Wolfy Chicks Chat With YA Author Amanda Ashby

Wolfy Chicks Bite into Author Interviews: They're GR8! The same 8 questions for YA authors answered so many different ways.

The Wolfy Chicks warmly welcome YA author, Amanda Ashby. Here's Amanda's take on the Great 8:

What projects are you working on / have published?

My debut book was called YOU HAD ME AT HALO and was about a dead girl who gets kicked out of heaven so she can sort out her earthly issues. Only problem is that she gets sent back in a guy’s body. While the guy is still in it!

My second book is a young adult book called ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEWBURY HIGH which is coming out from Puffin in March 2009 and it’s about a teenage girl who accidently turns her entire senior year into zombies and then has to find a cure before they all try and eat her!! And next up after that is one about invisible killer fairies! I’m also working on a mid grade book which is lots of fun!!!!

What's your "road to publication" story?

It’s a bit of a strange one. I had been writing seriously for about six years and while I’d a few near misses, it wasn’t until the dad of my dad’s funeral when I was helping tidy the house before everyone came back to the house for a party that I ended up having an imaginary conversation with him (let’s just say he wasn’t too pleased with my cleaning habits). Anyway, that inspired to write about a dead girl who was looking down on her own funeral. The book just poured out of me and I wrote it in about three weeks. Not long after that I finally managed to get an agent and she sold it two weeks after she sent it out. So from six years of getting nowhere to suddenly having a book deal was a bit strange (though good strange, definitely good strange!!!)

Why YA?

I was a big reader as a teenager and I never really grew out of the young adult section. Plus, I’m majorly addicted to teen movies and teen culture so it just felt right.

Best writing advice you've heard?

To read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. It truly is the most remarkable book about writing I’ve ever read.

What inspires you?

Reading great books always inspires me to try and lift my game.

Did you write stories as a teen? If yes what has/hasn’t changed?

I was always very good at creative writing at school but it was never something I did on my own (I was probably too busy reading a book or watching television to even think about it). In fact, despite doing a degree in English and Journalism it wasn’t until I hit my mid-twenties that I suddenly (and quite randomly) decided to try and write a book. And then, after a few false starts, my pig-headed nature kicked in!!!!

Describe your office/workspace/writer’s cave.

A laptop and the dining room table. It’s a bit sad really! Unfortunately my husband is a musician so the spare room always goes to him and all of his gear. One day though...

Who is your favorite character in your work? Why?

Obviously I love all my characters but I must say I’m particularly fond of Candice Bailey, who shows up in Zombie Queen of Newbury High as my heroine’s best friend. She was so full of life and in the end I had to put a bit of a literary muzzle on her because she kept threatening to steal the show.

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Thanks for chatting with us Amanda! I hear ya about sidekicks - they're a blast to write..which might be why they end up with their own books eventually? ;)

Can't wait to read Zombie! Oh, and Happy New Year!

Zombie New Year!

We're bringing in the new year with zombies! Join us this Wednesday for a chat with YA author, Amanda Ashby. Amanda's latest release is out in March 09:

ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEWBURY HIGH

Who can resist a good zombie tale?

Not the Wolfy Chicks!

E-book readers, the high-techy shinny new way to read

E-book Readers



Have you ever seen Star Trek where the kids are doing their homework on a handheld device? In the “future” books are read on computer screens. Well instead of sitting in a rigid office chair, one can curl up with a good e-book. Yeap, the future is here my friends…and it’s high-tech and shinny…and Kitty loves her techy toys. Last birthday—(my 29th, forever) hubby bought me a Sony e-book reader PSR-500. I love my paperbacks. I do. They all have little homes on my bookshelves, under the bed, and in a nifty retro spinning paperback rack.

The problem is we have a small house. I’m not giving up my books. I’d rather be boiled in veggie oil. So what’s a girl to do? E-books. Yep! You can pack hundreds of titles and take them whenever you go…beach, work, and school. It fits in your purse or backpack. And if you don’t like what you’re reading,change it- you don’t have to carry a million books. Plus when it’s rainy or too hot and I want something to read, I can download a new book right from my computer…now if I could only get those vacuum cleaning robots to work, I’d be set.

There are so many e-book readers to choose from. I only picked four to show you. I included the links where I got the information. You can form your own opinions. I like my Sony. But I also think the new iphones look pretty cool.
My book Freaksville and Judith’s book Under My Skin will both be out soon in e-book. Our publisher does print too. So don’t worry. You can still find our titles in print. (Oh and e-books are cheaper than normal books. They don’t waste paper. Yeah, go-green!)
Kindle
www.amazon.com
1. Paper-like Screen- reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting.
2. Wireless Access with Whispernet™- search wirelessly no WIFI needed
3. Carry Your Library in 10.3 Ounces-lighter than most paperbacks
4. Ergonomic Design
5. Kindle's QWERTY keyboard
6. Built–in dictionary-The New Oxford American Dictionary with over 250,000 entries and definitions
7. Wireless Access to Wikipedia
8. Adjustable Text Size
9. Long Battery Life
10. Power adapter and USB 2.0 cable

Price $499.00


BEBOOK e-reader
http://mybebook.com/i13/flash/information.html
1. Unique paper-like display, read even in bright sunlight
2. Built-in menu language support
3. Change font while reading
4. Increase/decrease font size of e-reader display
5. Add bookmark to a page
6. Play mp3 files and audio books*
7. Leather case, USB cable, User Manual, Earphone.
8. Long life battery, one charge will last 7.000 page turns
9. Read any pdf, mobi, lit, epub, html, txt, prc, fb2, jpg file and over 300.000 of free rss news feeds from your BeBook.
10. Internal storage: 512MB flash memory

Price $349.99


Sony E-book reader (This is what Kitty has.)
PSR-500
1. Paper-like screen reads indoors or outdoors
2. Long battery life 7,500 page turns
3. Change font
4. Add bookmarks to the page
5. Lightweight
6. Leather case, USB cable

Price $269.00 ( Price has dropped from when I got it a year ago.)

The PRS-700 has many updated features plus the same as above.
1. Multiple formats supported, software, you can easily transfer Adobe® PDF documents6 , Microsoft® Word documents, BBeB® format, and other text file formats to the Reader5 . It also supports EPUB/ADEPT and connection with Adobe Digital Editions. You can even play back unsecured MP3s and AAC audio files.
2. Holds about 350 books with the optional Memory Stick Duo™ media or SD memory cards.
3. Search, annotation, and highlighting capabilities
4. Built-in LED reading light

Plus the Sony e-book stores has all the really cool titles, you can download straight from your computer to the reader. My book Freaksville and Judith’s Under My Skin will be available soon as e-books. ( Our publisher does print too. But I think the e-book is really cool. I’m kinda a go-green girl.)

Price $399.00

iphone by Apple
http://www.apple.com/webapps/utilities/ebooksexplorermax.html
1. It’s a phone
2. Surf the web
3. Read an e-book with ebooks ExplorerMAX
4. Listen to music
5. GPS
6. Play games

Starting at $399.00 with add ons

Comment Winner!

Thanks to everyone for their wonderful comments on Kelly Parra's chat with the Wolfy Chicks. We were honoured to have Kelly, and her fans, hang with us during this busy season.

The blog comment winner is......tetewa!

Please contact me with your address: judithgraves@ymail.com Your copy of Invisible Touch will be mailed out ASAP (Just warning you - delivery might be a bit slow due to the holidays - oh and I live in Canada, eh.).

Happy Holidays and happy reading from the Wolfy Chicks!

Wolfy Chicks chat with YA Author Kelly Parra

Wolfy Chicks Bite into Author Interviews: They're GR8! The same 8 questions for YA authors answered so many different ways. We're thrilled to have YA author, Kelly Parra chatting with us today. She's been super busy with book signings and living the high life - but had time to hang with the Wolfy Chicks. How cool is that?

Here's Kelly's take on The Great 8:

1. What projects are you working on / have published?

Hello, Judith and Kitty! Thanks so much for having me on Wolfy Chicks!

I have two novels published by MTV Books:

Graffiti Girl was published in May 2007 and was amazingly a double RWA RITA finalist. I didn’t win, but I was (and I’m still!) honored to have been nominated. Graffiti Girl is Angel’s story, a teen artist, who explores the world of graffiti art in order to express her culture through her art. It’s a story about following your dreams and I had a blast writing it.

Invisible Touch was just released in October and is about Kara, who experienced a terrible accident where she lost her father and gained a gift…or is it a curse? She sees visions or signs on individuals and must piece the signs together in order help stop unfortunate fates. Invisible Touch’s theme is secrets, the ones to keep and the ones that can’t be kept.

2. What's your "road to publication" story?

I have an extended version on my website under my bio section, but the quick version is I started writing Romance while I was pregnant with my first child. I joined RWA and took on-line classes, and hooked up with two great writers, Tina Ferraro and Dianna Love, who I shared all my writing kudos and woes. After three years, I sold a Romantic Suspense to the Bombshell line. Unfortunately it closed, but luckily I was also writing YA and it sold a few weeks later. I don’t know if adult Romance is in the cards for me, but I still love to read it!

3. Why YA?

Like many teens, I had my issues growing up that were really tough to deal with and experience on my own. I feel l have stories to tell that teens could relate to, and hopefully have others feel encouraged or inspired by them.

4. Best writing advice you've heard?

To think of writing like a muscle, you must flex it and work it everyday in order for it to grow.

5. What inspires you?

Awesome books and exciting movies! If you’re a storyteller, you can’t help be inspired by other forms of storytelling. I heard once if you want to write a Romance novel, don’t watch a Romantic movie to get you motivated, but an action flick to get you inspired and to get your scenes moving with action instead of telling.

6. Did you write stories as a teen? If yes what has/hasn’t changed?

I did not write as a teen as far as stories go. I dabbled with poetry, but since I was a teen artist, I spent most of my teen years expressing myself through art. Now I still express myself artistically, but through words instead of a paintbrush. :)

7. Describe your office/workspace/writer’s cave.

My desk is most often unorganized and layered with notes, pencils, papers, and somehow my kids’ toys. My computer is where I handle email, promo, research and notes. My laptop sits off to the side where I can take it with me to the recliner to write on my current project.

8. Who is your favorite character in your work? Why?

Right now, it has to be Angel in Graffiti Girl. She has characteristics of myself as a teen, and with Graffiti Girl being my first published book, it has a special place in my heart.

Kelly Parra is the author of the double RITA nominated Graffiti Girl and the paranormal contemporary novel Invisible Touch published by MTV Books. Not only does she enjoy reading, reality TV, and surfing the blogosphere, but has an addiction to 1980s movies. Find out more about her writing endeavors at http://www.kellyparra.com/.

Thanks again for chatting with us Kelly - a computer and a laptop, eh? Hmmm...that might solve a few organizational issues in my writer's cave, too. Have fun promoing Invisible Touch!

_________

Wolfy Chicks is giving a big howl out to our readers. Those who comment on Kelly's post will be entered in a draw for a free copy of Invisible Touch! Winner will be announced on Friday, December 19th.

Covers = Coolness

What a bizarre feeling to finally have a cover for Under My Skin. One of my friends compared it to giving birth - it doesn't seem real until you see the final package.

Well, my babe is on its way down the pipe (sorry - this analogy is getting kinda gross) and I'm thrilled.

Thanks to The Wild Rose Press cover artist, Nicola Martinez....here's the UMS cover!

Hey - you know who else has a super cool cover? Kelly Parra - for her YA paranormal, Invisible Touch. Watch for Kelly's take on The Great 8 here at the Wolfy Chicks Blog this Wednesday.

Comment on her post and we'll enter you in a draw for a free copy of Invisible Touch!

Writing By The Seat of My Pants...

When I first heard the words scene and sequel…I cringed. Because I didn’t write that way. I didn’t plot. I just sat down at the computer and typed. That was many years ago. Ahem…I have binders full of unfinished manuscripts.

I’m Kitty and I’m a Pantser. I write by the seat of my pants. Yep, I said it. I confessed. Now what? Is there a twelve step program to join? Support groups? Do I get a shinny pin? Nope. Darn!

The good news is Pantsers can plot and still keep their edge. Really?

I’ve learned what background information I needed to have ahead of time. I will never sit down and write out a forty page outline or twelve pages of notes on each character. It’s not me. And I’m not knocking those that do. I admire them, truly.

So here’s one take on plotting from a die-hard Pantser. (As I am a Pantser, any major amount of planning causes adverse affects. I promise to keep this short. And yes, I’m sort of winging it.)

Back to those two words SCENE and SEQUEL. (See in bold type they seem ominous don’t they…wahhhaaaaa. They’re not once you have the tools to slay the beast.)


Let’s start with SCENE:

What’s a scene? What should it contain? (Okay, tiny beads of sweat are forming at my forehead as I write this. Must continue… gripping mouse harder. BREATHE. EXHALE, INHALE)

The best book I ever found that described scenes was written by the late Jack M. Bickhman. He wrote, “What is a scene? It’s a segment of the story action, written moment-by-moment, without summary, presented onstage in the story “now.” It is not something that goes on inside the character’s head; it is physical. It could be put on the theatre stage and acted out.” SCENE AND STRUCTURE, ISBN 0-89879-906-6, Chapter 4, page 26.

Wow that’s pretty easy, right? Clear. Scenes are action. They are not summary. They happen in the story now. There are three things all scenes should have and this dare I say, this is where the plotting comes in. Big Gulp.

GOAL,CONFLICT, DISASTER (OMG! I’m so want to head for the hills right about now. Someone hold my hand. Spoiler alert! Big scary words ahead.)

First big scary word…Goal.

All characters must have a goal. Something they want. Ray Bradbury wrote, “First find out what your hero wants; then just follow him.” The goal is why the story is. Your hero wants something.

Second big scary word…Conflict.

This is actually my favorite. Conflict drives your story. Conflict makes it interesting. Without conflict your story would be about as exciting as a grocery list. Conflict can be from the hero himself, from nature, or from another character…the villain. Everyone boo and hiss. The more conflict you have the more interesting. But, conflict needs to have a purpose. It needs to drive the story forward. Random acts of conflict is just that, random.

The third big scary word…Disaster.

Dunt dunt dunt dunt….shark! Disaster is the failure of the character meeting his goal. It’s what makes us turn the page and read the next chapter with the next scene.

Okay so that’s pretty easy right? Just think of each scene as cause and effect. Cover the five W’s… who, what, when, why, and where. Have your dialogue crisp, natural and have a point. And the scene should have a reason. Yep. That about covers it. Not really. But it’s a start. And remember I’m a Pantser. Too much information will make my head explode. I try to keep all of this organized in my thoughts. Mostly though, I think of the major three, Goal, Conflict, Disaster.


Okay cringe, big scary word, again… Sequel.

I thought a sequel was something after the first Lord of the Rings movie, the second movie, part two. In a way, I was right. A sequel follows a scene. WARNING. Doctrine alert! This is where people differ on opinion. I’m going to share what works for me. Remember I’m a Pantser, the less planning, the better. I believe— please hold the tomatoes until after— that you don’t have to have scene/sequel, scene /sequel.

Sequels as their nature slow the story down. They are the reflection. They are not in the story now. They must have Reaction, Dilemma, and Decision. This is the part where you get into the character’s head. This is where you see how they work. This is also the spot for flashbacks. Flashbacks, in my opinion should only be used to tell an important key element that you couldn’t tell any other way.

Stepping off soap box now…

Back to Sequel.

Following the last scene or scenes you wrote, there should be a sequel. The hero needs to have some time to process what has happened to him. This is his reaction. I think many writers forget to have hero reactions and that’s what their stories are missing… the connection with the characters. This is where we, as the reader, get to know the hero. The hero now has a dilemma. He has faced some conflict in the previous scenes. It caused—ohhh there’s that word again—a disaster and now the hero as an effect has to make a decision. That will lead him onto the next goal. Whoa! Not too hard is it?

I don’t write scene/sequel. It’s too patterned for me. I might have scene/scene/sequel or scene/scene/scene/sequel or sequel/sequel/scene, one in the hero’s POV, one in the heroine’s POV or even villain’s POV. Basically, find what works for you and your story.

Just remember, the sequel is the aftermath of the scene. It’s the reaction, with emotion and thought, the decision making area and the bridge to the next scene.

In the spirit of a Pantser, on my wall above my computer, I have two Post-it notes. One reads: Scene Structure: Goal, Conflict, Disaster. The other reads: Sequel Structure: Reaction, Dilemma, Decision. That’s it. I look up as I writing and ask myself those questions. Then I let my fingers fly.

Small Town Teens Big Trendy Readers

The Wolfy Chicks are thrilled to chat with Tanya Boudreau, teen librarian at my (Judith’s) home town public library in Cold Lake, Alberta. http://www.library.coldlake.ab.ca/ Tanya is a fantastic organizer, facilitating a mother/daughter book club, teen book club, as well as a very active Manga club. Believe me, Tanya is on the frontlines of teen reading.

Were you an active teen reader growing up?

It started young and continues today……….I am inseparable from my library card. I fell in love with books hard and at a young age. In kindergarten, it was with Richard Scarry’s anthropomorphic animals. As I got older, I moved onto Beverly Cleary’s books, and as a teenager I couldn’t get enough of Judy Blume’s books. But by age fifteen-sixteen, I had to move on and find another author to love when I finished reading the last Judy Blume book in my hometown public library.

That’s when I discovered my brother’s horror collection. It was right under my nose! He had rows of Stephen King and Dean Koontz books on his walls. I read and enjoyed such titles as The Stand, It, Midnight, and Lightning. When I finished this wall of horror, I read my brother’s MAD magazines and his growing comic book collection. Today I am so happy that many of these books and magazines can still be found in public libraries (sometimes with new covers) and that they continue to be checked out. But now, teens seem to be flocking to public libraries for two big reasons…………..vampires and manga.

Working in a public library, you have your finger on the pulse of reading trends. What were teens reading in 2008?

The year 2008 will be remembered as the year of Twilight and manga at the Cold Lake Public Library. Right now in the Northern Lights Library system in Alberta, there are 287 holds on Twilight by Stephenie Meyer ( book one in the Twilight saga), and multiple holds on many of the manga series books. November seen manga titles in the series 3x3, Hellsing 2, Gravitation, Love*com, and Bleach being checked out by teens as well as the manga magazines Shonen Jump, and Shojo Beat. Another popular choice for manga fans are the how to draw manga books. Titles recently signed out include Christopher Hart’s Manga Mania Chibi and Furry Characters: how to draw the adorable mini-people and cool cat-girls of Japanese comics ,and Manga Mania Romantic: drawing shojo girls and bishie boys.

Besides manga and vampires, another genre popular with the teens of Cold Lake is of the Chick-Lit variety. Ttyl by Lauren Myracle, a book that has fun with text messaging, has been going out, as have the books in the Clique series by Lisi Harrison. The other series being read is the Christian fiction series TrueColors which includes the titles Bright Purple: colored me confused, Faded Denim: color me trapped and, Bitter Rose: color me crushed.

At the Grand Centre Branch, knitting and crocheting books featuring teens have been requested, and a recent surge of classics have been signed out. Teens have been reading classics such as Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and Little Women. At the Harbor View Branch, Terry Pratchett books have been moving off the shelf as have comic books featuring Garfield or Archie. Superhero books are popular at both branches and books featuring tragic life stories, along the lines of A Child Called It and The Lost Boy by David J. Pelzer, have been requested as well.

Star Wars and Monty Python are popular with a group of boys in Cold Lake, as are anime DVDs such as Death Note, Bleach, and Naruto. In nonfiction, ancient history books on Rome and Greece go out as do fun trivia and fact books like the annual Guinness World Record book. Younger teens have been reading the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley, and checking out the graphic novel versions of Nancy Drew and the Babysitters Club.

What about other libraries in our region?

I sent an email to other libraries in the Northern Lights Library system asking them what teens are signing out in their libraries. It appears our teen patrons have similar tastes to the teens in Bon Accord, Bruderheim and Bonnyville. A librarian from Bon Accord states:
The girls are into Twilight, of course, but also the House of Night series by P.C. Cast and Blue Bloods (and its sequel Masquerade) by Melissa de la Cruz. They also like the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld.

The boys are into Naruto and Halo but also some standard fantasy writers like Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind & R.A. Salvatore. Star wars is still popular. Our most popular magazines in the teen area are Nintendo Power and Dirt Rider (this magazine really appeals to some non-readers).

In Bruderheim, graphic novels, horror and romance are the most popular genres with teens at the library, and in Bonnyville, teens are signing out graphic novels and any vampire related books.

What kinds of programs do you offer teens?

The Cold Lake Public Library strives to provide information and programs for people of all ages. Teens do frequent both branches of the Cold Lake Library after school or in the evenings to access the internet, attend our teen programs (such as Teen Central and the Manga and Anime Club) or attend special illustrator or author visits. Our teen advisory board members are active in the community and they have helped us keep the young adult collection appealing and the programs interesting. They suggest materials to supplement our DVD and music collections, and help choose games for the new gaming systems at the library.

Any final thoughts?

As a librarian and an avid reader (and book recommender) I am always on the lookout for excellent books. I cannot wait to see what the future is going to bring in terms of new books and authors for children, teens and adults!

Thanks for chatting with us, Tanya – and for doing so much legwork. Although the info you’ve provided is a snippet of teen reading habits in small town Northern Alberta – I think it’s fair to say this is very reflective of reading trends in North America.

I'm looking forward to hanging out with your teen club in February. :)