I came home from BEA with 47 books, 31 of which were ARCs. I’ve already created a spreadsheet to organize my books by release date, and now I’ve got them stacked according to the order in which I plan to read them. So my summer TBR consists of the August/September releases I picked up at BEA. Looking forward to reading every one of them!
1. Court of Fives by Kate Elliott – Aug 18
2. Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman – Aug 25
3. Cage of Deceit by Jennifer Anne Davis – Aug 25
4. A Whole New World by Liz Braswell – Sep 1
5. Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman – Sep 1
6. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy – Sep 15
7. Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales – Sep 15
8. Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson – Sep 22
YA is populated with extremely flawed, sometimes “unlikable” characters. We grew tired of the seemingly perfect protagonists, so we were introduced to characters like Katniss Everdeen and Beatrice Prior, who are atypical because they’re guarded and tough and blunt – but no less heroic.
These characters can be difficult to write. We have to be careful not to turn our readers away. Rather, we want to draw them deeper into the story.
So how do we take protagonists with unlikable traits and make them sympathetic? *Notice I don’t use the term ‘likable’, because likability isn’t really the issue. We’re after characters who are layered, sympathetic, heroic.
My current work in progress is about a girl named Gwen who is rather spoiled, conceited, and somewhat selfish. While she’s incredibly fun to write, I have to be sure my reader will care enough about her to keep reading and experience Gwen’s growth.
I believe there are three important aspects to writing the unlikable yet sympathetic protagonist, and that’s what I’ve kept in mind while drafting Act 1 of my novel:
Arrogance and selfishness – not a great combination of traits for a YA heroine. I want to show my reader that Gwen is not a total jerk. So I introduce a little boy Gwen has a soft spot for and is fiercely protective of. They’re not related, but he’s like a little brother to her. When he’s hurt in the first few pages of the draft, Gwen rushes to his side to be sure he’s okay. She’s rude to everyone along the way, but it’s clear that she really cares for this boy.
Your protagonist can’t be a lost cause. Your reader has to recognize your protagonist’s potential, and often this means giving your character a desire for change/growth.
Gwen recognizes her flaws and has a desire to change, but she doesn’t quite know how to go about this in the beginning. The reader will be much more willing to accept Gwen for all her faults especially if she herself admits to being a huge pain. I think it’s so much worse when a person is horrible but thinks they’re God’s gift to society. (That’s just annoying. You’ve met people like that before, right?)
I’m talking about backstory. WHY is your protagonist selfish / conceited / rude / angry / bitter / guarded / fearful? What has caused them to be this way? We don’t want to give our characters excuses, per se, but realistically your character would have been influenced by something or someone in his/her past. (Again, this doesn’t justify the behavior, merely offers an explanation.) After all, the reader wants to sympathize with your character. Reveal backstory on a need-to-know basis, giving up bits and pieces at a time.
Gwen grew up without her parents (yes, I know it’s cliche). But she’s privileged and favored, and consequently has no friends because everyone hates her for it. (I’m trying not to give too much away, but there’s a bit more to it than that.) In short, she’s lonely, but can’t seem to help pushing others away.
Hope this helps! Have you ever struggled to write an unlikable but sympathetic character? What was your strategy, and what did you learn? Tell me more about your character(s) and how you made them sympathetic. Also, I’d be happy to answer any questions!
1. Ink and Bone (The Great Library, #1) by Rachel Caine – July 7
2. Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4) by Sarah J Maas – Sep 1
3. Hunter (Hunter, #1) by Mercedes Lackey – Sep 1
4. The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow – Sep 22
5. Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith – Oct 6
6. Ice Like Fire (Snow Likes Ashes, #2) by Sara Raasch – Oct 13
7. Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown – Oct 20
8. Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird, #2) by Claudia Gray – Nov 3
9. Da Vinci’s Tiger by Laura Malone Elliott – Nov 10
10. Winter(The Lunar Chronicles, #4) by Marissa Meyer – Nov 10
The following books are 2015 releases I’m anticipating but did not add to my list because I picked them up at BEA. These include Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid (Aug 4), Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman (Aug 25), Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Sep 29), A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston (Oct 6), and Soundless by Richelle Mead (Nov 10).
What 2015 releases are you anticipating?? Do we have any books in common? Any recommendations to add to my TBR?
My dad and I chose to register for the BEA Bloggers Conference, which included the 3-day BEA pass and was actually cheaper. Also, I knew it would be an incredible opportunity to meet and network with other book bloggers. Pretty exciting!
We arrived at the Javits Center bright and early Wednesday morning to pick up our badges. While waiting for the keynote panel to begin, I met my first blogger friends, including Meghann of Becoming Books and Maura of Maura4u. We exchanged business cards, which was fun (I loved handing out my cards!).
The keynote panel was called “State of Blogging and Books.” Speakers Patty Anker, Ron Hogan, and Kameron Hurley discussed blogging trends and the possible future of blogging. The panel was moderated by Thea James.
I chose two of four morning sessions following the keynote. Then I skipped the first of the afternoon sessions because we were exploring the exhibit hall, but returned for the last session of the day.I summarize my three panels below!
This panel was especially interesting because the speakers included a blogger (Pitre), a podcaster (Moon), and a booktuber (O’Keefe). They discussed what it meant to “go beyond the blog,” by embracing collaborations with others, events, and book clubs.
It was exciting to hear more about booktubing – I love the direction booktubers like Kat are taking their channels. Their videos are unique, funny, and interesting. I wondered, should I give booktubing a shot?? Or post videos on the blog every now and then?
Question: Would you be interested in book-related videos on the blog? Is this idea something I should pursue or not? Comment to let me know!
This panel gave me concrete tactics for producing content faster, which I really appreciated. Our new friend Maura, who podcasts, was a panelist. She was great, and I enjoyed hearing her speak.
One of the first tips for generating new content is something we all know but tend to forget – listen to your audience! Seek feedback, and decide what to act on. (Side note:Cait from Paper Fury created a survey for her readers a while back and I thought this was an excellent idea – she posed specific questions that gave her audience a structured way to submit feedback.)
Maura introduced a concept she called “cross pollination of media,” which is basically about reaching new people by utilizing different platforms. For example, I might look into creating a podcast or video to go alongside a blog post.
Other tactics for streamlining the posting process included keeping a blogging plan/calendar, scheduling posts, creating templates, and organizing thoughts/ideas in Scrivener.
GOING BEYOND BLOG FORMATTING
I was super excited about this panel because it was moderated by Ashley Evans of Nose Graze, and I really wanted to meet her. (I just recently discovered Nose Graze, and it is a wealth of great content.)
The speakers explained the difference between HTML (structure) and CSS (design), and how they can be used to customize our blogs. This customization included bolding and italicizing text, changing text and background color, adding links and images, etc. The panel was interactive, so the speakers quizzed the audience and we helped create a dummy site so we could see HTML and CSS in action.
I enjoyed the panel and introduced myself at the end, and took a picture with the panelists.
*I’d like to note that every panel I attended during Blogger Con was really well done in terms of organization. The moderators were fantastic at keeping the speakers on track and on time. The speakers were focused and articulate and careful to give one another adequate opportunities to share. This was so awesome.
Thanks for reading!
GIVEAWAY
I came home from BEA with so many great books, and I’m so excited to have this opportunity to share with all of you. Enter to win a signed ARC of The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker! (US only.)
I’m still in disbelief that I actually attended BEA. The event was on my 2015 bucket list, so I mentioned it to my dad in early February, and he said we’d make it happen. Even when we booked our flights, it didn’t quite feel real.
Before I knew it, the month of May had come upon us. I had majorly procrastinated. About two weeks prior to the event, I began to panic because I had not yet created a color-coded schedule like everyone else. I decided to buckle down, and that’s when the Googling began. I read so many BEA-prep posts I could quote them in my sleep! No kidding. Rolling suitcase. Snacks. Portable charging device. Snacks. Comfortable footwear. Snacks.
TUESDAY
Arrived in NYC around midday and went to a Yankee game that evening. (Anyone else a fan?!)
When we got back to our hotel that night, I freaked out a little because BEA IN THE MORNING OMG. I made sure I had everything at the ready – rolling suitcase, snacks, schedule, outfit, sneakers. And then I went to bed but didn’t get much sleep. (How could I?!)
WEDNESDAY
Woke up early. My dad and I grabbed breakfast and took the subway. When the Javits Center came into view, it took my breath away. It’s a BIG building.
So this first day of BEA was more about the Bloggers Conference for us. (I’ll be blogging about my Blogger Con experience tomorrow!) The exhibit hall wouldn’t open until 1.
After our morning sessions at Blogger Con, my dad and I grabbed lunch and jumped in line for the exhibit hall upstairs. I was armed with my schedule and the catalogue for the day, which highlighted some of the authors/books/events taking place that afternoon. (It also advertised several galley drops which hadn’t been listed online!)
I was practically bouncing when the exhibit hall opened and the line began moving forward. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, so it was incredibly exciting when we entered and I saw all the booths and the stacks of books. My dad and I went a little crazy that first afternoon, grabbing every tote bag people thrust at us and every available book we laid eyes on.
I snagged an ARC of A Thousand Nights from the Disney Hyperion booth, because that was happening first thing. But then, according to my schedule, I didn’t have anything really pressing until my last Blogger Con session at 2:30.
And I’m actually glad that was the case, because it gave me a chance to freely explore and to get a feel for the layout of the floor. I was also lucky to run into Alexa of Alexa Loves Books and Kelly of Belle of the Literati at a Macmillan galley drop, and later Summer of Blue Sky Shelf (she knew who I was, which was cool)!
After my last Blogger Con session, I returned to the exhibit hall to wait in line for an autographed copy of The Witch Hunter. And that marked the completion of my first day of BEA, so my dad and I found a quiet spot outside the hall to sort our books. I eliminated several books, and then packed up my suitcase.
THURSDAY
Thursday was my busiest day. It was characterized by waiting in very long lines for what felt like a really long time. But it was actually quite fun because I made so many new friends.
This is what went through my head every time I met fellow bloggers: MY PEOPLE!
My schedule was so packed with awesome galley drops and author signings that I knew I’d be making some tough choices. First on the list: run to Disney Hyperion to get in line for a special edition ARC of Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. I was about 100th in line, but it was worth the wait because Alexandra Bracken was super sweet and personable! Meanwhile, my dad surprised me with a signed collector’s edition of James Dashner’s Maze Runner.
After Passenger we made our way to the autographing area. So I’m waiting in line for Megan Sheperd, author of The Cage, when my dad goes, “Isn’t that James Dashner?” So I turn around, and sure enough, there’s James Dashner just chillin’. Someone held my place in line while I approached him for a picture.
It should have been time for lunch after that, but I realized the line for the Harlequin teen “power hour” was already forming. “Power hour” was pretty awesome because 5 authors were signing. I was pretty excited about Adi Alsaid’s Never Always Sometimes and Eleanor Herman’s Legacy of Kings. Also, major points to Eleanor Herman for wearing a toga and a crown.
That afternoon I spent some quality time at Macmillan, first while waiting in line for an ARC of Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales, and then while waiting for Marissa Meyer (EEK!).
Meeting Marissa Meyer was most definitely the highlight of my day. I love her books – she’s an incredible story teller! When her signing for Fairest was over, I looped back around to chat with her. I totally fangirled. 🙂
Shoutout to all the new friends I made on Thursday while waiting in lines!
This was the highlight of my morning: My dad and I got off the subway and were walking toward the Javits Center, maybe 2 blocks out, when I turned to my right and realized I was walking alongside Shae from Shae Lit! I introduced myself (and hoped she didn’t think it was totally creepy that I recognized her on the street) and we chatted on our way to the Javits Center.
I got in line for the Black Widow signing at 9, then quickly made my way to the autographing area because Leigh Bardugo would be signing ARCs of Six of Crows at 10:30 and I knew the line would be super long. (It was.) I used my front-of-the-line pass, which was an excellent decision. Leigh Bardugo is so sweet and just generally awesome.
I snagged a few more books before my dad and I left. I was quite tired.
I could not have done it without my dad, who deserves a huge thank-you for helping make the trip possible and also for doing everything I said. (“Dad, you MUST go to Penguin immediately for the Soundless drop!” OR “Dad, please wait in line at Table 12 for a signed copy of Snow Like Ashes.”)
*And if we met and I did not mention you in this post, I apologize. If we didn’t exchange business cards I have probably forgotten your name! But THANK YOU THANK YOU to EVERYONE I met at BEA who made this trip extraordinarily special.
Okay, this might be my favorite TTT so far this year. It’s cool because it’s not improbable – it seems to me as if more and more of my favorite books are being converted for the screen, whether it be for cinema or television.
Just look at the success of the Harry Potter movies, the Hunger Games franchise, Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars. As for TV shows, there’s Game of Thrones (I don’t watch it, but there’s plenty of evidence of it’s popularity!), The 100, the upcoming Mortal Instruments TV show.
Have I mentioned how crazy I am about today’s topic?? Huge fan.
1. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer – Multiple movies would be epic, but I think it’s particularly well suited for TV what with the alternating perspectives of the large cast of characters.
Kelsey Chow or Lindsey Morgan as CINDER ; Katie McGrath as LEVANA
2. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray – TV show. I just think each of the parallel universes could be explored in greater depth.
3. The Selection by Kiera Cass – TV show, like a teen version of The Bachelor. I’m sorry if that’s cliche. (I still think a lot of us would watch us.)
4. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski – TV show. Hands-down. It’s addictive and intriguing and political. And don’t those qualities perfectly describe America’s current TV faves?
Julianne Hough or Lily James as KESTREL
5. Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter – I could see this going both ways. But I admit Cammie’s escapades as a spy-in-training could be filmed as individual episodes of a TV show, and each book as a full season.
6. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson – Super cute romantic comedy – you know the one, where everything goes wrong until the end? But I’d only watch it if they film in Europe.
7. Legend by Marie Lu – Ah, I’m torn. I’d be totally on board for a movie or a TV show. So long as there’s awesome chemistry between the characters just like the books!
Hailee Steinfeld as JUNE
8. The Cuckoo’s Calling / The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith – Movies! I love murder mysteries.
9. Born of Illusion by Teri Brown – The gritty and enchanting setting of jazz age New York screams TV show.
10. Smart Girls Get What They Want – This would be a seriously adorable coming-of-age romantic comedy. I’m gaga for Gigi!
Olivia Holt or Stefanie Scott as GIGI
Have you guys heard of the “If List“? It’s an online site that allows you to nominate actors/actresses for the roles of your favorite characters. I’ve only just discovered it, so I’m looking forward to playing around with it a bit. Check it out!
Do you prefer movies or TV shows? DISCUSSION QUESTION: Would you rather wait for your fave book to be turned into a movie, and watch it all in one go, or watch it as a TV show that spans over months/years?
There is nothing sweeter than reading a good romance during the summer. It’s satisfying to read about young love while I sit by the pool or at the beach. <3
1. Love, Lucy by April Lindner
2. The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne
3. Wrong About the Guy by Claire LaZebnik
4. The Heir by Kiera Cass
5. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
6. Kissing in America by Margo Rabb – May 26
7. P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han – May 26
8. Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout – June 9
9. Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat – June 16
10. Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid – Aug 4
Have you read any of these books? Are you looking forward to reading any of these books? Share your thoughts!
I am SO excited to be attending BookExpo America this year. I’ve been looking forward to it for months, but now that it’s here, I don’t know what to do with myself.
I’ve been purposefully procrastinating because it’s so overwhelming, and therefore do not feel quite as prepared as I could be. But these past few days, I’ve really buckled down and done some research. I’d love to share with you what I’ve learned. I hope it’s interesting and helpful, especially for those of you who are also first-timers.
Registration
So I registered about a month ago for the BEA Bloggers Conference, which includes the 3-day BEA pass. (It’s also cheaper!) I checked and double-checked this, because the pricing chart was rather confusing and I wanted to be sure I was choosing the correct badge.
*I actually contacted Shae @ Shae Has Left the Room to ask her a few questions about registration, and she was super sweet and helpful. She also pointed me in the direction of the Press Pass, which is free. I submitted my info but was not approved for this pass. It was worth a shot! Thanks, Shae 🙂
Quick note: I’ve turned this into a family trip to NYC, so travel/lodging was taken care of. I did not go through the process of booking my own flights or searching for a roommate.
Tips & Tricks
Since registering, I’ve been Googling “BEA tips and tricks” and also searching through the archives of trusted blogger friends.
Many bloggers who’ve attended in the past put together fantastic pre- and post-BEA blog series chronicling their planning process and sharing their experiences. I’ve listed the links to these informative blogs below. (And what’s great is that many of these blogs point to other blogs with BEA posts and that’s how I’ve found them all! Yay for bloggers promoting other bloggers!)
Through one of the sites listed above, I also discovered the Goodreads BookExpo America discussion. I submitted a question to the 2015 Signing Info thread and received a lengthy reply shortly thereafter.
What I’ve Learned
Wear comfortable shoes!
Bring a phone charger! (Apparently the Javits Center has terrible WiFi and drains your battery.)
Bring snacks! (When do I ever NOT bring snacks?)
Know the difference between ticketed and non-ticketed author signings!
Utilize the ‘shipping’ area or bring a suitcase so you’re not carrying loads of books all day long!
Create a color-coded schedule! (No, seriously. Almost every ‘BEA prep’ post I’ve read recommends this.)
I’ve explored nearly every inch of the official BEA site, and I’ve also played around a bit with the online BEA show planner. Now, I’m creating a spreadsheet (my color-coded schedule) and researching the ARCs I’ll want to look out for at the event.
Besides all the books (ARCs! ARCs! signed copies!), I’m really looking forward to meeting/networking with other bloggers. I think it’s going to be really cool to meet some of my online friends in person, and to have the chance to tell them how much I appreciate their work. I’ve even ordered business cards, which I’m pretty stoked about.
Clearly I am not an expert on all-things BEA. But I’m a pretty good finder-of-online-information, so if you have any questions, I’d be happy to point you in the right direction.
ALSO, let me know if you’ll be there! We can stand in lines together and chat!
So for this freebie day, I’ve decided to go back to the topic I skipped earlier this month (April 28) – I was swamped with exams! Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who _____ (are musically inclined, have lost someone, have depression, who grow up poor, etc.) I’m glad I get to revisit it, as I think it’s a super awesome prompt and all my favorite geniuses came to mind…
*in no particular order
1.Reynie Muldoon, Sticky Washington, Constance Contraire (The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart) – The birthday party at the end of book 1? Knocked my socks off. (If you’ve read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about!) *Hint: It’s the reason grumpy Constance Contraire will forever have a place in my heart.
2. Lizzie, Gregor’s sister (Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins) – She loves solving puzzles, and she’s good at it, but she’s shy and incredibly humble. Gotta love that combination in a character.
3. Charles Wallace, Meg’s younger brother (A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle) – Maybe he and Constance Contraire should go out.
4. Turtle Wexler (The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin) – She’s weird, but I wish we could be friends.
5. Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer) – “Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius—and, above all, a criminal mastermind.” He’s only everything I’ve always wished I could be.
6. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling) – Okay, so, we may not be explicitly told that Hermione is a genius, but we all know it’s true.
7. Liz Sutton (Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter) – She speaks a ton of languages and cracks CIA codes, but she’s klutzy and naive and super sweet.
8. Micah (Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless by Liz Czukas) – Has a genius IQ, and he’s adorable for it. 😉
9. Paul and Teddy (A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray) – There is nothing more attractive than two teenage guys studying parallel dimensions alongside your brilliant parents.
10. June and Day (Legend by Marie Lu) – Two prodigies – a soldier and a criminal – totally makes for a super cute romance.
HAVE YOU READ THESE BOOKS? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS! ALSO, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE GENIUSES!
In this post, I’ll write about storyboarding and identifying key plot points.
Some writers are tempted to run the opposite direction when they’re told to “outline” or “plot” their novel before they begin writing. We call these writers “pantsers” because they write by the seat of their pants. Writers who prefer planning are called “plotters.”
Honestly, I believe today’s post is for writers of both camps. Creating a storyboard is a fun process which gives structure to one’s novel but isn’t quite as formal as the traditional outline.
Basically, it’s about visualizing the timeline of one’s novel and the placement of all the important events.
*I’ve come to realize that it isn’t necessarily a strict adherence to any one of these methods, but rather a combination, that does the trick for me. It’s all about finding what works for you.
MATERIALS
tri-fold poster board
Sharpie markers
*LOTS and LOTS of post-it notes
*Okay, so, you don’t need LOTS and LOTS. I just find it’s much more fun to have a variety of colors and sizes to choose from.
LAYOUT
Use your Sharpie to draw a line down the middle panel, splitting this section in half. You should now have four columns. Label these “Act I,” “Act II A,” “Act II B,” and “Act III.”
Label important story elements on post-it notes and place them on your board. The remaining post-it notes are for the scenes which make up your story. This is where my love of color-coding comes into play. On my storyboard, scenes are blue, ideas/thoughts are orange. Some people prefer assigning colors to their characters so it’s easier to keep track of subplots.
PLOT POINTS
Major plot points include the inciting moment, Act 1 climax, Act II-A climax (midpoint!), Act II-B climax, and Act III climax. Each climax should represent an important decision your protagonist makes to move the story forward.
The storyboard is helpful because it allows you to see where pieces of your story fit into the overall plot arc. Also, it feels less intimidating than outlining, as there’s a feeling of flexibility. It’s easy to move your post-it notes around the board.
I hope you give this method a shot and decide to create a storyboard of your own. Put your spin on it, and let me know how it goes!
