Showing posts with label 'issues'. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 'issues'. Show all posts
Monday, January 22, 2018
Hi guys, I'm so excited to "officially" share my good news here at We Heart YA!! Here's how it all happened:
Six years ago, I started writing a contemporary young adult book about an honors student who finds herself trapped in a dangerous life with her addict mother and a ruthless drug dealer. In October of 2016, a wonderful literary agent fell in love with my manuscript :) Six month after that, the story sold to a publishing house (yay!). And a few short months from now, my little book baby will be released into the wilds of the world (here's a link to prove it's not a dream).
My road to publication has been long and twisty, full of detours and potholes. And the journey didn't just start six years ago; it really started back in the 80s, when I was barely a young adult myself, pecking away on a dinosaur of a computer and writing my first novel. A lot of living and learning happened between then and now. Many, many dominoes fell into place to get me from there to here. And this past year has been nothing short of a dream come true. But it has also been a roller coaster ride, full of excitement and anxiety, exhilaration and terror. I know I'm not alone in this, so I'm planning to share a few articles about my experiences leading up to my (eeeep!) official pub date of April 3, 2018!
Next month I'll talk about what inspired the idea for the book as well as details about my publishing journey. But for now, I'd simply like to introduce you to Andrea -- my proud, beautiful-inside-and-out protagonist (hopefully someday she'll forgive me for torturing her) -- and her story, ALL OUT OF PRETTY...
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| All Out of Pretty - Creston Books - 4.3.18 |
Sixteen-year-old Andrea Hathaway knows what it's like to be pretty. Thanks to her gorgeous, drug-addicted mother, she also knows where pretty can lead...
When things with her mom's boyfriend take a darker turn than she can bear, Andrea devises a plan to save herself. But freedom may cost her everything—and everyone—she cares about.
Check it out on:
Friday, November 14, 2014
A few weeks ago I picked up the ARC of SAY WHAT YOU WILL by Cammie McGovern.
The premise sounded interesting—a roller-coaster friendship/love story between a girl with cerebral palsy and a boy with obsessive compulsive disorder. Also it sounded…important. I could tell it was the type of story that would teach me something. I wondered if it would be difficult at times to relate to the main characters: Amy, who has a brilliant mind but is trapped in a body that won’t cooperate, and Matthew, whose mental disorder is sabotaging his life while he remains in denial.
In fact, the characters were so relatable that I pulled a few late-nighters in order to continue reading. I really felt for these kids who needed each other so badly but didn’t always know how to communicate it. Their emotional growth was a beautiful thing to watch.
In addition to their unique challenges, Amy and Matthew confront issues that everyone can relate to… loneliness and the intricacy of making friends, then figuring out which friendships are sincere and which will crumble in the wind. Dealing with social pressure and expectations from teachers, parents and classmates. Worrying about first jobs, first dates, fitting in and the way people perceive you. Agonizing over the choices you make—or don’t make—and how it all affects your self-esteem and your future.
SAY WHAT YOU WILL can be categorized as a diversity book, offering a rare look inside the minds and emotions of people who are underrepresented and often misunderstood. But more than that, it’s a story about two people struggling to overcome their individual challenges while simply learning how to navigate Life.
Has anyone else had a chance to read SAY WHAT YOU WILL? What did you think?
I’m really glad I read this book, both because it enhanced my understanding
of the differences those with disabilities must deal with on a regular basis,
and because it reinforced how similar we all are inside.
Has anyone else had a chance to read SAY WHAT YOU WILL? What did you think?
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
A few weeks ago, I was at the library perusing YA audio books when I came across STOLEN, the debut novel of Lucy Christopher. The premise immediately intrigued me — a 16-year-old girl is abducted from an international airport and taken to live in a wild and foreign land with her unconventional kidnapper. Yeah, I was fascinated before popping out the first disc.
Set in the Great Sandy Desert of the Australian Outback — a harsh and isolating place — the book is told in the form of a letter written by the main character, Gemma, to her captor. I found this to be a fresh and effective format. It allows the reader to live Gemma’s story with her as she analyzes her feelings about the ordeal. Author Lucy Christopher states on her webpage that she wanted to explore Gemma’s feelings of being “simultaneously entranced and repulsed by something.”
That, in a nutshell, is the allure of this novel.
STOLEN is a difficult story but one that makes you think. First, about the rugged and beautiful land itself, which Christopher describes with the authority of an insider. (There's even a pet camel in it!) And second, about Ty the kidnapper — a troubled and complex character. As I read, there were times when I found myself really liking him — and then I’d think: But wait — he abducted her! It was all very unsettling, which is exactly the point.It's easy to identify with Gemma’s evolving and often conflicting emotions toward Ty. Though her journey is a tumultuous one, I really appreciated the ambiguous nature of the story. It even inspired an interesting WHYA group discussion about whether Ty could be classified as a decent man who did a really bad thing... or a bad person with a few redeeming qualities. (The jury's still out.)
Delving into the intricacies of Stockholm Syndrome, the things that connect you to home and childhood, and the power of place, STOLEN is an intriguing novel. It's one of those books that messes with your mind, that I find myself thinking about over and again — which is just the kind of story I love.
If you're familiar with it, let us know your thoughts! What other books have you read where you had mixed feelings about "the bad guy"?
If you're familiar with it, let us know your thoughts! What other books have you read where you had mixed feelings about "the bad guy"?
Leave a comment on any July post for a chance to win a book from our stash!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
ENTRY POLL: Which do you think is more acceptable for Young Adult literature?
Violence over sex is not an uncommon preference -- at least not in America. (Maybe because of our Puritan roots?) But not everyone in the world agrees, or even understands. Europeans, for example, are known for their open attitudes towards sex and nudity. When I studied abroad in Spain, even the conservative, Catholic, middle school teacher I was staying with said to me, “It makes no sense. Why do Americans enjoy watching cars crash and people beating each other bloody, but then they get so upset to see two people making love?”
I didn’t have a good answer for her.
Look, I understand that not every teen is ready for sex. But should any teen be ready for violence?
Sex, when done right, is none of those things. Sex is by definition a natural and necessary part of human life. It’s the only way to continue. It can be a way to connect.
Violence, on the other hand, is ugly. A force to be wielded with great care and consideration. Not encouraged, and certainly not glorified.
Or at least, that’s my opinion. What’s yours?
KH
EXIT POLL: Which do you think is more acceptable for young adults in real life?
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
By now you’ve probably heard all about the Wall Street Journal opinion piece that claims Young Adult literature is dark and depraved and trying to “bulldoze” misery into young people’s lives. We Heart YA spent much of our weekend reading the amazing #YAsaves tweets, and we gathered a long list of fellow bloggers’ responses on our Facebook page. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us. We were moved, many times to tears.
Now we’d like to share our thoughts with you.
Kristan
I wrote a longer response on my personal blog, but what I want to say here is simple: YA lit is a mirror. Pleasant or not, it reflects our own realities back to us. That means there is as much variety on YA shelves as there is in a high school hallway.
But hey, you don’t have to take my word for it. Let’s look at the evidence:
Yeah, out of about 10 shelves, there were a few that looked like the one on the left here. Lots of black (whatever that means). But take two steps to the right, and what do you see? A giant yellow smiley face. Ooo, scary. Two more steps right, and you have tons of uplifting non-fiction -- books that are positive AND real.
Personally I like to sample from each of the shelves. Like I said, variety. That’s life.
Sarah
Because I am from a generation where young adult books were scarce, and just not as "shiny" as adult ones, I feel a real kinship with what's being offered on the YA shelves these days. AND I'm quite proud at how passionate the YA community has been in response to the Wall Street Journal article. My thoughts? We finally get a massive section of books for adolescents, and one well-intentioned parent can't find an appropriate novel for her child? Um, yeah, I don't buy that... Maybe twenty years ago.
What I will accept is that there are a TON of paranormal romance novels being bought by teens. It's popular. It's an escape. It's what they want right now. That's okay. I would LOVE for contemporary to make a come-back in a big way -- I mean, this is what I'm writing at the moment. It's really up to the teens buying the books. As well as this, so-called "tough stuff" novels have been around for a good while and have been improving the lives of children who unfortunately have to find a way to deal with darkness. Thank you, authors, who have the guts to write these kind of stories. It's not easy and it's saving lives. Thank you for the message being sent--that nearly always, the light will follow the darkness.
Stephanie
The darkness in fiction teaches us about the darkness that humanity is actually capable of. Schindler's List, for example, is shown in high schools all over the world, and it’s full of graphic images, but it’s also a vital part of education. We all know that history repeats itself, and the only way to prevent genocide is to remember tragedies like the Holocaust.
Issues such as violence and eating disorders don't disappear if we refuse to talk about them. They get worse. I would argue that popular media is perhaps the best way to educate teens about hard topics, because they’re more likely to pick up a book about anorexia than ask a guidance counselor for help.
Everyone seems to be focusing on the bad stuff, but what about all the good? YA literature is making statements — life is sacred, compassion and faith are worth standing for, suicide is not the answer — and teens are eating it up.
Ingrid
I am thankful that teenagers today have access to “issue books” that address topics like self-image, suicide and bullying. Books that might help them or their friends. Books that increase their empathy and tolerance. The variety of books prevalent today were not nearly as accessible when I was a teenager. When I did stumble upon books that reflected the realities of teen life (S.E. Hinton, Cynthia Voigt) I gobbled them up -- everything I could find that addressed real issues, that didn’t try to paint the world as something false, that made me think and question. Here’s what readers learn from contemporary YA literature: to stand up for yourself and your beliefs, and to stand up for those who are being mistreated. To know that you are worthy of respect, love, safety and peace. To empathize with others and to forgive yourself when you mess up. The fact is: Growing up is hard. YA lit makes things a little easier for a whole lot of teens -- both by allowing them to escape real life and by reading about how others deal with it. Take that away? Now that's crazy.
If there's one good thing that came out of the Wall Street Journal's "Darkness Too Visible," it's the discussion it began. The YA community rose up to defend its beloved books and proved itself a force to be reckoned with. What was your response to the article? How has Young Adult literature impacted your life?
Love,
The WHYA girls
Now we’d like to share our thoughts with you.
Kristan
I wrote a longer response on my personal blog, but what I want to say here is simple: YA lit is a mirror. Pleasant or not, it reflects our own realities back to us. That means there is as much variety on YA shelves as there is in a high school hallway.
But hey, you don’t have to take my word for it. Let’s look at the evidence:
Yeah, out of about 10 shelves, there were a few that looked like the one on the left here. Lots of black (whatever that means). But take two steps to the right, and what do you see? A giant yellow smiley face. Ooo, scary. Two more steps right, and you have tons of uplifting non-fiction -- books that are positive AND real.
Personally I like to sample from each of the shelves. Like I said, variety. That’s life.
Sarah
Because I am from a generation where young adult books were scarce, and just not as "shiny" as adult ones, I feel a real kinship with what's being offered on the YA shelves these days. AND I'm quite proud at how passionate the YA community has been in response to the Wall Street Journal article. My thoughts? We finally get a massive section of books for adolescents, and one well-intentioned parent can't find an appropriate novel for her child? Um, yeah, I don't buy that... Maybe twenty years ago.
What I will accept is that there are a TON of paranormal romance novels being bought by teens. It's popular. It's an escape. It's what they want right now. That's okay. I would LOVE for contemporary to make a come-back in a big way -- I mean, this is what I'm writing at the moment. It's really up to the teens buying the books. As well as this, so-called "tough stuff" novels have been around for a good while and have been improving the lives of children who unfortunately have to find a way to deal with darkness. Thank you, authors, who have the guts to write these kind of stories. It's not easy and it's saving lives. Thank you for the message being sent--that nearly always, the light will follow the darkness.
Stephanie
The darkness in fiction teaches us about the darkness that humanity is actually capable of. Schindler's List, for example, is shown in high schools all over the world, and it’s full of graphic images, but it’s also a vital part of education. We all know that history repeats itself, and the only way to prevent genocide is to remember tragedies like the Holocaust.
Issues such as violence and eating disorders don't disappear if we refuse to talk about them. They get worse. I would argue that popular media is perhaps the best way to educate teens about hard topics, because they’re more likely to pick up a book about anorexia than ask a guidance counselor for help.
Everyone seems to be focusing on the bad stuff, but what about all the good? YA literature is making statements — life is sacred, compassion and faith are worth standing for, suicide is not the answer — and teens are eating it up.
Ingrid
I am thankful that teenagers today have access to “issue books” that address topics like self-image, suicide and bullying. Books that might help them or their friends. Books that increase their empathy and tolerance. The variety of books prevalent today were not nearly as accessible when I was a teenager. When I did stumble upon books that reflected the realities of teen life (S.E. Hinton, Cynthia Voigt) I gobbled them up -- everything I could find that addressed real issues, that didn’t try to paint the world as something false, that made me think and question. Here’s what readers learn from contemporary YA literature: to stand up for yourself and your beliefs, and to stand up for those who are being mistreated. To know that you are worthy of respect, love, safety and peace. To empathize with others and to forgive yourself when you mess up. The fact is: Growing up is hard. YA lit makes things a little easier for a whole lot of teens -- both by allowing them to escape real life and by reading about how others deal with it. Take that away? Now that's crazy.
~
If there's one good thing that came out of the Wall Street Journal's "Darkness Too Visible," it's the discussion it began. The YA community rose up to defend its beloved books and proved itself a force to be reckoned with. What was your response to the article? How has Young Adult literature impacted your life?
Love,
The WHYA girls
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Stephanie, Ingrid, Sarah & Kristan — we read, write, discuss and celebrate Young Adult lit.
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