FIRST LINES

FIRST LINES

Everybody knows that book. You know, that book. The one you picked up while strolling through the bookstore. Nice cover with the interesting back jacket. Then you opened the first page.

Hook.

Line.

Sinker.

That first line. The one that made you go: Whoa, I need this book.

Or maybe it wasn’t that in-your-face bold. Maybe it was more subtle. Maybe lyrically beautiful. Perhaps it just painted such a clear picture that you read on to lines two, three, and ten. You didn’t even realize that author had hooked you, possibly because you’re too busy having to know what happens next. That’s the kind of first line that all book lovers crave. The one that says, “Pick me out of a million other books here to take home forever!”

So, first lines, how important are they?

Turns out…very.

There are piles and piles of books to buy. Enough to reach the sky and who has room for that on their bookshelf? So here’s the deal: All these books and not enough room. Which ones make the cut? Probably not the one that started getting interesting on page 50. Truth is, readers want to be catapulted from their spot in that bookstore to a fictional world. We want to feel tucked between the pages, lost somewhere amongst so many words. And the first line is the place to do it. First lines can irrevocably draw a reader.

What is it that pulls a reader in? Which first lines make you have to know more? For me, it needs a dose of unexpected. A few young adult books on my shelf that absolutely, completely captivated me from the VERY FIRST LINE, and my thoughts:

“They say before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes, but that’s not how it happened for me.” –BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver

So, wait, she died? In the VERY FIRST line we learn this? Wow. I need to read this book.

        

“All I’ve learned in today’s Shakespeare class is: Sometimes you have to fall in love with the wrong person just so you can find the right person.” –AS YOU WISH by Jackson Pearce

         Well, isn’t that the truth? Buying.

          

         “It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.” –THE SCORPIO RACES by Maggie Stiefvater

         What? Who’s going to die? And why? Let me just read one or two or a million more lines to find out.

         “You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand.” –BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by April Genevieve Toucholke

         This is the first dialogue? Ought to be good. Need to know more.

         “My life could not possibly suck more than it does right now.” –TAKE ME THERE by Susane Colasanti

         Pretty much the story of my teenage life. Lets see if this character’s torment was anything like my own.

          “I’ve been collecting bugs since I was ten; it’s the only way I can stop their whispers.” SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard

          Creepy. Must buy.

         “They hung the Unregistereds in the old warehouse district; it was a public execution, so everyone went to see.” THE IMMORTAL RULES by Julie Kagawa

         *blinks* Holy wow. An execution from the start? Badass.   

         These are some of my favorites. What are your favorite first lines? How far into a book are you willing to read before it gets interesting? Do first lines help you determine what stories to read?

***And for the record, all of these books turned out to be exceptional. I’d love to give away one of each, but for now I’ll leave you with a chance to win a SIGNED hardcover of THE IMMORTAL RULES by Julie Kagawa. Open to U.S. You’re welcome J *** 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#GivingTuesday, plus our book bounty giveaway!

Thanksgiving

Black Friday

Small Business Saturday

Cyber Monday

And a new tradition: 
#Giving Tuesday

Last year, a movement was born to kick off the holiday giving season. December 3, 2013 is #Giving Tuesday, an initiative that celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support non-profit organizations. 

Charitable solicitations abound, and it can be difficult to know who to trust and where to give.  Giving can be as simple as dropping coins in a can or donating a toy, but to have a bigger impact, it helps to do your research and determine a longer term plan.  Charity Navigator is one place to start.  For tips on giving, read their guide, and take some time to explore the rest of the site.  You’ll find more information such as:

Of the 6,800+ charities evaluated by Charity Navigator, the vast majority spend at least 75% of their budgets on the programs and services that they exist to provide, 10% or less on fundraising fees and 15% or less on administrative costs.

Prefer to give a hand up over a handout?

Microloans are another way you can have an impact. You choose an endeavor to support, you make a loan, you get updates on the progress, you get paid back, and you repeat the process again with a new project.  Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty, and you can lend as little as $25. You can guess who created the Nerdfighters team on Kiva. “We loan because…we aim to decrease world suck.” 

Want to lend a hand?   

Volunteer Match helps individuals and groups find local non-profits who need your time. 
 

Charitable giving is something we tend to keep quiet about. 
Humblebrag:  So, you spent Saturday watching a Dr. Who marathon?  That sounds great.  My feet are killing me.  But at least I know hundreds of kids have a full belly due to my double shift at the food bank.

It doesn’t feel right to say, “Look what I did!” 
But the more people know about your efforts, the more likely they are to join you or support another cause that's important to them.  So please, shout out, so others can jump on board.  Here's one way to do it right now:

Leave a comment below and give a shout out to a charity/non-profit organization.  Everyone who leaves a comment by midnight on Saturday, Dec. 7th, will be entered in the YA Fusion book bounty giveaway.  On Sunday, Dec. 8th, I’ll randomly choose 5 winners.  The first name drawn will get the first choice of book, and so on. (If your email isn't on your Blogger profile, please include it with your comment.)

 Here are the books...

  

...and here’s my charity shout out: Ever wonder what the deal is with Ronald McDonald Charities?  I never thought I'd recommend anything associated with McDonalds, and it was a charity that I routinely dismissed until I started working as a social worker at Children’s Hospital in Detroit.

Ronald McDonald Houses are located at hospitals all around the country and provide a home-away-from-home so families can stay close to their hospitalized child.  The daughter of one of my friends had leukemia requiring hospitalization/treatment out of state for nearly a year.  Her mother was able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, set up her laptop and continue working, while remaining only steps away from her daughter.  Her dad and siblings were able to visit and stay on weekends.  Donations make it possible for families to stay for little ($10) or no cost. 

Cash donations aren’t the only way to help.  Volunteers are needed to provide home-cooked meals and baked goods.  To learn more and to find a Ronald McDonald House near you, go here.

The YA Fusion blog team is shouting out about their favorite charities in the comments.  Thanks for sharing your recommendations too, and remember to spread the word about #GivingTuesday.

#GivingTuesday

Cheers!
Kristin Lenz

ARTICLE 5 GIVEAWAY!

It’s November, and I’m thankful! For my family, and the ability to do what I love – write – a little bit every day. For my author friends, my agent, and my editor who keep me encouraged. For a life filled with trust, respect, and hope.

For the fact that my first book, Article 5, is coming out in precisely three months.

(OMG OMG OMG)

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC have been abandoned. 
 
The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes. 

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials and maybe worse. People who get arrested don’t usually come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. That life in the United States used to be different.

In the three years since the war ended, Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs—like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes—and how to pass the random home inspections by the Federal Bureau of Reformation. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow. That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And what’s worse, one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

So today I’m spreading the love! I’m giving away an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Article 5! The contest closes one week from today, 11/20/11, and winners will be announced here, on Monday, 11/21/11. For more information about the book, come visit me on my website: www.kristensimmonsbooks.com.

How do you enter for a chance to win? Just fill out the form below, and press “submit.” Easy!

Thanks everyone, and good luck!

Author Interview/Giveaway, The Implosion of Aggie Winchester

The blogosphere has been celebrating all month with spooky stories and great giveaways. But I'm a fraidy cat, so I have a non-scary author interview and giveaway for you.






Lara Zielin works for the University of Michigan, my alma mater - Go Blue! She graciously answered a slew of questions. Read on, then join us for trick-or-treating and a special giveaway!




The Implosion of Aggie Winchester is your second YA novel, following Donut Days. Congrats! Tell us about your path to publication. How did you find your agent?

As most writers do, I struggled for a long time to get my debut novel published. From the time I started the book to the time I held the finished hardcover in my hand, it took 8 years. Now, that's on the long side for most writers, so if you're reading this and trying to get a book published, don't despair! I had a lot of growing to do as a writer during that time, and that was my path - it's not everyone's path.

The good news is that along the way I had wonderful people helping me. One of those people was Brad Meltzer, who has a new show on the History Channel called Decoded. You should totally watch it! Anyway, Brad recommended I speak to Larry Kirshbaum about representation. At the time, Larry had just opened a new agency, LJK, and Brad knew him. I querried LJK, and Larry passed me along to Susanna Einstein, who ended up becoming my agent. So, happy endings all around!

Aggie was inspired by some true-life events. Tell us more.

When I was in high school, a pregnant Goth student was elected homecoming queen. The school administration burned the ballots and put a pretty, popular girl on the throne instead. This happened my junior year, and my dad was my principal at the time. He was embroiled in the scandal, which made national headlines. My dad lost his job over the whole thing.

Aggie is definitely fiction, but the ways in which she figures out that leadership and parenting aren't always black and white are certainly things I personally discovered. Today, my dad and I are both grateful Aggie afforded us the opportunity to talk about what had happened all those years ago. Would you believe it, we never had before I started writing the book. Maybe it's a Midwestern thing - you just smile and nod and pretend everything is fine, just fine. It was great to finally have a chance to honestly discuss what went down.

Speaking about honest discussions... Let's talk about sex, baby... In some stories, the scene heats up, then the curtain is drawn, leaving readers to their imagination. You took a more direct approach, wrote honestly without glossing over details, and used straightforward words. Masturbation, penis, orgasm.

*giggles*

Tell us about your thought process, and if these scenes changed in revisions with your agent or editor.

I think the frank talk about sex is either something readers appreciate about the book, or something they think is just way too much, over the top, why'd-you-put-that-in-there content.

My goal was to write a book about a very real girl who didn't pull any punches. She's not every girl, and Aggie makes some seriously bad choices throughout the book. But she's at least honest and straightforward about what she's experiencing - and at the end I believe she's totally redeemed, even though she stumbles and falls over and over again in the story.

This kind of literature isn't for everyone, and I totally understand that. It's also literature that my editor and I decided from the get-go wouldn't get pared down to make it more "safe." I'm so lucky in that way - my editor is very strong and she's not afraid to put edgy stuff out there. We definitely collaborated closely to give Aggie her strong voice and to not gloss over details.

Yes, Aggie is totally redeemed in the end. I was rooting for her! What's next for you?

I finished my third book, The Waiting Sky, and it comes out in August 2012. It's about a girl who chases tornadoes with her brother in Oklahoma for a summer. Currently, I'm working on my fourth book, which is about a girl who suffers from panic attacks. I also am busy helping writers with their manuscripts through my website: help4writers.com.

Never a dull moment, that's for sure! Whew. :)

Thanks for sharing, Lara!


Lara is giving away one signed copy of The Implosion of Aggie Winchester to a random commenter. (Sorry, U.S. mailing addresses only - it's a hardcover!) Please leave a comment by Saturday, November 5th, and tell us if you're dressing up for Halloween. Or, what was your most memorable costume in the past? Here's one of mine:


Yep, that's me as Sherlock Holmes. Even at age 9, I was a book nerd!

And you have to check out Lara's 6th grade costume. Go to her blog here, to see the picture!

The interview with Lara Zielin continues on Monday over at YA Stands where you can enter to win a second copy of a signed hardcover edition of Aggie! You'll also find a yummy Halloween recipe for pumpkin/black bean chili!

Back to work on Tuesday! I'm sharing a writing tip at Literary Rambles for Casey's Tip Tuesday feature. Stop by and explore the wealth of information on that site.

2 Authors + 1 Editor = 3 Free Books!

Today I’m interviewing two YA authors, Vicky Alvear Shecter (Cleopatra’s Moon) and Erin McCahan (I Now Pronounce You Someone Else). What do these two authors have in common? Their books were edited by the amazing Cheryl Klein of Arthur A. Levine books, an imprint of Scholastic.

Vicky’s debut historical novel was just released this month. Isn’t the cover gorgeous? And Erin’s debut was a 2011 finalist for a prestigious RITA award through Romance Writers of America.

Several years ago at an SCBWI-MI conference, I had the opportunity to meet Cheryl Klein. Recently, she published her own book, Second Sight, An Editor’s Talks on Writing , Revising & Publishing Books for Children and Adults. If you’re in the midst of revisions or starting a new story, Cheryl’s book offers plenty of guidance.

Read on for insight into the author/editor collaboration, and details of our 3 BOOK GIVEAWAY!

I first learned about Cheryl through her popular blog, Brooklyn Arden. She comes across as very intelligent and passionate about books and narrative structure. In Second Sight, she describes herself as insanely detail-oriented and workaholic. Frankly, her analytical nature is a bit intimidating to me! What were your expectations for working with her?

Vicky: Thanks for having me here, Kristin. In truth, I didn’t know what to expect about working with Cheryl Klein because Cleopatra’s Moon was my first work of fiction. But, I guessed that it needed work. I just didn’t know how much! Fortunately, I had read that one of her authors had rewritten a significant portion of his book while working with her. I really respect and admire that writer so knowing this helped me set my expectations accordingly.

So, when her editorial letter came in at about 22-pages, I didn’t freak-out completely (okay, that’s a lie; I freaked out, but maybe not as much as I might have!). Later, I learned that was about typical for her. That’s her process.

And yes, of course, I was intimidated! Who wouldn’t be? But it was a reassuring-kind of intimidation because I knew her brilliant analytical mind was focusing on ways to make my book better. I mean, what a blessing!

Erin: I benefited from knowing nothing of the editorial process and nothing of Cheryl’s reputation. (Keep in mind I began working with her 2 years before her book came out.) So, honestly, I had no expectations, which is rare for me. I almost always have expectations which are almost always harrowing but which never materialize quite as I’ve imagined them. (For example, I just went to NYC where I met Cheryl for the first time. At her insistence, I took the subway – alone! – to her office and was absolutely convinced I was going to get mugged or murdered on it. I seem not to have experienced either.)

But let me tell you what I’ve come to learn about Cheryl. She IS insanely detail oriented, and she is definitely analytical. But she’s also incredibly lovely and kind. So much so that these qualities were evident over the phone, long before we met in person. She’s reasonable, not demanding. When she suggests a change, she explains why. And she has always listened to my explanation for characters’ motives or actions and considered them. I’m going to say this again: She’s just lovely. I can picture her smiling with a mix of bemusement (really?) and just a little naughty joy (really!) when she reads that she’s intimidating to anyone.

A 22-page editorial letter - wow! In Second Sight, Cheryl describes many revision exercises such as making a bookmap, character charts, and plot checklists. Did she ask you to do any of these exercises? How did your story grow working in collaboration with Cheryl?

Vicky: Cheryl herself outlined the book in the beginning (it was part of her editorial letter). That’s how she gets her arms around a novel, I think, which helped me get some much-needed perspective. She did ask me to outline the rewrites and I was willing to give it a shot, even though I don’t really like to. But here’s the thing, if I’d said, “Nope, sorry, I can’t, my brain doesn’t work that way,” she would’ve accepted that. She never demanded that I do something “her way” and was always open to discussing sticky issues. For me, that was awesome, because “talking it through,” is one of the ways I work things out. Sometimes, I think people don’t realize just how respectful and gracious she is as an editor because of her reputation for thoroughness.

There’s no doubt in my mind that working with Cheryl and AAL Books helped the novel in countless ways.

Erin: Oh, yeah, the book map. I forgot about that. She did ask me for one, and I developed so much anxiety over creating one perfectly that she told me to stop. And I cannot even begin to describe how I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU SOMEONE ELSE transformed at Cheryl’s hands. Let’s just say this: The book she bought bore little resemblance to the finished product. I’ve told her this already. I can’t believe she bought the thing. That’s how different it became.

I've been told that editors have to absolutely LOVE a book for them to acquire it because they spend so much time repeatedly immersed in the story. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into this process. What’s next for you?

Vicky: Oh, I can’t say. It’s too early. I’m still in the research phase.

Erin: I’m working on two new books – one a middle grade novel set in 1972, one a YA novel set in 1968.

And finally, because I ask everyone this, what are you reading now?

Vicky: Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens

Carl J. Richard, Why We Are All Romans

Lunn Cullen’s Reign of Madness

Plus, the odd research book here and there. Yeah, I’m all over the place.

Thanks for having me here, Kristin. I love this blog!

Erin: This is a great question. I just finished THE BELL JAR and have started I AM THE MESSENGER. Kind of a gearshift there, I know, but when I went to the bookstore to buy I AM THE MESSENGER, I saw THE BELL JAR on a nearby table, picked it up, started reading and had to finish it.

Libba Bray, Markus Zusak, and Sylvia Plath - sounds good to me! Thanks Vicky and Erin, and best of luck with your future projects!

For more about Erin and Vicky and their books, go to their websites/blogs:

http://www.erinmccahan.com/ and http:www.erinmccahan.blogspot.com

http://www.vickyalvearshecter.com/ and http://historywithatwist.blogspot.com/

Cheryl Klein’s blog is here: http://www.chavelaque.blogspot.com

***And now what you’ve all been waiting for – the three book giveaway!

The contest is open to followers (old and new) of our blog – we appreciate you!

Three random winners will be selected. You could win one of these 3 books:

1. Second Sight, An Editor's Talks on Writing, Revising & Publishing Books for Children and Adults, by Cheryl Klein.

2. I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan.

3. And, Vicky is donating a signed copy of Cleopatra's Moon!

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Comment on this blog post by Friday, September 9^th.

2. You may request a particular book if you have a preference.

3. Leave your email address, so I can notify you if you win.

4. Please help spread the word by sharing this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook page, etc., and you’ll earn an extra entry.

Want a chance to win more books? Shannon Whitney Messenger is giving away 4 ARCs here.

Also, check out my guest post for the Tip Tuesday feature at Literary Rambles here.

Thanks everyone, and good luck!

Kristin Lenz