, at @TheClassof2K13, and check out our huge, Launch Giveaway! (ends tomorrow, the 16th so enter quickly!) We will also be having giveaways every, single week.
And fourthly...a picture from my visit to New York:
This is my editor, Kathy Dawson, me, and her awesome assistant, Claire Evans, inside her office at Penguin. Kathy is wearing an onyx and silver replica of the necklace that my main character, Zelia, wears throughout CONTROL. It's also on the list of giveaway swag on the above Launch Giveaway. (In my spazziness, I forgot to snap a picture of myself with my agent, Eric Myers. I won't forget the next time!)
Have a great Monday, everyone!
*spills bag rather messily*
First off. Medical Mondays. I've posted a little poll over yonder ➪➪➪
I'm curious about what you'd like to see more of. Please vote, I would greatly appreciate it! If there is something I haven't mentioned, then let me know in the comments.
Second. I have a few poems that were recently published in Hektoen International, A Journal of Medical Humanities. The entire issue's theme is on pregnancy and birth. One of my poems is about having a baby in the neonatal ICU. You can read them both here.
Third. I've been working with a group of twenty MG and YA debut authors, and our website has finally launched!
Hooray for The Class of 2K13! I have a post up on what inspired me to write CONTROL, and you can read many of the other authors vlogs and posts on the same subject. Follow us on Twitter too, at @TheClassof2K13, and check out our huge, Launch Giveaway! (ends tomorrow, the 16th so enter quickly!) We will also be having giveaways every, single week.
And fourthly...a picture from my visit to New York:
This is my editor, Kathy Dawson, me, and her awesome assistant, Claire Evans, inside her office at Penguin. Kathy is wearing an onyx and silver replica of the necklace that my main character, Zelia, wears throughout CONTROL. It's also on the list of giveaway swag on the above Launch Giveaway. (In my spazziness, I forgot to snap a picture of myself with my agent, Eric Myers. I won't forget the next time!)
Have a great Monday, everyone!
October 11, 2012
Contest Winners, a Vignette, Google craziness, and a Trip!
Congrats to Sophia Chang for winning
Bitterblue
and donating a banned book of my choice to my local public library. Woot! Thank you all for making my birthday a great one!
My vignette, The Cobbler, is now published in the fall issue of Vine Leaves Literary Journal. It's a super short read and there's plenty of good stuff in this issue, so check it if out if you have time!
I totally forgot to link to this in the craziness of last week, but check out this post on the Lucky 13s Blog on insanely weird things that debut authors have Googled for the sake of research. I have one thing to say on this subject. HOOCH. And no, that wasn't my research question!
Also, a trip!
Not the stumbling kind. Although since I mentioned it, I'm destined to fall in a pothole now.
Central Park, NYC (Photo is public domain)
Today, I'm in New York City. Yes I am! My old home for nearly 16 years before I moved to the midwest. I'm visiting the Penguin offices, my editor Kathy Dawson and my agent, Eric Myers, for the first time, along with family and friends.
Hopefully I'll have pictures later!
In the meantime, I'm curious. What is the weirdest thing you ever Googled for the sake of research?
My vignette, The Cobbler, is now published in the fall issue of Vine Leaves Literary Journal. It's a super short read and there's plenty of good stuff in this issue, so check it if out if you have time!
I totally forgot to link to this in the craziness of last week, but check out this post on the Lucky 13s Blog on insanely weird things that debut authors have Googled for the sake of research. I have one thing to say on this subject. HOOCH. And no, that wasn't my research question!
Also, a trip!
Not the stumbling kind. Although since I mentioned it, I'm destined to fall in a pothole now.
Central Park, NYC (Photo is public domain)Today, I'm in New York City. Yes I am! My old home for nearly 16 years before I moved to the midwest. I'm visiting the Penguin offices, my editor Kathy Dawson and my agent, Eric Myers, for the first time, along with family and friends.
Hopefully I'll have pictures later!
In the meantime, I'm curious. What is the weirdest thing you ever Googled for the sake of research?
October 8, 2012
Medical Mondays: Chain of Factoids
Oh, the human body. So fragile and yet so tough.
Let's review some factoids about the amazing human body and exercise a little tangential thinking.
You make about one liter of spit a day. Over a lifetime, that's about one Olympic sized swimming pool. Don't think Michael Phelps would want to swim in that.
Most humans height is equal to the length from their fingertip to fingertip. Except Michael Phelps, whose wingspan is four inches longer than his height.
Speaking of length, the total length of all your blood vessels lines up is around 60,000 miles (though I've read up to 100,000 miles). That's a few trips around the equator!
But let's get two dimensional. The total surface area of your lungs, if laid out flat, would be about the size of half a tennis court. (I'm having visions of lung smeared courts, so let's move on.)
You only need one lung to survive. Actually, you can also live without one kidney, most of your liver, your spleen, your stomach, and many feet of intestine, and of course, your limbs. Talk about traveling light. Sure, you might feel pretty awful, but...
What if you want them back, cyborg style? You can have a cochlear implant (for hearing); an artificial heart; dialysis to replace the kidneys; digital interface placed on your retina (or just a non-functioning replacement eyeball); a deep brain stimulator for depression, epilepsy, or Parkinson's disease; penile implants; and artificial limbs, not to mention the metal plates and bars used to fix broken bones. Using stem cells or tissues, there are also possibilities for replacement pancreas, trachea, bladders, liver, skin and of course, donated organs...the list goes on!
For more factoids to stun your friends, here's a fun list:
100 Very Cool Facts About the Human Body. I can't vouch for the validity of all of these, as there are no references. But they're certainly entertaining!
If you've got a fictional medical question, let me know! Post below or email me at
All I ask is that you become a follower and post a link on your blog when I post your answer. This is for fictional scenarios, only. Please check out the boring but necessary disclaimer on my sidebar --> Also, don't forget to stop by Laura Diamond's Mental Health Mondays and Sarah Fine's The Strangest Situation for great psychiatric and psychological viewpoints on all things literary. :)Also, there are a few days left for my GIVE ONE/DONATE ONE book giveaway, so comment if you'd like to win!
And one last thing: Sarah Fine is being interviewed on her favorite sci-fi books and *gulp* CONTROL is on the list!
October 4, 2012
The Give-One/Donate-One Birthday Giveaway
You know, all week I've been like, "What am I going to blog about on Thursday? I can't think of anything. I've run out of ideas. What, what, what?"
Well, it's the night before and I'm exhausted. I've had a tiring week. I've been super stressed out for lots of reasons.
And then it hit me.
Oh man, tomorrow is October 4th. I forgot. It's my birthday.
So instead of ignoring it, which I'm apt to do, or grumble about my lousy week, I'm going to ask you guys to cheer me up.
A while ago, I did a giveaway where I asked you what was at the top of your TBR list. I loved hearing about what you guys wanted to read.
So to celebrate my birthday and get me out of this stressy funk, I'm giving away two books: One book for one of you guys, and second book to my local public library.
To enter, please leave a comment with:
1. Email addy!
2. What book is at the top of your TBR list that you don't yet own...
3. ... and what book you think should be donated to the library.
I'll announce the winners in one week.
Spread the word! And send me some virtual salty snacks. Or hugs. I'd prefer that to cake!
October 1, 2012
J.K. Rowling and the Scathing Review
It's October! Cue one of my favorite U2 songs! I'm wearing three scarves today! Hooray for autumn!
Okay, now that I've got my seasonal ya-yas out, let's move on.
J.K. Rowling's new book, The Casual Vacancy , is now out. As expected for an author of such renown, her book is getting a ton of attention.
Some of it, however, is not the good kind of attention.
The famous Pulitzer-prize winning NY Times book reviewer, Michiko Kakutani, posted an unfavorable review of Rowling's book.
Some choice quotes:
"Unfortunately, the real-life world she has limned in these pages is so willfully banal, so depressingly clichéd that “The Casual Vacancy” is not only disappointing — it’s dull."
"Instead of an appreciation for the courage, perseverance, loyalty and sense of duty that people are capable of, we are left with a dismaying sense of human weakness, selfishness and gossipy stupidity."
The whole review is here. And in case you are wondering:
limn (l m). tr.v. limned, limn·ing (l m n ng), limns. 1. To describe. 2. To depict by painting or drawing. (from the Free Dictionary)
(I'm not too embarrassed to say I had to look it up.)
So.
Did Kakutani's review affect me? Yes.
Will it prevent me from reading Rowling's book? No. My biggest barrier is the many others books ahead of it right now. The review didn't make the book shoot up my TBR list to the next one in line. But I remain rabidly curious about how a kidlit author shifted gears to write a contemporary, adult book, and whether she was successful or not. I also cannot seem to kick my affection for Rowling as the author of some of my favorite books of all time.
How about you? What affect does a review by such a famous reviewer on such a famous author have on you?
Okay, now that I've got my seasonal ya-yas out, let's move on.
J.K. Rowling's new book, The Casual Vacancy , is now out. As expected for an author of such renown, her book is getting a ton of attention.
Some of it, however, is not the good kind of attention.
The famous Pulitzer-prize winning NY Times book reviewer, Michiko Kakutani, posted an unfavorable review of Rowling's book.
Some choice quotes:
"Unfortunately, the real-life world she has limned in these pages is so willfully banal, so depressingly clichéd that “The Casual Vacancy” is not only disappointing — it’s dull."
"Instead of an appreciation for the courage, perseverance, loyalty and sense of duty that people are capable of, we are left with a dismaying sense of human weakness, selfishness and gossipy stupidity."
The whole review is here. And in case you are wondering:
limn (l m). tr.v. limned, limn·ing (l m n ng), limns. 1. To describe. 2. To depict by painting or drawing. (from the Free Dictionary)
(I'm not too embarrassed to say I had to look it up.)
So.
Did Kakutani's review affect me? Yes.
Will it prevent me from reading Rowling's book? No. My biggest barrier is the many others books ahead of it right now. The review didn't make the book shoot up my TBR list to the next one in line. But I remain rabidly curious about how a kidlit author shifted gears to write a contemporary, adult book, and whether she was successful or not. I also cannot seem to kick my affection for Rowling as the author of some of my favorite books of all time.
How about you? What affect does a review by such a famous reviewer on such a famous author have on you?
September 27, 2012
Leigh T. Moore interview & The Truth About Faking!
Please welcome Leigh T. Moore, a longtime blogging friend whose fun, YA contemporary novel,
The Truth About Faking,
is now available!1. How long did it take to write The Truth About Faking? It’s funny because I wrote this book faster than any other book I’ve ever written. I literally had the whole thing done in two weeks. It was crazy. But then I spent two years revising it—LOL!
Okay, not really. I did finish the first draft in the spring of 2010 and did revisions and started shopping it around to agents. Then I wrote my other book Rouge in the fall of 2010, and it hit faster for whatever reason. TTAF basically sat neglected for all of 2011. I picked it up again in March and thought, “Hey, this is really a great book! I need to do something with this.”
2. Plotter or pantser? Weird hybrid. No, I do make a plan—I try to write the whole story start to climax to finish before I begin (I do not call this a synopsis), and if that feels good, I dive in and start writing.
But it’s not a rigid outline or anything. Like my original plan was for TTAF to be sad and angsty. But then Jason showed up, and he and Harley had such fun chemistry, it all turned happy and funny. So I guess I just kind of follow the characters.
3. Let's do some music. What song would you pick to personify Harley's personality? Hmm… good question. This is the only book I’ve ever written that didn’t have a playlist. I guess because it just happened so fast. Let me see… if I were to give Harley a song… Hmm… Maybe The Cure, “Just Like Heaven”? I dunno. You’ve stumped me. What do you think?
(I think the song is perfect! Warning: no Robert Smith in this video. But there's kissing. And moar kissing.)
4. You do contemporary YA and historical. Any other genres? Yes! I actually wrote a YA light sci-fi last spring that I adore. It’s a crazy adventure-romance set in south Mississippi with cows and aliens… the main character’s the assistant to a large-animal vet. Anyway, it’s tons of fun. I can’t wait to share it with readers. It’s currently with the agents, and I hate how slow that process is. But soon!
THANK YOU so much for having me, Lydia! It’s so great getting to share TTAF with everyone at last. I hope it makes people smile.
Jason just wants a date with Harley.
Harley just wants a date with Trent.
Trent's still getting over Stephanie.
When Harley and Jason decide to fake date, they uncover a school of deceptions. Trent's got a secret, but so does Jason. And the more time Harley spends secretly kissing her fake boyfriend, the further she gets from her dreams with Trent.
Worst of all, Harley's mom is getting cozy with her hot massage therapy student, and even Harley's Reverend Dad can't fake not being bothered by it. But when the masks finally come off, can everyone handle the real truth? Available on Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, and Kobo!
You can find Leigh at her blog, on Facebook, and Goodreads!
September 24, 2012
The Truth About Toilet-Paper-Under People
Those People are Aliens. Obviously.
I've read the evidence. Turns out that people who place new rolls of toilet paper on the holder with the paper rolling under, instead of over the roll toward the user, are in fact aliens.
A case-control study published in the Journal of Toileting and Extraterrestrial Activity showed several alien-associated behaviors seen in the toilet-paper-under (TPU) population, as compared to the toilet-paper-over (TPO) population.
TPUs are more likely to:
have an overt avoidance of placing new toilet rolls on the toilet paper holders (though this data is not very specific, as most children and spouses are guilty of the same behvior.)leave the toilet roll with a single square of leftover tissue consume random socks, hence causing the "lone sock in the laundry" phenomenon be constipated for days-weeks at a time in an effort to avoid the toileting situation (induced by lone sock ingestion) In the study, one alien explained the reasoning behind the TPU activity.
"On our planet, we defecate upside down. It's a sticky business. But from our perspective, we're placing the toilet paper over, and humans are screwing up the process constantly. It's incredibly annoying."
That is all.
Thank you to Anna Staniszewski for the FB post that inspired this report!
AND CONGRATS TO KRISPY FOR WINNING AN ARC OF SANCTUM by SARAH FINE!
September 20, 2012
Sophia Stone and THE MORMON DIARIES
Hi guys! I wanted to take another opportunity this week to tell you about another super-talented author, Sophia Stone who has released this incredible book, THE MORMON DIARIES.
First, a few interview questions.<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 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The ornament is symbolic of that joy. Or, more particularly, what I feared I’d lose if I ever stopped believing in The Church. <br /><br /><b>Why did you hide your faith struggles from those closest to you? </b><br />I was afraid my faithful Mormon family and friends would think me either prideful or influenced by Satan if I admitted to doubting The Church. There’s a common phrase faithful Latter-day Saints use to explain away uncomfortable issues: “The Church is true. The people are not.” Those who leave the church are often labeled as angry, easily offended, prideful, lazy, or deceived. There’s no good reason to doubt, no good reason to question, no good reason to stop believing. Faith yields loyalty and obedience.<br /><br /><b>What kinds of reactions have you had from your Mormon author friends? </b><br />This has been similar to my family response—lots of condemnation, lots of avoidance, lots of judgment, and lots of gratitude. Yes, I know, it seems odd that I’d hear gratitude from LDS author friends who are faithful in the church. But apparently there are people who struggle in silence, unable to tell a soul how they feel without losing those most dear to them. That’s the reason the Disaffected Mormon Underground (DAMU) exists. It fills a palpable need. <br /><br /><b>What are the best ways to support someone going through a faith crisis? </b><br />The most important thing is to listen. Don’t distance yourself. Don’t shy away. Don’t give advice, and definitely don’t judge. Just be a friend. Period. Sometimes it really is that simple. <br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Look at this cover. Isn't it exquisite? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_REZYJUxnXA..." /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Brought up in a religious home, Sophia believes the only way to have a forever family is by following church leaders and obediently choosing the right. She goes to the right school, marries the right man in the right place, and does the right thing by staying home to raise her children. But when she starts asking questions about grace, love, and the nature of God, she realizes her spiritual struggles could rip her family apart.</i></div><br />“Sophia Stone has a fine eye and a searching heart. Her story of growing up in and reaching through her Mormonism for a deeper, more authentic spirituality reflects all the ways that religion can both keep us satisfied with easy answers and push us to more difficult and complicated realizations. We need a hundred more books like this one . . . “<b> –Joanna Brooks, author of The Book of Mormon Girl</b><br /><br />“Sophia Stone captured my attention from the beginning. This collection of personal essays, about questioning the legitimacy of Mormonism after having faith in the religion for the first 30-something years of her life, is not just a controversial quake to a reader’s heart and soul. Stone’s voice is brave, bold and intriguing. And surprisingly relatable to someone who is not religious.”—<b>Jessica Bell, author of String Bridge </b><br /><br /><b>Check out this beautifully done trailer:</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/sh..." data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/ZcNOrGWtR0c/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZcNOrGWtR0c&..." /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZcNOrGWtR0c&..." type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><br />AND Sophia is on Twitter! She will take any questions about Mormonism and answer them (minus the usual spin) under the hashtag #mormonquestions.<br /><a href="https://twitter.com/ask_a_mormon" target="_blank">Sophia Stone @ask_a_mormon</a><br /><b><br /></b><b>You can find THE MORMON DIARIES on <a href="http://goo.gl/RxeS7" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://goo.gl/axL4q" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>. Thank you guys for stopping by, and thank you Sophia for being so brave and telling your story. </b><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com...' alt='' /></div>
First, a few interview questions.<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; 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The ornament is symbolic of that joy. Or, more particularly, what I feared I’d lose if I ever stopped believing in The Church. <br /><br /><b>Why did you hide your faith struggles from those closest to you? </b><br />I was afraid my faithful Mormon family and friends would think me either prideful or influenced by Satan if I admitted to doubting The Church. There’s a common phrase faithful Latter-day Saints use to explain away uncomfortable issues: “The Church is true. The people are not.” Those who leave the church are often labeled as angry, easily offended, prideful, lazy, or deceived. There’s no good reason to doubt, no good reason to question, no good reason to stop believing. Faith yields loyalty and obedience.<br /><br /><b>What kinds of reactions have you had from your Mormon author friends? </b><br />This has been similar to my family response—lots of condemnation, lots of avoidance, lots of judgment, and lots of gratitude. Yes, I know, it seems odd that I’d hear gratitude from LDS author friends who are faithful in the church. But apparently there are people who struggle in silence, unable to tell a soul how they feel without losing those most dear to them. That’s the reason the Disaffected Mormon Underground (DAMU) exists. It fills a palpable need. <br /><br /><b>What are the best ways to support someone going through a faith crisis? </b><br />The most important thing is to listen. Don’t distance yourself. Don’t shy away. Don’t give advice, and definitely don’t judge. Just be a friend. Period. Sometimes it really is that simple. <br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Look at this cover. Isn't it exquisite? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_REZYJUxnXA..." /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Brought up in a religious home, Sophia believes the only way to have a forever family is by following church leaders and obediently choosing the right. She goes to the right school, marries the right man in the right place, and does the right thing by staying home to raise her children. But when she starts asking questions about grace, love, and the nature of God, she realizes her spiritual struggles could rip her family apart.</i></div><br />“Sophia Stone has a fine eye and a searching heart. Her story of growing up in and reaching through her Mormonism for a deeper, more authentic spirituality reflects all the ways that religion can both keep us satisfied with easy answers and push us to more difficult and complicated realizations. We need a hundred more books like this one . . . “<b> –Joanna Brooks, author of The Book of Mormon Girl</b><br /><br />“Sophia Stone captured my attention from the beginning. This collection of personal essays, about questioning the legitimacy of Mormonism after having faith in the religion for the first 30-something years of her life, is not just a controversial quake to a reader’s heart and soul. Stone’s voice is brave, bold and intriguing. And surprisingly relatable to someone who is not religious.”—<b>Jessica Bell, author of String Bridge </b><br /><br /><b>Check out this beautifully done trailer:</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/sh..." data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/ZcNOrGWtR0c/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZcNOrGWtR0c&..." /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZcNOrGWtR0c&..." type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><br />AND Sophia is on Twitter! She will take any questions about Mormonism and answer them (minus the usual spin) under the hashtag #mormonquestions.<br /><a href="https://twitter.com/ask_a_mormon" target="_blank">Sophia Stone @ask_a_mormon</a><br /><b><br /></b><b>You can find THE MORMON DIARIES on <a href="http://goo.gl/RxeS7" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://goo.gl/axL4q" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>. Thank you guys for stopping by, and thank you Sophia for being so brave and telling your story. </b><br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com...' alt='' /></div>
September 17, 2012
Sarah Fine Interview & SANCTUM ARC GIVEAWAY!
Hi everyone! I want to welcome a good friend and an über-talented writer to my blog,
Sarah Fine
! You guys may know her awesome psychology-based posts on her blog, The Strangest Situation. Her debut book, SANCTUM, will be released on October 16th. How will you bide your time? I have no idea. You will suffer, for sure. But this might help: somehow, I managed to virtually get her in a triangle-choke and do this interview (actually, I think she's quite tall so I'd totally lose that fight!)
1) When was the first time you decided to write a YA novel? How did that happen?The first novel I ever wrote had a 21-year-old protagonist, and I had an agent at a conference tell me I should revise it to make it YA. I didn't think it would fit that story, but my critique partner agreed that my "voice was young." [sigh--I wish I looked as young as my writing voice sounds] So, the next book I wrote--Sanctum--had a teenage protagonist. I've written one adult book since then, but everything else has been YA.
2) You give great advice about things like Writer' Block on your blog. So what is your personal, biggest barrier to writing?I am often very easily distracted, but when I'm deep into a project, I write quickly and am very focused. Apart from that, my biggest barrier to writing, I suppose, is that I have to enjoy what I'm doing. When I'm not utterly passionate about something, I have trouble getting going.
3) A pound of chocolate, or a pound of fried bacon. Choose wisely.No contest. Bacon. Bacon bacon bacon. [on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog]
4) Aliens are coming to earth and are about to torch your house. After getting your family safe and rescuing your laptop (ha! took that one away, didn't I?) and writing a short memoir on impending alien annihilation, what is the first thing you run back to the house to save?Honestly? I might thank the aliens for sparing me the trouble of a garage sale. Seriously, I'm not a big fan of ... stuff. Except my laptop, of course. I joke constantly with my husband about wanting to rent one of those giant dumpsters and toss nearly all of my possessions into it.
5) Fill in the blank. "If you met me in person, you'd be surprised because____________."I'm a dog who loves bacon? Er ... okay, joking aside, you might be surprised to find that I am horrendously disorganized. I fool most people into thinking I'm a thoroughly organized individual--until they see my office. Or my closet. Or my car. [this is why I need one of those giant dumpsters]
Thanks Sarah!
Now, I've read this book so I know how fantastic it is. Instead of believing me, here's a quote from an objective book blogger, Bookittyblog:
"Sarah Fine is a genius. I say this because the book takes place in a very dark place where not many authors can entertain the reader until the last page... The only thing I have to say is that Sanctum was PERFECT!"
Oh, and then there's this juicy tidbit:
"And Malachi oh, Malachi how much I love you. Malachi was probably my top 5 reasons why I loved Sanctum so much. ;)"
Malachi.
*sigh*
Oh. Where was I?
Here is it, SANCTUM! Releases on October 16, 2012!
A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos's best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance – hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn't just anyone – she's determined to save her best friend's soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife.
As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she's captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city's endless streets. Their all-too human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn't – the dark city isn't the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate.
Available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes and Noble!
And, you can win an ARC here! Woot! a Rafflecopter giveaway
