Feb
29

RTW: Book of the Month, February 2012

Happy Leap Day, and welcome to this week’s Road Trip Wednesday! The question from YA Highway is: What was the best book you read in February?

I read some great books this month, but I have managed to select one favorite, and one shout-out. The book I have selected as my read of the month is NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman. After being told for some time now “you need to read some Neil Gaiman,” and especially after seeing his Doctor Who episode, “The Doctor’s Wife” (which was, IMO, the best episode of that season), I finally obtained a copy of NEVERWHERE and read it. There’s something about Gaiman’s style–I can’t quite put my finger on it–that connects with me. The way he phrases things reminds me of the way I might phrase something. I don’t mean to sound arrogant, as if I’m as good as him, or he’s somehow copying me–not at all! But it’s as if we’re on the same page stylistically. And that connection automatically draws me in. The story itself was also very well told. For those who don’t know, the novel is about a guy called Richard who moves from Scotland to London for work. He’s a bit put-upon, and dating a very domineering rich girl, but his compassion for others makes him very likeable. Indeed, it’s this compassion that gets him into trouble. When he rescues a seemingly homeless teenage girl, he finds himself drawn into a secret world that exists below his feet, where people talk to rats, the Angel Islington is an actual angel, not just a place, and he is now invisible to everyone above ground. The girl, Door, wants to find out who killed her parents, Richard wants his life back, and together they embark on a quest to obtain what they’re looking for. In the meantime a couple of cutthroat maniacs are determined to stop them. I highly recommend this book, really to anyone who enjoys good fiction, no matter what genre.

My shout-out is TORN by Erica O’Rourke. This is the first in a series of three: the second, TANGLED, came out about a month ago, and the third, BOUND is due out in the summer. TORN begins the story of Mo Fitzgerald whose happy, relatively-uncomplicated life is shaken when she is witness to her best friend’s murder. This event begins a series of revelations for Mo, showing that nothing was ever quite what it seemed, from her father’s imprisonment, her Uncle Billy’s associations with Chicago’s mob world, to the real reason her best friend died. As she learns more about Verity, and the magical power that runs in her family, Mo finds out she is connected to her in a way she never anticipated, and the magical people that inhabit Verity’s world need her to help prevent a disaster that could destroy them all. I enjoyed reading the novel, and there are things Erica did that I found instructive. For example, especially in the earlier part of the story, she fleshes out some back story by inserting italicized flash-backs–not randomly, but as illustrative of something Mo is saying (it’s a first-person narrative). The way these flash-backs are written and integrated didn’t feel like an intrusion into the story, just a continuation of the flow of Mo’s thought. I also liked the fact that Mo is not magical. This is not a Harry Potter-style “you’re a wizard, Mo!” kind of story. Mo is a “normal” person, and remains so. And while she forms attachments to the magical world, there’s no doubt that she’s an outsider. I liked this because it was contrary to what I expected. There are romantic scenes in the story which, just as a personal thing, I’m not really big on. I don’t mind romance, but I don’t need to know details (taste of lips and breath, etc.). Again, not a strike against the story, it’ s just not something I look for. Nevertheless, I recommend TORN, and plan to pick up TANGLED sometime soon-ish (the pile of books on my desk isn’t abating!).

What was your favorite February read? Join the in RTW fun either in the comments, or by blogging your answer and linking to your blog in the comments at YA Highway.

Feb
27

Some Monday Stuff

This picture isn't really relevant to the article--I just liked it.

A Monday post? Yeah… I’m re-thinking the blog schedule again. Not in a major way, but I know a lot of people are doing this at the moment–balancing blogging with the rest of one’s life. For my part, I’m looking at stats, and trying to discern reader habits. When do people seem to visit my blog? I know some read whenever I post something new, and some check periodically during the week. I also use my own blog-reading habits as a guide. In short, I don’t want my blogging to be a burden to my readers, and want each blog to be useful–fun, informative, insightful–not just the day’s obligation (for me or for you). I have ideas, and I’ll let you know when those ideas translate into changes.

Janet Reid posted the results of the INSURGENT ARC contest last night. No, I didn’t win, but the entries were so good you really should read them if you haven’t already. I can’t tell you how beneficial an exercise contests like this are in “remove useless words.” For someone like me who tends toward verbal diarrhea verbosity, being given these sort of parameters really helps me tighten my writing. So, win or lose, it’s worth it. Keep an eye on Janet’s blog for the next contest, and give it a go! This time around, I want to give a special shout out to my blog friends (at least the ones I noticed) who entered: Mrs S. (who was a semi-finalist–woohoo!), Elodie, Emma Maree, Isabel Bandeira, my wife, and my FirstBorn. You all entered a tough field, and–at least in my opinion–you can hold your heads high: your entries were great! Well done.

Lastly, if you’re looking for an agent and not following Agent Vickie Motter’s blog, you should check it out. Last month she blogged on the subject of querying. This month she has been posting on “requests,” i.e., the various aspects of responding to an agent’s request for a partial, or a full (notes, formatting, nudging, etc.). The articles are not overly long, and are very informative.

Have a great Monday!

Feb
22

RTW: For Black History Month…

Today’s Road Trip Wedensday at YA Highway is in celebration of Black History month (which is this month, if you didn’t know). This week’s questions is: “Who is your favorite African American author or fictional character?”

Honestly, I wish I had a week to prepare for this. Not that I don’t read novels with black characters, but often an author will describe a character as having dark skin and dark hair, which could just as easily describe someone of Middle Eastern or Indian descent as it could someone of African American origin. (Is this naïve of me? Should I just assume “dark skin and dark hair” means “black”?) Given more time, I could go back and re-read some of the character descriptions to get a better idea of their ethnicity. But for the sake of responding today, I’m going to cheat a little–just a little–and present a character from my current read: Hunter from Neil Gaiman’s NEVERWHERE. She’s a tough warrior, guardian to the Lady Door, and while she may end up dead, a traitor, or somehow not as good as she appears right now, at the moment I’m enjoying the way she contrasts the other characters in the story, and gives glimpses of depth to the tough exterior. As I said, I’m still reading this book, so my opinion may change by the time I get to the end. I’m sure there are dozens of other characters I could have chosen, but for now, off the top of my head, Hunter’s my pick.

Who would be your pick of African American writers or characters? Comment below, or join the fun at YA Highway by blogging your answer and then linking in the YA Highway article comments!

Feb
15

RTW: Don’t Make Me Say It!

The Road Trip Wednesday question today from the YA Highway ladies is: What words do you absolutely hate? Which ones do you adore? Like most RTW questions/challenges, this made me think. Our language is so diverse and malleable, there are hundreds of thousands of words to choose from–and many are words I’ve never used. Some are really great words, and some do the job but I wish there was a better word. And then there are some that, frankly, I would sooner vomit than let slip from my mouth. For today’s RTW, here’s some of these words that I like, and some I don’t like:

DON’T LIKE

Functionality: I had never encountered this word until I started working in I.T., and everyone seemed to use it as a short-hand way of referring to the functions a certain program or device could perform. It sounded to me like a made-up word, and I resisted it for a long time. In the end, though, the word seemed to have such general acceptance among I.T. and business professionals, that I caved in and started using it. But I really, REALLY don’t like the word.

sh*t, f*ck, etc: Normally considered the worst of the “swear” or “cuss” words. There is nothing intrinsically bad about any word. Words are, after all, merely a collection of letters. If you were to rattle off a string of the ugliest cuss words to a non-English speaker, that person wouldn’t care–you could be saying the sweetest things to him or her. The power of these words is in their intent, and in the reaction they elicit in the hearer. In our day and culture, they are still considered offensive, and are often used merely to be offensive. The user could have chosen a different way of expressing their feelings, or not said anything, but instead chose to use one of these words because they wanted to cause some kind of negative reaction. (Notice, I said “usually” and “often”–I know people sometimes use them because they genuinely feel anger, hurt, or contempt, and one of these words, perhaps shouted in solitude, for them expresses those emotions best at the time.) To me, these words are harsh and offensive no matter what the context. I don’t use them. I literally cannot make myself say them. If I’m frustrated, I’d sooner shout “poo,” partly because that word won’t cause offense, and also because the sound of the word makes me smile, helping to alleviate my feelings of frustration. Now, I can put up with reading them in literature, and I understand that they are words in common parlance, so writers often feel the need to include them in their characters’ dialog; but I prefer it when writers come up with ways to avoid using them.

Gotten: Sorry, but this is where my Brit blood flows strongly and recoils at what is, to me, the worst of all Americanisms. Since I’ve been in the US for nearly 20 years now, I find myself using this word… but I really, REALLY hate it when I do. The only phrase I don’t mind that uses it is “ill-gotten,” as in “ill-gotten gains.” But otherwise, on my better days, I find ways to avoid using it. Like using “got, obtained, purchased,” or countless other words I used to use before I came to the States.

LIKE

Effervescent: It just bubbles and sparkles on the lips.

Tranquil: This word sounds like a drop of water on a still pond.

Onomatopoeia: You can probably tell that I like words that are onomatopoeic, but I like that word too. It’s unusual, but it bounces around the mouth, as if your tongue’s on a trampoline.

I could spend all day coming up with words to add, so I’ll leave it there. I’m sure others will come up with words I could have added, so be sure to check out the blogs of everyone participating in today’s Road Trip Wednesday!

Feb
14

A Writer’s Love Story

The ladies at YA Highway are doing a special Valentine blogfest today, a bit like the Road Trip Wednesday blogfest, but for today it’s a “lovefest.” The idea is for everyone contributing to write a Valentine blog post that is a love note to… anyone or anything they love (spouse, children, sibling, friend, pet, agent, book…).

Mine is somewhat traditional, in that this is about my wife. But with a bit of a twist. I’m not sure she will appreciate this, but as I was thinking about how my wife and I met, got to know each other, and eventually fell for each other, I couldn’t help but be struck by how similar our story is to finding an agent. Yes, you heard right. Bear with me as I tell you our story from the writer’s perspective…

The Query Letter

We met at a Bible study at the beginning of my second year at University. She was a “study abroad” student from the US, and she, along with some other newcomers to the school, came back to my house for tea, coffee, and socializing. There I discovered that the US east and west coasts are a long way from each other, and she had never been to California. Over the course of the year, she baked the most amazing desserts (her monkey bread was a big hit with many people), and made me laugh a lot. I was intrigued to know more…

The Partial Request

As the academic year drew to a close, we started spending more time together. We talked, we watched Monty Python, we shared our likes and dislikes, our past experiences and future hopes. We got to know each other on a much deeper level. And we liked what we found…

The Full Request

We parted on the day after school finished as “an item.” We began our long-distance dating via telephone and letter. Every time the postman dropped letters through the door, I would run to collect them, looking for “Air Mail” written across the front in her distinctive handwriting. Each new communication brought an even deeper level of knowledge and connection. By the time we had completed our degree courses and she was back in the UK, I was sure she was the one for me.

The Offer

If memory serves me well, it was August 7th, 1991 when I “popped the question.” She said yes. On December 14th that same year, we were married. Twenty years and six kids later, she still makes me laugh, and she still makes the best desserts. :)

Feb
10

Friday Fives: Pen Pals

The question for this week’s Friday Fives from Paper Hangover is: Who are your FIVE favorite literary sidekicks? Since I am probably forgetting some, and I’m sure when I read other people’s responses I’ll say “Oh yes, him!” or “Oh yes, her!” let’s stick with five of my favorites–not necessarily my top five favorites (though they might be right now as I think about it):

Dr. John H. Watson, Sherlock Holmes’s sidekick. He’s a medical doctor, so clever in his own right and able to appreciate Holmes’s deductive reasoning. But he doesn’t share Holmes’s skill and depth of knowledge, so he can admire and learn from him. He is often useful to Holmes for chasing leads, bouncing ideas, and giving an emotional perspective to a situation that Holmes often fails to grasp. Perhaps just as important, he’s always there to celebrate success, something that happens often.

Prince Aleksander, from the LEVIATHAN series. Since the LEVIATHAN series really tells the story of both Deryn Sharp and Prince Aleksander, they share equal billing. However, as I think back over the books, it seems to me that Alek probably spends more time helping Deryn than vice versa. They come from different countries with different perspectives (Darwinist vs. Clanker), and yet they manage to look beyond their differences to help each other. At first it’s for mutual benefit (parts to repair the airship for safe harbor), but it’s not long before the desire to help is based on their growing friendship. This character development is one of the things I like about this series.

Samwise Gamgee, from THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Where would Frodo be without Sam? He’s with Frodo every step of the way, encouraging him, challenging him, putting his life in peril, and never giving up or losing faith in Frodo. Sam is exactly the kind of sidekick you need when you’re on a life-or-death quest to destroy the Ring and bring peace to Middle Earth.

Hermione Granger, from HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE. Yes, I’m being book-specific. The reason for this is because out of the trio, Hermione was not the obvious sidekick from the beginning. Ron and Harry hit it off from day one in the train carriage. But Hermione was the whiny know-it-all that no-one liked. The fact that Harry and Ron showed enough compassion to rescue her from the troll speaks well of them, but the fact that Hermione, from that point on, was willing to risk her life–and even break school rules for them–shows how much she valued their friendship. Of course, her encyclopedic knowledge and reasoning skills became critical to Harry’s success in the end. He started off not being able to stand the sight of her; by the end, he realized he couldn’t have done without her.

Jeeves, from the Jeeves and Wooster books by P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is Bertie Wooster’s butler, or personal valet, but his service to his master often exceeds serving him tea and washing his clothes. While he is clearly Wooster’s intellectual superior, he is loyal to his master, and always willing to help him out of the complicated messes Wooster gets himself into. What makes him interesting is that his aloof character sometimes comes across as dispassionate, as if he cares a lot less about Bertie than his service to him would lead you to believe. On occasion, Bertie believes Jeeves to have betrayed him, when in fact Jeeves is working in his interests the whole time. I like the contrast between the clever and unflappable Jeeves, and his excitable and often dim-witted master, especially given their respective social roles.

Who are some of your favorite literary sidekicks? Let me know in the comments, or join the blogging fun over at Paper Hangover (when the Friday Fives article is posted, anyway).

Feb
08

RTW: Story Jinx!

It’s Road Trip Wednesday time again (woohoo!), and this week’s question from the YA Highway ladies is: What SNI [Super New Idea] were you psyched to work on, but discovered it was too close to something already done?

I’m always having to ditch great character names because I discover there are famous people that share those names, but that’s different. In my youth (and I mean barely into double digits), my older brother and I used to create characters based on our favorite TV shows (e.g., Doctor Who). We changed the names, but the veil was pretty thin. But that’s not really what this question is asking.

The closest answer I can come up with is from those days, back when I was about nine years old. I was really into The War of the Worlds–both the novel, which I read around this time (see my first RTW for more about that), and Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version (which is still one of my all-time favorite albums). I decided I would write and illustrate my own take on The War of the Worlds, and call it–wait for it–Battle of the Planets! I had characters, I had a story, and I loved it–especially the title.

Then, one day, I saw an episode of a cartoon series that had just started showing on television. It was an anime series, and I can’t for the life of me remember the premise of it, but it was called… Battle of the Planets!! My jaw dropped and I remember pointing at the television saying “That’s MY title!! They’ve stolen my idea!!” I was crushed… for a while at least. What made it worse is that my younger brother really enjoyed it. Traitor!! Don’t worry, all is forgiven now. But that’s about the closest I’ve come to having to ditch a precious story idea because people with more money than me stole it it was too similar to a famous existing work.

Hey, guys... I'm still waiting on my royalty checks...!

Has this ever happened to you? Tell us about it in the comments, or write about it on your blog and add your link to the comments at YA Highway. And while you’re there, check out other people’s responses. That’s what this blog carnival’s all about, after all!

Feb
03

Friday Fives: If Only…

It’s Friday, and today’s Friday Fives question from Paper Hangover is: What are the FIVE novels you wish you had written?

Here are four novels, and the obligatory cheat. :)

To Kill a Mockingbird: This novel is so good–and I mean, SO good, who wouldn’t wanted to claim it for themselves? I would be extremely proud to have my name attached to this masterpiece. However, I fear that if I had written it, it wouldn’t be nearly as good as Harper Lee’s, so it’s probably a good thing she ended up with that one.

 

A Study in Scarlet: The first Sherlock Holmes story. I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan (and if you haven’t seen the latest re-invention of Holmes in the form of the BBC series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch, you are SERIOUSLY missing out), not just for his amazing powers of deduction, but the whole character. What a genius creation! I would definitely want to be smart enough to have invented Sherlock Holmes.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Yes, I’m using the original British title because that’s what JKR called it, and I still for the life of me don’t understand why they changed it for the US (and elsewhere). The world that Rowling created in this series is such fun, it would be so cool to have come up with it, and to have been the one spending years exploring and writing backstory, eventually coming up with the novels that are so universally loved. A writer’s dream.

A Christmas Carol: Yes, the Dickens story. Simply because one of the greatest accolades I think an author can receive is when his or her work becomes ingrained into culture–not just in one country, but across the world. When your characters, like Scrooge, become archetypes, and your story is re-worked and re-told generation after generation. Mark Gatiss, I think, nailed it when he wrote the ending to the Doctor Who episode The Unquiet Dead, in which Charles Dickens meets the Time Lord. What is the burning question on Dickens’s mind when he finds out the Doctor has knowledge of the future?  “My books–do they last? For how long?” The Doctor’s response, to Dickens’s obvious satisfaction: “Oh yes–forever!” I would smile too.

Thomas Lambdin’s Introduction to Biblical Hebrew: I know, this isn’t a novel, but it is, in my opinion, the best Hebrew grammar available. I can only dream of knowing Hebrew (and, indeed, languages period–this guy is a linguistic genius) as well as Lambdin, such that I could write a grammar like this.

 

What books do you wish you’d written? Check out Paper Hangover and see what other people have said.

[NOTE: As of when this article went up, the Paper Hangover article has not appeared. Keep checking back with Paper Hangover until it's up.]

Feb
01

RTW: Book of the Month for January, 2012

Today’s Road Trip Wednesday question at YA Highway is: What was the best book you read in January?

This is an easy one for me–and perhaps not surprising to those that frequent this blog:

This is the concluding book in the LEVIATHAN trilogy, and, in my opinion, it’s every bit as good as its two predecessors. There’s a mad scientist, secrets are revealed, thrills and excitement, and a nice ending. The thing that impresses me most about this series is–again, my opinion–that it maintains momentum throughout all three books. If you were to ask me to pick a favorite, I seriously couldn’t. Westerfeld’s writing is the best I’ve seen from him so far, the story is compelling, and it remains so for the duration. I might say this is the best series I’ve read since Harry Potter, and while this is true, I really haven’t read enough series for that to be a useful statement. But I would have no problem recommending this series to anyone who loves a good story.

And if you’re wondering how good steampunk can be, read LEVIATHAN, and work your way through BEHEMOTH to GOLIATH.

If you want an idea of what the series is about, here’s my review of LEVIATHAN.

What was the best book you read in January? Join in the blog carnival fun at YA Highway!

Jan
20

Friday Fives: Five Books for 2012

This week’s Friday Fives at Paper Hangover is asking: What are the FIVE books you’re looking forward to in 2012?

Okay, I’m going to cheat with this one. I’m sorry, but I’m still catching up on 2011 (and 2010, 2009, 2008…) books! I know there are some great books coming out this year, but I don’t know much about them to know what to pick. So, I’m going to list a couple I do know that I’m looking forward to, and the rest of the list will be pre-2012 books that I’m looking forward to reading this year. Okay? You can give me some recommendations in the comments for books to look out for this year. Deal? Great. Let’s begin.

INSURGENT by Veronica Roth. Well, duh… of course! DIVERGENT was my book of the year for 2011, so naturally, I’m almost as eager for this as I am responses to the queries I just sent out. Almost. I think the release date is not-soon-enough, 2012… actually, I think it’s May. Which is four months away. That’s okay. I want to re-read DIVERGENT before I read INSURGENT anyway. If you don’t know, INSURGENT is the second book in the DIVERGENT series. Here’s the Goodreads page with more info. And if you don’t have a copy of DIVERGENT, you need to enter my giveaway! Now. Just comment on the Giveaway page, and you might be the blessed one selected to receive it. Go on!

UNRAVELING by Elizabeth Norris. I actually have an ARC of this sitting on my desk waiting for me to read. The premise sounds interesting: it’s about a girl who dies two days before her junior year, but is brought back to life by a mysterious loner from her high school. There’s a ticking clock, and… well, here, go to Elizabeth Norris’s blog and read the summary there! Sounds good, doesn’t it? I might post a review when I’ve read it. The scheduled release date is in April, 2012.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green. This is a 2012 release, but it’s out already, so I don’t have to look forward to it coming out. My daughter has a signed copy, so it’s already in the house. I just have to get around to reading it. Which I plan to. My daughter really enjoyed it, so I’m looking forward to it. What’s it about? Here’s the Goodreads page where you can read about it.

THE FUTURE OF US by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. Again, a book with an interesting premise: in 1996, Josh and Emma get an AOL account, but when they log on they find themselves at their Facebook pages, looking at themselves fifteen years in the future. When I first read the summary, I had that “what a cool idea–I wish I thought of that!” moment. So I’m curious to know if it’s as good a book as I would have made it. It’s probably better, actually, judging from the numerous positive comments I’ve read about it. Here’s the Goodreads page for more info.

MISS PEREGRIN’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs. Another book for which I’ve seen rave reviews . It’s about a sixteen-year-old boy who goes to an abandoned orphanage on an island off the coast of Wales. There he finds out about the children who used to live there–it seems there was something very special about them. Moreover, somehow, they might still be alive! Again, my brief summary doesn’t do it justice, so here’s the Goodreads page.

Those are five books I look forward to reading this year. Now, help me out, blog friends! What books that are coming out this year should I have on my TBR list? And don’t forget to check out the other blogs participating in this week’s Friday Fives at Paper Hangover.

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