Tag: YA lit

Book Club Preparations and a Shortage of Male YA Books

ByRachel August 15, 2009 1 Comment
Tonight I'm starting the curriculum for the Up and Writing Book Club. I'm a little sleepy, so much of this may not get done, but it'll at least be a start. I already have a book lined up for next month (I think--haven't read it yet, so it could turn out to be lame) but I want the month after next to be a YA fantasy geared more towards males, with a male protagonist. There's a shortage of those in...

Author Pics

ByRachel August 12, 2009 0 Comments
Got a round of pictures taken today for my web site. I needed a head shot to use for my site and as my profile pictures on Facebook, Twitter and other things. Hopefully the site and the picture will be up soon! I never knew taking pictures outdoors could be so complicated. We had trouble from sun, shadows, tombstones, wind, and a twig that wanted to poke my eyes out. For those who weren't here...

Young Adult Book Club Online

ByRachel August 11, 2009 6 Comments
So I'm going to try something new with this blog. I've been wanting to talk about the YA books Idiscovered this summer, but instead of inundating you with reviews for books you haven't read--I'm starting the Up and Writing online book club. Unlike regular book clubs which meet once a month, we're going to read each book in four segments and have weekly discussions right here at Up and Writing....

Cold-Calling Bookstores

ByRachel July 16, 2009 0 Comments
My stint of highly experimental book promotion tactics continued today as I began the first round of cold-calling bookstores to ask about hot-selling titles in YA fantasy. I called exactly nine stores and got a host of responses from the inventory staff/managers, ranging from a twenty-minute conversation to a curt declaration that "Vampires are big, and that's all I can tell you." Yes, vampires...

Old School Writing Style

ByRachel July 7, 2009 4 Comments
J. R. R. Tolkien had an old-school writing style. He studied mythology and Old English extensively, and his prose in Lord of the Rings reflects a high, mythic sound reminiscent of older books and stories. A sound I don't run into anymore in the world of literature. That is, until now. Imagine my surprise when I ran across a modern book (copywright 2002) with a high wordy sound like Tolkien, and...