Rita’s Comments (group member since Jul 23, 2010)

Rita’s comments from the Unlocking Books group.

I'm reading Abandon by Meg Cabot because it was the July book-of-the-month for another YA book club here on good reads, but I'm really disappointed so far.

Has anybody else read any Meg Cabot books?

I'm currently reading Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. Wow, this book is totally not what I expected. Starts off funny & witty, a good parody to make fun of beauty pageants like the movie Miss Congeniality.

But as these girls are stranded on this island, having crashed during their flight to where the pageants will be hosted, they come face to face with themselves. I like the way author Libba Bray peels away their layers.

This weekend, I just finished Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs, and now I'm reading its sequel Dragon Blood. I highly recommend both books.



When I grow up, I want to write like Patricia Briggs.

My favorite thing she said is in her response to the last question. I've decided to quit many times, and yet the next day, I found myself editing one more time or starting another story or writing another chapter.

The responses from Lisa Mangum:


1. Do you keep a backlog of projects you plan to write?
Yes, I do. I’m never at a loss for ideas of what to write about, but since I can really only work on one book at a time, many projects are patiently (and sometimes not-so-patiently) waiting their turn. I have a running document called “New Ideas” that I use to collect all my ideas.

2. What genre will your next book be in? And does it have a title yet?
Next up will be another YA novel. Contemporary setting; a stand alone book. My working title is Hello, Good-bye, but since I just discovered a recently released YA novel with the same title, I’ll probably end up changing it to something else. The story will be about Sam and Sara and the single day they spend together at the beginning of their relationship.

3. Why did you decide to become a writer?
I always wanted to be a writer, but for most of my life I just dabbled in it. A few short stories. Some good beginnings, but I’d never finished an entire manuscript. And then five or six years ago, my friends and I decided to start a writing group. That proved to be the spark I needed to make the transition from dabbling to really doing it. My writing group provided the deadlines that kept me motivated and the feedback that kept me growing. Ultimately, I decided to become a writer because Abby and Dante jumped into the car with me one day and said, “You have to write our story!” It was an invitation—a command—that I couldn’t turn down.

4. Where did you learn so much about classical literature? What inspired you to reference material like Shakespeare, The Odyssey, Dante?
I have my bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Utah and that allowed me to take a lot of classes from the Humanities department—including a class just on Shakespeare and another class just on Dante’s Divine Comedy. Plus, I’ve read a lot of classical literature on my own. One of the driving forces of the Hourglass Door series was actually Dante’s Divine Comedy. I loved the relationship between Dante and Beatrice and when I started writing, I knew I wanted to draw from that source. Knowing I was going to have so many ties to Italy, it was easy to include references to Much Ado about Nothing—which is set in Italy—and The Aenied—which is a wonderful Italian epic poem. I think I referenced so much from classical literature, in part, because I love it and in part because it worked so well with the theme and story.

5. Which Shakespeare play is your favorite?
Oh, do I have to pick just one? I do love Much Ado about Nothing, but I also love Hamlet. And I recently saw Othello on stage, which was amazing. Taming of the Shrew is great. And Henry V has some of my favorite speeches in it.

6. What is your writing process? Are you a pantser or a plotter? How many times do you edit?
I’m a plotter. One thing I learned about myself after writing three books is that I do better when I can outline obsessively and write once. That’s not to say that I don’t revise or edit—I do. But I tend to revise as I go, and then when I’m doing writing, I step back, turn on the editor part of my brain, and go over the entire thing in detail.

7. How much research did you have to do for your first books?
I did a fair amount of research regarding the life of da Vinci—hooray for Google!—and about sixteenth-century Italy. I found some great websites for Italian names of the period that I used for some of my character names. I also was able to do some research on apothecaries of the day.

8. What was the process of searching for a publisher like for you?
Finding a publisher was a little easier than it is for most writers. Since my day job is as an editor at a publishing company, I knew right away who I’d like to submit my manuscript to. (Grin) But once I submitted my manuscript, it traveled through the review process anonymously. I was really grateful for that so that when Shadow Mountain said yes, I knew it was because they really wanted to publish my book—they really liked it—and it wasn’t just because I worked there.

9. What advice would you give to writers who are not yet published?
One of my writing friends, Rick Walton, gave me this advice, which I am unapologetically stealing and passing along: “Give up. And if you can’t—do the work.” I love that idea. Writing is hard work. It’s exhausting and backbreaking and more than one person has given up. But if you can’t give up—if there is something inside you that won’t let you give up—then you have to do the work. You have to buckle down and put the words on the page and do the work. But the authors who do that, find success.

Andrea wrote: "I completely agree with the 'two books at once' stuff- only I usually have about three physical books that I go through...usually I only finish one in a decent time period!"

When you add in the books I read as research and the chapter books I read to the kids and the other books I'm reading too, I probably am doing more than 2 or 3 books at a time too.

I prefer actual books too--usually. There have been a few times when I've enjoyed the audiobook so much, that I can't imagine reading it. Other times, I really disliked the reader.

I usually am reading two books at a time, one a paper book and the other an audiobook for my drive to work. This way I get twice as much reading in.

Andrea, do you ever do audiobooks? Whoever did the reading in the audiobook really brought life to the characters with the various voices he used. If it wasn't for that, I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed it.

I like to do audiobooks with my husband and children when we are long car rides, and it makes for excellent family discussion material. Audiobooks don't take the place of real books, but it is a nice supplement.

I've added it to my to-read list. I'll probably pick it up as soon as I finish the books my husband just ordered for me (Dragon Bone series by Patricia Briggs).

And I'm re-reading Storm Front by Jim Butcher. Bought the book for my husband and then I stole it for myself. Mwahahahaha! Now we know why I bought it for him for Father's Day. :D Okay, no, I really did buy it for him, but since he finished reading it, I picked it up.

I find that I'm really enjoying reading books with my kids more than I enjoy reading for myself right now. It's the strangest experience for me because I can't seem to get into ANY books.

Warped? I hadn't heard of that book. Let me know what you think of it. I am on the prowl for something good to read.

And I just finished the first book in what I plan to be a 5 book series. I keep thinking that I have to spend the next four years on the same world. All my other ideas have to wait until those books are done.

But I'll probably write some novelettes and other smaller works while I'm waiting.

Have you noticed any similarities between Yelena and Trella? Both jump into trouble with both feet and don't realize the consequences until it is too late.

I know that Maria V. Snyder is a pantser. Her writing style is to jump in and start writing, watching to see where the story will take her. Just like her characters...

I am currently reading Fire Study, but I'm having a hard time getting into it. I think I keep forgetting that I actually have a book to read, or maybe I'm just not in the mood for this one.

However, I do think the "soulfinder" concept is very interesting. I am looking forward to learning more about that.

Yes, I'd agree with that.

Harley is cute, but Joker is one villain I'd never want to face. Of all the villains of all the stories in all the genres, he has to be the most evil, most vicious, scariest of them all.

That one is a graphic novel, isn't it? Set in the Wild West, if I recall. I've read several by Shannon Hale, and I've always love her books. Unfortunately, I haven't read that one yet. So what was so cool about it?

When it comes to graphic novels, I'm a fan of Batman, but that is because I love the supporting characters:

Batgirl (the first one who grows up to become Oracle)
Robin (also the first one, who grows up to become Nightwing)
Catwoman
The Huntress

entire galaxy from his spaceship. He'd be the Monkey in Space in Charge until...

that gets in its way. But the monkeys just laugh at them all, knowing...

with an iron fist that smashes...

treason agains the Emperor of Animals, who rules...