Guest Post with Author Liz Coley

I am so excited to have fellow YA debut author Liz Coley here today! 

A little about Liz: As a preteen, Liz Coley was hooked on science fiction thanks to alien Tripods, space-time warping tesseracts, and a Martian maid named Thuvia. Her science fiction short stories appear in Cosmos Magazine and several print anthologies. While self-publishing the time travel/alternate history/Mayan end of the world novel OUT OF XIBALBA, Liz received “The Call” that all aspiring novelists dream of.

PRETTY GIRL-13, her debut novel with HarperCollins, will be published in the US and in nine translations on five continents in print, ebook, and audiobook formats.

(Bossy Karen side note: I don't use the word haunting to describe a book premise very often, but PRETTY GIRL-13? Haunting. Don't believe me? Go here and read the description. And then add it to your To-Read list. Done? Okay, come back and read the rest of this post.)

Liz lives in Cincinnati, OH with her husband, her teenaged daughter, and an elderly orange tabby by the fire. The older two boys have moved on to college and graduate school. When she isn't writing, Liz enjoys singing, photography, tennis, and cooking.

Today, Liz is sharing one of the most influential books of her life. (And it's time travel! Squeeee!):

"I have read more than 900 books in the 23 years since I started keeping a life list around mid-1989. That excludes my entire childhood (when I took piles home from the library), high school (when I read Harlequin romances faster than they could write them), college (when I took lit classes every semester), and graduate school (when I read my friend Loch’s massive sci-fi collection, five books a week). I’ve also read a few hundred books aloud to my kids over the years. For most of that time, believe it or not, I had no idea that I would become a writer.

In 1995, recently retired from hospital administration to be a stay-home mom with a three-year-old book lover and a one-year-old toddler, I first read The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. This wonderful novel had come out in 1992 and won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, sci-fi’s highest honors. The story combined alternate history and time travel, future Oxford University and the Black Death, comedy and deepest human tragedy. This is the single book that made me dedicate my efforts to becoming a writer, for real.

Up to that point, I had dabbled in short stories; I had taken a correspondence course with the Institute for Children’s Literature; I had won twelfth place in a contest with a 600-word story about a girl who pretends to be a cat; I had even completed one young-teen sci-fi novel manuscript (so that I wouldn’t waste my deathbed moments regretting not having tried). In 1995, Connie Willis inspired me to get serious, to submit my work for representation and publication, to hurry up and write another novel. How did she do this? It wasn’t that I imagined I could write an award winning novel like hers. It was that she provided a role model, a middle-aged woman like me starting a mid-life writing career. Shoot, I was only 33 and she had published her first novel at 42 and this miraculous breakout novel at 47. It wasn’t too late! I had loads of time.

As it turned out, I left 42 and 47 in the dust along the way to selling my first novel. But I kept my eye on the prize, my nose to the grindstone, and other hardworking clichés driven by three ideas. (1) I had to be more than the maker of the best macaroni and cheese and apple pie to my kids. (2) I wanted to offer my kids a living example of unremitting persistence in the face of failure and rejection. (3) Connie Willis started in mid-life and has been successful beyond measure in bringing amazing stories to the world. Why not aim so high?"

You can find Liz on twitter at @LizColeyBooks and on Facebook here. And at her website.

(Bossy Karen side note: But really? Go get the book.)

Pea-isms

Four is a fun age, linguistically. I'm able to have in-depth conversations with the Pea, and he's grasping nuances of the English language while still making adorable mistakes.

For instance, instead of "I need to get dressed," he says, "I need to get my dress on." No, child, I'm actually not raising you to be a cross-dresser.

And Han Solo pilots the "Millenium Falconon." Adorbs.

My personal favorite is the way he describes how challenging an activity is. "Mommy, I need your help with this puzzle. I'm hard at it. You're easy at it." And can I just say that whoever invented lenticular puzzles should be dragged out into the street and mangled?

It's gotten me thinking, though (a dangerous past time, I know). I'm walking through a stage in my writing right now that "I'm hard at." The words aren't coming easily, and when they do finally come, I fear they're the wrong ones. No, I know many, if not most, of them are the wrong ones. It's a first draft. It's supposed to be sucktastic. I realize that. But, still, I peer around, wondering if others are "easy at this." 

Then there's this huge looming deadline floating out in front of me. Not one assigned by any agent or editor (of which I have amazing ones, thank goodness). Nope. I have a tiny human being scheduled to arrive this spring, and something tells me he is going to have slightly less than zero respect for any writing schedule I set up. And I know that I'm going to be "hard at that," too, looking around and wondering how so many mom-writers seem to make it look as if they're "easy at that."

What it boils down to is something that one of my crit partners and I have had to text each other on what seems like a bi-weekly basis lately. Hey, Karen, show yourself some grace! This writing thing is hard. This Momming thing is hard. Together? HARD.

One thing I'm totally easy at right now? Downing leftover Super Bowl Ham & Swiss sliders.

See? Everybody has a hidden gift, even if it's definitely not working those dang lenticular puzzles.

Ridiculously Late Winner Post

My excuse reason for the lateness: insane amount of drafting. Insane.

Thankfully, the winner is abundantly lovely and gracious and forgiving.

So, without further ado, the winner of JB Lynn's Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman is:

Kimberly Loth

Yay, Kim!!!!

Okay. Back to my writing cave. Send chocolate.

An Embarrassingly Late Interview with JB Lynn

So this fall has been kind of interesting. As soon as I found out that JB Lynn's second book FURTHER CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN was coming out  I e-mailed her and said I wanted to do an interview with her in October to celebrate its release because I lurrrrved the first book so much. Let it be known that JB got the questions back to me uber-promptly. Because she is awesome that way. Way before October. In fact, in the beginning of September. In fact, a few days after I found out I was pregnant.

Yep. I'm preggers. Total shocker. Didn't think it could happen the easy way. Due next spring. It was a rough first trimester. I'm not quite ready to talk about it yet. What I am ready to talk about is JB Lynn's awesome books.

Without further ado, my interview with the fabulous JB Lynn (And a giveaway at the end!):

K: Thank you so much for doing the interview! 

JB: Thanks so much for having me, Karen.

(Ooh, see! Also really polite.) First, can you tell me a little about the series?

CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN is about the adventures, or more appropriately, the misadventures of Maggie Lee.

She is not your average hitwoman. For one thing, she’s never killed anyone. For another, after hitting her head in the car accident that killed her sister, her new best friend is a talking lizard—a picky eater, obsessed with Wheel of Fortune, that only Maggie can hear.

In order to help her injured and orphaned niece get the best medical care possible, she reluctantly accepts a mobster’s lucrative job offer: major cash to kill his monstrous son-in-law.

Paired with Patrick Mulligan, a charming murder mentor (who happens to moonlight as a police detective), Maggie stumbles down her new career path, contending with self-doubt, three meddling aunts, a semi-psychic friend predicting her doom, and a day job she hates. Oh, and let’s not forget about Paul Kowalski, the sexy beat cop who could throw her ass in jail if he finds out what she’s up to.

FURTHER CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN is the sequel, which is due out in October. Maggie, Godzilla and the rest of the gang are back for more shenanigans.

I'm going to admit, I was a teensy bit leery at first when I read that one of the characters is a talking lizard. But by the end, Godzilla (he goes by "God" for short) was absolutely my favorite character! What gave you the idea to write him?

God is one of my favorite characters too!  Since the stories are told in first person point of view, I wanted to give Maggie someone to talk things out with as she embarked on this crazy new life. He’s her confidante, her conscience, her friend, and the character who challenges her core beliefs. He can say the most outrageous things, which are all the more funny since he’s a lizard.

Is there anything you found surprising about writing a sequel? Either good or bad (or both).

The good: I already knew most of the characters and I got the chance to develop some of the secondary characters more.

The bad: Readers loved the first book so much I was TERRIFIED that I couldn’t make the second book as good a read.

The ugly truth: I’ve always envisioned this story as a three-part series. (Well, truth be told, I actually have ideas sketched out for nine books, but I could see wrapping up most of the issues raised in Book 1 by the end of Book 3.) So FURTHER is the middle part of the story and middles are ALWAYS the toughest part of a book for me to write.

What does your writing process look like? Any specific rituals or tics...y'know, anything neurotic? (Ha! Do you see what I did there?)

Clever, how you’ve managed to ask if I’m neurotic. The answer is a resounding, YES! ;-)   I’m constantly convinced that what I’m writing is complete and utter garbage and no one is ever going to read it, and yet, I don’t give up writing. Crazy, right?

I’m a plotter. I won’t start a book without knowing how it ends. Before I begin to write, I plot out all the big moments or turning points on these crazy graphs that would make no sense to anyone else. I usually write my first drafts by hand, in purple ink, in a spiral notebook. When I get really stuck I cover my dining room table with my story laid out on index cards.

Okay, random question time:

What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?

I distinctly remember eating a lot of clover when I was a kid.

If you had to give up one product you use on a daily basis, what would you choose?

Ooooh, that’s a really tough question. Can I say each day’s third pot of coffee?

Cupcake or Ice Cream?

Pie!

Sherlock: Benedict Cumberbatch or Robert Downey Jr.?

Benedict. His accent is better.  Besides, I’m a huge fan of SHERLOCK’s producer Steven Moffat, for what he’s done with Doctor Who.

(See? How can you not love her?)

Besides being a writer, JB Lynn is a compulsive reader, a runner (of sorts), an enthusiastic cook (who doesn't get the appeal of the Food Network), and someone who has an irresistible urge to eavesdrop at all times.

For more information about JB and her books, visit: http://jblynn.com

To (belatedly) celebrate Further Confessions' release, I will be giving away a copy of Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman to one lucky reader. All you need to do is leave a comment with your e-mail address and the most neurotic thing you've ever done. :)

Let The Merriment Begin

Some people trim the tree the day after Thanksgiving.
Others watch a slew of holiday films while they nosh on leftover turkey.
Well, it's not an Akins Christmas until we watch this:

Why I Love YA

by Karen Akins

Seriously. I feel like I'm about to start a high school essay, but isn't that kind of apropos?

For me, the love of YA is actually more of a newfound thing. I didn't read YA back in my teen years (not that there was as much to choose from). Back in the 90's, this was my idea of YA:

And there is NOTHING wrong with Sweet Valley High. Or any contemporary long-running series. Don't get me wrong. I just discovered Jane Austen and Agatha Christie and the Brontes in ninth grade, and they kind of got a hammerhold on my heart. (Still have one.)

It wasn't until I was 9 months pregnant with the Pea that I rediscovered YA. IN THE MOST TRAUMATIC WAY POSSIBLE. One of my friends suggested I read the Twilight series (the fourth book was about to come out). I trusted her taste, so I said, "Sure, why not?"

And, yes, I got sucked into the story. Into the characters. It was fun, putting myself in Bella's shoes and reliving those raw teenage emotions again.

And then out comes Book 4.

Did I mention I was 9 months pregnant with my first child?

My first child that I was about to GIVE BIRTH TO.

I pretty much called my friend the second I was done reading the hybrid-vampire-baby-worst-c-section-ever scene and screamed, "What the WHAT??"

And she reassured me that despite the fact that he was indeed draining every drop of energy out of me like a hybrid-vampire-baby, the Pea was not actually a hybrid-vampire-baby. (He was, however, 10 freaking pounds at birth.)

And then the Pea arrived and he didn't sleep a lot. Which meant I didn't sleep a lot. And he was ten pounds, which meant he wanted to eat ALL THE TIME.

So I picked up another YA book while I was feeding him.

And I loved that one. And another. And another.

I loved the pace. I loved the energy and the undercurrent of hope.

Then I said, "Hey, I've always had story ideas swirling around in my head...what if I actually tried to write a book?"

So I did.

And, that, dear friends, is why I love YA.
<3

Also, I love Beth Revis. And I love Beth Revis's books.

And I LOVE her giveaways.

Edgy? Clean? Writing Across Genre Divides

Y'all, y'all, y'all. I cannot tell you how excited I am to interview the fabulous Laurel Garver today! She's a longtime bloggy friend, incredibly talented, and she's in the middle of a blog tour (or ramble, as she likes to call it) to celebrate the release of her book Never Gone. (Not to be confused with the 2005 Backstreet Boys album)

When we were discussing what topic to cover, I jumped all over this one. Every writer I know whose faith is central in their life struggles with this issue at one time or another. I've known CBA writers who are frustrated because their work was deemed too secular, and general market writers who are frustrated because they have to sneak in any faith issues. Today, Laurel agreed to talk about her personal journey finding a balance. And I'm going to stop talking because she says it so much better than I can:

What is your novel Never Gone about?
A grieving teen believes her dead father has come back as a ghost to help her reconcile with her estranged mother.
That’s my most brief synopsis. My favorite synopsis is the trailer (Karen's note: mine, too):
How did this story lead you to cross genre boundaries?
This is a grief story that happens to involve a ghost. So there's a supernatural element, even though my overall approach is like most YA contemporary issue books, including a romantic subplot. As I wrote, I found it impossible not to address the spiritual questions that always come up when a person is grieving — about the nature of life and of a higher power. I also don’t shy away from the authentic emotional rawness of feeling bereft and furious about the loss. The trouble is, secular publishers want the ghosts and grit without God, while religious publishers want God without the grit and ghosts.

What has your experience been with genre divides?
Mash-ups have become the new trend in YA literature, according to this article in Publisher’s Weekly. Increasingly readers (and publishers) are interested in books that cross former genre divides, especially if it involves some fantastical element.
But there are some divides publishers will not yet cross. The secular vs. Christian market divide remains a huge one. The more I’ve researched, the more I see sides becoming polarized. It’s rare to see people of faith portrayed positively in secular books, or if they are, the spiritual content is downplayed. You might have a single mention of a character attending church, but little evidence that faith informs how they think or live the other six days of the week. On the other side, Christian publishers’ already-strict content guidelines are becoming even more rigid, as evidenced in this article from a Christianity Today blog.

How did the issue impact your publishing path?
I realized that a wide no-man’s land has opened in the publishing landscape — where works by authors like Charles Williams, Evelyn Waugh, Walker Percy, Susan Howatch, and others used to be welcome. Their stories don’t shy away from the darker aspects of life, and because of that, the faith expressed is more profound because of its willingness to get dirty.
Today, this gap is largely being filled by small presses and self-published authors. Coming to grips with that reality was something of a grieving process for me. I concluded that walking away from both sides — essentially refusing to take sides — seemed for me the best way to be faithful to the kinds of stories I’m called to tell.

You call Never Gone’s genre “YA edgy inspirational.” What does that mean?
It means Christian in outlook, but with mature, challenging situations. “Edgy” here is not what mainstream publishers mean by the term — they’re generally talking content and language that would earn an R rating if it were a film. My story is “edgy” compared to other books in the Christian book market. It breaks a lot of their rules. My main character Danielle is Anglican, not nondenominational. Several chapters are set in an English pub, the hub of village life. The teen characters don’t imbibe alcohol, but the adults do.

Does that mean Never Gone is actually clean YA?
It depends on what you mean by “clean.” If you mean no foul language, graphic violence, drug use, underage drinking, or sex, then yes. By those standards, it’s cleaner than most mainstream contemporary YA, including Sarah Dessen’s books or even Sara Zarr’s.
But if by “clean,” you mean “Could I give it to a precocious eleven-year-old?” then I’d have to say maybe not (depends on the kid, and how protective the parents). The story is intended for ages 14 and up because it deals with difficult emotions, as well as tough situations in Danielle’s family. Dani also does some risky, foolish things and deals with predatory men. At its heart, the story encourages kids to understand their parents as complete people, with complex pasts that shape who they are now—an idea not quite developmentally appropriate for elementary-aged kids.

Laurel Garver is a magazine editor, professor’s wife and mom to an energetic fourth grader. An indie film enthusiast and incurable Anglophile, she enjoys geeking out about Harry Potter and Dr. Who, playing word games, singing, and mentoring teens at her church.
Add Never Gone on Goodreads. Read a sample chapter.
It is available as an ebook and a paperback at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, CreateSpace.