Wall Street Journal Tries to Kill YA Writers?

Has Last weekend's Wall Street Journal harmed the Young Adult (YA) market? It sure had everyone talking about it. Stirring a new hash tag on twitter (a conversation tag) named #YAsaves! that was trending in the top ten tweets in the nation after the article. It made it to number two in the SF Bay area.

The article specifically pin pointed author Judy Blume, among others,  and she tweeted #YAsaves! to the WSJ. YA author Holly Black organized many to join her in sending their tweets directly to the WSJ.

In order to stimulate an imagination don't we need to scare it, shock and challenge it? If it's force fed the mundane it will be a mundane imagination. Some of the content by some authors should be kept for older teens. A thirteen year old might not be ready for it, then again they might. How much do you really know about your child? Many kids tweeted in that YA stories had saved their lives. Coming of age stories, coming out stories, fantasy to escape bad school or home life. We need our books to escape into and teens are no different.

The article was harsh. Really throwing a negative spin on YA authors. It made it sound like the future of the genre was bleak and heading for danger Wil Robinson. I completely disagree. I think we have broken through barriers and are finally giving teens something that they can sink their teeth into. A real story not a watered down one. I remember the YA I grew up with. I read it in fourth and fifth grade and thought it was silly then. I moved on to adult books because there was nothing else.

I think that the young adults and adults that are reading YA books will continue to read them regardless of what WSJ has said. No one reads the WSJ anyways, right?? :)

Four Women and Their Computers

Friday I had over some friends of mine for a mini writers retreat. I thought it would be a great way to kick start the summer with a day full of intense writing. I got a veggie plate, bagels, coffee, biscotti and we had chinese for lunch. Fun.

Well, what I learned is not as much writing happens as a person plans for at these things. We set a timer for forty-five minutes at a time but still managed to talk in between. We started later than expected. Our breaks lasted a wee bit longer. By the end of the day I think our accumulative word count hovered around 2000. Not terrible but not what I was hoping for. What I didn't expect was how much I needed to talk about all things writing with my friends, share my work and hear about theirs. It was wonderful. Word counts be damned.

I'm going to plan another one soon, but this time plan out time for sharing work, doing excercises to get us to do some break through writing and of course time to work on our current projects. I love writing with other people. How about you? Shout outs to Karysa Faire, Reina Williams and Marik Berghs!

Vampires & French Royalty

So I'm plotting out a new book and it's set in France. I spent a year there and am drawing up from the fuzzy, foggy depths of my memory for details to use in the story. One thing I didn't learn while I was there was the order of French royalty. I googled it and am pretty certain that after the King comes the Duc which could either be a relative or a clergy. But there is no definitive spelling on his wife. I am assuming it is a Duchess. I'm putting this out to the world hoping someone has a better grasp on it than I do. Maybe you have google magick at your fingertips that I don't posses :)

One of the minor characters in the story is a vampire who is a Duc long dead. He has a mate who would then be a Duchess. But I want to spell it correctly. This story may end up being a YA as the heroine is just 17. There are gargoyles, vampires and all sorts of dark trouble in it. I'm just in the planning stages so far, which is a new process of writing for me. I'm ususally what they call a pantser, I write by the seat of my pants. I sit at the keyboard and just write, but this time I am actually making a plan of attack. I hope the story will be stronger for it.

Well, that's all for now. Any help you can give i.e. the Duchess issue would be much appreciated.

Kim Harrison Says 'Excuse Me, You Got Your Romance In My Urban Fantasy'

I was lucky enough to stumble upon this guest post at SF Signal this morning by Kim Harrison  -  Kim Harrison Says 'Excuse Me, You Got Your Romance In My Urban Fantasy' . It is an intelligent and articulate look at the difference between Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance genre writing. Kim is the talented author of the New York Times Bestselling Hallows series, a nine book series with the latest being Pale Demon.

I recently discovered the series. I had seen her books before at Barnes and Noble and had been intimidated by the sheer number of them. I love a series but I didn't know where to start. After taking a class and hearing how wonderful they were I downloaded the first one onto my Kindle and the rest was history. I devoured them. The books are amazing. Kim's world building is fantastic. There is never a cliche and she's not afraid to beat up on her protagonist :)

But she does write Urban Fantasy and not Paranormal Romance and that is the lesson today. She didn't just throw in some pixies, werewolves and vampires to sell it in the trending market like so many these days. She's created deep characters with real histories not the two dimensional ones we get in most romances. And for that we love you Kim. Tink's Contractual Hell, write another book soon!

Memorial Day Weekend, Life & Death

This weekend we celebrate our soldiers. We remember their sacrifice and affirm our devotion to freedom through it. In my own personal life I've gone through some milestones this weekend as well.

My daughter went to her senior prom last night. She was beautiful. Sending her off was a culmination of many years of worry, nuturing and hardwork. It was truly a bittersweet moment. It was a moment meant to mark an important milestone in a young woman's life and she did it gracefully.

This morning my aunt died after a long struggle with brain cancer. She passed peacefully in her sleep. Her children had been with her. The last important milestone in a woman's life.

The irony of the two events occuring hours apart did not pass over me. It gave me a lot to think about. My young daughter starting her life out with hopefully many wonderful new experiences. My aunt leaving hers with many wonderful adventures behind.

As we go about this weekend, let's remember the reason we have the holiday. Our service men and women. But also that it is an affirmation of life and death and the freedom to pursue it. Always pursue life, don't wait for it.

Coroner vs Medical Examiner

Every county or parrish in every state has either a coroner or a medical examiner (ME). The terms are used interchangeably but the two are different. The word coroner comes from the English office "crowner of the King" or "the keeper of the pleas of the crown".

As early as the 11th century the coroner's duties were many, including determining cause of death. He would also investigate and judge said deaths. Early English settlers, in the 1600's, brought with them the office of the coroner and it's inquisitional way of investigating and judging death to America.

The medical examiner traces its origins to Scotland and France in the 1800's. You must hold at least a MD to hold this office and often the modern ME also has forensic and pathology training.

Since the King had appointed the office of coroner it was ran like a popularity contest and continued that way in the States, leading to elections today. Your coroner may be a sherrif, a mortician or a MD. In 1940, Congress passed a law to make it uniform in all states to have the medical examiner system but some have held out. California for example. Usually when you have a coroner today, he is a medical doctor and he/she hires forensic pathologists to do the actual work.

What system do you have? Did you know there was a difference? Does it surprise you that anyone can be a coroner? Maybe I should run? Hmmmmmmm......

An Excerpt From Still Sucking in San Francisco

We pull up to a beautifully restored Victorian with wildflowers planted in every square inch of the lawn. Humming bird feeders and bird baths are squeezed in. Wrens, bushtits and buzzing iridescent hummingbirds dart through the air, chirp or make use of the stone baths. The whole house pulses with magick but it was blue magick and beautiful. A simple sign hangs near the door that reads ‘Starbird’.

     “Starbird?! The Starbird! You know Starbird?”

     “I’m her Goddess mother,” Helena nonchalantly says. “I was there when she came into the world, glowing of magick even then.”

     “How is that possible?”

     “The gift is very strong in some of us. She was born with it. Her mother was a Wiccan too. She has a lovely soul and has made her life’s work educating others. I'm truly proud of her. But even I need to make an appointment,” Helena says with a bit of irritation. I hid a smile.

Just a little snippet from what I am working on this morning. This is a book about vampires but also has witches and magick resonating through it. A touch of humor and hopefully some twists and turns. Happy reading. ~