What’s Up Wednesday

August 21, 2013August 20, 201350 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.

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First—can you believe Ready. Set. Write! is ending in ONE WEEK?! Not that I’m going to stop goal-setting and writing when summer is all said and done, but still… Our fantastic writing intensive is almost over!

On that note, my fabulous co-hosts and I would like to thank you for participating and celebrate your success by offering critiques. Of course, we don’t presume to be experts, but we do know how helpful it can be to get a fresh perspective on our writing. So… Erin, Jaime, Elodie, Alison, and I are offering feedback on the first ten pages of five Ready. Set. Write! participants’ stories. That’s FIVE critique giveaways! All you have to do is pop in next Wednesday (August 28th) and enter via Rafflecopter. (This giveaway is international and is open only to those who have participated in Ready. Set. Write!)

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And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: For starters, I’m about halfway through a captivating beta read. It’s been awhile since I’ve read any manuscripts but my own, and I’m having a blast spending time with this romantic contemporary YA. I feel so fortunate to be able to read work by such talented writers! On the published book front, I read Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway last week and fell head over heels for Audrey and Victoria and James and all their crazy misadventures. This was a truly funny book with exceptional voice (I’ll talk more about it in tomorrow’s Bookanista post). I also read Rainbow Rowell’s Attachments, an enviably clever and amusing adult novel. I adored Lincoln, and I thought the dynamic between Jennifer and Beth was fantastic. Recommend! Now, I’m reading Morgan Matson’s Second Chance Summer, this month’s YA Book Club selection. It’s lovely so far, though it’s making my heart sad.

What I’m Writing: I have to say, I kind of rocked my WiP this week. My goal was a conservative 3,000 words, though I mentioned I was really hoping for 4K or 5K. I ended up with 6,512 words for the week, which I’m excited about, and I also cleared 50K words. Seeing as how I started Ready. Set. Write! with about 9K words, I’m feeling pretty great about my first draft progress. My goal for this week is to write 3,000 words on my WiP, and to begin working on a light revision of another project, which I hope to complete in the next three weeks.
#GluttonForPunishment

Me and Daisy, my writing buddy.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Oh, you know… melting down about things I can’t control — what I do best. I had a heart-to-heart with my husband the other day and told him all about how I feel like a failure in several aspects of my life, and he (sweetly) told me that there’s something to be said for personal growth. To which I replied, “But I’m growing into a crazy person!”
So, yeah. Living with me can be really fun.

In more cheerful news, on Saturday morning I supervised while my girlie made breakfast. She wanted Blueberry Muffins, so we chose this healthy recipe and they turned out really tasty. I love when blueberry muffins are packed with blueberries, and these definitely were. Yum!

Mostly, I’ve just been spending time with these three, my favorites, and lamenting the end of summer.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Attachments inspired me, and made me think about writing dialogue in a new way — I posted about it on Monday.

Also, I Hate Strong Female Characters, a must-read article from Sophia McDougall, who shares brilliance like this: I want a wealth of complex female protagonists who can be either strong or weak or both or neither, because they are more than strength or weakness. Badass gunslingers and martial artists sure, but also interesting women who are shy and quiet and do, sometimes, put up with others’ shit because in real life there’s often no practical alternative.

And then there’s this fantastic post, In Which I Go Into Cheerleader Mode by Shannon Messenger, which is honest and true and timely, something I totally needed to read this week. It’s almost like Shannon was in my head when she wrote: Like there’s some ticking clock determining how long they’re allowed to be “aspiring” before they must cross over to “published”, and any second someone is going to realize they still don’t have a book deal and show them to the door. If your journey to publication has ever made you feel like a fraud, please drop by Shannon’s blog and read the full post — you’ll feel better!

And finally, I’m finding serious writing inspiration in this quote:

Tell me… What’s up with you today?
{Don’t forget to link your WUW posts to the list on Jaime’s blog this week!}

On Dialogue and Characterization…

August 19, 2013August 19, 201331 Comments

Over the weekend I read a fantastic adult novel by Rainbow Rowell called Attachments. If you’ve read her YA debut Eleanor & Park (and really, if you haven’t, please hurry to your local bookstore and pick it up — it’s amazing), then you’re probably already aware of what an amazing writer Rainbow Rowell is, and you also probably know that she creates lovably flawed characters who engage in awesome, witty, REAL conversations. This, I think, is a gift.

Attachments is a novel with an interesting and unique format. Here’s the Goodreads summary, just so you have an idea of what’s going on…

Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail. But the women still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. Jennifer tells Beth everything she can’t seem to tell her husband about her anxieties over starting a family. And Beth tells Jennifer everything, period. When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he’d be sifting through other people’s inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can’t quite bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can’t help but be entertained -and captivated- by their stories. But by the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late for him to ever introduce himself. What would he say to her? “Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you.” After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it’s time to muster the courage to follow his heart… even if he can’t see exactly where it’s leading him.

One of the things that struck me about Attachments was the bond between Jennifer and Beth. Their relationship unfolds in a series of email conversations (read by Lincoln) and that’s all we get from them. We never see them chatting in a coffee shop, or talking in a nail salon, or gossiping in the break room at the newspaper. Their interactions are all email, and they look something like this:

That is to say, there are no inner monologues, no dialogue tags, no descriptive beats, no awkward pauses or long sighs or knowing chuckles — none of the stuff that clogs up conversations in traditionally-written novels. All we know of Jennifer and Beth are the words they type to one another and yet, we get to know them really well. I was sort of blown away when I realized this.

See, I consider dialogue to be one of my writerly strengths. I think I have an eye (ear?) for flow and organic word choice. I think conversations between my characters read like real conversations between real people, and I think it’s fairly easy to get to know them based on how they talk and interact. That said, I definitely incorporate tags and supportive narrative and the occasional adverb (*gasp*) into dialogue I write. These devices are important and I will always use them, but I wondered what it would be like to write conversations like those of Jennifer and Beth. Words, clean and simple.

As an experiment, I tried it with a scene in my WiP. Words, alternating between two characters. Though it was challenging at first, I did not let myself write he said, or she sighed, or he squeezed her hand. There were no inner monologues. There was no supportive narrative. Just words, back and forth — statement, response, question, response, statement, response, etc.

And you know… It was kind of fun. And quick! The conversation flowed more easily than usual. The characters were clever and their banter felt spontaneous and sincere and natural. I didn’t have to try so hard. Best of all, I could truly see who the characters were in the words they spoke.

Of course, I’m not writing a story about inner-office friendships, and my story doesn’t include email at all, so I did eventually go back and insert the traditional dialogue tags and beats and descriptions, all the nuanced stuff that normally has me biting my nails and running for the jelly beans when I’m trying to draft a conversation. Imagine my surprise when, again, this part of the process came more easily. Since I already had the entire discussion laid out, the pieces that needed to be augmented with additional narrative were clear. All I had to do was tuck those bits in, and I ended up with a pretty engaging conversation.

So… I’m thinking I may have a new method for writing dialogue. Huh.

Tell me… Do you have any tips for drafting dialogue?

What’s Up Wednesday

August 14, 2013August 13, 201346 Comments

{Please make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, other participants can visit your blog and check out what you’ve been up to. In that same spirit, I urge you to visit as many new blogs as you can every Wednesday. The most awesome aspect of What’s Up Wednesday and Ready. Set. Write is that they include a built-in support system. Let’s make sure we’re rooting each other on and offering as much encouragement as we can. Who knows… You might make an awesome new writing buddy, or a find a fantastic beta reader, or hook up with an amazing critique partner!}

And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: Last week I read Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley, a cute (though slightly predictable) contemporary story about a rich city girl who, thanks to the recession and her laid-off daddy), is forced to move in with her grandparents in a small Texas town. She meets people different from herself and has to reprioritize a bit. Shenanigans and profound personal growth ensue.

I also read On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves, which I checked out from the library because I’ve heard tons of good things about it. What I knew of the concept (Anna, thirty-year-old teacher, and T.J, sixteen-year-old cancer survivor, engage in a romantic relationship on a deserted island) squicked me out at first. But never fear — Anna and T.J. spend a long time on the island (years) and there’s a lot of maturing and growing and bonding that takes place before they ever consider each other anything more than survival buddies. Hard to believe, but their eventual romance (which is legal and tasteful and pretty darn hot) is totally believeable. I was genuinely rooting for Anna and T.J. until the very last pages of their story. On the Island reminded me a bit of The Blue Lagoon, and the writing is excellent — sparse but emotional. Recommend!

What I’m Writing: Oh, my WiP… What a beast. I surpassed last week’s goal of 3,000 words with 5,004 words, for a total of 43,504. So, that’s awesome. But. The other day on the elliptical, I had this crazy epiphany about two of my main characters. I’m thinking one has too much backstory and too many challenges, and all that adversity is making her muddled and hard to relate to. The other character, I think, has it too easy, and that’s making her an obvious “good guy” in a story that shouldn’t have any clear answers as to who’s right and who’s wrong. So… I’ve got some serious revising in my future, but I’m going to hold off for awhile. I want to think through some of the details, so I’m going to push ahead from here, writing as if I’ve already “fixed” these characterization issues, and then I’ll go back and actually fix them later.

But seriously… My story scares me. This week’s goal? Officially, 3,000 words, but I’m really shooting for closer to 4K or 5K. I’m getting eager to get this draft done so I can dive into revising it and making it as close to my vision as possible.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: My kiddo is back in school–yay 1st grade! We’re all adjusting to our new routine, and I’m adjusting to having the house to myself for the better part of the day. Fun, but weird.

Saturday was National Lazy Day (yes, that’s a thing) and I took full advantage by taking a nap, watching a movie, and dragging my family out for dinner. A few months ago, my husband and I agreed to try our best to only eat out only once a week (we were spending so much money at restaurants!), so now when we do go out, it really is a treat. We savored every bite of our Chinese food.

On Sunday, we took a family hike at Garrapata State Park and it was lovely. My girl is a trooper and hoofed it about five miles (lots of uphill!). Plus, she took that totally awesome photo of my husband and me holding our WSU flag. Cougar pride runs deep. 🙂

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Storytelling is getting formulaic. This is an opportunity, a post by Nathan Bransford, in which he advises writers to know “formulas and conventions. Anticipate what your reader will expect will happen. And then pull the rug out.” Dude. I’m trying. Also, a post called 5 Tips to Creating Believable Friendships, which is especially relevant because my WiP revolves around a pair of best friends. And, finally, I’m incredibly inspired by Breaking Bad, which picked back up Sunday night on AMC. I believe it’s one of the best-written shows on television, and Walt’s character arc is amazingly well done. The entire series is a lesson in making things as terrible as possible for characters. I’m super bummed that “all bad things must come to an end.”

So… What’s up with you this week?

Bookanista Rec :: OCD Love Story

August 8, 2013August 7, 20133 Comments

I’m thrilled to recommend one of my favorite 2013 debuts:
OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
(Reviewed for the Debut Author Challenge and The Bookanistas )

From Goodreads: When Bea meets Beck, she knows instantly that he’s her kind of crazy. Sweet, strong, kinda-messed-up Beck understands her like no one else can. He makes her feel almost normal. He makes her feel like she could fall in love again. But despite her feelings for Beck, Bea can’t stop thinking about someone else: a guy who is gorgeous and magnetic… and has no idea Bea even exists. But Bea knows a lot about him. She spends a lot of time watching him. She has a journal full of notes. Some might even say she’s obsessed. Bea tells herself she’s got it all under control. But this isn’t a choice, it’s a compulsion. The truth is, she’s breaking down…and she might end up breaking her own heart.

OCD Love Story is one of those rare “issue books” that doesn’t make you feel like you’re reading an issue book. It’s got so much personality and style, so many unique and interesting characters, it reads like an incredibly thoughtful and entertaining contemporary YA story — which is exactly what it is.

One of OCD Love Story‘s greatest strengths is its voice. The story feels authentically teen without ever trying too hard. Bea’s narration is spunky and seamless, so frank it made me squeamish at times (she admits she’s got no filter when it comes to saying what’s on her mind–it’s one of the things she works on in therapy). Mental illness is an uncomfortable, complex, messy topic, and Bea does some truly scary things, but she speaks about her disorder (and her life) with such disarming honesty, she’s an easy character to empathize with. While I didn’t necessarily like all of Bea’s choices, I always liked her, and I was rooting for her to come to terms with her OCD every step of the way.

Bea’s love interest, Beck, is as absorbing as Bea herself. At first, his OCD seems less severe than Bea’s, but as the story progresses, Beck’s obsessions and compulsions became clear and alarming. His reason for behaving the way he does is sincerely heartbreaking, and mostly I just wanted to give him a big hug. That said, I often found myself wondering if he was really a good match for Bea, or if they were set on a path of mutual destruction. The way Corey Ann Haydu handles their developing romance is clever and compelling, and I was incredibly impressed with how the story wrapped up.

Don’t let OCD Love Story‘s cheery yellow-and-pink cover mislead you; it is a heavy book about teens dealing with a sometimes debilitating mental illness, and there are some truly cringeworthy moments within its pages. But there are also moments of humor and friendship and a sweet, sweet romance, making OCD Love Story one of my favorite debuts of 2013.

Don’t forget to check out what my fellow Bookanistas are recommending today:

Lenore Appelhans adores IN THE AFTER by Demitria Lunetta

Jessica Love raves about GOLDEN by Jessi Kirby

Tracey Neithercott is wowed by A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES by Rachel Harris

And learn more about the Debut Author Challenge HERE.

What’s Up Wednesday

August 7, 2013August 7, 201339 Comments

And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: Last week I finished Tiger Lily, and I absolutely adored it. Such a beautiful, bittersweet story. In fact, I’m sort of sad that it was a library book. I might just have to buy a copy for my collection. Yesterday I finished Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (my fiftieth book of 2013!). It’s awesome. The worldbuilding is stellar and totally unique, and The Darkling… what a fascinating character. A big recommend if you’re a fantasy fan, or if you like books that have super high stakes and are full of surprises.

What I’m Writing: My WiP and I have mostly made up. She’s still challenging me at every turn, but that’s what makes writing fun, isn’t it? I’m one scene from finishing my read-through of the first half of the story, which is a pretty great feeling. I’m glad I decided to read and reassess and make adjustments as necessary, even though I’m still very much drafting. I rediscovered bits of the story that are lovely and well-written, and I reconnected with my characters. It’s been a motivating experience, and I feel good about drafting the second half of the story. Here’s a tiny excerpt…

Sometimes Jenna thought of her parents, their expectations and the church’s. Sometimes she thought of Dylan, whether her best friend would ever find the escape she was searching for. Often, she thought of singing. How much she missed it and how, after years of projecting clearly and resonantly from deep within her soul, her song had gone mute in the space of a night.

But mostly, Jenna thought of Tyler. Tyler, who made her feel beautiful and melodic and lucky. Tyler, who, after Saturday night, might very well have written her off.

My goal for the coming week is to add 3000 new words to my WiP.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: I spent most of last week planning and hosting my girlie’s sixth birthday bash (even as I type those words, I can’t believe I have a six-year-old). The music-themed party was a big success, and we had a fantastic time celebrating with lots of wonderful friends. Here are a few pictures…

I made that purple guitar out of poster board for a “Pin the Pick on the Guitar” game. My mom made the birthday girl’s super-cute party dress.

Lots of stars and guitars and bright colors. Taylor Swift provided the soundtrack.

I’ve said this about a thousand times in the last few days, but I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that six years have passed between the days these two pictures were taken. I am *way* too young to have a six-year-old. 😉

And, since I’m blathering about the too-quick passage of time, let’s all pause to appreciate the first day of 1st grade, which is TODAY! Lots of extra writing time in store for this mama!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: This post on the Plot Dot Test by agent Natalie Lakosil, because I love a good visual representation, and this one goes a long way in solving pacing problems. And this link, inviting us to “do nothing” for two full minutes. It’s way harder to relax and zone out than I thought it would be, and probably far more important than any of us realize. Try it! Also, this quote…

What’s up with you today?

July Reading Wrap-Up

August 1, 2013July 31, 201314 Comments

I feel like it’s been ages since I read some of these…
July was a loooong month!

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood – Paranormal romance is not normally my thing and witch stories, especially, don’t usually hold my interest. That said, I absolutely adore Born Wicked. Jessica Spotswood writes beautifully and even though her story has a historical setting, her protagonist, Cate, is no delicate flower. She’s smart and strong and determined — I love her. Also, I’d heard a lot about the steamy kisses in this book. They do NOT disappoint. Born Wicked‘s ending was a heartbreaker. I can’t wait to read its follow-up, Star Cursed.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo – My heart broke a thousand times while reading this gorgeous middle grade story, and the final pages gave me chills. Edward Tulane‘s themes of giving and accepting love are relayed with such nuance, and main character Edward, a ceramic rabbit who likes fine clothing (YES), is incredibly compelling. This book’s chapters are short and its language is unembellished, but the story is so profound. If you’ve got kiddos, I highly recommend reading Edward Tulane with them.

Dare You To by Katie McGarry – Pretty much what I expected. Entertaining, sexy, and full of drama. I like a dual narration in romance novels, and Katie McGarry pulls of both Beth’s and Ryan’s voices fantastically. If you’re a fan of Pushing the Limits, you’ll like Dare You To. Noah and Echo even make a few appearances!

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin – The Westing Game was an entertaining middle grade read. The characters were interesting and the mystery was cool, but the story didn’t have the emotional impact necessary for me to fall truly in love with it. My full YA Book Club post is HERE.

The House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell – This is a strange novel. It’s very literary — beautifully written, but unconventional. The story centers around a husband and wife who live in seclusion and struggle through some intense (and graphically described) fertility issues. Their marriage is a trip — I was never quite sure what was real and what was conjured by the damaged imaginations of the characters. If you like a book that’s different and dark and surreal, The House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods might be the story for you.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken – Yowza… This book was a wild ride. It’s a dark dystopian thriller with tons of twists and turns, and a core group of four characters who I came to truly adore. Chubs, especially, won my love, and Liam is a total heartthrob. The Darkest Minds is a complex book with heavy themes and heavy moments. It left me with plenty of questions, most of which will hopefully be answered in the next installment of this trilogy, Never Fade.

All I Need by Susane Colasanti – This book came at just the right time — I was looking for something airy and beachy and romantic, and All I Need is those things and more. It’s a fast read, dual narration, and very sweet. It reminded me a bit of Judy Blume’s Forever… in its earnestness and portrayal of two real teens just trying to make their love work. Check it out of you’re looking for a contemporary YA to set the tone for your summer.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys – I love this book so, so much. Main character Josie’s life is brutal, but she experiences moments of such sincere beauty. Out of the Easy is layered with a cast of fantastically riveting characters, and its setting (gritty 1950 New Orleans) is enchanting. I urge you to pick this one up if you’re looking for a historical novel that’s equal parts mesmerizing and affecting.

OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu – More on this book next week in a pending Bookanista/Debut Author Challenge post, but for now I’ll just say that OCD Love Story is outstanding — one of my favorite debuts of the year. The voice is contemporary YA perfection. Main character Bea’s struggle with OCD is gripping and distressing, yet she possesses an irresistible quirkiness that makes her a narrator you’ll want to befriend. A big ol’ recommend!

Tell me: What’s the best book you read in July?

What’s Up Wednesday

July 31, 2013July 30, 201350 Comments

And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: Over the weekend I read OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu. Don’t let the cheery yellow-and-pink cover mislead you; OCD Love Story is a heavy book about teens dealing with sometimes debilitating mental illness, and there are some cringeworthy moments. But there are also moments of humor and a sweet, sweet romance, making this an issue book that doesn’t feel like an issue book. Now, I’m reading Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, which is dark and magical and gorgeous, and I am loving every minute of it.

What I’m Writing: Bleh. I’m mad at my WiP. It’s being uncooperative and troublesome. My goal for last week was to read through the first 35K and revise it according to some changes I’m making to backstory/character motivations. I got a good chunk of it done, but I didn’t finish completely. Boo. The sections I have revised are much improved, though, and I am making progress, but it’s slooooow progress. My goal for this week is to keep plugging away. I WILL finish my read-through/pre-revision, and I’d like to write at least one new scene. That said, my daughter’s birthday party is Friday, her official birthday is Saturday(!), and we’ve got a date with friends at the water park on Sunday. It’s going to be a busy weekend, but I’m going to do my very best to make time for my WiP.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Mostly, I’ve been gearing up for my girl’s sixth birthday. She wants a rocker-girl theme, a guitar cake, a piñata, and lots of music. So, that’s what we’re doing. I’ll share pictures next week. 🙂

Last week’s Kenny Chesney concert was AMAZING. He’s such a dynamic performer, and he played all of my favorite songs — I was so happy! John Mayer made a surprise appearance and spent some time jamming with Kenny on stage. So cool! The party bus was also predictably awesome, and we had a fantastic time with our friends. I was beside myself with glee the whole night. 🙂

I also tried a new cookie recipe… Total win. Peanut butter and chocolate are pretty much the best combination ever, and when paired with a frosty bottle of Well’s Banana Bread Beer (YES), well, that’s pretty much culinary nirvana. (I used this cookie recipe, but instead of peanuts, I used peanut butter chips. Yum.)

What’s Inspiring Me Now: My daughter, who met her summer reading goal a few weeks before school started. I’m so proud of what an excellent reader she’s become. Her love of books thrills me.

Tell me… What’s up with you?

YA Book Club :: THE WESTING GAME

July 29, 2013July 29, 201316 Comments

{YA Book Club is the brainchild of writer/blogger Tracey Neithercott.
For guidelines and additional info, click the image above.}

July’s YA Book Club selection is
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1978)

I dig this cover.

From Wikipedia: Sixteen heirs who are mysteriously chosen to live in the Sunset Towers apartment building on the shore of Lake Michigan, somewhere in Wisconsin, come together to hear the will of the self-made millionaire, Samuel W. Westing. The will takes the form of a puzzle, dividing the sixteen heirs into eight pairs, giving each pair a different set of clues, and challenging them to solve the mystery of who murdered Sam Westing. As an incentive, each heir is given $10,000 to play the game. Whoever solves the mystery will inherit Sam Westing’s $200 million fortune, and his company, Westing Paper Products.

I could go blue in the face listing The Westing Game‘s strengths. It is clever in its humor, tight in its plotting, and subtle in its clue-dropping. It’s the literary version of the classic whodunit board game Clue.

The Westing Game‘s characters are compelling, each unique in his or her goals and flaws. Even though there are a lot of heirs, it’s fairly easy to keep everyone straight. My favorite heir is (of course) spunky kick-’em-in-the-shins Turtle, though I’m also a fan of Theo Theodorakis (in my head, he’s the strong and silent type) and Dr. Jake Wexler (whose dry sense of humor totally cracked me up). The characters, even more than the mystery, kept me reading The Westing Game.

Speaking of the mystery… It’s very cool. While each pair of heirs attempted to decipher their clues, I had an inkling of the direction the random words were taking (the song tie-in is pretty obvious), but I had no idea of where those clues would end up leading until the final pages of the story. There were enough red herrings, enough question marks in the narrative, enough suspicious behavior among the heirs, to keep me guessing. I was satisfied with the final answer to the puzzle, the solution only one heir was able to deduce. The Westing Game‘s conclusion made the entire story worth reading.

So, yes, The Westing Game is a fantastically crafted story. I was engaged while reading, and I would never argue this book’s merit or its quality of writing.

BUT…

I did not love The Westing Game.

I’m pretty sure I’m going to be in the minority in my opinion, but there it is. While The Westing Game was an entertaining enough read for Adult Katy, Middle Grade Katy would have disliked it. She would have grown weary of all the jumping around, she would have been bored by the adult-centered subplots, and most of the subtle humor would have gone right over her head. Don’t misunderstand — Middle Grade Katy wasn’t a dolt; she just liked her books a little more streamlined and a lot more fun.

Another issue… While the omniscient 3rd-person point of view was appropriate for The Westing Game‘s complex mystery, I found it distancing. I wanted to be in Turtle’s head for the duration of the story — she’s a fantastic protagonist! Considering that this book is most often shelved as Middle Grade, I would have guessed that we’d get the story through the eyes of a young person, and I would have enjoyed it much more had Turtle been the only person to narrate it.

So, there it is. The Westing Game was an entertaining read, one worth the time I devoted to it, but it simply didn’t have the emotional impact necessary for me to fall truly in love with it.

Have you read The Westing Game? What did you think?

Bookanistas Rec :: THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE

July 25, 2013July 24, 201317 Comments

Today’s Bookanista recommendation is
This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

From Goodreads: When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O’Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. Then Graham finds out that Ellie’s Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media’s spotlight at all costs?

Six Reasons Why You Must Read This is What Happy Looks Like…

Characters – Graham and Ellie are so easy to relate to, and so easy to love. They’re genuine and authentic and layered. They’re kind to one another, and considerate of their friends and family. Graham and Ellie both have issues, but they’re not hung up on their troubles in a way that becomes tiresome.
Setting – Maine! Summer! Small town! Ocean! Ice cream parlor! Movie set! (Enough said?)
Romance – This one’s adorable, guys. Graham and Ellie are fantastic individually, but they make even more sense together. They have obvious chemistry, and their relationship is free of the contrived drama sometimes found in YA romance. The many challenges Graham and Ellie face on their journey to coupledom are formidable, but they feel real. Also, I like that this story doesn’t stretch out the “getting together” phase. There are plenty of sweet and steamy moments scattered throughout the narrative.
Voice – Simply put, Jennifer E. Smith rocks the teen voice. Her books are a fantastic example of how contemporary YA should read.
Email – Graham and Ellie meet online through a fluke email mix-up. Their on-going messages are sprinkled throughout the story, a device that could have taken a hard left into Cheeseville. Instead, the messages impart a quirky sense of fun, and a different way of getting to know the story’s main characters. Loved the emails!
Fate – This is What Happy Looks Like lends the same warm-and-fuzzy tingles movies like You’ve Got Mail and Serendipity induce. There’s something so romantic and enviable about meant-to-be love. I think fate and real life meld perfectly in this book.

So… What are you waiting for? Pick up This is What Happy Looks Like before this summer ends — you’ll be happy you did!

Don’t forget to check out what my fellow Bookanistas are up to:

Nikki Katz is delighted by CHARM AND STRANGE by Stephanie Kuehn

Stasia Ward Kehoe meanders into adult fiction
to ponder LIFE OF PI by Yann Martel

Jessica Love has cheers for CHALKLINE by Jane Mitchell

Gretchen McNeil sings out for SECOND VERSE by Jennifer Walkup

Shari Arnold adores ALSO KNOWN AS (AKA) by Robin Benway

Tracy Banghart delves into TOUCHING THE SURFACE by Kimberly Sabatini

Christine Fonseca is held captive by ABANDON by Elana Johnson

What’s Up Wednesday

July 24, 2013July 23, 201349 Comments

First, and perhaps most importantly, today’s the day Alison Miller, Elodie Nowodazkij, Erin Funk, Jaime Morrow, and I get to announce the winner of our Ready. Set. Write! giveaway.

Congratulations… RAVEN MOORE!

You’ve won an amazing Writer’s Care Package! Be on the lookout for writerly gifts from Alison, Elodie, Erin, Jaime, and I, and keep up the amazing progress you’ve made on your WiP this summer. We’re so happy for you!

And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I finished The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, which was harrowing and complex and pretty darn captivating. I also read All I Need by Susane Colasanti, a novel that surfaced just as I was longing for a light, beachy romance — and that’s exactly what I got. Such a cute story! Yesterday I finished Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys, a book that came highly recommended by Jessica Spotswood. I loved this one. Main character Josie’s life is brutal, but she experiences moments of such sincere beauty. And the setting (1950 New Orleans) is absolutely fascinating. I urge you to pick it up if you’re looking for a novel that’s historical and gritty and affecting. Now, I’m diving into OCD Love Story by debut author Corey Ann Haydu. Can’t wait to see what’s behind its awesome cover!

What I’m Writing: Before I tell you about my WiP, I have to recommend the following article: 25 Things to Know About Your Story’s Stakes by Chuck Wendig. I came across it at the ideal time, and it’s helping me evaluate my WiP with a fresh perspective. Basically, I need to torture my characters even more. Awesome!

This week I passed my 3K goal with a total of 3,404 words. I reached my story’s midpoint(ish) and did some honest assessing of what I have so far. I decided to make a few changes to some backstory and motivation stuff, so this week I’m focusing on fixing the first half of the story to match the direction the second half will eventually take. So, yes, I’m revising while I’m drafting, but that works for me. Just as I can’t relax when my house is cluttered, I can’t continue to write when I know there are parts of the story that are incorrect or fragmented. So… This week’s goal: Finish revising the front half of my WiP.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Um… Just getting crazy-pumped about GOING TO SEE KENNY CHESNEY TOMORROW NIGHT. Guys. I’m a pretty chill person, normally, but I am positively giddy about this concert. With a group of friends, we’ve rented a party bus to take us to the venue, a ride which will be plenty of fun on its own. But then… I’ve seen Kenny twice before and he puts on an amazing show. I can’t wait to be reunited with him and his tight jeans. 😉

I’ve been spending lots of time with my little lovely, who turns six in tens days and starts first grade in just two weeks. She was recently promoted to Level 3 at swim lessons, and has discovered a love for costume jewelry, as evident in the above right photograph. Love her.

The other day I padded my cookie repertoire with a tasty new recipe: Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies. They turned out sweet and hearty (thanks to the addition of oats), with a cranberry tang — perfect for summer. Even my husband, who claims not to like white chocolate, managed to choke a few down.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Amazing news from my friend Jessica Love: She has a book coming out with St. Martin’s Press! She’s co-writing a YA novel based on the life of Chelsie Hill, one of the featured cast members on the Sundance Channel’s reality series Push Girls. This story… It’s SO inspiring, guys. I can’t wait for you to all read it! Don’t forget to drop by Jessica’s blog to congratulate her!

Also, I’m inspired every time I snack on yummy European treats and wear my awesome new Ready. Set. Write! t-shirt, both courtesy of Elodie Nowodazkij, who is one of the most awesome and encouraging people I know.
Thank you again, Elodie! ♡