L.R. Lam's Blog, page 32
February 5, 2014
Pantomime is on the 2014 ALA Popular Paperbacks List (GLBTQ)
I’m happy to say Pantomime is on the final 2014 American Library Association Popular Paperbacks List in the GLBTQ Category. I didn’t make the Top Ten like the Rainbow List, but I’m still very pleased to be on it with some other wonderful books (David Levithan! Malinda Lo! Cris Beam! Libba Bray! Stephen Chobsky! Lauren Myracle! Julie Anne Peters! OMG!)
GLBTQ: Books with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer-questioning, Intersex, Asexual individuals, and Their Allies
Adams, S.J. Sparks: The Epic, Completely True Blue, (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie. Flux, 2011; 9780738726762; $9.95.
Debbie loves Lisa, but Lisa has a boyfriend.
Beam, Cris. I Am J. Little, Brown and Company, 2012; 9780316053600; $10.00.
J runs away from home to become his true self.
*Bray, Libba. Beauty Queens. Scholastic Press, 2012; 9780439895989; $9.99.
Fifty Miss Teen Dream Pageant contestants crash on a desert island with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.
Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower. MTV Books, 2012; 9781451696196; $14.00.
Charlie battles depression his freshman year of high school.
*Cronn-Mills, Kirstin. Beautiful Music For Ugly Children. Flux, 2012; 9780738732510; $9.99.
Elizabeth takes on a new identity as a radio DJ: Gabe.
Dole, Mayra Lazara. Down To The Bone. Bella Books Inc., 2012; 9781594933172; $14.95.
Laura Amores gets kicked out of her home for having a girlfriend.
Goode, Laura. Sister Mischief. Candlewick Press, 2013; 9780763664565; $8.99.
Esme and her friends form hip hop crew Sister Mischief and shake up their suburban school.
Hyde, Catherine Ryan. Jumpstart The World. Ember, 2011; 9780375866265; $7.99.
Ellie develops a crush on her neighbor Frank and then finds out that he is transgender.
Kluger, Steve. My Most Excellent Year: A Novel Of Love, Mary Poppins, And Fenway Park. Speak, 2009; 9780142413432; $8.99.
T.C.’s best friend Augie falls for a boy.
Lam, Laura. Pantomime. Strange Chemistry, 2013; 9781908844378; $9.99.
Gene, raised to be a proper lady, runs away and joins the circus.
Levithan, David. Every Day. Ember, 2013; 9780307931894; $9.99.
Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
*Lo, Malinda. Ash. Little, Brown and Company, 2009; 9780316040105; $9.00.
In this retelling of the Cinderella story Ash finds freedom from her evil stepmother in the love of Kaisha, the huntress.
Myracle, Lauren. Shine. Harry N. Abrams Inc., 2012; 9781419701849; $7.95.
Is Patrick in a coma because of a hate crime?
Parent, Dan. Kevin Keller: Welcome To Riverdale. Illus. Dan Parent. Archie Comics, 2012; 9781936975235; $11.99.
Archie’s first gay character makes a splash in Riverdale.
Peters, Julie Anne. Between Mom And Jo. 2008. Little, Brown and Company, 2008; 9780316067102; $7.99.
Nick’s mother and her wife are splitting up.
Sanchez, Alex. The God Box. Simon & Schuster, 2009; 9781416909002; $9.99.
Growing up in a conservative town, Paul confronts the question of how a person can be both gay and Christian.
Tamaki, Mariko. Skim. Illus. Jillian Tamaki. Groundwood Books, 2010; 9780888999641; $12.95.
Kimberly Keiko Cameron, aka Skim, looks for life’s answers in Wicca, tarot cards and her English teacher, Ms. Archer.
Tracey, Scott. Witch Eyes. Flux, 2011; 9780738725956; $9.95.
Braden falls for Trey, then learns their powerful witch families are on opposite sides.
Wise, Tama. Street Dreams. Bold Strokes Books, 2012; 9781602826502; $13.95.
Tyson gets involved in both the local hip hop scene and a possible romance.
Woodson, Jacqueline. The House You Pass On The Way. Puffin, 2010; 9780142417065; $7.99.
When Staggerlee meets Trout she begins to question what she thought she knew about herself.
Yee, Paul. Money Boy. Groundwood Books, 2013; 9781554980932; $9.95.
When his father throws him out on the street, Ray Liu wonders how far he’ll have to go to survive.
See the full list to also see the other categories: Conflicted: Life During Wartime & Humor Me: Funny, Fantastic and Witty Reads.
Thank you, ALA!
February 4, 2014
100 Follower Giveaway: Pantomime
Chance to win Pantomime OR Shadowplay.
Originally posted on Picking Up the Pen:
Would you look at that? Picking Up the Pen just passed 100 followers on wordpress. To celebrate I’m going to do a giveaway of one of the more interesting titles I’ve picked up over the past few months, Pantomime by Laura Lam. Here’s a back of the book summary.
R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass – remnants of a mysterious civilization long gone – are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimeras is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide.
Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star. But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.
Pantomime is a great choice for people who enjoy YA fantasy, and unique protagonists. And because Pantomime has just released a sequel, Shadowplay, I’m going to give each participant an option on whether they want to win either Pantomine or Shadowplay. That way, people who have already read and enjoyed Pantomime can win the sequel. Either way, the winner will receive their book by mail from The Book Depository. Because The Book Depository does free worldwide shipping, this makes this an international contest.
So how do you enter? Fill out this google docs form. It will ask for your name, your preferred mailing address, whether you’d like a copy of Pantomime, or Shadowplay, and your email address so I can let you know if you’ve won! The form will be deleted after the contest, so I won’t be keeping your info on file. You don’t have to follow this blog in order to enter, although if this goes well I hope to do future giveaways, so it might be a good way of keeping track of those. The giveaway will be opened until February 20th. After that, the winner will be announced and the book shipped.
Have any questions? Feel free to put them in the comments of email them to neotoole@gmail.com. I’ll do my best to respond ASAP.
100 Follower Giveaway: Pantomime OR Shadowplay
Reblogged from Picking Up the Pen:
Would you look at that? Picking Up the Pen just passed 100 followers on wordpress. To celebrate I'm going to do a giveaway of one of the more interesting titles I've picked up over the past few months, Pantomime by Laura Lam. Here's a back of the book summary.
R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass – remnants of a mysterious civilization long gone – are wonders beyond the wildest imagination.
Chance to win Pantomime OR Shadowplay.
February 1, 2014
An A to Z of Non-Binary Genders
Reblogged from shattersnipe: malcontent & rainbows:
So, here's a thing that happened: Alex Dally MacFarlane had the temerity to suggest that non-binary gender is an actual thing that deserves to be represented in SFF, and certain persons lost their shit, citing a variety of ill-informed reasons that can basically be summarised as "non-binary gender doesn't really exist, but if it did, we'd still think it was icky and unimportant, and also you're just a liberal fascist trying to make us sympathise with imaginary humans as part of your nefarious agenda to destroy all men"
Very much worth a read.
Books Read in January
1. Acid – Emma Pass. One of the Author Allsorts and a fellow shortlister on the NE Teen Book Award. I really enjoyed this fast-paced near-future dystopia, and Jenna’s various identities.
2. The Dragon Keeper – Robin Hobb. A re-read for the first time since 2009. Nice to be back among Thymara, Alise, Sedric, and the dragons.
3. The 5th Wave – Rick Yancey – An audiobook listen. I’m afraid in many respects it wasn’t my cup of tea. I didn’t connect with the characters, though I found the worldbuilding interesting.
4. Dragon Haven – Robin Hobb. Another re-read, this time from 2010. The continued adventures of the dragons and their keepers up the river to the mythical Elderling city, Kelsingra. I love losing myself in Hobb’s words, and how effortlessly she weaves various viewpoints.
5. Fables Vol 14 – Witches – Bill Willingham. I love Frau Totenkinder.
6. In the Shadows of Blackbirds - Cat Winters. This was on the Morris list, and I can see why. A very accomplished debut with incredible writing and a great atmosphere. Was sad to see it end, but glad Cat’s writing an adult book set during the same time period.
7. Fables Vol 15 – Rose Red – Bill Willingham. The story continues.
8. City of Dragons – Robin Hobb. I’d not read this one before yet, as I wanted to wait until the whole series was out and then it slipped past in all the bajillion other books to read. I loved learning more about Kelsingra. There was even a scene that eerily reminded me slightly of the Chimaera Dance scene in Pantomime.
I also beta read one short story and 1.5 manuscripts for friends.
I set a goal of 80 books, so I’m already 10% through it. Currently listening to Mockingbird on audio and reading Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb.
January 27, 2014
2014 Rainbow List
Earlier last year Pantomime was nominated for the 2014 Rainbow List. I was super excited to be on it, and didn’t know if I’d make the final list. Well, turns out I did, and that I’m one of the top ten titles, as well! *cue excited jumping*
Some of the committee with the top ten titles! (Source)
@MagpieLibrarian, on the left, wrote this awesome review of Pantomime, and @MZ_Christie, to her right, wrote this one.
You can see the full 2014 Rainbow List here.
I’m really honoured to be on the list. It was the first thing I was nominated for and the first thing I “won.” I’m so happy people decided my book was worthy of the list, and I hope it helps Pantomime become present in more libraries across the US so more teens can possibly connect with Micah Grey and his/her adventures.
I moved around a lot as a child, and one of the first places I went in each new town was the library. I remember my mom taking me to the bookmobile in my neighbourhood and me stumbling out with books from my elbows to my chin. So to be recognised by the American Library Association is really, really awesome.
I have celebrated with cheesecake.
January 24, 2014
Free Fiction Friday: “Safe Haven”
Every now and again I put up one of my old bits of writing. Most of these were written for university for my creative writing classes.
For this one I remember seeing the Safe Haven placard on the wall of the fire station by my house in California. I was thinking about how terrible it must be to give up your child but feel you had no choice, so I wrote a little story about it. This was in 2009, a little bit before I graduated university.
“Safe Haven”
by Laura Lam
“There, there,” the tired young woman crooned to her baby, St. Petersburg coloring her voice.
It was four thirty a.m. and the sky was just beginning to lighten into a blurred watercolor painting. The woman tucked the yellow blanket more firmly about the baby and adjusted the cap with the bear on it. She hugged the child to her, smelling milk, baby powder, and new skin. The baby gurgled and she smiled and touched the baby on the nose. The smile faded.
Glancing about nervously, she crossed the street and stood in front of the fire station of white, rose, and yellow stone. A bronze bell hung proudly on outside the main door, flanked by flags.
She wandered around the fire station. She had searched for it on the internet at the library, and this was supposed to be the place. The woman had started walking the wrong way—she circled almost the entire building before she saw the blue and white placard. Such an innocent looking sign, she thought in Russian. The baby gurgled again, and she looked down.
He was looking at her. The eyes were still impossibly blue, but they should darken soon and look like her father’s. So dark they were almost black. The baby felt so heavy in her arm, but her chest, sore with milk, was warmed by the tiny body. The woman pressed her lips together and stared at the placard, a blue house and a blue hand cradling a blue baby that kicked and waved its arms. The hand was not supporting the baby’s head.
She had to do it. Her American boyfriend had left when her stomach had begun to swell, leaving her visa to expire. No one had ever told her where babies came from; her mother had died when she was nine. Now she knew only too well. She wanted to go home, but she didn’t know where home was.
She had just turned sixteen. There was nothing she could give the baby in her arms that was as perfect as the smallest figure in a Matryroshka doll set. She shook her head. Someone would see her. The young woman set the baby down under the blue and white placard.
“Safe . . . haven,” she read slowly in English, carefully, rolling the sound around on her tongue. She closed her eyes and willed her eyes to stay dry. One hand rested on her stomach, still swollen and distended from the pregnancy. The little thing in the bundle had been inside of her not forty-eight hours before, wrapped up just as carefully in her womb.
If she looked at the bundle again, she’d lose her nerve. She gave one last look at the placard and turned, crossing her arms over her stomach and chest, trying to keep the lingering warmth.
When she was halfway across the street, the baby gave a cry. The sound was so pure and piercing it drove thought from her mind. She spun and looked back at the bundle. A tiny fist had worked its way from its swaddling and waved, just like the blue baby in the placard, either in anger, fear, or farewell. The woman let out a tiny cry of her own and stood frozen in the middle of the street, one foot slightly raised above the tarmac.
She took a step forward and froze again. The door by the placard opened and a fireman peeked out, a collection of a bald pate, hairy arms, black shirt, red suspenders, and yellow trousers. He crouched and picked up the child. He looked up and saw her. She couldn’t read his eyes from the distance.
She turned and fled.
January 23, 2014
2014 Releases: LGBTQ Young Adult Literature
Reblogged from wrapped up in books:
Queer characters and stories are underrepresented in YA fiction. Though many YA novels featuring LGBTQ characters and themes are award-winning, there are not enough being published, which makes it all the more important to recognize those books that are actually hitting shelves.
I've always been interested in yound adult literature with LGBTQ themes or characters. Here's a look at the 2014 releases in YA that feature lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer characters that I've been able to find so far.
January 20, 2014
In This Shirt – The Irrepressibles
Awhile ago I found this band I quite like, and when hunting about on Youtube I found this video, which has one of my favourite songs set to footage from the Forgotten Circus. Basically, how Pantomime is this? I put it up on Twitter weeks ago but thought I’d put it up here, too.
January 13, 2014
Would you like me to visit your school or library in Scotland?
A few months ago, I signed up for the Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature Database. My profile is here. Applications for school visits have the following deadlines:
End of January- for visits to be made between 1st April and 30th November
End of September- for visits to be made between 1st December and 31st March
Basically, if approved, then this programme will fund half of my speaking fee and travel costs. So it’s a very good deal for places who don’t have a big budget for speaking fees, which is understandable with so many budget cuts.
I’d really like to do more school or library visits this year, so if you’re a librarian/teacher from a school anywhere in Scotland, please consider booking me through that website. If you’re a student or you know someone who might be interested in booking visits, please send them the link to this post or to that profile. Or, of course, book any other many fine authors on the database.
If you’d like to know more about past visits:
Hayward High School, Hayward, California, USA – 7 September 2012 (blog post)
MA Creative Writing, Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland – 22 February 2013 (blog post)
Dollar Academy, Dollar, Clackmannanshire, Scotland – 13 June 2013 (blog post)
Keith Grammar, Keith, Moray, Scotland – 19 June 2013 (blog post)
Gordonstoun School, Elgin, Moray, Scotland – 19 June 2013 (blog post)
California State University East Bay, Hayward, California, USA – 8 January 2014 (blog post)
Hayward High School, Hayward, California – 10 January 2014 (blog post)
I also have more information on my Visits & Events page.
Testimonials:
“Laura did a Skype author visit to our Florida library, and despite being thousands of miles away, engaged our teen group with her reading and sharing of her experiences. She even listened to their work and gave valuable feedback! One of our best author visits to date.”
- Alexandra Phillips, SJCPL Librarian
“Laura spoke to my AP Literature classes at Hayward High in the fall and did an amazing job engaging a roomful of students and answering their questions. I had many students eagerly anticipating Pantomime’s release after her reading. Months later, several students informed me that they were not disappointed! We look forward to Ms. Lam returning next fall and connecting with even more students at Hayward High School. “
- Ms. Campbell, Hayward High School
“Laura spoke to a group of our Form 1 pupils and did a great job of engaging all the pupils and answering their questions. The visit was very popular and we’ll be sure to have Laura back to speak at the school again soon.”
- Tara Hepburn, Dollar Academy Librarian
“A fantastically well-written novel dealing with a sensitive subject in a uniquely creative way. Both my daughter and I can’t wait for the next book. We just need to know…”
- A Dollar Academy parent
“Laura was a guest speaker for our postgraduate creative writing programme, talking about the experience of writing her wonderful first novel, Pantomime. She was engaging, passionate and thoughtful – just like her prose. Highly recommended!”
- David Bishop, lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University
