Interview: Jessica Day George

Recently Little Willow and I had the chance to chat with Jessica Day George, author of the debut fantasy novel Dragon Slippers (read my review here). You can visit the author online at www.jessicadaygeorge.com or www.dragonslippers.net.

EM: How did the idea for Dragonslippers come about?

It was like being struck by lightning. The first line popped into my head: It was my aunt who decided to give me to the dragon. And then I just knew that this dragon would collect shoes, and another one would have lots of pet dogs, and the story just fell into place after that.

LW: A note at the end of the book thanks your husband for minding your munchkin when the first line of the book popped into your head. How long did it take to write the book? To sell it?

Ooh, this is a terrible question! Dragon Slippers was a magical, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and Shannon Hale told me never to tell this to anyone, because they'll just hate me. But I can't lie! Dragon Slippers took only three months to write, and there was almost no rewriting and very little editing. It was truly inspired and just flowed onto the paper.

A month after I finished it, a friend invited me to a special writer's retreat to meet with an editor from Bloomsbury. She was excited about the book, and offered me a contract about three months later. So it was about seven months from writing the first sentence to selling the book.

Disclaimer: THIS IS A CRAZY THING, AND IF IT DOES NOT HAPPEN TO YOU, YOU MUST NOT FEEL LIKE A FAILURE! Dragon Slippers was the SIXTH novel that I completed, and I had been trying to sell my other books for about ten years.

EM: Which character did you have the most fun writing?

Feniul. It was so much fun to play with this character of a huge, potentionally man-eating dragon, and have him be nervous and twitchy and fussy.

EM: What is your favorite dragon in literature?

It's a tie (I'm very fond of dragons): Morkeleb from Barbara Hambly's Dragonsbane, and Temeraire from Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon.

LW: If you had magic slippers, what would they look like, and what power would they grant you?

I've always wanted a pair of glass slippers, but I'd want them to be magically flexible, for optimum comfort. And they would enable me to fly. I've always
wanted to be able to fly!

LW: Right from the start, the narrative makes it clear that Dragon Slippers is not your typical fairy tale. What, if any, classic fairy tale heroines do you admire?

Too often our fairy tale heroines are the ones lying there waiting to be rescued (Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel) so I've always been a fan of the woodcutter's daughter in East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon. First she agrees to live with a polar bear in order to bring her family wealth, then when she screws up and loses the bear, she sets off on her own to make things right. She's got guts, that one! (My second book is a retelling of this story, I love it that much!)

EM: Which fantasy author has given you the most inspiration?

Again, I can't pick just one! I'll go with Robin McKinley, my first fantasy love, and Guy Gavriel Kay for sheer gorgeousness of prose.

LW: I loved the additional notes you shared with readers at the close of the book. One reveals your lifelong adoration for the works of Robin McKinley. Have you contacted her regarding your book?

I haven't. I'm hoping to meet her one day and say, you influenced me and here's the book I wrote because of it, but right now I'm still too shy. In a few weeks I'll be speaking at a conference with Jane Yolen and Charle de Lint, two other heroes of mine, and that's enough trauma for right now. Although I am about to send a copy of the book to my favorite high school teacher. She was my German teacher, but she used to loan me books (in English) all the time, and really encouraged me to read and write. I'm sending her a book and a letter to thank her for her inspiration. Love your teachers!

LW: Would you write a sequel to Dragon Slippers?

Done and done. I'm about to send it to my editor. As of right now, the title of the Dragon Slippers sequel is Dragon Helm, and it will probably be released in 2009.

Probably.

EM: What can readers expect next?

A retelling of my favorite fairy tale, East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon. I speak Norwegian, and I tried to give this book (tentatively titled "Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow") a real sense of the Scandinavian storytelling tradition. I've used a lot of Norwegian and Old Norse words to preserve the flow of the story, and provided a glossary at the back.

EM: What's your favorite thing about being a writer?

Getting to tell my stories, the way I want. I love to read, but sometimes I think, No! The dragons should be this way, not that way! What if the princess did all this herself? What if, what if? My books are my chance to answer that 'what if', my own way.

LW: What are your ten favorite books of all time?

Just ten? Ten?! Okay, I'll try to just list ten, in no particular order.

Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones
Beauty by Robin McKinley
The Sarantine Mosaic (one long book in two parts
called Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors) by
Guy Gavriel Kay
Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Possession: A Romance by A.S. Byatt
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
War of the Flower by Tad Williams
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

(And let me just add a little coda to that: Diana Wynne Jones has been writing some of the finest fantasy for young people for about thirty years now. If you love Harry Potter, which I do, you'll love Diana's books. Everything Connie Willis writes is amazing, AMAZING, and ditto Tad Williams. If you don't mind books that are literally a THOUSAND pages long, try his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. They're gorgeous.)

Thank you so much for your time and answers, Jessica!

King Lear

My awe for Shakespeare knows no bounds. King Lear is one of the most brilliant pieces of literature I have ever read - I cannot praise it highly enough! Just - read it. I read a prose/story version of this play several years ago and found it incredibly depressing. But in its true form it's hauntingly and beautifully tragic. If I were a man, my greatest ambition as an actor would be to play King Lear.

Some favorite quotes from the play:

EDGAR
And worse I may be yet: the worst is not
So long as we can say 'This is the worst.'

This one, because it embodies the tragedy that is King Lear:

LEAR
O reason not the need! Our basest beggars
Are in the poorest thing superfluous.
Allow not nature more than nature needs,
Man's life is as cheap as beast's. Thou art a lady:
If only to go warm were gorgeous,
Why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st,
Which scarcely keeps thee warm. But, for true need--
You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need.
You see me here, you gods, a poor old man,
As full of grief as age, wretched in both.
If it be you that stirs these daughters' hearts
Against their father, fool me not so much
To bear it tamely; touch me with noble anger,
And let not women's weapons, water drops,
Stain my man's cheeks. No, you unnatural hags!
I will have such revenges on you both
That all the world shall--I will do such things--
What they are, yet I know not; but they shall be
The terrors of the earth. You think I'll weep.
No, I'll not weep.
I have full cause of weeping, but this heart
Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws,
Or ere I'll weep. O Fool, I shall go mad!

This one is probably one of my favorite lines in all of Shakespeare. It's a beautiful, heart-breaking picture of Lear's bravery:

LEAR
No, no, no, no! Come, let's away to prison.
We two alone will sing like birds i' th' cage.
When thou dost ask me blessing, I'll kneel down
And ask of thee forgiveness. So we'll live,
And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh
At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues
Talk of court news, and we'll talk with them too—
Who loses and who wins, who's in, who's out—
And take upon 's the mystery of things
As if we were God's spies. And we'll wear out
In a walled prison packs and sects of great ones
That ebb and flow by the moon.

The Mother-Daughter Book Club

by Heather Vogel Frederick

The Mother-Daughter Book Club is comprised of four girls; Emma, Megan, Jess and Cassie; and their mothers. Well, all except for Jess's mother, who's off in NY acting on a soap opera. The club was started by the mothers, and the girls aren't particularly happy with having to hang out with each other. Megan would rather be spending time with her popular friends; Cassie would rather be playing hockey; Jess would rather be with her mom; and Emma would like to be writing or reading quietly. But who knows - maybe a whole year of reading and discussing Little Women together will bring the unlikely quartet into a fresh outlook of each other.

The chapters in the book rotate between each of the girls' viewpoints. Their voices weren't particularly distinct, and I found it difficult to keep track of all the names. The writing wasn't outstanding, but it certainly was a cute little book. A fun, fluffy story that's perfect for a rainy day You'll especially like it if you're familiar with Little Women.

Shakespeare participants

1. My post
2. Stacy Whitman
3. Rosemary Clement-Moore
4. Little Willow
5. Anidori-Isilee
6. A Chair, A Fireplace & a Tea Cozy
7. Becky's Book Reviews
8. Life Long Reader
9. Acting Gal
10. Lady Strathconn
    

I know a couple of you have yet to add your posts - when you have them ready, just leave me the link and I'll add your name.

Shakespeare Challenge!

I decided to set a personal Shakespeare goal for myself, but then thought, why not challenge everyone else to create a goal, too? And what better day to begin but Shakespeare's birthday?!

Your goal can be to read all of the Comedies. Or maybe it will be to read three plays before the end of the year. Or maybe it will just be to read one specific play. It's your decsision!

My goal is to read all of the plays. Not by the end of this year - I don't have a specific time-line set, other than I know I want to read each one. Here's the master list, and I'll cross out each play as I read it. In bold are the plays I have either been in or seen a film/live production of.
(EDIT: As the participants post recaps or reviews of the plays they read, I'll link to they're posts in the paranthises next to each play.)

COMEDIES

All's Well That Ends Well
As You Like It
Comedy of Errors
Love's Labour's Lost
Measure for Measure
Merchant of Venice
Merry Wives of Windsor
Midsummer Night's Dream (Lifelongreader)
Much Ado about Nothing (Becky)
Taming of the Shrew
Tempest
Twelfth Night
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Winter's Tale

HISTORIES

Cymbeline
Henry IV, Part I
Henry IV, Part II
Henry V
Henry VI, Part I
Henry VI, Part II
Henry VI, Part III
Henry VIII
King John
Pericles
Richard II
Richard III (Becky)

TRAGEDIES

Antony and Cleopatra
Coriolanus
Hamlet
Julius Caesar
King Lear (Erin)
Macbeth
Othello (Becky)
Romeo and Juliet (Erin)
Timon of Athens
Titus Andronicus
Troilus and Cressida (Becky)

Currently reading: Romeo and Juliet

If you want to join in my challenge, leave a comment with a specific link to your post about it, and I'll make a list of all participants.

I've had a poem dedicated to me! Elaine Magliaro of Wild Rose Reader is posting an original poem a day in honor of April being National Poetry Month. Today's poem is for me! And it's so beautiful that I must share it with you here:

SPRING RAIN
by Elaine Magliaro

In March
a warm spring wind
blew by
coaxing showers
from the sky.
Silver raindrops
hurried down
tempting green up
from the brown.
They woke the sleeping
buds on trees
and tapped on hives
of honeybees.
They washed away
the winter snow
so all the waiting earth
could grow.

Thank you so much, Elaine!

Books to the Ceiling

by Arnold Lobel

Books to the ceiling

Books to the sky

My piles of books are a mile high

How I love them

How I need them

I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.

Round-up at Big A little a

Beauty Shop for Rent

. . . fully equipped, inquire within
by Laura Bowers

Beauty Shop for Rent is quite the debut. It wasn't anything like I expected; it surprised me in a good way. I tried writing a summary for it but couldn't for some reason. So here is a blurb from the publisher's site: "Abbey Garner has a plan: to earn a million dollars by the time she's thirty-five. Financial independence will allow her to break the cycle of unhappiness endured by the women in her family. Determined to fulfill her dream, Abbey works at Granny Po's struggling beauty shop, where the feisty Gray Widows go to primp, polish, perm . . . and, of course, gossip. There, among the hair dryers and perm rods--and with the help of a new friend--Abbey finds the courage to open her heart and take risks required for her to live life to its fullest."

Abbey is one of the best, most sympathetic main characters I've connected with in a long time. I can't remember the last time I read a book in which I was so sad to leave the characters behind. I really want to be able to recommend this book . . . but, I can't. The Widows had really foul mouths for sixty-some-year-old ladies! The swearing and (albeit mild) innuendo bothered me enough to the point of almost setting the book down. Some of it seemed characteristic of Granny Po and Co., but I do think it got to be a bit much. At times this book was heart-wrenching, joyful, charming, and cute. It really was an almost-fabulous book. Just not one I would feel comfortable reading over again.

Halfway done....

....re-reading the Harry Potter books. I'm sure most of you remember this, but I thought I'd make a quick note of it:

(Dumbledore is speaking)
"Pettigrew owes his life to you. You have sent Voldemort a deputy who is in your deb. . . . When one wizard saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them." .... "This is magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me . . . the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life."
~Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

Millicent Min, Girl Genius

by Lisa Yee

I know, I know, I've committed a crime here. I judged a book by its cover. I've known about this book for a couple of years, but the cover kind of turned me off. Not that I have anything against cute little girls or volleyball! (Well....that last one might not be true...) I just thought that I could tell from the cover that it was "not my type of book". I'm happy to say I was mistaken. After reading the author's blog for a while and hearing from many bloggers that her books were just as funny as her posts, I finally decided to pick it up.

Millicent Min is 11 years old, and she's just finishing up 11th grade. She begs her parents to allow her to take one college class over the summer. They agree, and everything is going fine and dandy until 1) her mom signs her up for volleyball. With sports you need more than smarts to be at the top. And 2) she is forced into tutoring her unintelligent nemesis, Stanford.
But her summer just might start shaping up when she meets a new girl, someone her age - who doesn't know Millicent is a genius. Could this girl turn out to be Mil's very first friend? (Unless of course you count her grandmother....)

Funny, smart, and completely engaging, Millicent Min, Girl Genius is an intriguing coming-of-age story with a unique idea. It's a refreshing, quick read that leaves you wanting more. Author Lisa Yee has a boatload of talent. I can't wait to check out the two companion novels to this book, Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time and So Totally Emily Ebers.

Here's a quote to wet your appetite:

I like to reread books after letting a significant amount of time pass. You can't imagine what went through my mind when I first read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood when I was six. I couldn't sleep for weeks. When I read it again last year, I couldn't sleep for days. I take that as a sign that I've matured.

Adding another....

Last week I did a "Most Wanted Books of 2007" post. Well . . . I forgot one! (I'm sure I forgot more than one, but this is one that jumped out at me.) So I thought I'd mention it.

The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M. M. Blume
In an interview I did with the author last year, she described it: "[it] features a wonderfully absurd drama taking place in a tiny Midwestern farm town in the 1950s. It was based on my mother's delicious childhood." The publisher adds that it's a "poignant and laugh-out-loud funny story of one girl's attempt to pursue the American dream in small town America.

Sounds like a romp!

Mist

by Henry David Thoreau

Low-anchored cloud,
Newfoundland air,
Fountain head and source of rivers,
Dew-cloth, dream drapery,
And napkin spread by fays;
Drifting meadow of the air,
Where bloom the dasied banks and violets,
And in whose fenny labyrinth
The bittern booms and heron wades;
Spirit of the lake and seas and rivers,
Bear only purfumes and the scent
Of healing herbs to just men's fields!

Poetry Friday round-up at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy

Interview: Dia Calhoun: PART TWO

View Part One here.

All of the characters in Avielle of Rhia felt incredibly real. Were any of them based on real people?

Oh! Thank you so much. I worked very hard on those characters! I love Master Steorra, the absent-minded astronomer who has to make his living doing astrological readings. And Tinty, the teenager with her wayward magic. I made them all up out of my own imagination. All of the characters are eccentric; I think this is what makes them so colorful and vivid. I had a lot of fun creating them and grew to love every one of them.

What were some of your favorite books as a teenager?

I loved A Wrinkle in Time, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, National Velvet, The Black Stallion, Ballet Shoes and The Hundred Dresses. I was a complete bookworm, one of those flashlight-under-the-covers’ bookworms. I spent a lot of time riding the bus around Seattle to school, ballet lessons, and piano lessons, and I read the entire time.

What are you working on writing next?

I’m writing a fantasy novel written in first person in four different voices—two girls and two boys. It is about faith, music, madness, and magic. It’s my first book with a strong romantic element, and I’m having a lot of fun with it. I’ve had to do a lot of research—also fun.

My next book coming out in October 2007 is something new for me. It’s a short Christmas fable for all ages titled The Return of Light: A Christmas Tale. The Christmas Deer chooses Treewing, a young Christmas Tree, for a special destiny. With the help of a boy named Luke, a special baseball, and a group of homeless people, Treewing brings the Return of Light to those who need it most.

What’s your favorite thing about being a writer?
I would have to say the sudden flashes of inspiration that burst forth from my subconscious. The “ah-ha!” moments. The moments of wonder. I absolutely love those. They send a chill and shiver up my spine. A huge grin spreads across my face. I work and work and work and suddenly an image or an idea comes that makes perfect sense, that propels the story forward, that ties everything together. But these “ah-ha!” moments only come if I’m diligently working every day, feeding my unconscious. It always amazes me how much work the subconscious mind does for you if you only let it.

Thank you so much, Miss Erin!

Thank YOU, Dia!

Interview: Dia Calhoun: PART ONE

I had the chance recently to interview Dia Calhoun, author of the brilliant story Avielle of Rhia and other YA fantasy novels. (I just finished reading another of her books, Phoenix Dance, a retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses tale.) Dia is also one of the four divas who brought readergirlz into being. Visit her online at www.diacalhoun.com and her MySpace. I hope you enjoy the interview!

Please describe your writing process for Avielle of Rhia, from idea to final draft.

After 9/11, I had a great personal and artistic crisis. I kept imagining all kinds of terrible ways the terrorists might strike next. I had to drive across a big bridge and I use to think, “Hurry, get across before the terrorists blow it up!” I had lots of irrational thoughts like that. I was working on another book in the Firegold series, and I just quit writing. It didn’t seem important anymore. Finally one day, I was huddled under the covers reading a fairy tale about a magic carpet, and I thought, I wish I had a magic cloak I could wrap around myself to keep myself safe. Well, I flung back the covers, marched to the computer, and said to myself: I am a writer. I have to write about this fear and terror I am feeling. It’s the only way through this dark tunnel. So I began writing a story about a common girl who dreamed of weaving a magic cloak to keep herself safe after a terrorist attack on her kingdom. That was the genesis for Avielle of Rhia, originally titled, The Magic Cloak.

The first draft I wrote was too close to the real events of 9/11. I had twin towers blown up. I had people flying the flags of Rhia to show their support for their besieged kingdom. It took two years, and for another part of the story to arrive on wings, before the book finally came into its own. First, I realized that Avielle should be a princess because she needed to be concerned for the safety of the entire kingdom in the face of terrorism, not just her own safety. Then the birds, the image that tied the whole book together, came. I don’t know where they came from; they were a gift from the blue. Avielle’s Dredonian great-great grandmother Dolvoka uttered a curse that killed all the birds in Rhia and kept the kingdom bereft of them for a hundred years. All kinds of ideas flowed from that, but mainly that the people linked Avielle with Dolvoka’s evil. Thus, Avielle was ostracized. I think the birds are really a symbol of Avielle’s spiritual awakening.

I’m not certain at what point I realized I was writing about love. Avielle has to learn how to love others—that is what she learns from all the colorful characters on Postern Street. I realized, though, that it was not enough for Avielle to love individuals. To save all of her people, claim her queenship, and her fullest magical power, Avielle had to make the leap to loving all her people. I realized about three-quarters of the way through that the book is about how Avielle’s heart opens. At the end, she has overcome the great trauma of losing her entire family to terrorism, and her fear of being killed by the terrorists—the Black Cloaks. She has one shining magnificent moment when she no longer wishes for revenge upon them, but wishes instead for their hearts to be opened. My hope is that when people read the book they will have such a moment. With that conclusion, I had come full circle in the writing of the book, overcoming my own deep terror and anger about 9/11.

What do you have in common with Princess Avielle?
I would say I share her great sense of fear over terrorism. And I share her discovery that love is the answer to that fear. Another thing we have in common is that we are both artists. Avielle is a weaver, though, of course, she has a magical gift. I wish magic helped me write my books!

The book is dedicated to: “Living under the shadow of terrorism calls for a special kind of courage, a courage that does not come easily for some. This book is for them.” Did you know you wanted that to be the theme of the book from the very start, or did that element find its way in later?

I knew from the beginning I wanted to write about how you find your courage after living through a horrendous catastrophic event like a terrorist attack. After 9/11 many people made eloquent speeches exhorting us all to be courageous. We were all told, as I have come to think of it now, to go marching bravely on. To go on with our lives in order to show the terrorists that they had not won.

However, as one speech followed another, as the days passed, and as the terrible tape of the towers’ fall played over and over again, I felt hollow—as I wrote above. What, I thought, if you can’t go marching bravely on? What if you do feel despair? I felt awful having these feelings because they seemed so unpatriotic. Un-American. I was letting the terrorists win.

I kept waiting to hear some one talk about these feelings I was having. Surely, there had to be others out there like me who could not go marching bravely on. Oh, there were occasional news-reports by psychologists about people being depressed by the events of nine-eleven, but there were no great speeches, there was no hero for the frightened and the despairing. Who spoke for me?

Being an artist and a writer, I turned to my writing to make sense of what was happening to me, as I described above. And I made Avielle the hero for the frightened and the despairing, for those to whom courage did not come easily. I wanted to write about someone truly traumatized, someone for whom the journey back would not be easy, but filled with doubts, fears, and regressions. One of the reasons I wrote the book is that I needed someone to speak for me, to speak for my experience of 9/11 and terrorism. I had to create Avielle to do it.

Check back tomorrow, when I'll post Part Two!

The word "Easter" comes from an ancient pagan goddess worshipped by Anglo Saxons named Eostre. According to legend, Eostre once saved a bird whose wings had frozen during the winter by turning it into a rabbit. Because the rabbit had once been a bird, it could still lay eggs, and that rabbit became our Easter Bunny. Eggs were a symbol of fertility in part because they used to be so scarce during the winter. There are records of people giving each other decorated eggs at Easter as far back as the 11th century.
~from The Writer's Almanac

The Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff

by Jason Lethcoe

Ever since his parents died in a tragic accident, poor Ben has been stuck at Pinch's Home for Wayward Boys, scrubbing pots and eating mush and other normal orphanage-type stuff. He even forgot his birthday, until a kind friend brings him a cake. When he sneaks a slice to eat, he stares thoughtfully at the candle a moment. Finally he closes his eyes, blows, and makes a wish. Little does he know that his wish could change the whole world.

This was a fun, cute book that I zipped right through. The characters were disappointingly flat, but the plot was inventive and the story over-all engaging. A light read that young children who enjoy "wishes-go-wrong" stories are sure to enjoy.

**Review also posted on Flamingnet.com**

Evening Star

by Edgar Allan Poe

'Twas noontide of summer,
And mid-time of night;
And stars, in their orbits,
Shone pale, thro' the light
Of the brighter, cold moon,
'Mid planets her slaves,
Herself in the Heavens,
Her beam on the waves.
I gazed awhile
On her cold smile;
Too cold- too cold for me-
There pass'd, as a shroud,
A fleecy cloud,
And I turned away to thee,
Proud Evening Star,
In thy glory afar,
And dearer thy beam shall be;
For joy to my heart
Is the proud part
Thou bearest in Heaven at night,
And more I admire
Thy distant fire,
Than that colder, lowly light.

Booth's Daughter

by Raymond Wemmlinger

Edwina Booth has just reached her 18th birthday and is beginning to experience the benefits of adulthood. For one, her father, the famous American Shakespearian actor Edwin Booth, is finally allowing her to see him in his title role in King Lear. For another, she's being invited to all sorts of social outings and parties for young people. The advantage of the latter is obvious - in Edwina's practical mind, she already has plans to find a husband (an artist, preferably) who she can marry and support. In fact, it seems her entire life is planned out precisely the way she wants it. But meanwhile her stepmother's illness worsens, her father has to keep up with his life as an actor, and there's always The Subject that threatens to interfere with the lives of the Booth family. You see, Edwina is the niece of John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated President Lincoln.

From a performer's point of view, I rather enjoyed reading a non-performer's view of an actor (Edwina's father) and his struggles and triumphs. The book itself is one that you have to be in just the right mood for, otherwise I suppose it might drag a bit. Edwina's voice seemed just a little flat. Yet I was quite drawn into Booth's Daughter; it was a refreshing and interesting historical tale of one girl's struggles into womanhood. A relaxing read to curl up with.

**Review also posted on Flamingnet.com**

Most Wanted Books of 2007

Yesterday Becky posted her most wanted books of 2007, and her post looked so purty and it was such a fun idea that I just had to copy it. I meandered over to my Amazon wishlist and started saving pictures of the covers of books I really want that come out this year. Well...pretty soon I had about 20 books, and I still wasn't finished. So this list of mine just gives you a little teaser of the yummy treats I'm looking forward to. Becky's list includes many that are on mine, so visit her post to see a few more of my must-reads.

Austenland by Shannon Hale. Shannon is one of my favorite authors, the inspiration she has offered me in my writing has been invaluable. Austenland will be quite different from her YA fantasies, but I'm sure it'll be great, because she's such a talented writer. :)

The cover isn't released yet, but I am doubly looking forward to her new YA, Book of a Thousand Days, coming in the fall.

Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor. I've had this on my list since reading Fuse #8's review of it, but my excitement level shot up a lot further when I realized that the aforementioned Shannon Hale had blurbed it!

Beauty Shop for Rent by Laura Bowers. I'm not really sure why I'm looking forward to this one so much, unless it's because the author sounds a lot like my mom (in a good way, of course) and I'm curious to see what kind of YA novel my mom would write if she ever decided to. Plus, the cover and title grab me.


Leepike Ridge by N. D. Wilson. The author lives in my town, so I'm eager to read his first children's novel!


Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm. Um . . . it's Jenni Holm, people. How could I not be looking forward to it?!





I love love love love love love love love love love love love love Babymouse!!! *fangirl squeal*


Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid by Lemony Snicket. Described on Amazon as: "This book of wit and wisdom offers a selection of alarming but inescapable truths from the work of Lemony Snicket, along with selections from his unpublished papers and remarks he has made at dinner parties and anarchist riots."

I'm including this one because I wanted to post the cover again. I like the way it looks....*drools*

And it's the one I'm looking forward to above all others.

The Princess and the Pea

by Lauren Child

I usually don't review picture books (unless I'm visiting my young cousins), but I had such fun with The Princess and the Pea that I had to share. The story is the usual one told in a fresh and lyrical manner. The pictures are definitely the highlight of the book. Each one is a photograph of the characters cut from paper and fabric and then posed inside a real doll house room with real furniture and accessories. Ever since I received my first doll house at age four, I've loved miniatures, so poring over these pictures was a treat. I can't wait to read this book to my 5-year-old cousin, Tori, when she comes to visit this summer!

postergirlz for readergirlz

From the latest readergirlz newsletter:

The readergirlz divas couldn't be happier to announce the formation of postergirlz for readergirlz, an advisory council which will generously lend their YA lit expertise to guide our book choices. This amazing group is made up of some of the biggest names in YA lit blogging as well as avid teen girl readers:

* Little Willow, readergirlz webdiva and bookseller who writes the famous Bildungsroman blog

* Jen, the multi-talented, left-and-right brained powerhouse behind Jen's Book Page

* Jackie, the epitome of an enthusiastic and knowledgeable librarian who writes InteractiveReader

* Miss Erin, the youngest Cybils' judge and author of her much-read and much-respected blog

* Alexia, an avid teen reader, Little Willow protégée (which makes her instantly cool in our book) and brand-new blogger

I am very excited and honored to be a part of this group! Jen was one of the very first kid-lit bloggers I "discovered"; Little Willow has become somewhat of a cyber-space twin; Jackie lives a couple of hours from where I do so I look forward to getting to know her; and I'm always excited to meet new bloggers, so greetings to Alexia!

Not sure what readergirlz is all about? Check out their website and MySpace.