Shattering Glass by Gail Giles
Name Change!
We have been notified that Invictus Verbum is improper latin. It’s also not an easy to say or spell name.
If anybody has any suggestions for themes or a name, please post a comment! You can browse themes here.
Some ones of interest: Pixeled (test), Magic Blue (test), DeepBlue (test), Asusena (test), and Aurora (test).
We also needed a new forum style, but I think the one that’s up now is okay. You can browse them here.
For those who didn’t know, this blog/forum was, for a brief period, called Invictus Verbum [sp], and was ninjariffic. Then the honeymoon period was over and Aella and Medeia left and it died. Then we tried to adopt the BPL TAB, but … *rants for hours* … so we’re now in need of a name, a purpose, and people…
-Aletheia
Web Publishing with L. Lee Lowe
We asked Mr. Lowe to write a bit about why he publishes his books online, and here’s what he said:
My YA fantasy novel Mortal Ghost was originally serialized in weekly installments from a blog, together with regular podcasts read by Bill Uden, a young British theatre and directing student. Now the novel is available in its entirety online, as a PDF download, in various e-formats, including for cellphone, and as a complete set of podcasts.
Though there are still print serialisations, I think the internet lends itself perfectly to this form. A number of potential readers have said they don’t like reading fiction – reading for enjoyment – on a screen. Others, however, have expressed surprise that they kept coming back week after week. I wonder if it’s the very waiting which helped maintain interest. All too often the book read quickly last year, or last month, has also been quickly forgotten. With a serialisation the reader learns to engage in a different way with a story. It’s become something of a truism that online reading is hurried and superficial, but it’s also possible that a slower pace – akin to rationing your imported chocolate truffles rather than gobbling them down all at once – involves the reader more intensely in the process.
Of course, this would apply both to print and online serialisations. What distinguishes the online medium for me is the immediate feedback from readers, and the sense of kinship between reader and writer which can develop. It’s a real pleasure to be in touch with readers from places I need to look up on a map, though in all honesty I have to admit to revising very little based on reader feedback. In fact, I rewrite and edit extensively before posting a word, but still appreciate the opportunity to fiddle forever, if need be.
Conventional publishing is a business. The internet guarantees my independence from market considerations, though it means a trade-off in other ways: fewer readers, perhaps; the stigma of failure; and absolutely no way to make a living by writing. But it also means empowerment: I can write exactly as I see fit.
At the centre of my work is a strong conviction in open culture, freely available to all.
And there some readers who have told me they like to snatch a look in breaks at work, where they might not be inclined to pull out a book, something that never even occurred to me when I began.
At the moment I’m revising my new F/SF novel Corvus, which I hope to begin serializing and podcasting online in autumn. It’s set in a slightly alternate future in which the minds of teen offenders are uploaded into computers on the pretext of rehabilitation – a form of virtual wilderness therapy. The novel is part thriller, part love story, part riff on the nature of consciousness. The first chapter is available here: http://corvus-lowe.blogspot.com
Thanks, and we look forward to reading Corvus!
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Little Brother is a thrilling dystopian novel about a geeky teen whose life is totally changed when he is arrested by the Department of Homeland Security.
Marcus is a 17 year old hacker. He and some friends play Harajuku Fun Madness, an adventure/puzzle game both online and in “RL”, or Real Life. He is sitting in school one day when he gets a notice on his phone that there is a new clue in the game. He convinces some friends to skip the rest of school with him to go and try to get an early start on the clue.
They are getting close to the clue when they hear a massive explosion and the civil alarms start going off. They follow the crowd, trying to get underground, but then decide that all of these people are not going to fit and turn back. On the way out of the mob one of the posse, Darryl, is stabbed by some random person. The group is by a bench outside the subway station trying to flag down help for Darryl when a humvee stops and masked men hop out and tie up and bag all of them.
Marcus is held in a military prison on an island for about a week, and interrogated daily. He is forced to tell them all of his passwords and everything about him.
When he is finally released a week later, with basically a death threat if he tells anyone about the prison. He tells his parents that he was stuck in a quarantine area. He does not immediately realize that Darryl was never released, and possibly killed.
When he sets out to take down the DHS you can tell that it will be an interesting story.
The really cool thing about this book is that everything in it is real – the arphids, the cameras, the encryption, The Onion Router (TOR)…
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes technology and dystopian fiction. (or nonfiction…)
This book gets 8.5 out of 9 shurikens.
-Aletheia
PS. There are some, uh, “mature” parts.
The Explosionist by Jenny Davidson
Think of a place where the supernatural is very very real.Think of a place where you are cautioned to stay out of crowds, for fear of bombings.Imagine a time where suicide machines are looked at as the norm.
It’s at one of her aunt’s Friday night séances that fifteen year old Sophie is terrified beyond all belief.The medium directs a mystifying prophecy at Sophie, one that eventually sucks in her best friend Mikael.
Mikael agrees to investigate the baffling message from the medium, tracks her down, arranges a meeting, and was there at the time of her horrifying murder.
Now the threat of a terrorist organization, The Brothers of the Northern liberties, the creepy guy who has been following her, the horrors of IRYNS, an organization her aunt has helped to found, Mikael’s occasional anger, the teasing of her boarding school friends, and of course the mystery of the medium’s murder are all bearing down on her.
This is a tough book to summarize without leaving out any of the captivating plot.It’s loads of fun to read.It has ideas that most of us don’t even dream of.It has some truly fun scenes, and a bit of fawesomeful terror thrown in.
Almost all the characters are really likeable.The bad guys are cloaked with good intentions.It has great descriptions of a time and place that is so wildly different than our own.What could be more awesome?
The problem is that the ending just doesn’t feel *finished*. I turned the last page, and just couldn’t understand how that could happen!It ends with a shocking realization, and then, it’s OVER.Luckily, it *screams* sequel.
I’d totally recommend this book to anyone.Especially if you like alternate realities and chick lit, this is the book you need.
8 out of 9 wicked awesome shurikens.
And isn’t that cover famazing?!
In the fog…
Kiri Vehemens
Oh, and it comes out July 1.
The Summoning by Lynne Ewing
Those of you who are familiar with my posting on anything ever are familiar with the fact that I try to be really nice. Even if the book is rather horrible I will try to find some sort of redeeming factor that takes the edge off of my review. But what do you do when there is no redeeming factor other than the cover? In my case, I try to offer valid reasons for a negative review. I hope you will stick with me on this.
The Summoning jumps right into its plot from the first page. Young Sudi doesn’t understand why she keeps sleepwalking out of the house every night, and its becoming a problem. But that’s the last thing on her mind the next day at school when she finds a note in her locker directing her towards the Sky Terrace, a lovely little cafe-esque area nearby. She can only think of one person who would send it. Scott- her secret crush. But when she arrives at the Terrace, there is a surprise in store. She is unfamiliar with the young man who greets her, introducing himself as Abdel. With him are two unfamiliar faces, Meri (the daughter of a presidential candidate) and Dalila (a book chic girl secure in her future as an heir). Abdel has brought them together to explain their duty to the earth. They must awaken their ancient powers of transformation and courage, handed down by the pharaohs of their ancestry, and defeat the evil forces that would bring their world to its knees.
Sudi accepts her fate with few qualms. It does not seem at all out of the ordinary to her that a strange man appear to her and reveal a dark history of magic and mystery that she’d never known of before. It is the same with the other girls. And there is no reaction time between that strange meeting and when the three girls become fast friends (nothing in common other than their afternoon at the Terrace) defeating demons left and right on the streets.
I could not relate at all to the characters. It seemed that the plot wanted so very badly to be done and over with in as few pages as possible, that it completely disregarded any resemblance to character development. Sudi was just as unlikable and impetuous in the end as she was at the beginning. And no hope for the other protagonists either. Dalila was so withdrawn and full of her new and important role to the earth that I could hardly stand reading for her. Meri was so prideful she was vain and all three characters came off as overwritten.
The plot was not much better. I could barely comprehend what was happening. One moment the girls see each other on the street and the next they are sprinting away from Anubis, although I couldn’t be certain as to why Anubis was in downtown Washington, DC. Or how he got there. But I suppose everything is easier when you’re a god *sigh*. Besides that, there was no serious background and I spent every page trying to get my feet under me on characters, places, creatures, and some spattered name-dropping. It was a little like reading a sequel, although I am sure this is the first of the Sisters of Isis series.
Now for redeeming features. When Lynne Ewing takes the time to truly write for a character’s description, she does an excellent job and I enjoyed the few times she did. Another plus was a completely gorgeous cover, which drew me to the story in the first place. Unfortunately, these are not enough to redeem this short novel. If anything, I would recommend it to a younger audience, although some experiences directed towards adolescents might ruin it for them. My apologies for such a frustrated and harsh review. I hope I have given reason enough for the outcome.
2 out of 9 wicked awesome shurikens (Eep!).
Incognito,
Kyoko Fanwhist
The Wizard Heir
The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima was extremely enjoyable, especially if you’ve read the companion novel, The Warrior Heir.
The Wizard Heir follows the likable character Seph. He doesn’t have a family, not even a real home. He just gets shipped from school to school.He finds a place where he’s happy. But he looses control of powers he didn’t know he had. And before you know it, the poor guy is off to a new school, The Havens.
The Havens is weird. And dangerous. The other kids are either afraid of him, or one of his “brothers.” He is emotionally and mentally tortured.
But yet more twists and turns in this delightful plot occur. You never know what is going to happen next, and you can really feel Seph’s pain.
The supporting characters were either kind or evil in perfect amounts.
No complaints.
I give it 8 out of 9 wicked awesome shurikens.
In the Fog…
Kiri Vehemens
Yet another interview, because we are just that awesome.
Yeah, we are totally interviewing Cynthia Davis. We know you’re jealous. Author of The Chrysalis, and Drink the Rain, she wrote all of this HERSELF. Seeing a trend here?
As a YA author, you spend a lot of time writing about high school life. What were you like in high school?
I was a late bloomer, of sorts. A caution-to-the-wind kind of gal with a flair for the dramatic and a penchant for impulsive road trips during school hours. I wasted a lot of time on stuff that just didn’t matter that much. Everything revolved around boys. All of my upbeat journal entries gushed over being noticed by some guy. The more frequent, “downer” entries lamented over being rejected by the guy in the prior entry or perceived slights from friends. I was pretty insecure and seriously in need of perspective.
My nephew considers these stories to be of the same ilk as Paul Bunyan and his Big Blue Ox, but I stand by these statements as fact. Does it matter that the lions were cubs roaming playfully through the lodge of a South African game farm? I think not—they pounced, cloth flew, and I have the tattered remains of a sweatshirt to prove it. And would my gunfire story suffer a loss of veracity if you knew that they weapons were under the command of the Mexican military on routine target practice just outside their base? Of course not! Guns were brandished, and I fled. As I’m sure you’ll agree, I just stuck to the facts without embellishment or sensationalism.
The Chrysalis started as chapter-a-week postings on a website I hosted at the time. Teens I knew and teens I met online left comments on a message board that dictated the direction of the story. At first, it was just for fun, but I quickly realized I was onto something that could be a lot bigger than an online amusement with a few friends. Because of the fun and success I had with that project, I decided that my upcoming book, Snapshots, should unfold online as well. I just put the website up (http://www.runningwithletters.com), so it’s the perfect time to get in on the ground floor. Here’s how it works: I’ll be posting installments of the book-in-progress with hopes that readers will leave feedback on the discussion board: tell me when something works, and when it just misses the mark. Give me ideas for what you think should happen next. Suggest new characters, write in a role for yourself, or just cheer me on! The names of our entire “team” of contributors will be published when the book is done.
Camp Edson was the setting for my first book, The Chrysalis, and the things that happened to my character at camp led her to Africa in the second book, Drink the Rain. I think that format—a life changing summer at camp, and a sequel built on the results of those changes—kind of a series within a series—is something that can be replicated many times over. My vision is to send a lot of characters to Camp Edson over the years…characters with diverse interests, problems, and personalities. Over time, hopefully everyone will be able to relate a character in a Camp Edson book!
Remember Frog and Toad from the storybooks, and the time they made these cookies that were so wonderful they couldn’t stop eating them? That was one of my son’s favorite stories. One afternoon, I left my writing to spend time with my son—abandoning a character who was in the process of baking chocolate chip cookies. After reading the Frog and Toad cookie episode to my son, he wondered aloud what kind of cookies they must have been eating to cause such a fuss. Next thing I knew, we were in the kitchen concocting this wonderful recipe chock full of chocolate, peanut butter, oatmeal and a few other great things (the recipe is posted on my website if you really want to know) and when I returned to my writing my character wasn’t baking chocolate chip cookies anymore. Frog and Toad Cookies are a lot more interesting.
A recent conversation between me and my character, Christina, illustrates my favorite part of the writing process. I’ll let you eavesdrop:
Christina: That thing that happens in Drink the Rain, on page 235, that all the readers seem to be so upset about—why? That was one of the hardest things I ever did. It might turn out to be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Why did it have to be this way?
Me: Christina, that was all you. I discovered long ago that I can’t make you do anything. I used to think I was in control every time my fingers hit the keyboard, but you have a way of taking over the story every time.
Christina: I guess that must make your job kind of hard.
Me: It’s kind of the opposite, actually. Writing is most fun when I’m surprised by my own work. When you start doing your own thing, that’s when I know I’m onto something—that I’ve brought a well-rounded person to life, not just some words on a flat page.
Christina: Glad I could help. Now what do about page 235?
Me: I have no idea, but I’ll be right here to record it when you figure it all out.
Christina (deflated): Thanks a lot.
Me: Glad I could help.
Making toys from trash. The children in Africa make these great cars out of coke cans, broken metal and scraps of junk—in short, rubbish. It’s not only a practical skill for a third world kid, it’s a wonderful metaphor for way I’d like to approach life.
One of the “rules” they always teach at writing seminars is to “write what you know.” I never would have been able to write about Africa had I not had the opportunity to go there and see things we have no concept of here in the USA. Before Africa, I never would have believed that there really are fast food restaurants with no garbage cans, that waste is left on the counter and immediately claimed as dinner by hungry people waiting patiently outside. Before Africa, I had no way of knowing that there are children who have never seen a box of crayons, and are frightened to tears by them. Like most people, I read about AIDS and unemployment, but didn’t understand how the cycle of poverty promotes the power of both. Although my understanding about these realities equates to nothing more than a snapshot, it’s still a picture I can share with my readers: see, here’s another view of the world, what can you do to change this image?
Jumping to hasty and ill-founded conclusions, her lack of coordination, and her love for theater are all traits she inherited from me. Her focus on her studies, mostly levelheaded perspective on the opposite sex, and her tendency to make (mostly) good choices are qualities inspired by many teens I’ve been blessed to know and talk with. In the words of one of the girls on my advisory panel, Christina is “a little bit of all of us.”
That the world is a big place, and we all have a role to fill. That decisions are important and today’s choices determine tomorrow’s opportunities. Most importantly, that each of us is here for a reason, and that life’s greatest adventure is discovering why.
Yeah. She’s pretty much made of AWESOME.
In the fog…
Kiri Vehemens
P.S. Because we know you’ll be wanting to look her up, check out runningwithletters.com
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Bet you didn’t think I’d show, eh? Well, the other ninjas are still out there, having been somewhat involved in a highly sensitive and dangerous mission. But now that we have returned there is sure to be a great deal of review and book-related posting for your enjoyment in the near future.
It is a very rare occurrence that I cry in movies (Dragonheart is the key exception), but the odd book never fails to draw out the wellsprings of Kyoko in truth. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac was one of those books.
Naomi Porter has the kind of life where everything seems to happen at the same time and it is difficult to discern whether things are going well or not-so-well. She’s even uncertain whether the complete loss of her memory due to a tragic fall is an improvement to her existence. It certainly has complicated matters. Suddenly, Naomi Porter isn’t sure who she is/who she was/who she wants to be. Her jock boyfriend is sweet, but just not her type (whatever that means). Her once friends aren’t as nice as she thought they were. James, a boy with “issues” fills her thoughts out of nowhere. Plus: dealing with a divorce she’s forgotten, a marriage she never knew was going to take place, and a rapidly transforming range of interests, Naomi may never be as she was before. But does she really want to be?
Masterfully written and disturbingly realistic, Memoirs was a beautiful novel (with a cool cover). All characters were believable, set in the school everyone goes to, in the town everyone knows, with rumors so familiar you could swear Gabrielle Zevin had personally been digging up dirt on Where-You-Live, {insert country here}. Naomi’s plight raises all sorts of questions as you read, probably the most prevailing of which is: If you could reinvent yourself, who would you be?
But of course, even great books have their flaws. For readers who tend to steer away from probing and psychological books, Zevin’s creation is probably not the best selection. Happening to like that kind of book, my greatest qualm was with the main character herself. I can understand that coming out of amnesia would be difficult, but “Curse you, girl. Can’t you see he loves you? *slaps forehead*” For some reason, postponing a clear statement as to what is already obvious irritated me. All the same, the ultimate plot and feel of the book made up for the elements that I was not fond of.
6.5 out of 9 shurikens. (What can I say? I’m a harsh grader.)
Slowly Recovering from Super-Secret Mission,
Kyoko Fanwhist
Another interview! With Dianne Salerni!
This interview was an amazing expierence for me. Mainly…because the supernatrual scares me. I am not being a wimp here…well yeah…I am. I couldn’t watch Casper the FRIENDLY ghost for years. And I have a not so great expierence with Ouiji boards. But dude…this interview was wicked awesome.
Especially because we didn’t ask the questions. The author, Dianne Salerni, wrote the entire thing. How’s that for nine kinds of fawesome?
Kate Fox, 19th century teenage spirit medium, interviews
Dianne K. Salerni, author of High Spirits: A Tale of Ghostly Rapping and Romance
Kate: I am told that you have written a novel in which my sister Maggie and I are characters. What do you, a twenty-first century schoolmarm-turned-author, know about the lives of two simple, ordinary girls of the mid-nineteenth century? And what gives you the right to profit from our tale?
Dianne: Kate, as near as I can tell, you were never simple or ordinary! You were a charmingly clever young trickster with a remarkable talent for wrapping people around your little finger! I first came across the story of you and your sister, Maggie, while researching séances for a completely different project. I was immediately fascinated with your story: Two girls claim that their house is haunted by the ghost of a murdered peddler, supposedly buried in their basement, and furthermore, the girls apparently have the ability to communicate with the spirit! What begins as a spooky little ghost story blossoms into something much larger when their older sister, Leah, discovers that people will pay to have the girls communicate with dead relatives. The séance is invented, and the movement of Spiritualism sweeps across America, propelling the two girls into nationwide celebrity! I found the story irresistible! And as for profit, Kate, that’s been a bit thin so far!
Kate: What is this “séance” you speak of? I do not know the word.
Dianne: You called them spirit circles. The word séance came into use many years later, after you had made spiritualism famous. But you invented them – you and your sisters. People sit in a darkened room, holding hands and listening for ghostly raps and other signs of the presence of dead spirits. The tables tip; the candles go out, and perhaps a cold ghostly hand will touch someone’s cheek. Your sister Leah even used an early version of the Ouija board to translate messages from the spirits. Today, people still visit mediums, or psychics, to seek advice or to receive messages from beyond our world.
Kate: So belief in spirit communication lived on past my life and continues even now. I am gratified to learn this, but why, then, would young people of your own twenty-first century be interested in reading about me and my sister? Surely, they would find our lives strange and foreign to their modern world! Do you mean to belittle us?
Dianne: I think teenagers today will be surprised to find how much they have in common with you. You and Maggie began the entire enterprise out of boredom and dislike for a houseguest. It was originally just a practical joke, designed to scare your guest into leaving. Because of this prank, however, you and Maggie became celebrities – famous across the country – and along the way, you hobnobbed with the rich and famous, narrowly avoided being assaulted as witches, and invented a new religion. During your rise to fame, you sometimes behaved as badly as our teenage stars do today. Sadly, Kate, you abused alcohol and morphine, which in later years led to your downfall. Meanwhile, Maggie was tormented by the guilt of deceiving grieving people for money, but could not find a way to escape from her lies. You loved the attention, and Leah loved the money. Poor Maggie was trapped. Of course, there were different social mores in the 1850’s which restricted women in ways that modern girls will find hard to believe. You had no means of making a living besides your spirit hoax, and your profession as spirit mediums damaged the respectability you needed to attract a good husband.
Kate: You know perfectly well that the morphine was used for medicinal purposes! You needn’t cast a shadow on my reputation for that! What makes you so certain that I was a fraud? Here you are, speaking to me now – although I am undeniably dead — and yet you consider yourself a skeptic?
Dianne: I am a skeptic, and I do believe that most psychics and mediums are mere tricksters and magicians. Besides, Maggie confessed to fraud in 1888 and demonstrated to an audience at the New York Academy of Music how she created your famous “rapping” noises. In addition, Maggie’s letters to her suitor, Dr. Kane, demonstrate her great emotional torment over the deceptions. As for you, Kate, I admit I have my doubts. You were the more mysterious of the pair, and I cannot state for certain that you did not have some paranormal abilities. In the final pages of the book, I reveal some facts which suggest that you did have some uncanny talents. I leave it to the reader to make his or her own judgment.
Kate: If I was so mysterious and fascinating, why did you make Maggie the main character of your novel?
Dianne: I sympathized more with Maggie. She was led into a life she would not have chosen for herself by your love of skullduggery and Leah’s thirst for wealth. And besides, Maggie is the one who had a romance with a dashing and heroic celebrity explorer!
Kate: Ah, the illustrious Dr. Elisha Kent Kane! Tell me, is he still revered and respected in your time for his heroic exploits?
Dianne: Kate, somehow I don’t think you will be surprised to learn that Dr. Kane is as obscure and forgotten today as he was famous in your own day. In the 1850’s, he was Jeff Corwin, Orlando Bloom, and Carl Sagan all rolled into one. He was an action hero before there were action movies – a war hero, a doctor, a scientist, and an Arctic explorer. Today, he’s a nobody. I have taught fifth graders about world explorers for 19 years, and even I never heard of him until I started researching Maggie Fox!
Kate: So it was all for nothing, then? All his great adventures and discoveries vanished into mist … It serves him right for the way he treated my sister.
Dianne: I thought you’d see it that way. You’re not so different from today’s girls after all, Kate!
Kate: I suppose I had better ask where your modern young readers can acquire this book which portrays me as a conniving trickster and my sister as an innocent fool.
Dianne: What a sport! High Spirits can be ordered at Amazon, your local bookstore, or a bunch of friends can swamp the desk at the local library with requests for them to order it! I also have a website where readers can learn more about the Fox sisters: www.HighSpiritsBook.com. Thanks, Kate, for returning from “the beyond” for this interview!
Kate: There’s more to “the beyond” than you know. Skeptic or not, Dianne, you have not finished your explorations of the supernatural. We will see you on the other side … or in your next book.
Your friendly neightborhood ninja,
In the fog…
Kiri Vehemens
Drama!!
Reed Brennan’s friends are being killed.
When I picked up this book I thought to myself, do I really want to do this again? Do I really want to plunge into the dramas and deaths of a private school on the east coast? Do I really want to read Private, by Kate Brian? The answer? A resounding yes. How could I not? But while reading, I thought what it would be like to be Reed. And man, it would suck.
First her boyfriend, Thomas, who happened to be the best friend of her current boyfriend, Josh, is brutally murdered. Then, a threat on her own life is made. Followed by the icing on the cake, a member of Reed’s house, Billings Hall, takes her own life. Cheyenne leaves a suicide note, just one. Or so everyone thinks. But Reed knows better. Even after Cheyenne’s death, she’s getting emails from Cheyenne’s account. First they come once a week, then once every hour.
Ignore the note. You did this to me. You ruined my life.
Can you say drama? But wait, there’s more. The other girls elect Reed president of Billings Hall. Now, she’s the most powerful girl in school. She has an account at all the best stores. Everyone else is tripping over themselves trying to get on her good side. She’s got dirt on everyone. There is nothing she cannot have. And she’s faced with the biggest burden Easton Academy has had to deal with in years. Every other school has been invited to the exclusive Legacy, a party for all the 3rd generation private school go-ers. Except Easton, and it’s up to Reed to fix it while keeping her boyfriend who doesn’t like the Billings girls at all.
Don’t let the cover get you down. Legacy was fawesome. Think murder mystery among the most priveleged minors in the country. Scandalous. The characters are so real. You will find yourself wanting to murder Dash, one of Reed’s friends. You’ll wonder if Noelle, who was formerly expelled, really knows what she wants and you might even greive Cheyenne’s loss.
But, I must say, it wasn’t as good as its prdecessors. There wasn’t as much going on. The dramas weren’t as intense as before, but with this author, who knows? I suppose it’s only a matter of time. The next book in the riveting Private Series is Ambition, out in May.
7 out of 9 wicked awesome shurikens. Yeah. 7.
In the fog…
Kiri Vehemens
Can you say DULL?
Yes, dearest readers, it is true. The Internet is rotting our minds. The proof? Ttyl, by Lauren Myracle. This disgustedly overdone novel follows three obnoxious friends through the trials of 10th grade. The worst part is that 2 of the 3 are drama queens.Zoe is in denial about her creepy pedophile ish teacher hitting on her…until its almost too late. But she’s way too quiet. Slapping some sense into her is clearly the only solution.
Angela is obsessed with fashion and boys. She’s your typical “LYK! OMG! I’M SO BLONDE!!!” Type of girl. Her screenname is SnowAngel, if that tells you anything. *makes gagging motion*
Maddie is dark and anti-social, most of the time. Before Jana, the queen bee, took an interest in her she was a lot like some of us, giving the world the finger and fighting the establishment. But before you know it she’s just another clone.
But what happens when things with Zoe’s teacher go to far? And Angela is seriously heartbroken over the most loserful of loser guys. Maddie is starting to think that Jana is really not so bad. That’s when things really start spinning out of control. Their friendship is falling apart. Spats break out over nothing at all. How can any friendship survive so much twisting and turning and tugging and fighting?
And when Maddie seriously screws it all up I couldn’t help but think it was all over…
The author tries to make it real. But she tries too hard. Everything is waaay overdone.
Don’t read this book if you wish to be entertained. In fact, don’t read this book at all. If you see it coming, run screaming. Ninja or not, you cannot escape the horrors bound within these pages.
4 out of 9 wicked awesome shurikens. But I’m being generous.
In the fog…
Kiri Vehemens
Maelstrom Books Blog
WHAT???
WHAT’S THAT??? YOU HAVEN’T HEARD???
Oh dear. That is indeed stressing news. I suppose I’ll have to tell you then.
The single most awesome bookblogging site out there (Besides IV of course) is The Maelstrom. ‘Tis run by the best people you could find -
Aella Siofra and Medeia Senka!!!!
So go there. I’m not kidding. maelstrombooks.blogspot.com
(Expect a review soon. I was just loaded down with birthday money and bought loads of books.)
-Kiri
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is a master. You may not know it. You may not believe me. But he is. And he shows it in his novel, Ender’s Game.
The Earth is under attack. Alien “buggers” are ready to wipe us out for good. Ender Wiggin is a child. A brilliant, intelligent, ruthless, out-of-the-loop, child. He is sent to battle school where he will begin his training as the Earths one last real hope. He excels. Ender is the best soldier they have ever had. Through every challenge, from serving under terrible commanders to deploying his troops blind, he wins. Maybe not by much, but he wins. Then the games start getting harder. And all of a sudden, they aren’t nearly as much fun. They must still be games though. Right?
This is the kind of book you could just open up and start reading, and not care. It draws you in and never lets you go. Don’t really like sci-fi? Doesn’t matter. The ownage is unmistakable. The characters are real. The excitement makes your heart race. Sadder bits make you hope and pray that everything works out all right.
I don’t have a single complaint. Not a word. So its totally worth 9 out of 9 totally awesome shurikens.
Oh. My. Carlisle. Carrie Jones!!!
We interview Carrie Jones , author of Tips on Having a Gay (ex)boyfriend, Love and Other Uses for Duct Tape, Girl, Hero, and more…
1. Is it true you KILLED Santa Claus? What do you have to say for yourself??
Yes. I’d like to pretend that it was all about me protesting the mass commercialization of a holiday, but it wasn’t.
I’d like to pretend that I never turned the back burner of the stove on instead of the front burner of the stove, but I did.. I’d like to pretend that I never put that sweet, round, fabric/fiber filled man on the back burner of the stove in the first place, but he was there. He was there and it was my fault. Let me tell you though. Santa burns fast. He fills the house with smoke and I don’t know what he was eating (Christmas cookies, maybe?) but he gives off a lot of fumes. It was a total accident, I swear. But judging by the well-armed reindeer posse holding a hostile perimeter around my house, I’m not sure if anyone from the North Pole believes me.
2. Your first book, Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend, was (of course) about having a gay ex boyfriend. Have you ever had a gay boyfriend and if so, did it influence your writing?
My boyfriend in high school was gay. I didn’t actually know that then. We’d gone out for about three years and then went to different colleges and he came out when we were home on break. He is an amazing guy, and honestly, one of the best boyfriends I’ve ever had. So, like Belle, in TIPS, I didn’t want to lose him as a friend. I didn’t. He is one of my favorite people ever.
I’d been hearing a lot of heterosexual women talking in the media about their anger and feelings of betrayal when their husbands or lovers or boyfriends came out. All those feelings are understandable. But then they start to demonize their former partners, and that’s what bothers me. All those negative feelings aren’t all the feelings possible when your boyfriend comes out. You can feel proud of him. You can feel sad that he was afraid to tell the truth for so long. You can feel used sometimes. You can feel angry sometimes, but eventually, lots of the time you still love him. You still care about him. You want the best for him. In TIPS I really wanted those positive feelings to eventually come out. I wanted Belle (the main character) and Dylan (her gay ex-boyfriend) to move on and still love each other.
3. What is the wildest thing you’ve done while procrastinating working on one of your novels?
You are so trying to get me in trouble, aren’t you?
I could be all Mom and say, “The wildest thing I did when I was procrastinating was clean the bathroom.” This is actually, kind of true. There were mushrooms growing there. Or I could say, “The wildest thing I did when I was procrastinating about writing was write a short story from the point of view of an unused condom.” This is actually true. I’m not sure how wild it is though? Usually when I procrastinate I go run or kayak. That’s terribly boring though. Wow. I’m even making myself yawn with that answer.
4. Is it true you let Grover from Sesame Street drive your car? Is he insured?
Grover is a HORRIBLE driver. He’s all, “Cawwie, what happens if I drive on this big bumpy thing in the center of the road?”
And I’m all, “Grover! That is the median. You do not drive there. There are trees.”And Grover gets excited and says, “Trees! I, the adorable monster you know as Grover, love trees. Lets go make the car hug a tree!” At which point I usually scream. Unfortunately: 1. Grover is NOT insured. Insurance agencies have a thing against monsters. 2. I am not a much better driver than Grover.
5.The protagonist in Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend, Belle, is a “crusader for the oppressed.” Is this the same for you? Did it influence your writing?
I don’t think I’m much of a crusader. I’m in Amnesty International, which is a human rights group, so I write letters and emails to governments that are abusing people’s rights, and I tend to bug our senators when I’m upset about human rights abuses. Actually, I’d like to be much more of a crusader. I’d like to be a warrior actually. This should probably be my New Year’s resolution. I mean think about it. I could probably carry a bow and arrow or something if I was an actual warrior, and I bet the clothes would be cool.
Belle’s character just came to me. I’m glad that she’s involved in organizations like Amnesty, and Students for Social Justice. I get slightly annoyed at young adult novels where teens are depicted as only caring about boys and clothes. Real people can care about more than that. I also get slightly annoyed at young adult novels where teens are either:1. Smart.2. A jock.3. Musical/artistic4. Nothing. Those are limited options and they don’t reflect life. They’re stereotypes really. I wanted TIPS to be more realistic than that. I wanted the characters to be more realistic than that.
6. Can you tell us anything about Love and Other Uses of Duct Tape?
It’s about sex. It’s not some preachy book about sex. It’s about Belle’s born-again virgin status and how she wants to change it. It’s about healthy sexual relationships, really. It’s also about consequences. It sounds much more boring than it is. It also sounds much more raunchy. There’s a lot of societal taboos about sex, especially when it comes to sex and teenagers. This book doesn’t say that everyone should go out there and copulate like bunnies. Seriously. I swear. It’s even more about friendships. Belle and her best friend, Emily, go through some hard crud in this book. It’s about what their friendship means to them, what lengths they’ll go to in order to protect each other. And there’s duct tape in it! Here’s what the press kit says:
Love is in the air: Belle’s mom has a new boyfriend, her best friend Em and Em’s boyfriend Shawn can’t keep their hands off each other, and Belle’s ex, Dylan, is content with his new guy, Bob. As for Belle and her new (straight) boyfriend, Tom? Nada. Zip. Zilch. To all appearances, they’re the perfect couple. But Belle knows a thing or two about appearances…
7. Finish this sentence: Censorship…
Censorship is ridiculously stupid.
Censorship is power hungry people’s fear coupled by a monster dose of distrust. Censorship is being fought by the American Library Association and As If! (an authors group) all the time. Censorship creates a dumbed down society; a society where people can’t make choices, aren’t exposed to opinions that are different than the majority’’s opinions; a society where ideas can only come in one style, one brand name, one vision; a society where people can’t search for ways to get better, for new ideas on how to think, perceive and act. Okay, obviously, that was a bad question for me to answer. I will try to stop hyperventilating now.
8. Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
Write things down. Try to write and read as much as you can.
In an interview with Cynthia Letich Smith, an author and teacher at Vermont College’s MFA in Writing program, she asked me kind of the same question with a little twist. I’ve pasted it in here:
If you could go back and talk to yourself when you were beginning writer, what advice would you offer?
Current Carrie: Hey! You! Writing in that notebook. Fifth-grade Carrie: Ew! Am I really going to look like that? Where are my bangs?
Current Carrie: At least your glasses are gone.
Fifth-grade Carrie: Cool.
Current Carrie: Okay, listen. I have writing advice. You know how you’re having Captain James T. Kirk fall in love with your banged hair, glasses-wearing heroine?
Fifth-grade Carrie: Yeah.
Current Carrie: And how Mr. Spock is also in love with same heroine…
Fifth-grade Carrie: Uh-huh.
Current Carrie: And how the Dr. McCoy guy is in love with her too?
Fifth-grade Carrie: What’s your point?
Current Carrie: It’s not all that realistic, sweetie.
Fifth-grade Carrie: It isn’t?
Current Carrie: No, honey. I hate to break it to you. It’s just not. My writing advice to you is that not everyone can be in love with your heroine, unless you’re Laurel Hamilton and your heroine has the ardeur or something. Fifth-grade Carrie: Crap.
9. Do you have any wisdom you would like to impart upon us?
Oh, wow. As you can tell by my other answers I’m not terribly wise. I should really be asking you for wisdom.
Oh! There. That’s my wisdom. Always be ready to listen to other people for wisdom. Like that guy who always stares at your feminine parts when he’s bagging groceries at Shop ‘n Save? He might actually have something wise to say.
Like he might blink for a second when he hands you your bag and say, “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
Okay that was actually Anatole France. But the bagging guy could be channeling Anatole or something.
My other words of wisdom? If the bagging guy creeps you out do not let him help you bring your bags to the car even if he does spout out Anatole. Trust your gut about people. Your gut is usually right.
10. What do you think is the real reason that teens don’t read much anymore?
I think some teens do.
And the teens who don’t? I think they have lots of reasons.
I have friends who play basketball all winter for school, are in three honors classes and they are so buried by homework that they don’t have time to read for fun even if they want to do that. And a lot of them do. I think there’s so much pressure to get through high school, have a job and show your responsible, do a sport, do a club, make your college applications look good, or to just make enough money to help your family pay their oil bill that some teens literally have no time to read. And, yeah, I think that’s sad.
I know other teens who just don’t see books they want to read. I know other teens who work jobs after school and they think of reading as school work instead of escape so they do other things to escape.
I know some teens that find reading just too hard. It’s work for them. My dad was like that. He’s still like that. It takes him a year to finish a 250-page book. That’s hard.
An Interview with NED VIZZINI!!!
Ned Vizzini is the author of It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Be More Chill, and Teen Angst? Naaah….
1. In your novel Be More Chill, the protagonist is obsessed with being cool. So he swallows the squip. If you had a squip what would you use it for? To make you into a novel writing machine perhaps?
If I had a squip, I would absolutely use it to write novels. What a great idea! In fact, that’s something I’ve been pondering for years–programming a computer to write a book. I think it can be done. I have a computer science degree and some brilliant friends. Check back in 30 years.
2. What was your goal in life when you were ten?
I don’t remember what my goal in life was when I was ten. But I had developed three goals by the age of 13: have sex, drive a car, and be a published author.
3. What was your goal in life when you were fifteen?
See above. Those goals lasted a while.
4. What is your goal in life now?
My goals in life now are to care more about other people and to have a long, prolific and positive career.
5. Why do you feel like teens don’t read anymore?
I don’t think that teens don’t read anymore at all! I just read that YA book sales are up 23% over the past 5 or 10 years, while the adult market has been flat. I think that teens read because in a world where everything is internet ephemeral, it means more to have something permanent that you can hold in your hand.
6. Are you a Nerdfighter? If so, what kind?
I have no idea what a Nerdfighter is so I can’t answer as to whether I am a Nerdfighter.
7. Can you tell us anything about any coming books? Please?
I am currently working on a book about race, growing up, money, and fame.
8. Its Kind of a Funny Story raises loads of topics such as suicide, sex, and friendship. Any comments?
I don’t really have any comments on It’s Kind of A Funny Story, besides what I wrote in my FAQ: http://nedvizzini.com/faq/. I think it’s best to let books speak for themselves.
9. Where’d the word squip come from?
The word “squip” came from God. Seriously. I don’t know; it popped into my head right out of nowhere.
10. Chocolate or Vanilla.
Vanilla.
11. Scientists have studied how eating an Oreo reflects your personality. How do you eat your Oreos?
Oh my God, I can’t have Oreos in the house. I will eat them at night like a zombie. I will wake up and go to the kitchen and eat three to five and then go back to sleep. (Sometimes I call it “sleepwalking” but really I know exactly what I’m doing.) I put the Oreos in my mouth, press them against my palate, drink the milk, press it up against the Oreo, strain it until it’s soft, and then eat it. Wonderful.
12. If you could do anything, anything at all, without worrying about gravity or consequences, what would you do?
If I could do anything at all, I would go to the moon. I don’t know why–that’s just the first thing that popped into my head. (Maybe because your question had the word “gravity” in it.) When are they going to have those tourist space flights again?
Ned Vizzini. *Awed Looks* One of his novels is about suicide. And here at IV we do not condone killing yourself. So if you EVER feel like it is the right thing, call 1-800-SUICIDE. Because it’s not. Here, you are luuuurved.
Rereading Vizzini,
Kiri Vehemens
The Goose Girl
The Goose Girl by the ever awesome Shannon Hale was a pleasant surprise. Following a tale of love, adventure, mutiny and friendship, The Goose Girl has got something for everyone.
Meet Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, the Crown Princess of the tiny kingdom of Kalindree. When she is betrayed, stripped of her crown, and sent to wed the prince of a neighboring country with nothing but her guard and lady in waiting, she refuses to be kept down.
She is forced to go into hiding as the goose girl, Isi. When she meets one of the Prince’s handsome guards, Geric, she falls in love. But alas, it was not to be. An unlikely fantasy owned on so many levels. The characters stole your heart. The writing was spectacular. I was never one for fairy tales, but this had me believing in happily-ever-after.
I give it 8 out of 9 wicked awesome shurikens. Also, I command you to go out and read it. NOW!
In the middle of reading this AGAIN,
Kiri Vehemens