Well...

Sorry guys...

If you haven't noticed, my blog has been a little light on the reviews for the past two weeks.

I just can't keep my mind on a book to finish it!

*there goes the big crowd gasp*

Yeah... I went from reading 10ish books a week to none...

But you all know the reason why. Once I say it, you'll be nodding too....

Breaking Dawn.

Yep. My mind's on one track, and it won't be satisfied until I read Breaking Dawn. So sorry about the lack of reviews-- I'm pretty sure that once I finish Breaking Dawn, the blog will get an influx of reviews from me.

But in the meantime, check out some of the other cool kids on my blogroll that haven't let the wait for Breaking Dawn beat them down...

Authors in the Corner: Melissa Walker

Today we have with us Melissa Walker, author of the amazing Violet series. The next novel in the series, Violet in Private, comes out on August 5. You can visit Melissa on her own blog.

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I just finished a really great book, and it made me want to write about when I know that I l-o-v-e something Iʼm reading.

I know I love a book if its world completely overtakes me. This has happened with a range of authors, from William Faulkner to Mo Willems (he writes awesome picture books that are totally set in my Brooklyn neighborhood).

Just this weekend, as I was reading John Greenʼs Looking for Alaska, I got so involved in the story that even when I took a break to take a walk, I didnʼt really want to talk to my boyfriend. I just wanted to stay silent in my own mind and ponder Alaskaʼs past and The Colonelʼs present and Milesʼs future. (If you donʼt know who Iʼm talking about, that means you havenʼt read Looking for Alaska, and you really, really should. I know what Iʼm talking about here. The book is GOOD.)

Of course, John Green won a Printz Award, which is all gold-foil-literary, but thatʼs not what makes the book good. Itʼs the voice and the way a reader can get entrenched in the main characterʼs world. I like a lot of books, but I love the ones that completely overtake me and make my own reality a little hazy.

Some others that have done that for me recently include Elizabeth Scottʼs Bloom (with riveting romantic chemistry) and Sarah Mlynowskiʼs Bras & Broomsticks (with total hilarious energy).

So what books have you used the L-word to describe? Iʼd love to know.

Authors in the Corner: Linda Gerber

Today we have with us Linda Gerber.

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It Takes a Village?

Writing may be a solitary pursuit, but making a book is not. At the moment, I'm finishing the final approvals on one book and digging into edits on another and I am struck by the number of people involved in the process. Here's a little rundown on the individuals involved in the success of my current release, DEATH BY BIKINI.

In the beginning, there's just me. I have an idea and I write it down. I play with it. I massage it. It comes to life and takes shape as I write the first draft of what will become the book. And it pretty much sucks. Not the idea. I still love the idea. But the writing needs some fine-tuning. A little tweaking here, a little cleaning up there. This is when I seek the input from my fabulous critique partners.

Can I just tell you how much I love my CPs? We have been together for six years and they are tireless in their help and encouragement, and believe me, during that first and second draft process, I need all the encouragement I can get.

After my CPs, the manuscript goes to my agent, who is one smart cookie. She will give me more feedback and I'll do more tweaking, and then the ms. gets sent to my editor.

I may be a wee bit prejudiced, but I believe I work with one of the best editors in the business. She's diplomatic and thorough and about as nice as they come, even when she's digging through the ms and finding all the mistakes and misses that slipped through the first few drafts. There's even a backup editor whose sharp eyes pick up anything my editor might miss. They give me their notes, and I tweak again.

At this point, the ms heads to copyediting. The copyeditor combs through and makes sure all my punctuation and grammar is correct, and that I got all my facts right. Not a fun job.

Meanwhile, the design team comes up with the cover art. I love the design team! Isn't the DEATH BY BIKINI cover fabulous? Yay, designers!!!

When the interior and cover is all approved, it goes to the good folks in printing. In the meantime, the tireless and brilliant sales team hits the pavement and gets the book into the hands of buyers, convincing them to take a chance on its success. They sold through the first print run before the release and even got DEATH BY BIKINI included in the Scholastic Book Fairs. I heart the sales team!!!

In the bookstores, the staff keeps the book on the shelves, recommends it to customers and reorders when their stock gets low. They arrange signings and events. Love the booksellers!

Finally, there are the readers, some of whom might get advanced copies before the release. They spread the word, offering reviews and telling friends what they thought of the book. Without them, there would be no purpose for the book in the first place.

So there you have it. It takes a village to make a book. Solitary? not.

Authors in the Corner: Catherine Ryan Hyde

Today we have with us Catherine Ryan Hyde.

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How did you decide to become an author?

My mother was a writer when I was growing up. And I have/had two sisters (sorry to say I lost one in 2007) and they are/were both writers. Whether this is nature or nurture, I can't say. But it seems to run in the family.

When I was in the second or third grade, my mom came to school with me in one of those "parent day" things. Those days when you bring a parent and have them talk about what they do. She brought her books and talked about being a writer. Later all the kids said things like, "Wow. Your mom is really cool." Which had maybe never occurred to me before. At least, not the way it looked through somebody else's eyes. I think that might have been a factor.

Third, and possibly most important, was my sophomore English teacher in high school. Lenny Horowitz. He told me I could write. Out loud. In front of all the other students, who didn't know I could do anything. Later I found out he went back into the staff lounge and told all my other techers I was a good writer.

That was when I made up my mind what I wanted to be. Unfortunately, there's a big gap between wanting to be something and being it. But that's another story.

As a child, what did you want to grow up to be?

First I wanted to be a cartoonist. Then I wanted to be a songwriter. Then I wanted to make animated films. I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I just had to find my avenue.

What’s your greatest influence?

I think I am influenced by my endless curiosity about human nature. I'm fascinated by what scares us. Also by what we do when we're scared, particularly when we aren't willing to admit it. Also by the odd ways we vent our anger, which is generally something we use to cover up our fear. I also enjoy exploring our responsibilities to one another. If we are decent people, we owe some measure of helpfulness amd respect to those around us. But what measure? Where does it start and where does it end?

I believe there are limitless novels hidden in the previous paragraph.

Are you working on something right now?

If revisions count, yes. I told my YA editor I would show her something new around the end of the summer. I wrote the last page barely over a week ago, then took off on a little mini-vacation. Now I'm home and making sure it's clean and tight, especially the parts I wrote most recently.

Have you ever refrained from writing about a certain topic for fear of how others would react to it?

I hope not. If possible, I bend over backwards to include the parts that will challenge others the most. I don't think it's my job as a novelist to help people be comfortable. If anything I'm trying to bump them out of their comfort zone.

When I first wrote Love in the Present Tense, I had an opening chapter in which Leonard was standing on the hood of his friend Marco's car at 50 MPH. I was worried some teenager might be inspired to try that. I shared the fear with a couple of people, but they both said the same thing. They said I couldn't pay too much attention to that, or I'd never be able to write anything. Later, after selling the novel, that scene (and for that matter, Marco) was cut, but not for that reason. Because my editor thought it made Leonard seem too crazy. So I never got to find out if it would inspire others in a dangerous way. Probably just as well.

Now I just try to silence all those voices when I write. I'll deal with the reactions of readers later, when it can't change the course of the work

Who’s your favorite author? Your favorite book?

I always had trouble with stating a favorite author, because I seem to go book by book. I'll love a book by an author, get everything they ever wrote, and not feel as strongly about any of it.

So far as I know, one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Safran Foer, has only two novels (and other things that are non-fiction). Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. And I loved them both. So maybe he's my favorite author.

Books? Hard to narrow it down to one. Maybe one of the two I just mentioned. Maybe The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Maybe Flowers for Algernon. There are so many.


Is there something that I didn’t ask that you wish I had?

Is the movie Pay It Forward a faithful adaptation of your book?

Not really, no. The idea itself comes through well, but they changed a lot. Not all for the better in my opinion. So many people tell me they loved the movie. Some say they've seen it a dozen or more times. I'm thinking, if they love the story that much, why not try the book? You know. See the movie eleven times and read the book once. Sometimes it's because they don't know it was a book. Which is why I asked myself the question. I'm on a kick to raise consciousness on the matter with this simple question: Did you know Pay It Forward started with a book?

Thanks so much, Catherine!

You can visit Catherine at her website, www.cryanhyde.com.

Fly To My Aid!

I'm in serious need of some help.

You see, there comes that time in everyone's like where they have to face it... college.

Fortunately (or not so fortunately, as you'll see) I'm only at the applying stage now.

So I get to the bottom of the applications... and I see this blaring at me:

MAJOR: _____________

Uhm... yeah. :?

I have no idea what I'm going to go to school for.

Anyone want to help?

Review: Debbie Harry Sings in French

Debbie Harry Sings in French

Meagan Brothers

Johnny was only twelve when his dad died. With his mom suddenly too filled with grief to take care of them, Johnny learns how to take care of both of them. He also learns how to take care of himself – drinking, to make him buzzed.

Years later, Johnny is looked at as some kind of freak. He is pale, dresses in black, wears makeup, and listens to punk rock. He constantly gets called gay because of the way he dresses. When one night crawling into the bottle leaves him almost dead at a hospital, his mother sends him to get treatment for alcoholism at Parkview. Johnny’s glad he went, though, because if he hadn’t, he would have never discovered the band Blondie.

And even when Johnny is better and goes home, his mother packs him up and sends him to his uncle’s house in another state. And he meets Maria. And he thinks he’s falling in love. But he also thinks he wants to be like Debbie Harry from Blondie (and, well... dress like her). So does that mean he’s gay?

I can’t begin to describe how much I loved this book! Meagan Brothers didn’t hesitate to dive into the confusing world of sexuality. In fact, Johnny’s struggle with his sexuality gives a clear picture into Johnny’s mindset. Great music also played a large part in this story.

I love character struggles. Sometimes they get a little too cliché in some novels, but this novel was highly original! I was captured from the first moment, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Honorable Mention

In case you haven't heard yet, everyone's favorite blogger is back reviewing!

Chelsea, AKA The Page Flipper, is back from her reviewing hiatus. Check out her awesome reviews on www.thepageflipper.com.

Review tomorrow!