Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know

Happily Ever Afters

2012-02-14T11:11:00.000-08:00

I married my high school sweetheart as a teenager a long, long time ago, so if anybody asks, I do believe in love, in soulmates, successful relationships, in Destiny, and of course in Happily Ever Afters.

So, keeping that in mind, I expect the books I read to have a happy ending, too. Always! Simply "satisfying" doesn't cut it. I don't care what changes the characters make along the way, if they're not totally stoked with their significant other by the end, I'm ready to throw the book. UNLESS...the book is part of a series. In fact, some of my favorite YA books end with a cliffhanger and doubts about the couple's HEA, but I'm assuming the couple will get there eventually. At least they BETTER or else, authors! Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series, and several more come to mind. These are the stories I love and devote many hours of my life to.

What are your favorite HEA's?

Teen Talk Tuesday: Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T02:44:00.000-08:00

What do today's teens think about Valentine's Day? Is it romantic, or no? Fun or disappointing?

To start today's Teen Talk Tuesday, I got some students' views Valentine's Day. The worst story I heard was from a boy who caught his girlfriend cheating on him on Valentine's Day. Another student told me about the awful time when she'd thought her mom had forgotten to send her something to school and how it always breaks her heart to see her classmates sad that special day when nothing arrives for them. What did they most enjoy getting? Flowers and chocolates.

However, not all kids hope for presents. Some find the holiday overated. One of my seniors said he dislikes Valentine's altogether because he's "not romantic in the least." Just as adults often complain about the commercialism of holidays, one boy said the holiday was too expensive, and another girl said she hated seeing so much red and pink together. Not surprisingly, most of my teens mentioned that being single on Valentine's Day sucked.

What did they like the most about the holiday? The majority of both girls and guys said "being part of a couple in love."

Do you have something you want to know from a teen's perspective? Post your question, and we'll get back to you with their answer.

Teen Talk Tuesday: Boys & Books

2012-02-07T02:40:00.000-08:00

Teen Talk Tuesday is now in its third week. The students have been very helpful and are always willing to answer your questions throughout the school day. If you have a question for the teens, please post it in the comments. We look forward to hearing from you!

Last week a commenter wanted to know what books the boys in my library preferred: genres, titles, authors, fiction vs. nonfiction. So here's a random sample from young men I interviewed as they came in this week. Remember, the names are changed to protect the innocent.

Todd (a junior): prefers High Fantasy and "absolutely no other genres." His favorite series is Adventurers Wanted by M.L. Forman, and his favorite author is Robert Jordan.

Colby (senior): prefers non-fiction but has "no specific titles or authors." For fiction, he prefers Dystopian. His favorite fiction titles are The Eleventh Plague, Tales of a Madman Underground, and Looking for Alaska.

Kevin (sophomore): prefers Humor and Graphic Novels. His favorite series is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Nate (junior): prefers Paranormal, Mysteries, and Adventures. His favorite series are Vladimir Tod and The Edge Chronicles.

Sean (junior): prefers Realistic Drama. His favorite author is Coe Booth, and he says he will always read anything by her.

Ken (senior): prefers Dystopian. His favorite is The Hunger Games, but he says he also enjoyed Legend. His favorite author is Darren Shan.

Andre (freshman): prefers non-fiction books on basketball. His favorite series is the Guinness Book of World Records, and he has no favorite author.

What would you like to know from a teenager's perspective?

Super Senses

2012-02-06T04:03:00.000-08:00

Every super hero has one. Superman and Spiderman had several. On USA's Psych, one of my fave TV shows, there's a running gag about Gus's "supersniffer" and its amazing ability to detect scents.

Over the years as a librarian, I've sometimes noticed a single student in a large group will complain about something random: a chair being too hard, the room temperature too hot or cold, a smell or a sound that no else notices or can identify. It's no joke. Some people are more sensitive than others. My husband's super sense is his sense of hearing. It's spooky how he can recognize songs or singers by only listening to a couple of notes. He can even predict what song will be playing next on the radio with surreal accuracy.

However, almost everyone has a dominant sense. My strongest sense (not so super) is my sense of touch, so I find myself describing textures in great detail in my writing. In my last book, my heroine's strongest sense was her sight, which came in handy for her as an artist. Maybe the next MC could have a dominant sense of taste. I'd have to sample a lot of goodies for research, of course! Don't know what your dominant sense is? There are some nifty quizzes online, including some to see if you're compatible with your partner based on your dominant senses.

Teen Talk Tuesday: Trends

2012-01-31T03:00:00.000-08:00

Last week was the debut of Teen Talk Tuesday, and I just wanted to share how much the participating students enjoyed it. They were so excited to see your questions and seemed eager to impart their knowledge of all things teen.

The kids were able to answer most of the questions posted on the blog last week, but we saved two questions for this week:
1. Popular clothing brands
The kids listed the following labels and stores as being trendy: Nike Jordan shoes, Polo, American Eagle, Hollister, Toms shoes, and Abercrombie. For less expensive labels, they named Rue 21 and Forever 21. (One young lady said she didn't care which store her clothes came from, and left her mother to choose her styles for her.)

2. E-books vs Print books
Students with e-readers at our school unanimously preferred reading print books over e-books. However, they emphasized that they loved Kindles for the other features.

Writers, what would you like to ask the teens this week? Please post your burning question as a comment, and I'll pass it along to my students who are sure to know the answer!!

Breaking Stereotypes and the Use of Physical Traits

2012-01-26T04:08:00.000-08:00

Our doorbell rang one day last week, and my husband found a brawny, 6'4" one-eyed ex-convict on our doorstep. You can imagine our initial thoughts when the man (I'll call him Joe) offered to do work around our house. Joe's heartfelt request for work impressed my hubs, however, who sympathized. Parolees have to pay for their ankle bracelets or go back to jail, and Joe also needed cash to support his ex-wife and kids. With that in mind, we decided to take a risk on hiring Joe, because like he told us, who else in our small town would hire "a 300 lb black ex-con wearing an eyepatch and an ankle bracelet?!!!" Within minutes of hiring him to paint our house (for a fraction of what a pro would charge), he rounded up an unemployed woman picking up pecans and 2 more random guys off the street to help him for a cut of his pay. Just like that, Joe became a boss (and a hero) to several good folks who also needed a break. Under his supervision, the motley crew did such a fantastic job on our house that several of our neighbors hired Joe. They love his work so far.

If I had written Joe as a character before I got to know him, I probably would've cast him as an antagonist. All too often, we create stock characters based on physical traits and stereotypes. Cliches are boring! The lesson I learned from my new friend is that characters are far more interesting when they break the mold, and even ex-cons can sometimes be angels.

Thanks to those who posted questions on my first TEEN TALK TUESDAY. My students were excited to answer your questions and were very delighted to help writers. We hope you'll join us next week for more Q & A with the teens!!

Announcing...Teen Talk Tuesday

2012-01-24T05:51:00.000-08:00

Managing a library media center and sponsoring a teen book club, I'm smack-dab in the middle of drama every day: boyfriend/girlfriend fights, breakups, mean girls, rebels, and--oh God, the issues. But I wouldn't want to work anywhere else. It's the work environment I love best. I order books the kids want, and my students recommend books I'd like to read, too. It's a wonderful, symbiotic situation.

Writers' blogs are symbiotic, as well. We share tips and expect that others will pass it forward. With this thought in mind, I've decided to stop hoarding my trove of teen culture experts to myself. I'm declaring every Tuesday from here forth to be Teen Talk Tuesday. I'll choose a question to pose to my students and then I'll post their anonymous response on the blog. Possible topics could include: clothes, social norms, slang, how they would respond to a given situation, dating advice, friendship, etc.

****WARNING: This could get ugly!!*******

If you've got a question, fire away.

Wild at Heart Contest

2012-01-13T02:58:00.000-08:00

Recently, I attended a retreat with five other writers from my local RWA chapter at a place called Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. The experience was wonderful, as retreats usually are, but this one was different. Each morning we were treated to the soul-stirring sounds of beautiful cats in the nearby sanctuary. When we talked with one of the leaders of the refuge, she shared the most heartbreaking stories an animal-lover would ever hear. How these lovely animals were "adopted" as pets by owners who eventually couldn't abide or handle their special needs in an average home...how they were abused...or how they were left to die. The refuge provides a wonderful place for these cats to go when no one else can help. They give them food, shelter, medical care, and their hearts.

My chapter, Diamond State Romance Writers, is offering an opportunity for writers to help these cats. Please read more below to see how you can help. ---Sandi

*~*~*~*~*~*
Wild at Heart
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Publisher: Diamond State Romance Authors
Deadline: April 1, 2012

Wild at Heart is open to all authors.

Editor Delilah Devlin is looking for stories for a special project to benefit the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge.

Recently, six Diamond State Romance Author chapter members spent a weekend falling in love with the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and its exotic inhabitants. The refuge is home to large cats and a variety of exotic animals that would otherwise have to be put down because they aren’t suitable for placement in zoos or to be returned to the wild. The need for financial support was apparent. Our chapter decided to pool its resources and find a way to help.

What we propose is to produce a volume of short stories, all centred around animals in need of refuge. All proceeds from the sales of the book will go directly to the Turpentine Creek Refuge. We will edit the submissions, seek professional cover art and formatting, and assist the refuge by uploading the anthology to online bookstores like Amazon’s Kindle store and Barnes & Noble’s Nook store. Additionally, we will help upload the book to CreateSpace so that printed volumes can be available for sale in brick-and-mortar bookstores throughout Arkansas and inside the refuge’s shop.

This is a national call for submissions of short stories to be donated for the cause. Only the best stories will be accepted. All genres of fiction (contemporary and paranormal, sweet adult romance and Young Adult) will be considered. Please keep in mind that stories must be PG-rated as the book will be two-sided—one side geared toward adult readers and the other toward teenaged readers.

Examples of the kinds of stories we seek:

A maimed Iraqi war veteran learns to accept his disability by working with equally damaged animals
A teenaged girl helps a were-cougar hide his true nature while both hunt for an escaped cat
A teenaged couple encounters a tiger escaped from its private owner’s cage and work together to find help to capture and care for it
A pushy animal psychic must gain the trust of the refuge’s veterinarian to help a depressed bear
A troubled teenager discovers a tiger living in a national forest, then seeks a way to prevent locals staging a hunt from killing it
How to submit: Prepare your 1,500 to 4,000 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12 point, black font Word document with pages numbered (.doc, NOT.docx) OR rich text format. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing, do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). US grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.

In your document at the top left of the page, include your legal name (and pseudonym if applicable), mailing address, and 50 word or less bio in the third person to dsrawildatheart@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories.

About the editor: Ms. Devlin has published over one hundred stories in multiple genres and lengths. Her published print titles include Into the Darkness, Seduced by Darkness, Darkness Captured, Down in Texas, Texas Men and Ravished by a Viking. Her short stories are featured in Zane’s Purple Panties, and Cleis Press’s Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Carnal Machines, and Dream Lovers. She is published by Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, Atria/Strebor, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, and Berkley. In Fall 2011, she debuted her first anthology with Cleis Press, Girls Who Bite.

Direct any questions you have regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at dsrawildatheart@gmail.com.

Beautiful Nightmares

2011-12-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

I enjoy dark, twisted paranormal stories, but almost everything has been done in some shape or form. What’s a writer to do when Dracula has been beaten to death, and every ghost story has been told? Then halfway through your 100K manuscript about a wizard, you’re told the market is soon going to be flooded with sorcerers?

Consider delving into the subconscious. Sorry, I don’t mean eating those questionable mushrooms your cousin gave you in a baggie. I mean using the same inspiration that 5 of the most famous horror and paranormal writers of all-time used: dreams. Twilight, Frankenstein, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were all based on the dreams of their authors. Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe are two more writers who owe some of their most enduring works to dreams.

So what’s going on when you’re able to think so creatively while sleeping and not when you’re awake and TRYING to be creative? According to Wikipedia, “a lucid dream is any dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming.” Lucidity.com says “the brain is highly active in REM sleep and unconstrained by sensory input, which together may contribute to the novel combinations of events and objects we experience as dream bizarreness.” And these dreams can be controlled with practice, techniques, and certain devices. Lucid dreamers can harness their dreams and use them for art and inspiration.

I recently woke up from the most beautiful nightmare. I couldn’t wait to share it. Unfortunately, my hubs wasn’t as keen on my awesome, horrific idea at 6 a.m.! If you think some of your dreams would make great fodder for fiction, consider keeping a dream journal by your bedside to collect the details as soon as you wake, because the longer you wait to write them down, the less you’ll remember. Your significant other will thank you for it, too!

Further reading about lucid dreaming techniques can be found at http://lucidity.com/

Have any of your dreams inspired your writing?

Strategies for Choosing a Critique Group

2011-09-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Writing in solitude is like asking the old question, "If a tree falls in the woods..."

If you're writing for publication and no one's proofing your work before you query, well...you're not helping yourself. Joining my critique group was the best thing I've ever done for my writing. Not only are my critique partners my moral support group for the r's and cheering for my successes--they also know how to shore up my shoddy habits, kick me in the butt when I'm not posting enough work, and they can spot a run-on a mile away. Having joined other critique groups that were less successful, I'm sharing the 8 best things I've learned to look for in a critique group.

Choose a group that:

1. Has members with some prior industry experience: published writers, contest winners/finalists, unpublished writers with reputable representation. If nobody in the group has more experience than you, then you won’t be able to learn much.

2. Has members who write in the same genre/subgenre as you. If you write contemporary romance, you’ll want at least one critique partner who writes contemporary romance.

3. Has members who write other genres/subgenres. If you write historical romance, for example, you can learn a lot about tightening from the series romance folks.

4. Offers the kind of critiques that would benefit you the most. For example, if your strength is grammar, you’ll probably want a group that doesn’t focus on line edits, but more on overall feedback, pacing, characterization, etc.

5. Allows you to control the number of critique partners you keep. If the group has an open door policy, you could be gaining/losing more partners than you can keep up with.

6. Requires a 1:1 critique ratio. Give a crit, get a crit.

7. Has active members. If the last chapter posted was two months ago, you shouldn’t expect much productivity on your critiques. Look for members who post regularly.

8. Provides honest feedback, not just a mutual-admiration society. The sandwich method works best for most people: a tough comment, a compliment, and then another tough comment.

Have a critique group tip to share? Please post it below.

On the Darker Side

2011-08-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

">How did horror become so ingrained in some romance novels? Since the topic of dark YA novels has been debated lately, I put together a partial list of influential dark & edgy fiction. These are classics, or simply well-read favorites, but they all inspire many of today’s writers of teen horror, gothic, and paranormal novels.

Authors: Stephen King, Christopher Pike, Dean Koontz, Mary Shelley, R.L. Stine, Edgar Allan Poe, Darren Shan, Anne Rice

Books/stories: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Schwartz, Beauty & the Beast, The Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Dracula, Wuthering Heights, And many, many more…

For me, this list feels like a warm blanket or a blissful afternoon escape—time spent cradling a much-loved tale of doom, gloom, and fright. Also in my opinion, some horror IS romantic. Many of the authors and books above have used romance in their tales of horror. In the old classics, such as Phantom of the Opera, the heroine is the target of the dark evil antagonist and it’s her being in danger that creates tension. People loved to be afraid FOR the heroine. In today’s writing, authors usually strive to put the female in a more independent role, but the woman-in-jeopardy device often reappears, nevertheless. Or, as in Poe’s works, the romance is represented by the death of one of the main characters. For Poe, nothing was more romantic than a love that went on beyond the grave and a hero who was left to face the evil antagonist alone.What is your favorite dark tale of horror and romance?

When Educators Think YA Is Too Dark

2011-07-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

In recent weeks, young adult literature has been under scrutiny by everyone from readers to writers, parents to media, and any customer who walks past the book section in Wal-Mart. No one can deny YA sells. Its authors have sometimes surpassed bestselling adult authors on New York Times lists. But when Wall Street Journal columnist Megan Gurdon wrote her now infamous article about how violent YA fiction has become, teens and adult fans of YA jumped to their feet in defense of the dark, edgy writing. Millions heard their battle cry, YA SAVES, as it echoed across Twitter and the news, as people spoke out about their experience with why YA literature was so important in young people’s lives.

I wonder how long the support will hold out. Last weekend I attended a session of a state librarians’ conference in which YA fiction was discussed. Many of the librarians in the audience were devoted readers of YA. They spoke favorably of beloved dystopian novels and gushed about their favorite new fantasy stories. Yet some complained that recent ALA and School Library Journal recommended YA novels had content that was inappropriate for 8-9th grade readers. Granted, this audience had many librarians who worked in the pre-Judy Blume days when Little House on the Prairie ruled the shelves, and students didn’t see a printed four-letter word until they reached senior English class. But this particular group is my state’s main defender of censorship. One of the most progressive leaders of the state’s ALA and educational factions stood before this particular session and said she thinks YA is “becoming too dark.” Now I’m left wondering: are we losing some of our best advocates of YA fiction?

As a writer, I know I want educators in my corner. I want them promoting my future books to teens, sharing their passion for my stories with youth. But have we painted ourselves into a corner with our increasingly edgy stories? At what point will teachers and librarians say, “Hey, this is too violent and realistic for our youth to read in school?” As one public librarian at the session noted, “If you’re uncomfortable putting it on the shelf in school, send the kid to the public library,” and then the student will have access. However, as an educator, I want the joy of being the one to put the book in the student’s hands, and to be able to say, “here is the key that will make you a reader for the rest of your life.” If we, as educators, buy lighter books, would our students balk at reading them, saying they’re too unrealistic? It’s a fine line. I walk it daily—in both the library and as a writer. Will the darkness in YA eventually eclipse the value of the reading?

Classics We Love to Hate

2011-07-09T05:26:00.000-07:00

In researching for my new novel, I wanted to know what was the most boring classic book or poet anyone was forced to read in high school. A few authors came to mind...well, to be quite honest, many names came to mind. Looking back on my HS education now, I'm very pissed at myself for having been a Cliff Notes reader in those days. I'd been lucky enough to be in an advanced Lit class, but instead of reading all the assigned works, I took the easy way out. Of the few works I actually forced myself to read cover to cover, I remember Gatsby being a great yawn-fest (sorry, Ms. Creel). However, in my research I found many online fans of the work. Further along, I noticed for every classic book I recall hating, there was a large following. And the classics I actually enjoyed were often mentioned by folks who hated them. Come on, The Canterbury Tales rocked! How else are you gonna see that much sex and dirty humor in a high school class?

So, my question still lingers unanswered: What is the most boring classic book/author/poet for required reading in high school?

Getting Inked

2011-07-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

LA, New York, Miami--doesn't matter where you live. We're seeing ink slingers on TV and seeing their designs on celebs. Some of my favorite book characters have tattoos. Lately, I'm even seeing a big trend of tattoos in the high school where I work. It seems like most people I know are getting inked, whether they're 14 or 40!

I got my first tattoo just a couple years ago for an anniversary present. My hubby got one too. Yeah, we waited many, many years to get inked. When my students ask me about that, I tell them this: I was afraid I would get something I'd someday regret. So I waited & waited until the design I wanted STAYED the design I wanted. You know what? The same design I dreamed of at age 16 was what I got after all these years!! Go figure. But my hubby would've wound up with the cover of a Guns-N-Roses album!

With the inconsistent nature of personal relationships, it takes a lot of bravery, trust, love, or maybe even recklessness! to put a person's name on your body. My tattoo had 3 words written around it & they morphed within a year, becoming unreadable. Lesson learned: get a reputable tattoo artist & DON'T get small letters.

The trend seems to be ever-increasing, so we can expect to see more tattoos on more of our book characters. Many covers are already adorned with swirling black designs. Do these covers turn you off or on to a title? If you have a favorite tattooed character, who is she/he?

Metamorphasis

2011-07-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

Last July, I sat in a college classroom listening to my professor telling me to give up everything for a year. No more writing, book club, travel, vacations, family events, etc. This was all due to my becoming a candidate for National Board. I soon found out why. Certification for National Board Teacher is very, VERY hard! Turns out, I had to submit 2 videos (I made 7!), a written portfolio of multiple projects I made with teachers and students (thanks, everybody!), and a nasty, hard freaking test!

Meanwhile, I'm a writer, so I can't turn this stuff off. It just happens. The characters stay with me until I write their stories. So now that I've submitted all the National Board stuff, I have LOTS of new material.

Check the blog daily for announcements and contests!