Pick Any YA Book of Your Choice Giveaway and #YALit Pick and Mix 11/30/13

by Adventures in YA Publishing

Lots of great news this week! BEHOLDEN is off to copyedit, and I’m so excited about that and about starting back on Book 2. At the same time, I’m scared. I’ve heard about the fear from other authors. I know that no one really feels like they “get it” any better no matter how many books they’ve written. I had a chance to talk to the fabulous Libba Bray at YALLFEST about this, and she said she drives herself crazy with every book. Here’s the post of hers that we talked about, by the way. If you’re a writer, read it. If your a fan of Libba’s read it. Hell. Everyone. Read it.

The bottom line, all writers, all human beings, have doubt. I wish I could say I had less doubt now than I did when I was fifteen, or seventeen, or before I got a book deal. I think I just have different doubts. And you know what? I think that’s okay. For the first time in my life, I’m at peace with doubt. I’m going to embrace it. Doubt gives me the kick in the a$$ I need to push myself.

I have a new trick I’m going to try to play on doubt. I bought the supplies for it today. Look for some photos next week. 🙂

But I said I had two pieces of good news, didn’t I? My second piece is that YASeriesInsiders.com is finally alive and doing well. Here’s a list of all the fabulous giveaways we’re offering around the web to celebrate.

http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/p/ya-fiction-giveaways.html

Thought for the Week

via teen.com

Young Adult Novel Giveaway This Week

This week’s giveaway is a pick-your-own! Complete the form entry and leave a comment saying which book you’re most dying to read, and I’ll pick a random winner from those comments and send you the book of your choice. Any book. At all. No limits.

And since someone accidentally put BEHOLDEN up early on Goodreads, become a fan of mine there for a for a second change to win. I’m picking a second winner from my fans!

For an additional bonus in BOTH giveaways, add BEHOLDEN to your Goodreads list. 🙂

Young Adult Novel Giveaway Last Week

The Fiery Heart
by Richelle Mead
Hardcover
Razorbill
Released 11/19/2013

Winner: Chi Shannon

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn’t over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there’s still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure–and re-education–looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

Purchase The Fiery Heart at Amazon
Purchase The Fiery Heart at IndieBound
View The Fiery Heart on Goodreads

Books, Books, Books

How to turn an old book cover into an e-reader case via Lifehacker (which I think is mega cool).

13 Young Adult adaptations to look out for via Mundie Moms. (Which one are you most excited for)?

An awesome article about YA books and the moral center from YA Stands.

Photo via Marsmattn Tallahasse on Flickr

Why YA boyfriends are so much cooler than your real-life boyfriends.

And as a bonus, here’s a quiz on which YA book you should read next.

Actually, I have a short cut to that quiz. Laini Taylor has a brand new novella in her DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE series called NIGHT OF CAKE & PUPPETS. And OHMYGOD. Love!

And finally, here’s Libba Bray and a slew of your favorite YA authors. doing Bad Vampire at YALLFEST. Enjoy!

Young Adult Reader of the Week:

Donna Hosie

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

Blogger of the Week:

rhapsodyinbooks at “Color Online”

* 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

via lolsnaps.com

Bonus Tip

via Pinterest

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Adventures in YA Publishing

Posted: Nov 30, 2013

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Giveaway Winners

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← Previous: Giveaway of CRACKED and EMPTY by K.M. Walton plus New YALit Releases 11/29-12/5 Next: Question of the Week: Do You Print Out Your Manuscripts? →

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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