New YALit in Stores 11/24-11/30 Plus Giveaway of Christopher Paolini’s INHERITANCE Deluxe Ed

by Martina Boone

Happy Black Friday! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I am extremely thankful for all of you, and for all the readers and writers who make the world of young adult literature an amazing place.

Happy reading,

Martina

THIS WEEK’S GIVEAWAY

COMPLETE THE FORM BELOW TO ENTER!

Inheritance (Deluxe Edition)
by Christopher Paolini
Hardcover

This deluxe edition of the spellbinding conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle includes:

A glimpse at life in Alagaësia after the final scene of the series
Never-before-seen art by the author
A new scene within the story
A note to readers from the author
An exclusive full-color foldout poster by award-winning artist John Jude Palencar

Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.
The Rider and his dragon have come farther than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king Galbatorix and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

Order Inheritance (Deluxe Edition) on Amazon

View Inheritance (Deluxe Edition) on Goodreads

LAST WEEK’S GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Elemental
by Antony John
Signed Hardcover

WINNER: BROOKE

A mysterious and powerful fantasy adventure from a Schneider Award winner

In the near future, most of the population of the United States has been destroyed by the plague. The few remaining survivors live in colonies on the barrier islands off the East Coast. In one colony near Cape Hatteras, almost all the members have elemental powers and can control wind, water, earth, and fire. All but sixteen-year-old Thomas. When the Guardians, the powerful adult leaders, are kidnapped by pirates seeking to take over their colony, it is up to Thomas and a small group of teens to save them and preserve the mysteries of the island.

Fast action, strategy, and mystery churn together into a bold and fresh fantasy from an award-winning author.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Elemental?

More than any book I’ve written, ELEMENTAL is the novel I want to give to teen me. Until time travel happens, I guess that’s not really feasible, which is a shame. Teen me had a short concentration span and was scared of long books. Teen me craved adventure and a healthy dose of suspense. Teen me wasn’t terribly special in most of the ways that teen boys wish they were special. And it’s exactly these ingredients that I threw into the mix of ELEMENTAL: a main character who is an outsider faces a dangerous situation and must work out what’s going on, even though it seems he is the least suited to do so. And all of this is packaged in a book that is fast-moving and suspenseful. What I love about this is that even though I won’t get to enjoy ELEMENTAL as a teen, I know plenty of teen boys who are the same as I used to be. This is my book for them.

Order Elemental on Amazon

View Elemental on Goodreads

IN STORES NEXT WEEK WITH AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

MORE RELEASES IN STORES NEXT WEEK

The Lucky Ones (Bright Young Things)
by Anna Godbersen
Hardcover

In 1929, the Bright Young Things escape Manhattan’s heat for the lush lawns and sparkling bays of White Cove, looking for leisure, love, and luck.
New York City’s latest It Girl, Cordelia Grey, is flying high with celebrity pilot Max Darby. But Max is a private person with a reputation to upholdand a secret to hide. A public romance with a bootlegger’s daughter could cost him more than just his good name. . . .
Aspiring triple threat Letty Larkspur has finally gotten her big break, but will her talentand special bond with the married silver-screen star Valentine O’Dellmake her a target in the cutthroat world of Hollywood? Perhaps the ingenue knows how to play the leading lady after all.
Newly married to her longtime sweetheart, socialite Astrid Donal finds herself spending more time with one of her husband’s henchmen than with him. With so many secrets between man and wife, is the honeymoon already coming to an end?
As summer reaches its hottest peak, these sun-kissed girls will find out if their luck can last . . . or if dark surprises are on the horizon.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes the riveting conclusion to the one summer these Bright Young Things will never forget.

Order The Lucky Ones (Bright Young Things) on Amazon

View The Lucky Ones (Bright Young Things) on Goodreads

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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: Nov 23, 2012

Category: Imported from AYAP

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← Previous: Character Bucket List: Adele Griffin and Theadora Parrott from ALL YOU NEVER WANTED w/ Giveaway Next: Craft Post Hiatus →

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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