A Sad Farewell, a Happy Introduction, and a Giveaway of AFTERWORLDS by Scott Westerfeld

by Martina Boone

Saying Goodbye to Clara Kensie

Today is a sad day for me. I have to announce that Clara Kensie is leaving the blog, at least temporarily, for personal reasons. As many of you know, Clara has been doing the Question of the Week for us for the past year and a half or so. You may also remember that even before that, she used to help out with the This Week for Writers Round-up segments. All in all, she’s been involved with the blog off and on since almost the beginning.

I first met Clara on the blog. She was working on the query letter for a book that sounded so good, I eventually asked to read it. We became critique partners, both inside the fantastic online group she introduced me to, and on our own. I was thrilled when her book landed her an agent, the awesome Laura Bradford, and then again when the book sold to the brand new digital imprint of Harlequin Teen. I knew she and the book both deserved every bit of success.

Harlequin decided to make RUN TO YOU their flagship serial release, which meant they split it into three pieces and released each piece separately. Clara’s book is perfect for that, because each of the three parts has the kind of surprise twists we should all have at major turing points. And the girl knows how to write suspense, great romance, and dreamy guys.

Haven’t read it yet? WHAT are you waiting for?

RUN TO YOU
Part 1: First Sight

RUN TO YOU PART ONE: FIRST SIGHT (available February 1, 2014)
Part One in the riveting romantic thriller about a family on the run from a deadly past and a first love that will transcend secrets, lies and danger…

Sarah Spencer has a secret: her real name is Tessa Carson, and to stay alive, she can tell no one the truth about her psychically gifted family and the danger they are running from. As the new girl in the latest of countless schools, she also runs from her attraction to Tristan Walker—after all, she can’t even tell him her real name. But Tristan won’t be put off by a few secrets. Not even dangerous ones that might rip Tessa from his arms before they even kiss…

RUN TO YOU
Part 2: Second Glance

RUN TO YOU PART TWO: SECOND GLANCE (available February 8, 2014)
Part Two in the riveting romantic thriller about a family on the run from a deadly past and a first love that will transcend secrets, lies and danger…

Tessa Carson has unlocked her heart and her secrets to Tristan Walker—but Tristan has secrets of his own, and his might just mean the end of Tessa’s family. Unaware, Tessa embraces falling in love and being herself for the first time since she was attacked when she was only eight years old. But secrets can’t be run from forever, and sometimes love is too good to be true…

RUN TO YOU
Part 3: Third Charm

RUN TO YOU PART THREE: THIRD CHARM (available February 15, 2014)Part Three in the riveting romantic thriller about a family on the run from a deadly past and a first love that will transcend secrets, lies and danger…

Betrayed, heartbroken, and determined to save her family, Tessa Carson refuses to give in to Tristan Walker’s pleas for forgiveness. But her own awakening psychic gift won’t let her rest until she uncovers the truth about her family and her past. And Tristan is the only one who can help her sift through the secrets to find the truth hidden in all the lies…

Add RUN TO YOU to your Goodreads Want To Read shelf,

and order from your favorite e-tailer:

Amazon B&N Google Play BAM Harlequin

A second volume in the series is also available, so feel free to start a fabulous binge!

I want to thank Clara for all her contributions to the blog, but mostly for the friendship and all her support and kindness over the years. It’s an honor to follow in her path and to get the chance to share experiences together. We’ve got one last Question of the Week from Clara that will be posting soon, but in the meantime, please say your good-byes and thank her for her contribution!

And now for some happier news.

A Warm Welcome to Becca Fowler

We’ve been wanting to do something fun for readers for some time now–but still with a slant toward things that writers want to know. And whether writers realize it or not, what we need is to have some idea of what readers are thinking and talking about.

So.

We’ve been super lucky to snag the awesome Becca Fowler from Pivot Book Reviews to come in and help us out with some book blogger round-ups every month. She’ll be asking some questions that bloggers can answer, and she’ll also be doing a blogger check in so you can scan it and quickly catch up with the most interesting stuff going on around the blogosphere. Look for some fantastic bloggers to be joining us on a regular basis, but we’ll also be opening it up to new bloggers as guests so that we can help create some exposure for up and coming bloggers.

Now, a little bit about our newest indomitable AYAPer:

My name is Rebecca, but I think that sounds like an old lady name, so I go by Becca 🙂

I am 22 going on 23

(that doesn’t have quite the ring to it as it does on The Sound of Music)

I live in the great state of Oklahoma

(where the wind REALLY does come sweeping down the plain)

I live with who I’ve dubbed The Parentals

(who are, not-so-secretly, the BEST)

I have one older sister who is married, and has two girls

(which means I get to play the Coolest Aunt Ever)

I am convinced I will be the old cat lady

(minus the cats, because I heart dogs)

Speaking of dogs, I have two!

An Aussie named Dixie, and a Sheltie named Gentry!

I work for my family’s business. We rent out inflatables, aka Bouncy Houses, and MORE!

I aspire to be a Young Adult author! It is my dream!!

My favorite hobbies include:

Reading (duh)

Writing

Skating

Drawing

Rebecca blogs at Pivot Book Reviews and appears regularly on the Reading Teen blog. Please give her a lovely welcome.

This Week’s Giveaway

Afterworlds
by Scott Westerfield
Hardcover Giveaway
Simon Pulse
Released 9/23/2014

Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she’s made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings…

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy’s novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the ‘Afterworld’ to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved – and terrifying – stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Afterworlds?

Afterworlds is two interleaved books, really. The odd-numbered chapters tell the story of Darcy Patel, a young writer moving away from home; the even chapters are the entirety of Darcy’s first novel, which she’s rewriting throughout that same year. The most exciting part of writing a dual novel was linking the two narratives, having things spill over from Darcy’s day-today reality into her fiction. All writers steal from reality, so what Darcy experiences in her life always bubbles up in her novel, whether it’s a setting, a realization about true love, or just a new word.

Collectively, the two books are my really long answer to the question that all writers dread, “Where do you get your ideas?”

Purchase Afterworlds at Amazon
Purchase Afterworlds at IndieBound
View Afterworlds on Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Sep 23, 2014

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: Clara Kensie | Martina Boone | YA Fiction Giveaways

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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