RTW: Best Book For August

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This Week's Topic:

What's the best book you read this month?

I expect to see a lot of this one in the Road Trip Wednesday posts (and a lot of THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, which I've yet to read but really want to). My favorite book for August? MOCKINGJAY.

MOCKINGJAY'S release day sort of crept up on me. I hadn't forgotten about it, but I've been so busy this summer that I hadn't thought about it much. But once the book showed up in my mailbox, I closed the bedroom door and isolated myself for a few hours while I eagerly tore through the story. I don't want to give any spoilers away, but I can say that I was surprised by the direction Collins took at first - the tension, the themes were quite different from previous books. I ended up loving this new, psychological aspect of the story. The characters in this book were as vivid as in others, maybe even more so. Triumphs and losses hit hard, creating an emotional roller-coaster for the reader. The book wasn't perfect (Katniss spent a bit too much time knocked out or asleep, methinks) but I still couldn't make myself put it down. By the time I'd turned the last page, my chest ached. An impressive story.

What was your favorite read of August? Visit YA Highway to join in on the RTW fun.

I Have Been Bulldozed . . .

. . . by this book.

I'm pretty much too wasted* at the moment to be able to compile any kind of sentient thoughts about what happens and why--not that I would reveal any spoilers this early in the game.

Suffice it to say, get your own copy and get reading.

I'm off to listen to some obnoxiously upbeat music now.





*Not that kind of wasted. Sheesh.

Road Trip Wednesday: In Which I Air My Ending Grievances

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. This Week's Topic: If you could rewrite the ending of any book, how would you rewrite it and why?

I love things that make me feel.

Happy. In love. Frustrated. Triumphant.

I'm a sucker for the bittersweet, as evidenced by my favorite movies (The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love) and books (How I Live Now, Jellicoe Road).

I even love things that make me angry. At least when it comes to artistic endeavors. Atonement? I utterly adore it, even though I seethe with anger at Briony and hatehatehate her. It's such an achievement to coax such an intense reaction out of a reader/viewer. I applaud the careful manipulation of my emotions and revel in the intricacies that allow me to connect with a story on such a deep level. I don't hate books that make me hate - I adore them.

And yet, given the chance, there is one book whose ending I would change (ten bucks says my love Kirsten Hubbard knows exactly where I'm going with this one).

MT Anderson's FEED is a brilliant book. Great writing, amazing depth, a narrative that sucks you in, thought-provoking world building. It's a classic piece of young adult literature.

But I HATE Titus. Utterly, utterly despise him. He's an accurate product of his society, a realistic portrayal of the intense consumerism driving FEED's world and extremely well-written. I love that I hate him.

Occasionally Titus wakes up from his consumerist stupor, has a brief moment of insight, of realization, of questioning. His girlfriend, Violet, a girl on the fringes of society who sees how things are falling to pieces, is dying, her late-inserted feed malfunctioning until she begins to lose the use of her limbs. Titus deals with this the best way he knows how: by backing off and going shopping.

I don't want to argue that Titus should suddenly have this great, big epiphany when Violet dies and shun society, become a monk, move to Mexico and help with the environmental disaster, etc. That would be completely out of character. I don't expect a mind-blowing moment of growth or even for Titus to cry over Violet's death.

But if I could rewrite the ending of FEED, I would throw in just one more flash of insight. I would have Titus buy, not one more pair of jeans, but something for Violet. Something kind of dumb, like a stuffed animal. But it would be a move that would highlight the conflict between his grief over his girlfriend's death and the consumerism that has driven his life from day one. I don't require a big move, but would like to see something that shows me Violet is still on his mind, that she's infiltrated some layer of his psyche, has made some impact on his thought processes. A bit of possibility, the hope that there might come a day in Titus's future when he remembers Violet and her philosophies and awakens to the mess around him. I know the hopelessness is a huge part of the novel, but I do like my bitter with just a bit of sweet. Is that so much to ask?

Which book's ending would you rewrite? Hop on over to YA Highway to join the carnival.

Hunger Games Cast

I'm not one of those who casts novels - mine or others' - but I was reading the fabulous Sarah Enni's blog and she put up a post about who should play Katniss in the movie version of the trilogy and . . . I kinda got hooked on the idea of casting these books. :/ It started when I was considering who would play Peeta, the strong baker's boy and, yeah, the one I tend to ship (don't hate Gale-lovers--I've got my reasons :P). Although, really, I'm flat-out in favor of Katniss ending up alone (she's not really a relationship kind of girl).

Anyway, here are my choices for the Hunger Games cast:

Peeta: Josh Hutcherson

Peeta is described as having medium height with a stocky build, ashy blonde hair and blue eyes, so you need a guy who looks like he can haul a sack of flour over his shoulder. As for the coloring, his hazel eyes can easily be made blue with some contacts and the hair just needs a dose of highlights.

Katniss: Vanessa Marano? 
Slender, black hair, gray eyes and olive skin. But also a huntress, logical, unemotional, a badass with a bow and arrow. I personally never see Katniss as being pretty, exactly. At least not in the typical glamorous Hollywood way. More average on the looks and awesome on the personality. At this point, Vanessa Marano comes closest to the image of Katniss I have in my head, though even she isn't perfect. She doesn't have that worn, world-weary look I associate with Katniss, though maybe no teen actress does and I should just be glad for that.

Gale: Logan Lerman
He's Katniss's best friend, the consummate hunter, haunted, slender but fit. Even though I prefer Peeta in general, it always seemed to me that Gale would be the better looking guy. He also has dark hair and gray eyes (hmmm). Probably the easiest call of the batch, I think Logan would be a perfect Gale. With gray contacts, of course.

Prim: Elle Fanning 
Delicate and lovely, with light hair, blue eyes and pale skin, the interwebz favorite for Katniss's younger sister seems to be Elle Fanning. I can't disagree, though a year or two of production will help with the age thing. She is slightly on the young side at the moment.

Rue: Willa Holland
Though dark-haired, golden-eyed and Edit:olive-skinned sorry, "satiny-brown" skinned, actually, but what shade of satin is unclear. A black actress or Indian actress might actually be better for the role. Maybe award-winning Indian actress Ayesha Kapoor? Or perhaps Yara Shahidi? She would actually be about the right age come production time. Rue was supposed to look "hauntingly similar" to Katniss's sister, Prim. So I'm going to go with Willa Holland, who has haunting eyes, if nothing else. Okay, there does seem to be a bit of similarity around the mouth between Willa and Elle, too. That helps. Mostly, though, I want an actress who can really work that death scene and Willa just has a face for melancholy, no? I've seen her sporting pigtails, which will help with the young look.

Haymitch: Hugh Laurie 
He's only in his thirties or forties, but years of flat-out drunkedness have aged Haymitch, the District 13 advisor. He spends most of the first novel with an unkempt, paunchy appearance and a who-cares attitude. Oh, there do seem to be so many of those types of actors about Hollywood nowadays. Who to pick? Let's add some pounds and scruffy Hugh up just a little more -- oh, wait, no, he looks pretty good as is.











NEW!:

Cinna: Michael B. Jordon
Originally my mind went to Wesley Snipes's incredible role in Too Wong Foo as a great representation of what I'd want for Cinna. But then I remembered that even though most people in the Capitol have outlandish fashion sense, Cinna was more reserved, wearing black, having natural, close-cropped brown hair and, his only concession to glitter, wearing gold eyeliner. So instead of drag-fabulousity, I had to pick someone with eyes that would be beautiful rimmed in gold and a streamlined fashion sense. Plus an amazing personality. All this picture needs is that eyeliner.

Effie Trinket: Miranda Richardson 
From the very beginning of the series I have pictured Effie Trinket as Rita Skeeter. They just seem to have such similar personalities. Flippant, bitter, domineering. And look at the way she's dressed for the Harry Potter film. Can't you totally see that outfit on Effie? The only change would be to die that bleach job a vibrant pink, add some outrageous accessories, and Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter as Effie Trinket would be perfect.

All right, how's the cast so far? Any changes you would make? Who should play some of the other characters? I'd like to see a really flamboyant Cinna - who could pull that off?

Publishing Myths and Misconceptions

I jotted down some notes that stood out to me as I watched agent Holly Root and editors Molly O'Neill and Martha Mihalick chat about some common publishing myths and misconceptions so I thought I'd share with you. Feel free to ask any clarifying questions or post your thoughts in the comments.

• Submissions should have a memorable story, but shouldn’t have hokey accessories.
• Even if you have connections or know all kinds of publishing pros, it all comes back to your story. The loveliest person on earth won’t get published with a poor manuscript.
• Don’t look for personal validation from agents and editors; they will only tell you if your work is publishable, not if you should be writing in the first place.
• Picture book texts need to be under 1,000 words. Under 500 words is even better. And you don’t hire your illustrator. The publisher does that.
• Read what’s current to get the pulse of the market.
• Age is a good initial indicator of what genre your book is, but the ultimate deciding factor is the sensibility of the entire narrative voice.
• Kids are the best lie detectors: TRUE! Don’t talk down, don’t focus on the moral message, etc.
• There are no good books are there? You simply haven’t read enough. Or you’re flat out rude.
• Good titles are important, but changes are still possible.
• Agents and editors share a goal: to sell lots of copies of your books.
• Writing to trends is okay if you do it well, but editors are also looking for the timeless, the new trend, the surprise.
• Authors are important to publishers -- bestselling authors and smaller authors both.
• Print is not dead.
• Social networking can be great, but don’t force yourself to do things you don’t want to do.
• ALA, BEA, etc. are meant for the end buyer, not the writer. If you’re asked to attend, great, but you don’t need to attend trade shows.
• Have a question? Ask your agent/editor. You need to feel comfortable asking questions.
• The second book isn’t necessarily easier than the first. Nor may be the fifteenth book. Writing books is hard, period.
• Truism: The children’s publishing industry is supportive, caring and generous. It’s the best industry in the world.

Want more? Watch the videos here.

WriteOnCon

I'm alive! And I'm spending the day (plus the next two) popping my head in at WriteOnCon, Elana Johnson's brilliant brainchild of a free, online writers' conference. You should tap-dance over for some great guides and tips to writing and publishing children's lit.

(there appears to be a problem with the direct writeoncon page, so go to elana's page for conference goodies, instead until issues are resolved)

More later!

Today's Office