Lydia Kang's Blog, page 5
October 19, 2014
Happy Birthday Lenny Lee!
To one of the most wonderful kid bloggers in the world!Lenny is one of the first bloggers I met when I started blogging five years ago. He's got a big, warm heart, loves animals, and has been battling an illness on and off with grace, maturity and bravery.
And now...
Lenny Lee is turning FIFTEEN! WOOHOO!
We love you, Lenny!
I hope you get to enjoy birthday cake like this guy enjoys his carrots. :)
And now...
Lenny Lee is turning FIFTEEN! WOOHOO!
We love you, Lenny!
I hope you get to enjoy birthday cake like this guy enjoys his carrots. :)
October 12, 2014
Mid-October Musings
So this is what's staring at me when I write these days.
He was created by my littlest kidlet and his name is Fluffy Marshmallow. Apparently there is video evidence that he's been stealing (rescuing?) marshmallows from the cereal box.
This is what I'm reading.
I received the ARC the last time I was in the Penguin offices and am currently on a MG fantasy binge. Fun!
And this is what I'm eating:
I will be running later on this afternoon. I swear.
What am I writing? I'm working on revising two--yes, two--different manuscripts right now. So I'm learning to love revising (which I don't like as much as drafting, but turns every good story into a greater story!)
And here's where I'll be this week:
"Finally, OPL will recognize Teen Read Week by hosting a panel of local authors who write for young adults. Golden Sower nominee John Kalkowski ( Red Cell ), Lydia Kang ( Control ), Tonya Kuper ( Anomaly ), and Chris Raabe ( Phenomenon trilogy) will discuss their most recent works onWednesday, October 15, at 7 p.m. at Milton R. Abrahams Branch. Furthermore, they will talk about how this year’s Teen Read Week theme, “Turn Dreams Into Reality,” applies to their own experiences of becoming published authors."
If you're in Omaha, I'd love to see you there!
Later this week, I'll be at the Vegas Valley Book Festival.
If you're in or near Las Vegas on Saturday, come meet a slew of great authors who will be on panel discussions and signing books!
How about you guys? What writing are you up to these days? What are you reading right now?
He was created by my littlest kidlet and his name is Fluffy Marshmallow. Apparently there is video evidence that he's been stealing (rescuing?) marshmallows from the cereal box.
This is what I'm reading.
I received the ARC the last time I was in the Penguin offices and am currently on a MG fantasy binge. Fun!
And this is what I'm eating:
I will be running later on this afternoon. I swear.
What am I writing? I'm working on revising two--yes, two--different manuscripts right now. So I'm learning to love revising (which I don't like as much as drafting, but turns every good story into a greater story!)
And here's where I'll be this week:
"Finally, OPL will recognize Teen Read Week by hosting a panel of local authors who write for young adults. Golden Sower nominee John Kalkowski ( Red Cell ), Lydia Kang ( Control ), Tonya Kuper ( Anomaly ), and Chris Raabe ( Phenomenon trilogy) will discuss their most recent works onWednesday, October 15, at 7 p.m. at Milton R. Abrahams Branch. Furthermore, they will talk about how this year’s Teen Read Week theme, “Turn Dreams Into Reality,” applies to their own experiences of becoming published authors."
If you're in Omaha, I'd love to see you there!
Later this week, I'll be at the Vegas Valley Book Festival.
If you're in or near Las Vegas on Saturday, come meet a slew of great authors who will be on panel discussions and signing books!
How about you guys? What writing are you up to these days? What are you reading right now?
October 2, 2014
YA Scavenger Hunt, TEAM BLUE!
Hi! I'm Lydia. Nice to meet you, if we haven't yet! I'm a doctor and YA author who wrote CONTROL, which came out in December from Dial Books/Penguin:
Click Cover to open GoodReads page!and the sequel, which arrives from Kathy Dawson Books (Penguin) March 24, 2015!
Click Cover to open GoodReads page!About CONTROL:When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren’t like any she’s ever seen before—teens who shouldn't even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends’ peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl’s DNA.
A spiraling, intense, romantic story set in 2150—in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms—this is about the human genetic “mistakes” that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes.
About CATALYST:
Aack! I could tell you but then it would spoil your reading of CONTROL! But I can tell you that Zelia has to leave Neia to find her loved ones...and ends up in place far more dangerous than she left!
Okay, so I'll be posting EXCLUSIVE CONTENT for Control somewhere within the Blue Team Scavenger hunt, and giving away a big prize below. Yay! I hope you feel lucky, like my lucky number FOUR. Cross your fingers you'll win!
Got questions about how the Scavenger Hunt works? Click here!
I'm so happy to be hosting the lovely
Lori M. Lee
, whose book GATES OF THREAD AND STONE just came out in August from Skyscape! About Lori: Besides being a young adult author, Lori has a borderline obsessive fascination with unicorns, is fond of talking in capslock, and loves to write about magic, manipulation, and family. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, kids, and a friendly pitbull.
In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.
And now, the exclusive content! This is a bonus, deleted scene from GATES OF THREAD AND STONE. Drumroll please...
***
“Remember: don’t hold back.”“Are you sure about this?” Avan asked for the fourth time. I gave him an irritated look as I scratched the toe of my boot over the floor of the great hall, creating streaks in the dust.“I’m not going to get better if you go easy,” I said. We weren’t speaking very loudly, but the hall was large and mostly empty, and our voices echoed up into the rafters, disturbing the cobwebs.“You should at least let this heal up a bit first.” Avan’s knuckles brushed over the bruise that discolored my jaw.“Focus,” I snapped. Before he could argue further, I swung my fist.He blocked with his arm, continuing only to defend himself as I pushed him back. I wasn’t strong enough to overpower him, so I had to be fast. My sore muscles and various other bruises ached, but Irra’s words rang through my head.Prove to me how much you want this.I would.“Hit me,” I demanded, attacking harder. I ducked low and then threw out my hands to block Avan’s knee from striking my chin. The force of the blow jolted me back. I stumbled. Avan reached out to steady me, but I knocked his hands away.Frowning, he pushed his fingers through his hair and shifted his weight on his feet. “I feel like a jerk hitting you. How does G-10 do this?”I shook out my arms. “G-10 doesn’t underestimate me.”Avan’s face grew tight. I had a second of warning in the way his body tensed and then my mind leaped for the threads. His elbow stopped inches from my cheek. Good thing my powers were faster than my physical reflexes. I sucked in a deep breath, smelling the must of wood rot and the stale air of a room that had likely never been used. Then I released the threads.Avan’s forearm met my crossed wrists with a jarring smack. He smirked. “That’s cheating.”“You caught me off guard,” I said, immediately blocking his next hit to my stomach. I kept my arms close, watching his body language, anticipating his strikes.“You won’t be able to use your powers in the arena.”“Oh, now you’re taking this seriously.”His leg knocked me off balance, but I gripped his shirt and twisted, dragging him down with me. We hit the floor, pain shooting through my shoulder and hip. Teeth clenched, I wrestled to push Avan onto his back, grappling with his longer limbs and digging my elbows into his ribs. But without the advantage of my speed, I couldn’t match his strength.A moment later, he’d captured my wrists and pinned me down with little more than the force of his weight. I glared at the amused tilt of his mouth and tried to wiggle free, but he held me fast. We were pressed chest to chest and thigh to thigh. Every breath rocked through both of us. It took only a beat for the hot rush of my indignation at being so easily defeated to transform into something altogether different. I swallowed.Avan had gone still, a curious intensity in the way he looked down at me. Weak light from the lanterns that hung overhead cast a faint glow around his hair, but left most of his face in shadow. My heart hammered against my ribs. I wanted very much to ask him what he was thinking.Before I could speak, his weight lifted from me. He stood, regaining his feet in one smooth motion. I pushed up onto my elbows, staring at his feet and feeling awkward and self-conscious.“We can try again after dinner,” I said, not yet ready to give up. Learning how to fight properly was more important than this brief moment of embarrassment, no matter that my burning face was trying to convince me otherwise. Avan held out his hand, and I gratefully took it. “Later then?” he said, helping me up.I met his eyes. There was a question there, and I couldn’t help wondering if it had anything to do with our sparring.I nodded anyway. “Later."
***
Buy Gates of Thread and Stone HERE!
Enter to win a signed hardcover of CONTROL plus a luxe swag pack, including onyx necklace, bookmarks, buttons, stickers, and mirror!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Where to go next? Hop on over to see Jennifer Armentrout for the next step in the Scavenger Hunt. Good luck, Scavengers!
September 29, 2014
Write Club Winners!
Hi all! Do you guys know about D.L. Hammons' Write Club ? Well, the contest is down to two finalists, Lord Codpiece (yep, you read that right) and Cocktail Lion. You can read their entries here.
I was honored to be one of the judges and the winner is being announced today! So jump over to D.L.'s blog and check out the winner along with the comments from myself and the other judges, (listed here.)
Enjoy the winning piece, congrats to the winner, and see you later this week at the YA Scavenger Hunt!
September 22, 2014
YA Scavenger Hunt!
Hi guys! So the CCHS Fundraiser is over and I'm thrilled to say that we surpassed our original goal of raising $5000 for the Lurie Children's Hospital to support their CAMP program! Our final tally was $6713. WOW. Thank you all so much for your generous donations!
Last weekend, I attended the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association to represent the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign and it was a wonderful success! So many booksellers wanting to know and sell more diverse books. It was pretty freaking amazing.
I also got a chance to visit my alma mater, Roland Park Country School, for a visit with the upper school students. So much fun! I also did a book event in the evening with an old classmate, Leigh Newman , the author of this beautifully written memoir, Still Points North.
And now...some YA scavenger news. :)
I'm so excited to be participating in the Fall YA Scavenger Hunt, which starts in less than two weeks. I hope you reserved plenty of time for this one because there isn't just one team or two or even three. This time there are six YASH teams which means more prizes, news, and fun for all you readers out there! So let's get started!
TEAM RED INCLUDES:
TEAM GOLD INCLUDES:
TEAM GREEN INCLUDES:
TEAM ORANGE INCLUDES:
TEAM INDIE INCLUDES:
TEAM BLUE INCLUDES:
There I am on Team Blue! The YA Scavenger Hunt begins at noon, Pacific time, on Thursday, October 2nd and runs through Sunday, October 5th. That means to get through the entire hunt you'll need to go through 1.5 teams per day!
Spread the word and I hope you get a chance to join us in the fun!
Last weekend, I attended the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association to represent the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign and it was a wonderful success! So many booksellers wanting to know and sell more diverse books. It was pretty freaking amazing.
I also got a chance to visit my alma mater, Roland Park Country School, for a visit with the upper school students. So much fun! I also did a book event in the evening with an old classmate, Leigh Newman , the author of this beautifully written memoir, Still Points North.
And now...some YA scavenger news. :)
I'm so excited to be participating in the Fall YA Scavenger Hunt, which starts in less than two weeks. I hope you reserved plenty of time for this one because there isn't just one team or two or even three. This time there are six YASH teams which means more prizes, news, and fun for all you readers out there! So let's get started!
TEAM RED INCLUDES:
TEAM GOLD INCLUDES:
TEAM GREEN INCLUDES:
TEAM ORANGE INCLUDES:
TEAM INDIE INCLUDES:
TEAM BLUE INCLUDES:
There I am on Team Blue! The YA Scavenger Hunt begins at noon, Pacific time, on Thursday, October 2nd and runs through Sunday, October 5th. That means to get through the entire hunt you'll need to go through 1.5 teams per day!
Spread the word and I hope you get a chance to join us in the fun!
August 20, 2014
Authors for CCHS Fundraiser starts TODAY!
Kidlit Author Fundraiser for Children with CCHS!
Photo permission through Anne and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital
In the fall of 2010, I was studying for my Internal Medicine board recertification. Ondine's curse, or CCHS, came up in my studies and the idea of this affliction wouldn't leave me.
I imagined a teenage girl who suffered from this syndrome, one that would face impossible odds, love and loss, and a unearth secrets about herself and her loved ones. I imagined a girl with a possibly fatal flaw who would somehow find how strong she truly could be.
And so my book, CONTROL, was born. My protagonist, Zelia, is completely fictional and some details of her Ondine's Curse are fictionalized. However, there are real people who suffer from and survive with CCHS.
From August 20th through September 20th, authors will be donating their books and their time to the Center of Autonomic Medicine in Pediatrics, or CAMP, a program run through Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. CAMP provides individualized services for patients from 50 different countries and conducts research aimed to maximize their quality of life.
**If you donate, you can receive these gifts (donated by nearly SIXTY donating YA and kidlit authors!!!) as a thank you:
Book bundles Swag packs Skype visits Character names in their upcoming books Query Crits 15 Page Book Critiques
Please help spread the word and encourage your kidlit loving friends to donate! Every dollar matters, and every bit of awareness helps.
Thank you so much!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE FUNDRAISER!
Photo permission through Anne and Robert H. Lurie Children's HospitalIn the fall of 2010, I was studying for my Internal Medicine board recertification. Ondine's curse, or CCHS, came up in my studies and the idea of this affliction wouldn't leave me.
I imagined a teenage girl who suffered from this syndrome, one that would face impossible odds, love and loss, and a unearth secrets about herself and her loved ones. I imagined a girl with a possibly fatal flaw who would somehow find how strong she truly could be.
And so my book, CONTROL, was born. My protagonist, Zelia, is completely fictional and some details of her Ondine's Curse are fictionalized. However, there are real people who suffer from and survive with CCHS.
From August 20th through September 20th, authors will be donating their books and their time to the Center of Autonomic Medicine in Pediatrics, or CAMP, a program run through Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. CAMP provides individualized services for patients from 50 different countries and conducts research aimed to maximize their quality of life.
**If you donate, you can receive these gifts (donated by nearly SIXTY donating YA and kidlit authors!!!) as a thank you:
Book bundles Swag packs Skype visits Character names in their upcoming books Query Crits 15 Page Book Critiques
Please help spread the word and encourage your kidlit loving friends to donate! Every dollar matters, and every bit of awareness helps.
Thank you so much!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE FUNDRAISER!
July 28, 2014
CATALYST Cover reveal!
I promise to report back on Comic Con soon, but it the meantime...
The cover for CATALYST is being revealed on YA Highway today!
Hop on over to see both the new paperback cover of CONTROL, as well as the hardcover reveal of the sequel, CATALYST. I'll be giving away two ARCs of CATALYST as well as swag packs!
The cover for CATALYST is being revealed on YA Highway today!
Hop on over to see both the new paperback cover of CONTROL, as well as the hardcover reveal of the sequel, CATALYST. I'll be giving away two ARCs of CATALYST as well as swag packs!
July 23, 2014
#MMBB report...Next Stop? COMIC CON!
Last week's #MMBB tour went great!
I met so many fantastic authors--Lindsay Cummings, Philip Seigel, Paula Stokes, Whitney Miller (my hotel roomie!), Victoria Schwab, Courtney Stevens, Robin Bridges, and Heather Brewer. And I got to see some writer friends I've met before--Bethany Hagen, Sarah Bromley, and Cole Gibsen!
Here is Whitney Miller and the Geishas! It took them at least four hours to get ready. They've accompanied Cole Gibsen on her book jaunts when she's promoted Katana. :) They were super nice and didn't mind all my makeup and hair questions!
The YA panel at the Ethical Society in St. LouisI met the wonderful YA bloggers Christina
(Ensconced in Lit)
and Jamie K (This Isn't Rocket Science!) Christina is a doctor and Jamie is a rocket scientist. Seriously. We had such a great time after the event and I got to meet Christina's adorable dogs, Oz and Boots!
Here's the cool banner that The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis made for us! (Thanks to Nikki Wang at Fiction Freak for designing the #MMBB logo!)
At the Booksellers at Laurelwood, here is Courtney Stevens, Victoria Schwab, me, Lindsay Cummings, and Robin Bridges. We weren't that serious the whole time, swear!
Here I am with Paula Stokes, Whitney Miller, Philip Seigel, and Lindsay Cummings
after the Memphis signing.It truly was a blast! And this weekend, I'm off to San Diego for Comic Con. It kind of is a dream come true to be able to go to the big SDCC. I promise to take lots of pictures!
On Friday at 4PM, I'm signing books at the Penguin Booth (#1028) with Walter Jury and M.D. Waters. I'd love to see you! The signings require tickets and I believe you can pick them up at the Penguin Booth in the morning.
On Saturday at 10AM, I'm on the Diversity in Genre Panel, Room 7AB.
In the literary world, there are mystical beings, futuristic landscapes, magic and mayhem, heroes and villains and slowly but surely, more diversity in our heroes. Our panel participants are the creators that have made a more diverse world with their novels. Join authors Gene Luen Yang (The Shadow Hero), Josephine Angelini (Trial by Fire), Sherri L. Smith (Orleans), Adele Griffin (The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone), Greg Weisman (Spirits of Ash and Foam: A Rain of the Ghosts Novel), and Lydia Kang (Control) as moderator David Mariotte of Mysterious Galaxy leads the discussion of what is "diversity" in genre writing, what it looks like, and why it is important! Book signing will follow from 11:30-12:30 PM.
Hope to see some of you there. :) I'll report back next week!
I met so many fantastic authors--Lindsay Cummings, Philip Seigel, Paula Stokes, Whitney Miller (my hotel roomie!), Victoria Schwab, Courtney Stevens, Robin Bridges, and Heather Brewer. And I got to see some writer friends I've met before--Bethany Hagen, Sarah Bromley, and Cole Gibsen!
Here is Whitney Miller and the Geishas! It took them at least four hours to get ready. They've accompanied Cole Gibsen on her book jaunts when she's promoted Katana. :) They were super nice and didn't mind all my makeup and hair questions!
The YA panel at the Ethical Society in St. LouisI met the wonderful YA bloggers Christina
(Ensconced in Lit)
and Jamie K (This Isn't Rocket Science!) Christina is a doctor and Jamie is a rocket scientist. Seriously. We had such a great time after the event and I got to meet Christina's adorable dogs, Oz and Boots!
Here's the cool banner that The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis made for us! (Thanks to Nikki Wang at Fiction Freak for designing the #MMBB logo!)
At the Booksellers at Laurelwood, here is Courtney Stevens, Victoria Schwab, me, Lindsay Cummings, and Robin Bridges. We weren't that serious the whole time, swear!
Here I am with Paula Stokes, Whitney Miller, Philip Seigel, and Lindsay Cummings after the Memphis signing.It truly was a blast! And this weekend, I'm off to San Diego for Comic Con. It kind of is a dream come true to be able to go to the big SDCC. I promise to take lots of pictures!
On Friday at 4PM, I'm signing books at the Penguin Booth (#1028) with Walter Jury and M.D. Waters. I'd love to see you! The signings require tickets and I believe you can pick them up at the Penguin Booth in the morning.
On Saturday at 10AM, I'm on the Diversity in Genre Panel, Room 7AB.
In the literary world, there are mystical beings, futuristic landscapes, magic and mayhem, heroes and villains and slowly but surely, more diversity in our heroes. Our panel participants are the creators that have made a more diverse world with their novels. Join authors Gene Luen Yang (The Shadow Hero), Josephine Angelini (Trial by Fire), Sherri L. Smith (Orleans), Adele Griffin (The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone), Greg Weisman (Spirits of Ash and Foam: A Rain of the Ghosts Novel), and Lydia Kang (Control) as moderator David Mariotte of Mysterious Galaxy leads the discussion of what is "diversity" in genre writing, what it looks like, and why it is important! Book signing will follow from 11:30-12:30 PM.
Hope to see some of you there. :) I'll report back next week!
July 16, 2014
St. Louis & Memphis, Giveaway, with a side of Fundraiser Rumblings
This Thursday, I'll be in St. Louis doing a book signing with the other fabulous authors of the Mighty Mississippi Book Blast Tour!
Where: The Ethical Society
When: 7PM, Thursday July 17
Who: Bethany Hagen, Heather Brewer, Cole Gibsen, Sarah Bromley, Lydia Kang, Victoria Schwab, Whitney Miller, Courtney Stevens
Sponsored by Left Bank Books
Friday, I'll be in Memphis--my first visit ever to Tennessee!
Where: The Booksellers at Laurelwood
When: 6PM, Friday July 18th
Who: Robin Bridges, Victoria Schwab, Courtney Stevens, Lydia Kang, Whitney Miller
Hey look! The Booksellers at Laurelwood are giving away all our books, a gift card, plus a Memphis river boat ride!
Click here and enter to win!
I'm also in the midst of putting together a massive fundraiser that's going to run from August to September to benefit children with CCHS (Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome--see the tab up above on my blog for more info!). It's the condition that my main character, Zelia, has in CONTROL. I wanted to be able to spread awareness of CCHS and give back to the community. So far, over 40 authors have committed to contributing things like signed books, fiction and query crits, Skype visits, and swag. I'm so excited about this! Stay tuned for more info soon!
July 7, 2014
Summer Reading Vacation
Hi guys! How is your July going?
Last week, I had a restful and lovely vacation with family. And I caught up on some of my reading!
Here's what I read:
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
Charm and Strange, by Stephanie Kuehn
The Rules, by Stacey Kade
Adaptation, by Malinda Lo
Fake ID, by Lamar Giles
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys
Yep. Almost a book a day. It was soooo wonderful. I usually don't read that fast. In fact, it often takes me weeks to finish one book, if I'm really busy.
How about you? What have you read lately?
Last week, I had a restful and lovely vacation with family. And I caught up on some of my reading!
Here's what I read:
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
Charm and Strange, by Stephanie Kuehn
The Rules, by Stacey Kade
Adaptation, by Malinda Lo
Fake ID, by Lamar Giles
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys
Yep. Almost a book a day. It was soooo wonderful. I usually don't read that fast. In fact, it often takes me weeks to finish one book, if I'm really busy.
How about you? What have you read lately?
