Paperbacks, Progress, and Gratitude

by Martina Boone

I was chatting with readers at the recent book festival I attended about the frustration of mxing paperbacks and hardcovers. I’m strictly a matchy-matchy girl when it comes to books. If I buy hardcovers of a series, I want all hardcovers. If I buy paperbacks, I want all paperbacks. And it seems I’m not alone. We readers are a picky bunch. We love the vanilla and paper scent of books, the way they look on the shelf, the feel of the paper between our fingers.

Today marks the official release of the PERSUASION paperback, which seems terribly strange to me somehow. Paperbacks are odd ducks. It may technically be the same old book, but this whole process of being published still feels so miraculous to me that I can’t help celebrating every milestone. Honestly, when I got news that I had a three-book deal, I never thought of it in terms of books on the shelf, but it’s a shelf all on its own with all the different versions. And each one is a new reason to be grateful. Each one is a mark of progress, not only for the series, but also for my own growth as a writer. I feel like I learn a lot between every release.

Anyway, here’s the paperback in all its glory:

And here’s a glimpse of the ILLUSION teaser from inside:

Buy It Now:

IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

CELEBRATION GIVEAWAYS

And since I haven’t done this in a while, I’m going to do a handful of giveaways with some of my favorite bloggers to celebrate.

AT MUNDIE MOMS:

Because the series is gothic and southern and magical, anyone who loves it is likely to enjoy BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, HOURGLASS, and BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA. And I’m throwing in SIX OF CROWS, because like the characters on Watson Island, Leigh Bardugo’s characters all share a certain brokenness, but in finding each other they create a family.

Go here to enter

AT ICEY BOOKS:

Because COMPULSION and the other books in my series have been called BEAUTIFUL CREATURES meets THE RAVEN BOYS, and because I love the series so much, I’m giving away a full set of Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle books.

Go here to enter (Opens at 10 am CST 8/23/16)

AT CURLING UP WITH A GOOD BOOK

Because there are trapped souls and beautiful people, I’ll be giving away THE JEWEL and its sequel, THE WHITE ROSE, together with REBEL BELLE which shares a love of killer heels with COMPULSION. And BLOOD MAGIC features heavily all all three books of the Heirs of Watson Island series.

Click here to enter

AT YA BOOKS CENTRAL

Because the HEIRS of Watson Island are ONE to a family, and the families are ELITE, and because ILLUSION is all about THE SELECTION, I’ll be giving away signed copies of Kiera Cass’ series over at YA Books Central. Check back soon for more details!

Click here to enter

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: Aug 23, 2016

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: 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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