Raise your hand if you love the Tairen Soul series!
Raise your hand (and leave a comment) if you want to win a copy of this amazing, amazing book. One of my favorite books. One of my favorite series!
I don’t think I’ve shared enough exclamation points with you. Here are some more:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So it was more than five years ago when C.L. Wilson and I went out to dinner and started talking about our latest projects. Mine was an action adventure story aimed at the Silhouette Bombshell line (R.I.P. Bombshell, R.I.P. that book, except for one character, who I stole and put in Rampant). Hers was Tairen Soul. I started reading it that very night and oh my lord of the fading lands was I hooked. I never lost faith in this book as she went through the submission merry-go-round, trying to place an epic sword and sorcery fantasy that was at heart, a romance, trying to place a romance that really did need 400-500,000 words to do it justice. I knew that once readers got a hold of this story, it would grip them and never let them go.
I love being right. Go, C! Viv is very proud of you!
An article in Babble takes (yet another) pot shot at Gossip Girls and the alleged rich invasion of the YA aisle. (She even disagrees with Fancy Nancy, which is sort of a repudiation of all of that, if I understand correctly.) However, what does she compare GG to? Uh, Ramona Quimby, who is young MG. And Ramona, like Nancy, longs for fanciness beyond her family’s means. What’s the difference?
To me, there is a similar other-ness to the Gossip Girls as there was to Caroline or Anastasia. I didn’t live in Manhattan, where I could just jaunt over to the Museum of Natural History on a Daily basis.* The whole idea was as foreign to my beach-raised southern self as rich teens jetting around the Upper East Side. (Also, when I finally found out what parsnips were, in my twenties, I was appalled that Caroline’s mother thought that made a complete dinner.) Neither was I raised by a bohemian artist and a poet in a castle-like Victorian in Cambridge. The literati of Boston? Not so familiar either. All of it was what I was not familiar with — which, hey guess what? Was why I read them in the first place. To read something else. I’m not Julie of the Wolves, either.
Personally, I prefer Anastasia and Caroline and Sheila the Great and Julie to Blair or Serena, and if you are also looking for that, there are plenty of non-gossip girls on today’s shelves as well. Jennifer Echolls’s band geek Virginia, Simone Elkeles’ half-Israeli Amy Nelson, any of the characters of Sarah Dessen, Megan Mccafferty, Elizabeth Scott (leaving aside her recent “issue” book, which features a girl who has been imprisoned and tortured by a child molester for five years), Carolyn Mackler, Maureen Johnson, Laurie Halse Anderson (whose post pointed me to this article in the first place, and Ann Brasheares. I specifically left fantasy or paranormal novels off this list, but the present-day works of Scott Westerfeld all feature middle class “peeps” (no pun intended), and in Holly Black’s urban fantasy, they are occasionally clinging to the bottom rung of the social ladder.
It’s mildly ironic to write an article like this in the time when there is such a celebration of the queen of the Middle Class YA novel: Judy Blume. This Entertainment Weekly article by screenwriter Diablo Cody (who, one may recall, won an Oscar for her film about a middle class teenage girl) talks about the big group hug for Blume, and even mentions the collection I participated in last year, Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume.
I suppose there’s an argument to be made that i have no right to make this point, as I–writing as I do about students at an elite Ivy League school–am part of the problem (though the books are not YA, they enjoy a large teen audience). And yet, class is very much an issue in the world of my books, perhaps even more so because of its “elite” setting. It is not perhaps, as strongly felt as it might be on Veronica Mars, but there is a distinct contrast drawn between those students to whom Eli is a right and tradition, and those to whom it is a wide-eyed first time privilege. Amy has a decidedly middle class background, and recognizes those who move in circles above her social class. Her initial dislike of Clarissa is very much a product of class perception. Clarissa would be friends with Blair Waldorf and co. In high school, she was a gossip girl. Legacy George, starlet Odile, shipping-heir Nikolos, politician’s son Malcolm — all come from a position of wealth and entitlement. But there are also characters who have struggled to get there. Jenny has money, but she made it herself. Lydia’s enrollment was a strain on family finances when her father was laid off. Demetria, Josh, Ben, Brandon—all come from middle to upper middle class backgrounds. Perhaps nowhere is the class struggle felt as strongly as in the character of Poe, whose decision to attend Eli put such a financial strain on himself and his family that he hasn’t had a new pair of pants since he left the prep school he attended on scholarship.
The world of my books reflects my reality at college. I had some super rich friends, who thought nothing of wiping up spills with designer cashmere sweaters. I had others whose parents were eating dog food in order that they could attend Yale. The world is no more comprised of happy suburbanites than it is of jet setting super rich. And it’s not a new thing to be fascinated with the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I grew up watching 90210. What’s on the air now? 90210.
Things haven’t changed as much as you think.
________________
* Let’s also talk about the fact that there are far fewer middle class residents of Manhattan proper now than there were in the 70s. Would Caroline’s candied-parsnip-serving single mother be able to afford the upper West Side walk-up they lived in these days? Maybe with rent control…
Sailor Boy is out of town right now, which is an excuse for Rio and I to stay up until all hours and eat junk food (seriously, you should watch this pup do EZ Cheez out of the can).
On the work front, I’ve been streamlining some timeline problems, which I’ve discovered is always an issue for me in revisions. What happens when and long passages of time — I’ve always got to go back and add those words in.
Here’s what’s piqued my interest on the internet recently:
YA FOR OBAMA: A group of YA writers spearheaded by Maureen Johnson and including such luminaries as National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr (whose essay, “Red State Jesus Freaks for Obama” was truly enlightening), New York Times Bestselling Author Scott Westerfeld (who explains clearly and concisely why the Democrats are better for the economy here), Printz Award winner John Green (who talks about the intersection of faith and science), and literary deity Judy Blume. It’s an incredible undertaking and a great place to talk politics.
And the only other thing I’m going to be saying about politics on this blog is ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?Please, please register, and VOTE. The deadline for many states is almost upon us. This is going to be an incredibly close election. YOUR VOTE MATTERS. (In passing, if you are a student, registering to vote in the state in which your college is located does NOT affect your parents’ ability to claim you as a dependent on their tax return. Nor your scholarship, health insurance, auto insurance, or other issue you may have heard a rumor about to the contrary.)
Back to book talk.
Jennifer Barnes has a good post up about emotional authenticity in your writing. It’s definitely a big step to take in your development as a writer. I comment on her thread about one particularly painful instance, but something I’ve been thinking about recently is how when I wrote fanfic, I was pretty good at the whole “bleeding on the page” thing. It helped that the work was completely anonymous and that no one would connect the things I wrote to me. When I began to write for publication, I had to learn that skill all over again. It’s a lot harder to say certain things when you know that your loved ones and elementary school teachers and that guy you dated for two weeks freshman year are going to look at it and know that you were the one who wrote that. What I find is that occasionally when I do access that stuff, I get really nervous about keeping it in the story, even though deep down, I know it has to be there.
Shannon Stacey tears a slightly sketchy start-up epublisher a new one for a poorly designed website whose very slogan presents the first of many, many typos.
Since we’re talking about the spoiler thread, I wanted to move up a point I made there into the general blog. Whenever a writer’s book is published, the author ceases to be its only point of reference. Whatever is put it to the text must stand or fall by its own merits. I can’t stand over the shoulder of every single person who buys my book and say, “What I meant to say on page 65 is…” so readers are free to make up their own inferences, symbols, memes, and subtext. Maybe it’s there; maybe it’s not; maybe it’s there and I never even realized it. None of it is right or wrong. (Hey, you’re talking to the girl who got a review saying that Rites of Spring (Break) was an allegory about the Iraq war.)
With the advent of the Internet Age, more readers than ever can communicate with an author to ask what they meant or where they are going with a series. “Spoilers” are no longer confined to the few people who attend a booksigning or speaking event. Anyone with a computer can find out what an author said about their book series. It’s both a boon and a curse. Interacting with any creator about their work is a wonderful experience — to be able to listen to a DVD commentary or watch an interview or ask them a question in a chat room — it’s great! Or it’s a nightmare. What if they tell you what you don’t want to hear — that no matter what you, personally, think about those underpinnings of romance between character X and character Y, they aren’t getting together. That Piz, absent any remotely interesting qualities, is somehow the man for Veronica? (Hey, she went for Duncan, too. Apparently she likes ‘em boring.) What if they tell you that character Z is getting offed? (Poor Little Nell — not even a letter writing campaign to Dickens saved her!)
What if talking to the author turns you off the work entirely? What if you learn that they write right-wing military thrillers, but are actually bleeding heart liberals? (Or, you know, vice versa?) What if you learn that they don’t even care about all this political stuff you uncovered in their work? What if you think they are telling a fun, popcorn, rip-roaring space western, and they start going on and on and on and on about metaphysics and existentialism all this other crap (which, sorry, Joss, love you to death, but enough already with the Sartre).
As an author, I go back and forth as to how much I should tell a reader who wants to know more about my work. After my first book came out, I went to a book club. The members asked me all sorts of questions about what so-and-so was really thinking in this scene. “What do you think?” was not an acceptable answer to them. They didn’t want to debate it amongst themselves, they wanted the definitive answer straight from the horse’s –my– mouth. But sometimes, when I gave them answers, they didn’t like that either. For instance, the majority of the club had decided Poe was secretly gay and secretly in love with Malcolm. My startled blurt of “but Poe is straight!” did nothing to convince them otherwise, nor did my later entirely reasonable explanation that his love for Malcolm was entirely platonic and based on society loyalty and camaraderie. Apparently, I was as much in the closet as Poe. (I totally sympathize with Ms. Rowling.) Then, when Under the Rose came out, the questions changed from “Is Poe secretly in love with Malcolm?” to “Is Poe secretly in love with Amy?”
Whatever Poe is, you can guarantee it’s secret.
I love to talk to readers about my books, but at the same time, I am never sure what I should say. I don’t want to disappoint them in advance if I’d been hoping for a particular development, but occasionally it’s hard to tell if they are asking for spoilers, or just for clarification. And since they went to the trouble of asking me rather than just talking about it with their friends, “what do you think?” probably isn’t the answer they are looking for.
I’m constantly amazed and impressed by the inferences that my readers have picked up on. After finishing the most recent book, a few have actually gone back to previous books to mine for clues. It makes me so excited to see other people as into this world as I am. So when they want to talk to me about it, of course I want to respond. What color are Amy’s eyes? Hazel. What kind of underwear does Brandon wear? Boxers with funny patterns on them. Are Josh and Lydia really in love? Yes, yes they are. Why did Poe have a change in heart? Because he realized that his loyalty to his own club should supersede his own selfish ambition. Why does Brandon like Felicity? Because she committed when Amy couldn’t, and she sacrificed what Amy wouldn’t. What is Amy’s favorite color? Yellow.
Who is she going to end up with? That one’s a secret.
What actor should be cast in the movie/TV version of the books?
What kind of underwear do the characters wear? Does George go commando?
And many many more!
I love participating in this thread. It’s so great to see how many different takes readers have on the books. How they see the characters, what draws them in. Sometimes, they pick up on aspects of the story I had no idea was there! (I now understand when I see Harry Potter fanfic with unlikely romantic pairings.)
In other news, I couldn’t stop thinking about the topic from yesterday, perfect guys/girls and their place in story. I think we may have only scratched the surface in the ensuing discussion, and I look forward to continuing it.
In other, other news, Rio has experienced a religious conversion:
She has been going after this toy every time we walk into our local pet store, and finally, I realized that it must be a mandate from the divine. So now we’re a family of mixed faith. It’s cool. (She has to give up the pig ears, though!) We’re going to change her name to Nahar* and just roll with it.
__________
* I thought Rivka would be cute, but SB says it should be Hebrew for River.
So this is weird: the winners of the CYCLER Giveaway are the first and last comment: Elizabeth M and Jen. Drop me an email with your address to receive your prize.
Thanks for participating in the giveaways, guys! I hope I’ve introduced you to some great new books. There will be more coming up in the next month. That’s why my TBR pile is the mess it is.
In other news, I’ll be speaking to the Washington Romance Writers at the Centreville, Virginia Library next month on incorporating folktales and mythology into your writing. Details here.
I’ve had some questions recently about the release dates for my next two books: Tap & Gown, and Rampant. They are both out next summer. When I have firm release dates, I’ll announce them, but these things change, so I don’t want to confuse anyone. (My first book, the release date was pushed back almost a month only a few months before the planned release, so trust me, these things happen!) However, both books are “in production” as they say, and I’ve seen some really great flap copy and an early cover for one of them, so that’s very exciting! I can’t wait for next summer: to introduce you all to Astrid and to reveal the conclusion of Amy’s story. It’s been hitting me very hard recently that this is the end of the Secret Society Girl series, and it’s the end of Amy. Well, “the end” metaphorically. I’m not killing her off or anything.
Probably.
The other thing I’ve been thinking about a lot is guys, and the role of the romantic interest in my books (and in other people’s books — like one of my CPs who I really can’t discuss because huge spoilers but WHOA, NELLY!). I think it started after I read this post by Reviewer X. Now, as many of you know, I have long been a member of RWA and in the romance tradition, there’s a long-standing maxim that “the heroines be relatable, the heroes be larger-than-life.” When I talk to readers about why they like romances, this is often the reason they give. When I speak to teenagers about why they like TWILIGHT, this is almost *always* the reason they give.
“Bella is so normal, and yet Edward [read: beautiful, brilliant, gorgeous perfect, dangerous, exquisite, powerful, larger-than-life Edward] loves her more than anything.”
Not going to deny it: that’s a powerful meme. A huge fantasy for a lot of young women who live in a world where “he’s just not that into you.” But I don’t think it’s only a female fantasy. The other day, I was watching Superbad, in which three normal-to-extremely-dorky guys manage to attract/make out with/have sex with three beautiful, popular, extremely cool, with-it girls. In fact, one could argue that the popularity of these guy-focused romantic comedies sweeping Hollywood (Knocked Up,Forgetting Sarah Marshall*, etc.) are entirely predicated on the fantasy of this “normal” guy landing the beautiful goddess.
And they call them chick flicks.
So the fantasy works both ways. And I’ve even written that fantasy. Amy is bowled over when the gorgeous, perfect, unattainable George Harrison Prescott shows an interest in her. But Amy is also a bit on the cynical side when it comes to relationships. She doesn’t know if George thinks she’s special, or if she’s just a new challenge. And then of course there’s the whole question of what happens when you are with perfection. What happens to you, by reflection, and also what happens to your sense of self. (There’s a very good exploration of that in Holly Black’s new graphic novel The Good Neighbors — check it out!)
I’ve been talking a lot with one of my CPs about the “reason” that one person falls for another. I’m a big believer that there has to be a reason. I’m not entirely sure yet whether the reason needs to be something that is understood by which combination of the reader, the character, and the author.
What do you think? And what do you think about the “perfect guy?”
______________
* Of course, I think Jason Segal is cute as a button and have even gotten into arguments with my sister-in-law about whether or not she and my brother or SB and me are more like Marshall and Lily on HIMYM. However, he was really pushing his “normal schlub” qualities in Sarah Marshall. He even says about his famous, pathetic nude scene: “When a woman does nudity in a movie, men immediately switch into a sexual mode. For women, from what I understand, it’s not like that. They see a naked, out-of-shape man crying and it’s funny — something weird, disturbing and disgusting we can all laugh at.”
The winners of yesterday’s JESSICA Z Giveaway are:
Leslie of cuteonthecheap.com
and
Maureen McGowan
You know the drill!
In passing, if you are one of the winners of previous days’ giveaways and you do not contact me by Monday, I’ll draw new names. I’m totally hard core like that.
So if I’d been on my game, I’d be having a fun guest blog with the author of today’s giveaway right about now. Unfortunately, between deadlines, the new house, Rio, and family emergencies, it kind of got away from me. Bad, Diana.
Today’s giveaway is two copies of the debut novel CYCLER, by Lauren McLaughlin. The book has one of the highest-concept premises I’ve heard in a while (unsurprising, given McLaughlin’s screenwriting creds): Once a month, teen Jill McTeague becomes a boy for four days.
Talk about a bad period.
Her family’s horror at their daughter’s “condition” has led them to take extreme measures. Jill’s “boy self” is imprisoned in her room during his cycle, and Jill is instructed to repress all memories of her time spent as a boy. But their actions backfire, creating in Jill a split “boy” personality named Jack who is not only interested in Jill’s portion of their shared life, but doesn’t want to be imprisoned anymore.
Sailor Boy and I both devoured this novel, and I was fascinated with its exploration of gender identity. From the description above, you might imagine that this is a very dark book. Not at all! But there are some chilling underpinnings to the story. In an effort to make sure that Jack doesn’t “bleed” into her portion, Jill — in concert with her anti-feminist mother — has ruthlessly excised any aspect of her life or personality that may be viewed as “unfeminine.” Stuff like sports. Yeah, you read that right. Scary.
I was regularly reminded of the activities in those “scared straight” camps, where the instructors are under the delusion that men who act like men and women who act like women are no longer homosexual, as if forcing traditional gender roles will have an impact on sexual orientation? If Jill acts “like a girl” will the boy inside her disappear? As the first in a series. many of these question are not fully answered by the end of the book.
As my books regular deal with issues of the intersection of feminism, femininity, and cultural expectations of the same, I was fascinated by this exploration. (More on that when I talk about RAMPANT. RIght now we talk about CYCLER.)
It’s a great book for discussion, and we definitely had a lot in my living room after we finished!
UPDATE: Winner of the Marianne Mancusi Razor Girl giveaway is: CAROL THOMPSON. Carol, drop me an email with your mailing address to receive your book!
I just got some great news: Rites of Spring (Break) has sold in Brazil! This summer, Brazilian publisher Editora Record published SOCIEDADE SECRETA – ROSA & TÚMULO (a.k.a, Secret Society Girl), with plans to follow up with Under the Rose and now, the third book in the series! I’m so excited and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they’ll want to finish up the series with Tap & Gown.
Rites of Spring (Break), like all the books in the Secret Society Girl series, was edited by the talented Kerri Buckley at Bantam Dell.
So it seems only fitting that today’s giveaway should be another Buckley discovery, JESSICA Z, by debut novelist Shawn Klomparens. I was so impressed by this book. It’s set in a world we could be living in tomorrow, a San Francisco that’s as real as the hills and the food and the artists, but dangerous, too. It’s about love and art and lithography and terrorism and saying too much more than that would probably give it all away. The hopefully spoiler-free version is that the titular Jessica Z works in advertising, has an undefined relationship with her upstairs neighbor, and is not entirely sure how to deal with the fact that her morning commute might be life-threatening. And then she meets a passionate lithographer who turns her world upside down.
One of the reasons I really identified with Jessica is that, like her, I’ve also been an accidental model. Jessica at one time poses for an upmarket women’s catalog, and as the book progresses, she agrees to be the subject of her intense new lover’s latest art project.
Did I mention this book is very, very sexy? Part women’s fiction, part discourse on the intersection of love, politics, and art, and part thriller, it’s definitely worth checking out!
Leave your name in the comments to win one of TWO copies of this great debut novel!
(NOON UPDATE: I just found out the comments have been broken all morning. Fixed now, and due to technical difficulties, the contest will remain open until NOON Easern time on THURSDAY.)
Winners, email me at: diana AT dianapeterfreund DOT com with your mailing address to receive your prize.
Everyone else, stay tuned, there are plenty more giveaways to come this week!
In other news, you ever have one of those days where you know exactly what you want to blog about when you get up in the morning, but by the time you’ve put the water over for your white tea with blueberry you’ve totally forgotten? Just me?
It probably doesn’t help that I’m living in BookWorld these days. The only thing on my mind, aside from taking care of Rio, is Amy and her friends. The new Tap Night. The new Initiation. Her graduation. It’s fun to be in Amy’s head again for a while, except for the fact that people have told me I’m talking like her.
You know, in lists.
So moving on…
Today’s giveaway is RAZOR GIRL, the new SHOMI novel by Marianne Mancusi. It’s about a cybernetically engineered warrior girl who saves the world after the zombie apocalypse.
No, really.
And because it’s Mancusi, you can be sure that the book is filled with pop culture references (everything from the 80’s classic Pretty in Pink to the titular homage to William GIbson’s cyberpunk creation, “Molly”, the original “razor girl”) as well as her signature one-liners: “He’d had three plastic surgeries already, whereas most of the boys his age had only had one. (Penis enlargement. Did you have to ask?)”
All that, the zombie apocalypse, and a showdown at Disneyworld. What’s not to love?
I’ve known Marianne for several years now, and I’m always impressed by her boundless imagination and willingness to take risks in her fiction. Also, her output. Do you know that Razorgirl marks her ELEVENTH book release since 2005? Yes, eleven. That on top of being a full time, Emmy winning, television news journalist.
And having a twelfth book for a third publisher being released this fall.
Yowsa! (Scurries off to write.)
So go check out Marianne’s blog, but make sure to leave a comment here to be entered in the giveaway!
According to my friend Justine, whose fabulous new book, How to Ditch Your Fairy, is in stores today, I am a cynical pessimist who really needs to lighten up and look on the bright side.
Okay. Fine:
I love this commercial. I love the Discovery Channel. I love the actual channel, and I love the company itself, for its hard work in the name of science love and for its pivotal role in the revitalization of my town. If all commercials were this good, I might watch TV. But most of them are political lies these days.
Oh, crap! There goes that cynical pessimism again.
Hmmmm, now what will put me in a good mood? I know! How about a delicious new novel set in a world where everyone has their own personal fairy. How about giving away a copy of this amazing book?
I was lucky enough to be an early reader for this novel, back when it was being called “the great Australian feminist young adult Elvis mangosteen monkey knife-fighting cricket fairy novel.” No, really. When Justine sent it to me, all I knew was that she’d written a fairy book. Having just finished Holly Black’s wonderful books, I was expecting dark, brooding urban fantasy fairies.
Not so much. Justine’s fairies are one part “savvy” or “grace“, one part Pullman daemon, and one part guardian angel. And Charlie, a basketball and cricket player at New Avalon Sports High, really, really wants to get rid of hers. I was utterly charmed by this book, and instantly told everyone I could how great it was, and what would our fairies be.
Justine is on her publication tour right now, so if you’re in California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Missouri, or Texas, make sure to check her out!
I’m so glad that the rest of the world finally has an opportunity to read this book! Go grab your copy today, or, leave your comment on this post to be entered into a drawing to win one of two copies of HOW TO DITCH YOUR FAIRY.
UPDATED on 9.17: THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE SEE 9.17 BLOG POST FOR WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT AND NEW GIVEAWAY!
O Happy Day, caloo, calay! King of Sword and Sky is OUT!
contemplative
Today’s giveaway is two copies of the debut novel 
Today’s giveaway is 
