YA Authors Share What’s On Their Holiday Wishlist

by Jan Lewis

Photo via Alice Harold on Flickr

Last week, some great bloggers shared their holiday wishlists with us. You can check that post out here. Today we have some fabulous YA authors here to share their wishlists with us as well!

We hope all of your holidays are filled with joy and many good books! Make sure to stop by on Christmas day for a fun giveaway!

Nancy Holder
Oooh, I just pre-ordered The Ghost of the Mary Celeste by Valerie Martin. Apparently Sir Arthur Conan Doyle figures into it. Cannot wait!

P.J. Hoover
It may sound silly, but at the top of my holiday wishlist is the pocket edition of THE HOBBIT 🙂 It looks so cute in the store, and I just can’t resist. Otherwise, I’m excited to see what my family surprises me with.

Beth Revis
SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo. I actually own three different versions of this book (hardback, audio, and e-), so my holiday wish is just to have time to actually read it! One of my good friends, Lauren DeStefano (author of PERFECT RUIN) has threatened to disown me if I don’t get on it, so…

CRESS by Marissa Meyer. I love her first two books–a sci fi retelling of “Cinderella” and “Little Red Riding Hood,” but “Rapunzel” is my favorite fairy tale of all time, and in this very the tower is a satellite in space and omg I can’t wait to read it!!!

ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Stephanie Perkins. I hardly ever read contemp novels, but Steph’s is amazing and perfect and there’s kissing, but there’s also sass and tragedy and fun and sorrow and basically I just can’t put down anything she’s written.

UNINVITED by Sophie Jordan. I heard about this book last spring, at the RT Convention, and it sounded brilliant then–it’s the sort of YA novel I’d expect from Dollhouse-era Joss Whedon, so it’s an instant-buy from me.

PERFECT LIES by Kiersten White. The first book–MIND GAMES–blew me away, and is my favorite White novel. It’s about girls who are sisters…but they’re special in a very unique way. In a “I can kill you with my mind,” way. Also she can kill you with a knife. Or a chair. Or anything, really. Don’t mess with Fia, that’s what I’m saying.

Jodi Meadows
Oh my commas, I generally get most of the books I want to read on my own (perks of being a grown up), but there are a lot I’m looking forward to that are coming up after the new year. A few: HER DARK CURIOSITY by Megan Shepherd, CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge, CRESS by Marissa Meyer, REAL MERMAIDS DON’T SELL SEASHELLS by Helene Boudreau, and EVERTRUE by Brodi Ashton.

Kimberly Sabatini
The books at the top of my holiday wish list are…*drum roll*…in no particular order…and pre-orders are acceptable.

*CRESS by Marissa Meyer
*DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS by Laini Taylor
*THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY by Laurie Halse Anderson
*REALITY BOY by AS King
*AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED by Khaled Hosseini

You know…just as an appetizer LOL!

Jan Lewis

Jan Lewis writes YA fantasy of the contemporary and traditional varieties. She lives in Oklahoma with a husband, two kids, two cats, a dog, and a mother. Instead of unpublished, she prefers to call herself pre-published. While she enjoys drafting, her heart is truly in rewriting and editing. She loves ladybugs, fairies, blue roses, cats, musical theater, and pretty much all things geek.

Post © Jan Lewis and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Dec 18, 2013

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: #yalit

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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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