LJ's Ten

Ten Things About Derelict by LJ Cohen

Adventure in a fully-realized, beautifully-built world with spectacular attention to details. I'm still not sure if LJ made them up or found a way to teleport there to take lots of notes.

Awesome cover art by Chris Howard, whom I think my publisher should hire for my next novel. Hey, a girl can hint.

Earned a cover quotation from Yours Truly, and as you know I'm not a pushover or easily impressed.

Fast-paced story. Honestly. It reads at warp speed. Prepare to have your eyelashes singed.

Great, unpredictable characters who are absolutely not the usual suspects.

Has a neat video trailer here with more info on the story.

Intiguing plot so packed with twists and turns that San Francisco is totally jealous now.

Reminded me of the good old days of SF, when story was daring, inventive and basically more important than anything.

Superb writing that transports you to a fascinating future and yet doesn't drone on and on, talk down to you, or make you feel like you're trapped in a broken elevator with that boy from high school Chemistry who sampled one too many of his own experiments.

Last but not least -- I am convinced Derelict is the best book L.J. has ever written (to date; expect a lot more.)

You can purchase Derelict at these online retailers:

B&N.com (Nook)

iTunes (iBooks)

Amazon (Kindle)

Two Christian YA ops

Abingdon Press is launching a Christian YA line in 2014 and is looking to acquire in early 2013 high-quality books written for 14 to 19 year olds; would especially like to see series books as well as steampunk, medieval fantasy and urban fantasy.  They note on their website that they accept submissions only through agents or from writers who meet with their editors at conferences, so if you don't have an agent you might want to see if you can swing an editor appointment at one of your local Christian writer conferences.

OakTara wants to see Christian YA fantasy, sci-fi, realistic fiction, medieval fantasy series aimed at boys, issue fiction and teen writers; they are eager to acquire "really good" teen writers and fiction written for male readers.  They do accept unagented submissions, see more about their guidelines for writers here.

(Notes on both of these sub ops were found in the August 27th issue of Publishers Weekly; I chased down the links myself.)

Let It Snow III

My shopping excursion today included a stop at my local Books-a-Million, where I did some widget and teenager shopping. BAM has all the best widgety stuff for readers and writers, and a nice buy-2-get-1-free sale going on YA books.

I love buying books for kids of any age, but teens can be tough. Just as I was getting comfortable with my daughter's Twilight obsession, she outgrew the books, told me she was done with Team Edward and Team Jacob, and moved on to reading (cough) classic literature. I'm bracing myself for the day she comes home and asks, "Mom, did you read this Salinger book?" and I have to discuss that damn story with her like a rational parent should.

I don't try to think like a teenager when it comes to picking out books for them; my mindset is the same as when I'm looking for an adult. I rely primarily on authors I know are talented and can tell a great story, but now and then I'll also try new-to-me writers at random (I always buy myself a copy first to test-drive it before I give the book as a gift.) I also talk to teenagers and see what they're currently reading, what they like and don't like in a story, and what books their friends are talking about lately. They can really surprise you, too.

Once I had amassed my pile of YA gifts, I went in search of widgets. I love BAM's widgets and I always find something new whenever I'm gift hunting. On this trip I discovered a cool pen and two interesting reinventions of the bookmark:

1. Seltergoods.com's Seven Year Pen, which is Swiss made, boasts a jumbo ink supply, and has a long-life tip ($7.99, which works out to a dollar a year if it lasts as long as the manufacturer claims. According to the package, a portion of the purchase price will be donated to environmental causes)

2. The Electronic Dictionary Bookmark, which not only keeps your place but provides over 38K definitions for words you may not recognize while you're reading ($29.95, and yes, I thought that was quite pricey, but worth it for someone who is vocabulary-challenged like my intended recipient)

3. A cat-shaped iMark magnetic bookmark by Thinking Gifts, the tail of which keeps your place as you read ($4.99, handy and exceptionally cute.)

Btw, I also found a single version of the three boxed pop-up Snow Globe greeting cards I found at B&N yesterday; one small size was $6.95 and one large size (not quite as cute as the small size) was $8.95. So if you just want one instead of three, check your local BAM for it.

Today I'm adding to the Let It Snow tote a trade paperback copy of my YA novel After Midnight and an iMark cat bookmark to help the winner keep their place while reading it. As for the mystery addition, it's a new hardcover YA novel by a debut author. This one has gorgeous cover art that caught my eye, and the premise of the story sounded quite interesting, so much so that I bought two copies so I could add one to my own holiday TBR (look carefully at today's tote pic to spot the hint.)

If you'd like a chance to win this giveaway, in comments to this post tell us which YA book or author you think a teenager would really enjoy (or if you can't think of one, just toss your name in the hat.) I will draw one name at random from everyone who participates by commenting on this or any of my other Let It Snow giveaway posts from now until midnight EST on Wednesday, December 21, 2011, and send the winner the tote with all the contents. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

One Week Only

Although writers almost never have any input as to the cover price for our books, every now and then we're given the opportunity to participate in a reduced price sale that is not covered by the terms of our contract. I got my chance the other day when one of my publishers asked if they could nominate my YA title for just such a sale. I gave them the green light, and to make it a very good sale I suggested they go with the lowest price possible.

My publisher agreed, and the sales people picked my title, and everyone was okay with the big discount, so if you're a Kindle owner and would like to save 90% on the Kindle edition of my YA debut novel After Midnight, head over to the Kindle Store sale page and get it now for just $0.99. This sale is only good for the next week, so if you're interested don't wait too long.

Still 100% free for everyone: Dark of Heart, my e-book novella set in the After Midnight universe, which you can read online, download, print out and share for non-profit purposes.

YA to Read

(This was one of the posts that may or may not have appeared last week. If you commented on the original, your entry was permanently erased by the Great Blogger Fail, so please try again.)

I tend to avoid reading for pleasure in a genre that I'm actively writing in, but now that I'm finished book two of the Youngbloods trilogy (title to be announced once I get the green light from my publisher) and I've outlined book three I feel like I'm in the right place to start reading more YA. I've already invested in Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series, which looks quite promising, and I'm going to make myself read the final Twilight book so I know how that series ends.

I'd also like to get some author and title suggestions from you guys, so as a bribe I've stocked lovely tote from Coldwater Creek with a signed copy of After Midnight, along with unsigned hardcover copies of White Cat by Holly Black and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, and unsigned trade paperback copies of Vamped by Lucienne Diver, The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King, The Shape of Water by Anne Spollen, and Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie faria Stolarz.

If you'd like a chance to win this whole shebang, in comments to this post tell me which YA author, title and/or series you think I should read (or if you don't have a suggestion, toss your name into the magic hat) by midnight EST on FridaySaturday*, May 21, 2011. I'll pick one name at random from everyone who participates and send the winner the tote with all the books. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something at PBW in the past.

*Added: corrected the day of the week.

Cat Arrives Ten

Ten Reasons to Invest in My New Release, After Midnight

A New Venture: This is the first chance I've had to build a brand-new universe in quite some time. I really had fun with it, and I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Ad-Free PBW: I don't accept donations, advertising or any outside funding at all for PBW; everything I do here is paid for with income from my share of book sales. Thus when you buy one of my books, you provide direct support for the blog.

Cover Art: Will not lacerate your corneas, fry your retinas or otherwise cause temporary blindness (disclaimer: no guarantees if you choose to poke yourself in the eye with the book.)

Freebie Funding: If you enjoyed Dark of Heart or any of the other stories, novellas and novels that I give away for free online, buying my print novels is a great way to say thanks as well as to vote for more free stuff.

Getting Back to My Roots: Most of my early work was YA (mainly because I was a teen when I started writing novels.) Rediscovering that young voice inside me was terrific, and I'd like to do more of that.

None of the Usual Suspects: The story does not contain any alternate realities, castles, crystals, dragons, elves, magic spells, necromancers, new age ephemera, orcs, ogres, reincarnation, schools that would not qualify for state funding, secret societies, trolls, underworlds, warriors, werewolves, witches or wizards.

Print: The trade paperback edition does not require batteries, cables or downloading.

Storytelling: Writing this book was a serious challenge on multiple levels, and taught me a lot. That's the kind of thing that keeps me from becoming complacent or growing stagnant as a writer, and helps me write better books for you.

Teen-Friendly: If you've ever wanted your teenager to read something I've written, this is the book to give them.

Writing for the Future: Sales are the only job security a writer ever has. By investing in After Midnight, you insure I keep writing; it's as simple as that.

Talking Internet & YA

My sixteen year old daughter and I were sitting and talking after dinner tonight, and (as I sometimes do) I asked her what she was doing on the internet.

Her answers:

1. She was working on her history homework before she got online (she even unplugged the laptop and put it on her bed so she wouldn't be tempted.) She did turn on her desktop to listen to some music, got bored with homework, and went on Facebook.

2. She posted her status as lurking on Facebook = looking at other people's dramas and then laughing because she has none of her own.

3. A guy on Facebook asked her to go to his church.

4. Her brother came on Facebook and commented in reference to her status, "I know you're lying."

At least the kid is honest. I decided to start taking notes on our conversation, which evolved into this:

Kat: I want to send you some songs.

Me: About what?

Kat: Have you ever hear about this person who writes free music, I think the name is MindThings, he writes a bunch of instrumental songs that are really pretty. They're like ambient sounds that are like New Age music, no lyrics. I can't listen to songs with lyrics when I'm doing homework.

Me: Send them to me. What's the most surprising thing you saw on the internet this week?

Kat: I found the (Facebook) page for one of the most popular senior guy at my school. He suddenly posted that he's single and not going to Prom. Shocker! Got dumped right before Prom. Everyone feels so bad for him. I finally found out how to make a server for [her favorite online video game.] I went on Skype with [friend of a friend] and he talked me through how to do it.

Me: Did you see anything this week about books on the internet?

Kat: No advertisements. I saw some Amazon.com ads but I ran away from them. No, saw one ad circulating around for some kind of Twilight rip-off. Not interested.

Me: Do you know who Amanda Hocking is?

Kat: Who?

Me: Do you know which big chain bookseller declared bankruptcy?

Kat: Nope.

Me: What book are you reading right now, and what book do you want to read next?

Kat: Reading DotHacker now and I want to read Aion next (both are manga).

Me: Other than manga, what books do your friends talk about?

Kat: Most people in my grade don't talk about books. We're all about video games. Right now everyone is talking about 3DS -- it's the DS in 3-D. This sounds cool. Can you get me some 3-D glasses so I can use the 3-D option on [her favorite online video game]?

Me: Sure. Since you've been reading so much manga, what's your favorite?

Kat: Blood+ is my favorite manga of all time. It's so awesome because I can reread it and see new things each time. It's pretty gory, not like the nice manga I usually read.

Me: Tell me about the story.

Kat: This girl is the last descendant of a vampire, and she has to slay vampire-like monsters developed by the military, which escaped to Japan where she goes around slaying them. Her twin sister, who is like the opposite of her, is working with the monsters, so she knows she's going to have to kill her sister. The storyline is unique, this girl is fighting for her life and trying to stop the monsters and save the world.

Me: You know that's not really a unique storyline.

Kat: (makes a face at me.)

Me: What book would you want me to take you to the book store right now to buy -- any author, any book.

Kat: Chris D'Lacey. I'd go to the bookstore to get a new dragon book by him.

Me: Do you ever hear any other kids in school talking about books?

Kat: Some guys in my history class are always talking about that book you asked me about the last time we were at BAM.

Me: The Hunger Games.

Kat: Yeah, that one. (makes another face.) It doesn't sound like a girl book so I don't want to read it. Why are you writing all those notes?

Me: So I can make this into a blog post for other writers to read. Do you want to tell them what you want to read -- what sort of book?

Kat: No more Twilight ripoffs. So over Twilight. Anything with unique storylines, big plot twists, surprises but not too many because you get jerked around too much.

Me: What do you think will be the next big thing in books for kids your age?

Kat: Nobody at my school has heard of steampunk yet but I think all the gears and stuff are cool. That could be the next big thing.

Me: Any advice you want to give to YA authors?

Kat: Write a good book first. You can have a million ads and stuff on the internet but if your book is crap we won't read it. Write something really great and then kids will talk about it.

Unveiling the Youngbloods

This is the cover art for After Midnight, the first novel in my new YA trilogy for Flux. Here's a little about the story:

Sixteen-year-old Catlyn Youngblood isn’t happy about moving to Lost Lake, Florida. While she’s used to living a gypsy’s life with her brothers, there is something very odd about this small backwoods town. But Trick, her oldest brother and guardian, wants to settle down on their new farm and breed horses, and this time Cat may even have a chance to make some friends.

After a disastrous first day at school, Cat meets Jesse Raven, a boy who like her rides his horse after midnight. At first Jesse seems as unreceptive as the rest of Lost Lake, until Cat discovers he's just as lonely and friendless as she is. Troubling warnings to avoid the wealthy, reclusive Ravens worry Cat, as do more problems at school, but not enough to stop meeting Jesse.

Lost Lake is a town of many secrets, however, and when a terrifying attack exposes Cat and Jesse's friendship, their families go to extremes to separate them. Now Cat must unravel the tangled pasts of the Ravens and the Youngbloods so she can understand the strange connection that brought her and Jesse together -- and why someone is deliberately trying to tear them apart.

After Midnight will be hitting the shelves in May 2011.

Quickie Contest

For you YA writers out there, literary agent Nathan Bransford is holding a very cool contest on his blog for a signed copy of The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard plus the winner's choice of a query critique, partial critique, or 10 minute phone conversation/consultation/dish session with Nathan.

To have a chance at winning, contestants must: "Write the most compelling (fictional) teen diary entry. It may be a diary entry or an unsent letter, but it should be in a teen's voice" not longer than 500 words, and put it in comments to the contest post on Nathan's blog (see contest post for more details.)

Contest ends tomorrow "at 4:00 PM Pacific Time on Wednesday January 6th. Finalists will be announced Thursday morning, and you will have the opportunity to vote on the winner, which will be announced on Friday."

If you've got a great idea for a YA and you want to talk it over with an agent, this is definitely the contest for you.