Giveaway of Grasshopper Jungle and Steelheart plus Martina’s Pick and Mix 2/8/14 Edition

by Adventures in YA Publishing

So things are getting exciting with COMPULSION, which is the official new title, by the way. I’ve seen it on an actual book cover. (Which was gorgeous!) We’re going to have a cover to reveal very soon, and there will be MASSIVE giveaways to celebrate, I promise. And even more exciting? ARCs should be ready by March 11th. How’s THAT for crazy scary? I’m so excited to bring this book out into the world, and now that its getting closer, I’m also scared to death. I’m sure every author feels that way.

The official launch date for COMPULSION is also set for October 28th. Simon Pulse has wonderful–mind-bogglingly incredible–plans for this book. I can’t wait to share with you. Very soon.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

YA GIVEAWAY OF THE WEEK

Grasshopper Jungle
by Andrew Smith
Hardcover
Dutton Juvenile
Released 2/11/2014

Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the storyof how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.

To make matters worse, Austin’s hormones are totally oblivious; they don’t care that the world is in utter chaos: Austin is in love with his girlfriend, Shann, but remains confused about his sexual orientation. He’s stewing in a self-professed constant state of maximum horniness, directed at both Robby and Shann. Ultimately, it’s up to Austin to save the world and propagate the species in this sci-fright journey of survival, sex, and the complex realities of the human condition.

Purchase Grasshopper Jungle at Amazon
Purchase Grasshopper Jungle at IndieBound
View Grasshopper Jungle on Goodreads

* * * *

Steelheart
by Brandon Sanderson
Hardcover
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Released 9/24/2013

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.

But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics… nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

Purchase Steelheart at Amazon
Purchase Steelheart at IndieBound
View Steelheart on Goodreads

WHAT WE’RE READING

Martina

Her Dark Curiosity

by Megan Shepherd

Hardcover

Balzer + Bray

Released 1/28/2014

To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father’s island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we’ll go to save them from themselves.

Note from Martina

I was excited to read this sequel after loving MADMAN’S DAUGHTER, and I wasn’t disappointed. The author delivers a well-crafted, beautifully written story with complex, deeply flawed (and often monstrous) characters, who nevertheless are believable and sympathetic. I love the fact that Juliet doesn’t always have the expected reactions, that she is allowed to be an individual and that the author takes the courageous route of letting her be less-likeable sometimes in the interest of being rounded and deep and layered. The mystery and the romance(s) — yes plural — and the way that we are pulled into one surprise after another kept me turning pages and loving every minute of the read.

Purchase Her Dark Curiosity at Amazon
Purchase Her Dark Curiosity at IndieBound
View Her Dark Curiosity on Goodreads

* * * *

Prisoner of Night and Fog
by Anne Blankman
Hardcover
Balzer + Bray
Released 4/22/2014

In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her “uncle” Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf’s, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.

And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can’t stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can’t help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she’s been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she’s always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

From debut author Anne Blankman comes this harrowing and evocative story about an ordinary girl faced with the extraordinary decision to give up everything she’s ever believed . . . and to trust her own heart instead.

Note from Martina

This book is a beautiful thing. It takes the easy, almost cliché Hitler character we’ve all come to know and makes him more personal and more chilling, while simultaneously showing us how easy it was to want to believe the horror of his viewpoint. Every character in this book feels true and complete, and each story within the story from the romance to the mystery and the shifting relationships between the characters feels effortlessly interwoven, flawlessly researched, and brilliantly executed. PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG is also beautifully written. Loved it. Can’t wait to read more from Anne!

Purchase Prisoner of Night and Fog at Amazon
Purchase Prisoner of Night and Fog at IndieBound
View Prisoner of Night and Fog on Goodreads

Jan

Dangerous
by Shannon Hale
Hardcover
Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Released 3/4/2014

Maisie Danger Brown just wanted to get away from home for a bit, see something new. She never intended to fall in love. And she never imagined stumbling into a frightening plot that kills her friends and just might kill her, too. A plot that is already changing life on Earth as we know it. There’s no going back. She is the only thing standing between danger and annihilation.

From NY Times bestselling author Shannon Hale comes a novel that asks, How far would you go to save the ones you love? And how far would you go to save everyone else?

Note from Jan

I don’t normally read SciFi, but something about the description for Dangerous sucked me in. And I was not disappointed at all. First of all, the heroine’s middle name is Danger. Now normally this would bug me, but Maisie Danger Brown is a strong, smart, and witty character. Oh, and did I mention that she only has one arm? So yeah, after finishing the book, I LOVE that her middle name is Danger. The plot is fast-paced and full of unexpected twists and turns. This was a quick and very satisfying read.

Purchase Dangerous at Amazon
Purchase Dangerous at IndieBound
View Dangerous on Goodreads

Clara

Tell Me When
by Stina Lindenblatt
eBook
Carina Press
Released 1/20/2014

Amber Scott should be enjoying life as a college freshman. She should be pursuing her dream of becoming a veterinarian. She should be working hard to make sense of her precalculus math class.

She shouldn’t be waking up her college roommate with screaming nightmares. She shouldn’t be flashing back, reliving the three weeks of hell she barely survived last year. And she definitely shouldn’t be spending time with sexy player Marcus Reid.

But engineering student Marcus is the only one keeping Amber from failing her math course, so she grudgingly lets him into her life. She never expects the king of hookups will share his painful past. Or that she’ll tell him her secrets in return, opening up and trusting him in a way she thought she’d never be able to again.

When their fragile future together is threatened by a stalker Amber thought was locked away for good, Marcus is determined to protect her–and Amber is determined to protect Marcus…even if that means pushing him away.

Note from Clara

I have a huge interest in books that deal with the way individuals overcome trauma. Both the hero and the heroine in TELL ME WHEN survived horrific ordeals, and I loved reading how they help each other heal as they slowly reveal their secrets and deal with the tragedies of their past. Marcus is an ideal hero–wounded, tough, and tender, and Amber is so brave.

Purchase Tell Me When at Amazon
Purchase Tell Me When at IndieBound
View Tell Me When on Goodreads

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS

The Vampire Academy movie came out yesterday! Who’s going to see it this weekend? Here’s the trailer, just in case you haven’t seen it.

Ciel Rouge posted a great list of 2014 YA Books by People of Color, along with this graphic of the covers.

WRITING TIP

WRITING TIP OF THE WEEK

Why Your Protagonist Might Not Always Be Your Hero from K. M. Weiland.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Adventures in YA Publishing

Posted: Feb 8, 2014

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Giveaway Winners | Young Adult Fiction

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← Previous: HUGE Giveaway plus New YALit Releases 2/7-2/13 Next: Question of the Week: Why Do You Write YA? →

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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