BEA 2013 Schedule

BEA is this month, and I couldn't be more excited. I've never been to BEA or NYC before, so there will be a lot of firsts. The first time meeting my editors and writing friends in real life. My first macaroon. And my first signing.

On Friday from 3:30-4:30 PM, I'll be signing Reclaimed posters at the Spencer Hill booth (#2567), and I may have an ARC to give away. (Which means in a couple of weeks I will be able to hold Reclaimed in my hands!)

I need a moment.


Whew. Okay. Here's the full Spencer Hill schedule. If you're going to be at BEA, swing by the booth on Friday, snag a Reclaimed poster, and maybe, just maybe, be one of the first to get an ARC. If you can pry the precious from my fingers.

Write What You Love

We’ve all heard the saying “you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” And we all know it to be true. But sometimes, as writers, it seems we try.

We want people to love our stories – of course we do. So maybe we add this element because it will grab this type of reader. And then maybe we tone this down because there are some readers who don’t like that. And an editor might call that into question later on, so better take that out now.

I’m not talking about revising – I’m talking about writing a story in order to please others. I hate to break it to you, but it won’t matter what you do. If you have done your job well, there will be some who love your story and others who don’t. That’s art.

Sometimes there will be an element in your story that some readers don’t like. It won’t matter if your plot is meticulously constructed, your world real and believable, and your language beautiful enough to make Shakespeare weep. Some readers won’t like it because of that one thing. Don’t write to those readers.

Sometimes there will be something about your story that calls to certain readers. Maybe it’s a relatable character, maybe it’s a swoon-worthy romance. And it won’t matter if your plot has a few holes and your writing needs polishing – those readers are too mesmerized by the other to care. Don’t write to those readers either.

You have to write a story you care about. You have to write the one you have to tell, not the one you think will be popular. You are the one who will spend the most time with this book. You will draft it, revise it, revise it, send it to CPs, revise it, and then, once you have an agent and/or editor, revise, edit, copy edit, copy edit – you get my point. You better love this book. And once it’s on shelves, and readers have decided whether or not they love it too, they will move on. Maybe it will always be one of their favorites. Maybe they will re-read it again years later. Hopefully they will recommend it. But no matter what, they will find other books to love or hate, and your name will still be on this one.

Reclaimed was a story that I had to write. At first I told myself it would be too hard. There are three distinct points-of-view, and I told myself I wasn’t talented enough yet to pull that off. But I had to try anyway. This book is about the complexity of relationships. It’s less a love triangle and more about three people who come together as their lives are unraveling. They each need something different from their relationship, and they are all connected to each other in different ways. It’s the story I had to write, because I care about the characters and they wouldn’t let me walk away without telling their story.

That’s the story you need to be telling. We can’t write stories that please everyone. But I can write a story I love in the hopes that others will love it too. And you can write a story that you love in the hopes that others will love it too. And if we all write with passion, then between us, there will be stories that resonate with everyone, that give each varied, wonderful person a literary world where they feel safe, or challenged, or happy, or alive.

Write what you love, and don’t ever apologize for it.

To Wait and Wait Some More

Writers sort of live in perpetual Groundhog’s Day. We wake up, we wait, we go to sleep, and then it starts all over again.

If you want to be published, then you’d better get used to waiting. If you can’t make peace with the waiting, it may very well drive you insane. Well, more than you already are. And if you’re a writer, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

We wait to hear back from CPs. To hear back from agents. We wait while on submission. Once the manuscript sells, we wait months to finally be able to tell the world that all our dreams have come true. That’s a tough one, not renting out a billboard and announcing it to the world. But we have to wait.

Then we wait for edits. We wait to see if our editor likes our edits. We wait for more edits, and copy edits, and blurbs.

We wait for arcs and reviews. (But we definitely don’t read them.)

We wait for release day, and reader feedback, and accolades and contentment and peace. Sometimes we wait a long time.

 

 

So if you are in the perpetual cycle of wait, what do you do in the meantime? You write something new, take a walk, enjoy someone else’s words for a while.

You don’t refresh your email fifteen times in an hour. (I have never, ever done that.)

You don’t let the waiting take over your life.

You can’t be afraid to move forward. It’s what you have to do.

So give yourself a break – you deserve it. Then write another book. And then the waiting begins all over again.

Letting Go

Reclaimed will be out in the world in six months, and while I am filled with excitement, there is also an overwhelming fear because I will no longer have control over it. I wonder if this is the same fear that many parents feel as they push their little ones out of the house and onto the school bus that first day of kindergarten.  As they carry yet another box into their child’s dorm room.  I have nurtured this book and now it will soon be out of my hands and to me, that is so totally exhilarating and at the same time so totally terrifying that I find myself wanting to jump up and down in joy while screaming in sheer terror.

Ahem. 

I am someone who fears.  As a child, I feared failure enough that I didn’t always do things that I thought would be interesting solely because there was no guarantee I would be any good at them.  I missed out on a lot of fun and adventure because I chose to only do those things which I knew I could. 

At a very young age I was afraid of writing.  Or rather, I was afraid of others reading my writing.  I was afraid they would think it was horrible. That I was. I was afraid they would think I actually thought I was good when it was so obvious I wasn’t.  I was afraid of their rejection or their pity.  I was stupid.

Conquering those things we once thought impossible makes us better. It teaches us humility and shows us how exhilarating, how spectacular, how truly terrifying life can be.

Maybe I am the only one who feels this way.  I doubt it.  I am sure that even those calm, collected authors have a tiny moment of panic when they realize they can’t revise that scene anymore, tweak that sentence.  When they realize that their flaws as a writer will be on display for everyone to see, that their baby, a printed, black and white piece of their soul, will be examined and picked over. Except that is exactly what I want – for someone else to know and love my characters, for someone else to get chills during that scene or laugh out loud just like I did when writing it.  Writers want their books to do for their readers what countless other books have done for them – transport them, entertain them, show truth in fiction.

Because that’s why I write.  I write because I love books.  So for all of you writers out there who have gotten past that fear and shared your books with the world – thanks.  I am who I am because of countless authors who were brave enough to create art and then let it out into the world.

An Interview with Author Leigh Ann Kopans

Today I have an interview with the lovely Leigh Ann Kopans. Leigh Ann is a prolific writer who manages to not only write good books, but also raise four kids and support other writers in the writing community. Her debut novel, One, releases June 11. Emily, a student of mine, reviewed it, then interviewed Leigh Ann.

 

 

Hi Emily! Thanks so much for taking the time to read One and interview me! It makes me so happy when teens read my books. <3

1. Where did the inspiration for One come from – a love of superheroes, genetics, both?

Pretty much just the first one. ;) I grew up watching X-men on Saturday mornings, and obsessed over the intricacies of each superpower. I remember thinking that it was so awesome that Wolverine had metal-plated bones, but his *real* superpower was that he healed quickly. It got me thinking about the different components that would make up different abilities, and that was an idea that stuck with me for years and years.

THEN I found out that there was this emerging scientific field called epigenetics – Google it  - that basically mean that people’s genes can evolve within generations. So those two ideas combined made up the basis for ONE’s plot.

2.  While you were writing Merrin’s character, did you see any aspects of yourself?

Oh, for sure. I like to think that her reluctance to be satisfied with what everyone else told her she had to accept came from my personality.

 

3.  Which character did you relate to the most?

That’s actually a really tough question! I think I relate a little bit to each of them, but probably most of all Merrin. She cares deeply about stuff but doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve.

4.  If you were a Super, what powers would you want to have?

My first thought is mind-reading but I can’t stand it when I know people are upset with me or thinking bad things about me. And since I’m an author AND a campus professional AND a mom of four, I think the best super power for me to have would be either super speed (so I could write faster) or the ability to never, ever have to sleep. Which would also have to come with infinite energy.

 

5.  Do you have any other book ideas for after Two is published?

Yes! I have a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park about mathletes called SOLVING FOR EX ready to be published, and I’ll probably release a companion to that called FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS,  about a girl whose dad addresses her penchant for running up his credit card by sending her on a year-long service trip.

I also have a sci-fi retelling of the Exodus coming up called CHROME, and a time travel romance called THE TRAVELERS.

And, of course, if ONE and TWO do well, I can write lots more stories about the characters

I’m so excited about all of them!

6.  Have you always wanted to be a writer?

No, actually! I only started writing a few years ago when I was out of work for a year and CRAZY bored at home with my kids. So I think it shows that you can start any time, and really learn, if you put your mind to it.

 

7.  Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?

I think the big thing is just to sit down and do it. Your first draft is allowed to suck, in a technical sense, so focus on doing what only you can do – pour your story onto paper.  Your love and enthusiasm will shine through on the page.

When you’re ready to share your work, find critique partners who will be honest and supportive at the same time. Learn together about the technicalities of writing – finding your voice, cutting adverbs, writing believable dialogue, pinpointing the perfect pacing, and showing, not telling. Get involved in the writing community online, because it’s amazing. And it’s all uphill from there!

I would like to thank Leigh Ann for stopping by. Y'all, I was lucky enough to get to read One early, and believe me, you'll want to check it out.

 

Add One to Goodreads.

You can find Leigh Ann at www.leighannkopans.com or on Twitter @LeighAnnKopans.

Teen Perspective: A Review of ONE by Leigh Ann Kopans

Leigh Ann Kopans provided me with a couple of ARCS of her upcoming novel One so that I could put them in the high school library where I teach. (Also, isn't that the most gorgeous cover you've ever seen?) Yesterday one of the boys in my class borrowed my copy, and today I had to fuss at him for reading it instead of listening to my lesson. Seeing my students unable to put down a book makes me supremely happy. 

Emily is also one of my students, an avid reader and one of my favorite people to sit around and discuss books with. Read her review and you'll know why.

 

 

 

 

Okay, this is my first time writing a review of this scale, for a book that hasn’t been released yet and all that jazz, and I have to admit, it was pretty freakin’ awesome.  One by Leigh Ann Kopans was gifted to me, and I devoured it in two days. The story opens with Merrin Grey preparing to switch from her former high school Superior High, alma mater of Supers (those with a genetic code that gives them Super gifts like flying, teleportation, and combustibility) to the much more normal Nelson High. Her problem, you see, is that she’s a One, only having half of the two gifts she needs to have a complete Super. In her case, she has the ability to float, missing another One that would allow her to fly. This inability leaves her outcast and bitter, the actual epitome of teen angst (which I shouldn’t have identified with as much as I did).

Almost immediately upon entering Nelson High, Merrin finds herself in the presence of the perfect and wonderful Elias VanDyne, another One like herself. Even though I normally detest insta-love, Elias was pretty fantastic, so I could let it slide just this once, especially since there was a far greater reason for their attraction than the fact that they both thought the other was the modern-day Adonis and Aphrodite.

Even though there were times when I actually wanted to reach into the pages and strangle Merrin, I could understand why she was scared and angry at points. Seriously, the girl had a ton going on, besides the fact that she was a sixteen-year-old outcast discovering the delicate beginnings of young love or whatever happens when you want to kiss a really hot guy who sort of completes you.

The conflict, although introduced a little bit too late, was really interesting to me, in which science exploration and the thirst for knowledge played the part of the antagonist. The last 25% of the book was impossible to stop reading, especially as Merrin risks so much to save those she loves.

So, yes I would recommend this book, especially to fans of superheroes who don’t get nauseous whenever happy love emotions are mentioned and know what it’s like to wish to fly.  

 

 

Check back later for an interview Emily did with the amazing Leigh Ann Kopans.

Add ONE to your Goodreads!

Read This Book!

I’m an advocate for books. It’s what I do. It’s what I’m known for. I became a teacher because I wanted to share my passion for books with others, hoping they would fall in love with reading too. I am so enthusiastic about books I love that I do little happy dances and tell people if they don’t read that book right now they are missing out on life and happiness.

When friends or family want a good book, they ask me. I’ve never left a doctor’s office without recommending at least two books to pretty much every single person I talk to. I read while waiting in the doctor’s office, which means the nurse always wants to talk to me about books. If it is a doctor I visit often, they start asking for recommendations the moment they see me. Once the doctor comes in, we usually spend more time talking books than about what I’ve come into the office for. And I love every single minute of it.

When I talk books, I talk about the ones I love. The ones that kept me up at night, that were the reason my husband had to dig out his oldest pair of jeans because nothing else was clean, the reason I considered playing hooky from work just to stay home and read all day. I talk about the ones that made me cry. Made me laugh. Made me read them several times.

Because this is what we do when we love books. We want others to love them too. I don’t recommend books I don’t like, the ones I can’t finish, the ones I toss aside in disgust. Yes, I’ve read plenty like that. But no one wants to hear about those. They want to hear about the ones I loved so that maybe they will fall in love too.

So that is why I only review books I like, and that is why if you check out my Goodreads, you’ll only see 4s and 5s. No, not every book I read gets 4s and 5s. Sometimes I’ll go a couple of months without updating because I don’t love the books I’m reading. I decided a while back that I would only talk about those books I would recommend to others. That’s what I do.

I do believe there is a need for critical reviews. I have plenty of opinions about why books didn’t work for me. I discuss those with my book club or friends who have read the same book. I adore critical book discussions, picking apart the character development, voice, plot. But my blog reviews and Goodreads were created to get others to read. I sort of feel like that’s my calling.

So here are a few of the books that I love. And keep checking out my blog or Goodreads if you want to hear about more.

 

A few of my favorites:

IT by Stephen King

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness

REBECCA by Dauphne du Maurier
FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury
THE SWAN THIEVES and THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova
Anything Jane Austen, but particulary PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
THE SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carlos Ruiz Zafron
 

HARRY POTTER by JK Rowling (obviously)

JELLICOE ROAD by Marlina Marchetta
CRACKED UP TO BE by Courtney Summers
SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS  and AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES by John Green
JUST ONE DAY by Gayle Foreman
THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher

(And I’m going to stop there because once I started making this list it started getting out of hand. How do you pick your favorite books?!)

Happy Reading!