Giveaway of CHAMPION by Marie Lu plus Young Adult Fictoin Pick and Mix 11/9/13

by Adventures in YA Publishing

Hello From YALLFEST 2013!

My YALLFEST trip started even before I sat down in the airplane with a lovely surprise. I sat (in the wrong seat, because that’s how I roll) next to Cinda Williams Chima, and then ended up next to Rae Carson when I moved to my actual assigned seat. We had some lovely chit chat, and then I started going over the last notes my editor had sent. Fifteen minutes later, I realized, HOLY COW! — I’m editing my book sitting next to Rae Carson. The keynote speaker I am going to see in two days. Whose books–did I mention?–I love, love, love? Total fangirl moment. I think I only managed to embarrass myself six or seven times on the two hour flight, a relatively low number for me, overall. But both authors were absolutely lovely, and I’m doing an interview with Cinda tomorrow. (Er, today, since it is now 2:00 a.m.)

Here’s an embarrassingly blurry photo on the walkway off the plane. Why is it blurry? I’m sleep-deprived–that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Cinda Chima with Rae Carson

After arriving in Charleston, I met up with my lovely friend Carol, and we waited together for Kimberley Griffiths Little’s flight to come in. The three of us checked into our hotel and schlepped back to the airport via the long cut (i.e., we got lost) to get Tracy Clark, whose luggage was stuck on a broken baggage carousel for an hour. By the time we finally got out of there, waited to get a table at a restaurant, and waited for our food, we were ready to eat our napkins or go fix sandwiches for ourselves in the kitchen. Back in the hotel, we worked on press releases and interview questions and strategy and gossip. The four of us are sharing a room, so you can imagine it’s a bit hectic, but a ton of fun.

Tracy and Carol doing a Rap Song

Veronica Rossi w/ Lauren Oliver in the Background

Today was spent picking up huge boxes of books for book signings, catching up with friends, exploring Charleston, and more running around than any set of feet should have to put up with–especially in heels. We ran into Tahereh Mafi and Ransom Riggs at the bookstore, and also went to a book signing to pick up our friend Jackie, so we got a chance to chat briefly with Veronica Rossi, Lauren Oliver, Melissa de La Cruz, Alexandra Bracken, and Carrie Ryan–who are all so gracious!

Alexandra Bracken, Carrie Ryan

The sad part is that we didn’t get to meet up with Jocelyn Rish and the big group of local Charleston writers I was looking forward to meeting. I get to have lunch with her on Tuesday, but I am still so sad to have missed that.

The real YALLFEST event starts tomorrow–er, later this morning. There are almost 50 authors here doing panels and signings, and I would love to have the event spread out over a week so that I could go to EVERYTHING. Since that’s not going to happen, we spent tonight planning our schedule with military precision so we can hit as much as possible.

Interested in seeing who’s here? Here’s the link. And leave me a comment on this post and tell me whose signed books you most want to see here as a giveaway. I suspect I can find a way to make that work :).

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Martina

Thought for the Week

via Famous Quotes to Inspire You

Young Adult Novel Giveaway This Week

The explosive finale to Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND trilogy—perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and DIVERGENT!

He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Buy on Amazon | Buy on IndieBound | Add to Goodreads

Young Adult Novel Giveaway Last Week

HORIZON by Alyson Noel (ARC)

Expected publication: November 19th 2013 by St. Martin’s Griffin

Winner: Jeanne Agee

Fate has bound them together—and torn them apart. Now Daire and Dace face one final fight that will seal their destiny forever.

Daire Santos is the last of the Soul Seekers, and the only thing standing between the Richters and the destruction of everyone she loves. With her grandmother gone and Cade back in Enchantment, Daire must finally step into her destiny and lead the fight against the Richters. But what if that means sacrificing the person she loves most?

Bound to the Richters by blood, Dace struggles against the darkness growing inside him that threatens to claim Daire too. Though Daire refuses to give up on him, the choice may not be hers. An epic battle is on the horizon and the end of the world looms near. With such insurmountable odds stacked against them, is their love really enough to conquer all?

PreOrder Horizon on Amazon
View Horizon on Goodreads

Books, Books, Books

Way to make the choices impossible! Entertainment Weekly has created a poll to narrow down the best YA novel of all time. Here’s Round One. I hope you have an easier time choosing than I did!

Did you know that 1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives? I didn’t either! Save the books!

Foreplay by Sophie Jordan

Young Adult Reader of the Week:

Ilsa

* Want to be the reader of the week next week? Leave a comment on our Thursday or Friday posts!

Blogger of the Week:

Martina and Jan from “Adventures in YA Publishing”

Note from Kate: I want to take a second to thank Martina and Jan for all they do. They work so hard day after day to keep this blog up and running, they do massive giveaways every week and ask for nothing in return, and they gave me this opportunity to work as an intern for them! I thought since Thanksgiving is coming up on us fast, this would be a great moment to let me say how thankful for them I am! Thanks, ladies! 🙂

Note from Martina: Awww, Kate, THANK YOU! I have to tell you though that WE are so lucky to have you!!!! And everyone, in case you missed the announcement a bit ago, Kate is no longer an intern but a full-blown and fantastic member of AYAP, as is Alyssa! We are SO thrilled to have them. Check out our About Us page for more information!

Note from Jan: This totally made me tear up. You’re such a sweetheart, Kate. Thank you!

* Want to be the blogger of the week next week? To be honest, this is pretty much the only way I have time to discover new blogs, so it’s a great way to get into my twitter feed and into these round-up posts if you have great content to share. Leave a comment. I’ll pick from among the bloggers who leave comments here on the blog today through Wednesday.

Writing Tip of the Week

“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.”

~ Thomas Jefferson

Writing Quote For the Week

via oprah.com

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Adventures in YA Publishing

Posted: Nov 9, 2013

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Fiction Giveaways | Young Adult Fiction

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Thank you to the women who started Adventures in YA Publishing and ran it for years. AYAP and TMM have merged to form Adventures in PUPlishing, and the legacy AYAP posts are now part of TMM. Click here to learn more about the earlier AYAP team.

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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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