Annie Cardi's Blog, page 31

The Chance You Won’t Return ARC Giveaway!

It’s March, which means that when I’m ready for spring and flowers and greenery, the weather is usually more like:

But March also means that The Chance You Won’t Return hits shelves next month. Holy cow, guys, just one calendar page turn away!

And since my book’s going to be out in the world soon, this sounds like the perfect time to have an ARC giveaway! The details:

To enter, leave a comment on this post about why you’re excited for spring.
Extra points for tweets with the hashtag #TCYWRgiveaway
Extra points for sharing on Facebook (Make sure to tag me so I can see your share.)
US and Canada residents only. (Sorry, other international readers!)

The giveaway is open until Wednesday, March 12 at 11:59 pm EST. After that I’ll compile the entries into a random number generator/particle collider and post the winner on Friday, March 14. (Pi Day! That’s totally a reason to look forward to spring.)

Start commenting/tweeting/sharing and soon you could have a signed ARC of The Chance You Won’t Return in your hands!

Or, you know, paws.

Ten Reasons Why You Should Read…The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim

When E.K. Johnston, aka Kate, read a little of The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim aloud at the Fourteenery retreat, I couldn’t stop giggling and knew this was just the kind of book I needed in my life. Fortunately, reading the whole book gave me pretty much that same feeling, plus a lot more. Here are a few of my reasons why you should read The Story of Owen.

1. Here There Be Dragons

Seriously, you tell me you don’t want to read a book about dragons and I don’t trust your judgment in general. The dragons in The Story of Owen are intense and dangerous and therefore awesome. While a lot of series feature paranormal characters that have lost a major sense of threat, I love that Owen keeps them as majorly life-threatening giant beasts.

2. Revised History

Owen and Siobhan’s world is pretty similar to our own–cars, high school, hockey–but living among dragons means that the world has been a little different. The passages about world history (plus dragons) made me laugh and smile, and I love that Kate has thought about her characters’ world so thoroughly.

3. Musical Theory

As someone who’s totally not musical, I love getting to see characters who have that talent, and being inside musical Siobhan’s head was a real treat. Not only does she play multiple instruments, compose music, and enjoy pieces, but she also thinks of the world in terms of music. Getting to hear someone described as a “a tuba to the core” felt so right.

4. Humor

As I mentioned above, it’s hard to read The Story of Owen without laughing out loud. It reminded me of reading The Enchanted Forest Chronicles back in the day (the first book series I remember really making me laugh). Kate’s humor is delightfully wry and her characters make wonderful quips with still feeling grounded.

5. Friendship

I’ve heard a lot of people mention how they’d like a YA novel that focuses less on romance and more on friendship, and now I know I can hand them The Story of Owen. Siobhan and Owen’s friendship reminds me so much of my friendship with guys in high school, and characters like Emily and Sadie feel so genuine as well. This is a group I want to spend time with, and a group that reminds me of my own friends. (You know, if we fought dragons.)

6. Family

Similarly, The Story of Owen does a wonderful job depicting the intricacies and love of family. From Owen’s Aunts Lottie and Hannah to Siobhan’s parents to Owen’s mother and father, the adults populating the world feel real and thoughtful and loving, even if they don’t always make the best decisions. (Also, I really want a piece of Hannah’s smithy pizza.)

7. Last Battle

Oh my gosh, Siobhan in the last battle. In a book that has a lot to do with bravery, this scene killed me. I’m not going to leave anymore details here, but it’s so well written and captivating. The feels!

8. Oh, Canada

Growing up, my experiences with Canadians in children’s lit were pretty limited to the Anne of Green Gables series and Susan Cooper’s The Boggart. I’m glad to add The Story of Owen to the list. Canada’s a beautiful country and I loved getting to see a little more of it in book form (okay, Canada plus dragons).

9. Good Common Sense

One of my personal reading favorites is a set of characters with good common sense. The cast of The Story of Owen so delivers there. And now I kind of feel like it would be a good idea to keep a sword in the trunk of my car in case of dragon attacks.

10. Kate the Great

Kate’s the kind of person who can write a whole novel in her sleep (literally). Who will find out you’re terrified of giant spiders and tell you exactly when you should look away during The Desolation of Smaug and when it’s safe to look back. Who’s a dedicated bookseller/sharer of stories. Who’s a writer you’ll be hearing about long into the future.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s also the end of February, and I for one am ready to end the month and end winter. (Or at least to know that we’re that much closer to spring.)

1. The Stanislavski System: The Professional Training of an Actor by Sonia Moore
Didn’t make me an actor, but want to revisit with an eye to writing character.

2. Gallows Hill by Lois Duncan
Saw a TV movie loosely based on this; went into the book with skewed expectations.

3. A Kiss for Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
Everybody’s kissing everybody. Hen puts a stop to that.

4. The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty
Feeling Sorry for Celia‘s a tough act to follow, but Moriarty always delivers fun.

5. Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Giada De Laurentiis
I kind of want to be Giada.

Quote of the Day

Daniel Tiger. Photo by Greg Dunlap from Stockholm, Sweden
via Wikicommons

“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”–Fred Rogers

It’s been a tough month for a lot of wonderful people I know, so I wanted to share this fantastic quote by one of the all-time best people. No matter what you’re going through right now, remember that you matter to so many other people.

More about Mister Rogers here.

Links Galore

Lots of fun links to start the week:

Wonderful article by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo on “the clearance kids,” who especially need to share their stories and find ones to connect with them.
Looking at religious diversity in YA.
“Fiction is about problems. It’s not about good decision-making.”
A reminder that, even though a lot of adults love YA, teen books are for teens and should reflect their reality.
Why does it matter what a librarian looks like?
Love so many of these books in the Harvard Book Store’s top 100 list–especially glad to see so many YA/children’s titles!
I want the Jellicoe Road movie so much.
Shakespeare in three panels.
For all of us who spend a lot of time with our keyboards, the history of the typewriter.
We’re all crushing on Gilbert, right?
10 children’s/YA novels that are perennial classics. I remember reading several of these and assuming they were new because they were new to me.
I loved following along with the SCBWI annual NY conference hashtag and blog, including this recap of Elizabeth Wein’s keynote.
Dealing with writerly setbacks and having a Plan B.
Maggie Stiefvater on looking for publishers and what your writing goals might be.
A look at being on submission, aka more reasons why writing is a game of waiting and hoping.
The four Ds and Native American YA literature.
Life on the midlist.
Bring on the 2014 Battle of the Books!

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday, everyone! The weekend is short, and so are the book reviews! Here are this week’s book reviews in fifteen words or fewer:

1. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

Like listening in on your totally disturbed neighbors, but better.

2. The Queen Geek Social Club by Laura Preble

I think I have a different definition of what it takes to be a geek.

3. Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate

Lots of dynamic illustrations and fun asides–would have poured over this as a kid.

4. Shannon’s Story (Baby-Sitters Club Special Edition #3) by Ann M. Martin

Whose 8th grade class trip is to Paris? Way to mess it up, Shannon.

5. Looking for Alaska by John Green

Lots of great stuff–boarding school, philosophy, etc. The rap scene made me feel awkward.

The First Review Happy Dance

My first big review came today, and I am so excited to announce that The Chance You Won’t Return got a starred review from Kirkus. Happy dance time!

I was so so nervous about reviews starting to come in, and having this one lead the way is so exciting. I was so glad that the reviewer mentioned that the novel includes “a character with a mental disorder who never loses her humanity or becomes a caricature.” That was so important to me in the writing of the book and I’m so glad to see that came through for this reader.

Click through to read the full review. And one more happy dance for the road!

Don’t Be the Artax: Writing Through the Squishy Middle

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a total pantser, and usually I like that because it lets me explore my characters and forge the plot from what feels right as opposed to what I’d originally planned should happen. Usually this works out great for the first part of the book.

Then I hit what I like to call the squishy middle.

The squishy middle is that point in the novel when I’ve gotten over the new WIP excitement and have exhausted all my initial ideas for where things might be going, but I’m not deep enough into it to see how everything comes together. I know my characters, but I’m not sure exactly how they’re going to get where they need to be and how long it’ll take for them to get there. I start to worry about the story overall and if it’s boring or worth the time/effort and if anyone will ever actually care about these characters. It kind of feels like being Artax in the Swamp of Sadness*:

Right now I’m in the squishy middle of my current WIP and trying to keep everything in perspective so I don’t go all Artax and burn my manuscript. If you’re in the squishy middle too, here are some things that I’m trying to keep in mind as I plow my way through.

1. Just Get It Done

The squishy middle sucks, but avoiding it just means you’re stuck in the squishy middle forever. It’s way better to finish and go back and revise than to never leave the swamp.

2. Trust Your Critique Partners

One thing that’s helped me so far has been to share regular updates with my critique group. First of all, it forces me to have new material. Second, they remind me of what things are working and help me brainstorm where things might be going. I end up leaving group excited about the WIP instead of exhausted, which is how I’d feel on my own.

3. Don’t Get Distracted by Shiny Things

When I’m in the squishy middle, I start thinking of new WIPs. You know, those bright shiny projects that don’t have any squishiness yet? Yeah, those are distracting and will end up having squish middles of their own, too.

4. Hey, You Still Like This, Remember?

In the squishy middle, it can be easy to forget why you’re writing the damn thing in the first place. Try to remind yourself of the reasons why you love this story. For me, it’s been helpful to return to my WIP playlist (Franz Ferdinand! Gogol Bordello! Bowie!) and to match the characters with their celebrity counterparts (my current main character casting is Maisie Williams).

5. You’ve Gotten Through It Before

The Chance You Won’t Return totally had a squishy middle when I was in the first draft phase. I kept thinking “Oh my gosh, this is the worst, just burn it, burn it all,” but eventually I got through it. And then I went back and revised and revised and revised some more. And soon it’ll be out in the world as a real book, which couldn’t have happened without powering through in that first draft.

6. Powering Through Means You’re a Writer

Starting a project is easy. Lots of people start novels, get a few chapters in, lose steam and never return. Powering through the hard parts and putting in the time and effort is what writers do. We don’t write when just when it’s fun and exciting–we write when it’s hard and there’s a whole swamp around us.

The squishy middle is a rough place to be, but it’s worth it to get through. Because by the end of the manuscript, we can all feel a little less than Artax in the swamp and a little more like Falcor.

Share your tips about getting through the squishy middle (or any other squishy part of your draft) in the comments.

*Seriously, guys, this scene will mess you up. I remember watching The NeverEnding Story and being afraid to step on the ground that night in case the Swamp of Sadess was going to get me, too.

Friday Fifteen

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! It’s also my birthday, so here are some birthday-ish book reviews.

1. Happy Birthday, Felicity! (American Girls: Felicity, #4) by Valerie Tripp

Felicity gets a guitar, joins the revolution, basically becomes a 90s teen.

2. Our Town by Thornton Wilder

The third act includes the most moving birthday scene ever. All the feels.

3. The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby by Stan and Jan Berenstain

As a younger sister, I really enjoyed the story of Sister Bear.

4. Atonement by Ian McEwan

For Briony’s birthday, she wants to make amends for ruining people’s lives.

5. The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

Not birthday themed, but I will be using this to bake for my birthday brunch!

Links Galore

Lots of links for a snowy day.

Pulitzer and National Book Award winning books mapped by setting. I’d love to see this for Printz and Newbery winners!
Literature in Lego.
I was never a great skater, but I sure do love it. Gotta check out these skating YA reads!
A behind-the-scenes look at YALSA’s Outstanding Books for the College Bound committee.
Recently finished A.S. King’s Ask the Passengers , so I was super excited to see this great interview with her.
A look at the literary journal slush pile–very much in line with what I experienced working on Redivider back in the day.
Responding to “why that book?” and inevitable award backlash.
Authors share the books they’d give to their 10-year-old selves.
In movies, everyone’s an architect. (My pet peeve: YA novels in which characters have super hip jobs. Where were these magical clothing stores/hip coffee shops/etc when I was a teen?)
Everyone loves libraries and we should support them.
Save the comma! Save pants!