Cocker Spaniel sittting
Hound dog sitting
Husky laying down
Black and white spaniel sitting
German Shepard sitting
Golden Retriever sitting
Jack Russel sitting
Gray Pitbull sitting
Big, fuzzing brown puppy sitting
Young Husky sitting

YALLFest announces keynote authors for 2017

by Jocelyn Rish

Now that it’s officially summer, you’re probably out enjoying the sun and water, with little thought for the colorful leaves and pumpkin spice explosion that come with fall.

But it’s never too early to start thinking about YALLFest!

Of course we’re huge fans of YALLFest here at Adventures in YA Publishing, since it’s the largest Young Adult book festival in the world. We’ve featured many previous YALLFest authors on the site, and last year I had the chance to interview Sara Shepard, Jonathan Stroud, Dhonielle Clayton, and a slew of other authors at the festival. It’s always so much fun, and last year the panels and book signings drew over 13,000 people to beautiful Charleston, SC.

This year YALLFest will be taking over Charleston on November 10th & 11th, and although the full lineup of authors is still a secret …

We now know who will be taking part in the keynote talks and featured events!

First up, the opening keynote conversation will be between two-time Carnegie Medal winning author Patrick Ness (A Monster Calls) and New York Times best-seller Renée Ahdieh (The Wrath and the Dawn).

I know! But the awesomeness doesn’t stop there – there will also be a keynote conversation between bestselling authors Marissa Meyer (Heartless, Lunar Chronicles) and Cassandra Clare (Lord of Shadows, the Shadowhunters series).

Right? And because that’s not already cool enough, since Marissa’s next book, Renegades, will be released on Nov. 7, her publisher and YALLFest sponsor Macmillan Fierce Reads is giving away a
$1,500 travel voucher for a fan and a friend to travel to Charleston. The winner will also receive tickets to all Fierce Reads-sponsored events and a front row seat at Marissa’s keynote with
Cassandra and even be invited to welcome fans to the Renegades at a special celebration. Fans
can register to win from July 7 to August 25 at JointheRenegades.com.

Wait! There’s more! Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give) and Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda) – who have divided the YA community with their Classic Oreo versus Golden Oreo debate – will team up for a featured event. Just don’t bring any Peeps Oreos!

Now you might be wondering about my sudden obsession with Jason Segel gifs. Well, that’s because the How I Met Your Mother star will be at YALLFest!

Jason will be spotlighted along with his co-author Kirsten Miller. Their bestselling series Nightmares! has engaged young readers with fabulous tales of nighttime terrors, and they will be chatting about their latest installment, Everything You Need to Know about Nightmares and How to Defeat Them.

Yep, that will definitely give me happy dreams!
It’s clearly going to be another fantastic YALLFest, so start making plans to come to Charleston on November 10th & 11th. Keynote talks and featured events require tickets, which go on sale in August. Other panels and signings are free and generally require fans to stand in line, first-come first-served. The full author roster will be announced in August when tickets go on sale. Nearby hotels can be found here. 
To keep up with all the YALLFest news, visit yallfest.org or follow them here:
www.facebook.com/yallfest/
www.twitter.com/YALLFest
www.instagram.com/yallfest/
We hope to see you there!!!

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her debut was BATTLE OF THE BUTTS, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts. Her latest book is BATTLE OF THE BRAINS, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she’s not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her adorable dog. Find out more at www.jocelynrish.com.

Post @ Jocelyn Rish and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Posted: Jun 30, 2017
Category: Imported from AYAP
Tags: YALLFest

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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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