Guest Post: JA Campbell

Aine, Thank you for having me here today!

People always ask me where I get my ideas from. The vague shrug of… um… no idea, doesn’t usually satisfy them so I’ve tried to come up with a better answer over the years. The real answer is no book is the same. The first Clanless novel, Senior Year Bites came from a dream. A really short dream about a girl who got turned into a vampire her senior year of high school. A friend of mine and I both decided to write a page based on that story prompt to see how different they came out. The answer is quite different. Mine ended up turning into a novel, and then a series.

The idea for the second novel came from lots of brainstorming with my writing buddy about what could happen next. I’d been reading myths and said hey, this will be fun. I don’t want to give too much of a spoiler but there are shape shifters and vampires and sidhe in this one.

I didn’t plan the first novel out when I wrote it. At the time I was simply writing for fun. I did have to plan the second one much more carefully to make sure I tied up some of the lose plot threads, stayed consistent with the first novel, things like that.

I’m getting ready to start the next novel in the series and let me tell you, I agonized over it for a long time. The question of how to get the sidhe to leave my characters alone for good plagued me for ages or even if I could get the sidhe to leave my poor characters alone. Finally, one night, just before I was about to fall asleep, the entire plot dropped into my lap, figuratively of course. I spent the next hour or two jotting all the notes down, and so I know what I’m going to write for the last one. Now, I don’t outline, but having a general overview helps a ton.

So when people ask me for my inspiration, these days I usually say dreams and random ideas that don’t go away. If they stick around long enough to become a full length novel or a complete short story, chances are I’m going to write it, and hey, who knows… it might turn into a really great series. That’s the best.


Blurb:
Meg managed to survive her senior year of high school as a vampire, and now she’s looking forward to a relaxing summer with her friends before trying to tackle college. Unfortunately, some unfinished business from the previous year rears its ugly head and Meg is forced to deal with the Sidhe who are distinctly unhappy that she killed one of their kind last winter. Then Ann’s parents vanish while they are on their annual summer vacation in Maine and it’s up to Meg and the rest of the gang to come to the rescue. Though she is still trying to figure out who, and what she has become, Meg and her friends feel they are up to the challenge. That is until things really start to fall apart.

Bio: Julie writes fantasy novels. When she’s not out riding her horse, she can usually be found sitting in front of her computer with a cat on her lap and her dog at her side. You can find out more at her website.

You can find Summer Break Blues here: Bono Books, Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Omnilit.

Giveaway: And now for the good part. Decadent Publishing and I are giving away several books on this tour. You could win your choice of any Decadent/Bono Books ebook including Summer Break Blues, or Senior Year Bites. All you have to do for a chance to win is enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Contest is open internationally.

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Why I Love YA

When I was growing up, there weren't very many young adult books. Especially compared to now. In late elementary school, I read every Sweet Valley High book I could get my hands on. But that was about it. I didn't read much in middle and high school, but when I did read, it was adult fantasy. To be honest, I hated reading for a while. The books we had to read for school never kept my attention, and I felt like reading was dull and pointless.

I rediscovered my love of reading in my college years. I owe it all to Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. I went on to discover Kim Harrison, Laurell K Hamilton, PC Cast, and MaryJanice Davidson. For a few years I read somewhere between one and five books per year. I got burnt out on Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series and MaryJanice Davidson's vampire romance, and my reading slowed a bit. But then I started reading YA.

Around the time I started reading Kelley Armstrong, I started reading Harry Potter. And I enjoyed that. Some of my other early YA reads were Witch Child by Celia Rees, the Sweep series by Cate Tiernan, and then the Tithe series by Holly Black. But I only read those a few years ago, when I was becoming burnt out on so many paranormal adult series being so similar. In fact, I've dropped all of those series (except Kelley Armstrong and Kim Harrison).

I continued reading YA books, going to PC Cast's House of Night series and Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely. I loved Wicked Lovely so much that I went online to find her fan site (which is now her official site, and I'm global mod there) and met so many awesome people close to my age who were reading almost nothing but young adult. It was there that I got book recommendations and discussion on these fabulous books.

Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Marr continue to be two of my favorite authors. I'm going to be 30 next month, and I love YA books so much. I have trouble connecting with middle grade books sometimes, and often I find adult books bogged down with too much detail. YA books are often fun, fast reads. And they deal with real issues. I don't think I'd be quite the reader without my YA books. And this blog would probably exist as it did when I first started it (randomness).

Check out this awesome giveaway!

And... this giveaway also. Win free books and help give to charity just by entering.

Author Interview: Sarah Diemer (and giveaway)

If you follow my blog or follow my reviews on Goodreads, then you know that I absolutely love Sarah Diemer's work. I can't get enough of her stories. It's some of the most unique stuff out there. It's very original, and I find that very refreshing considering so many YA books are similar to other YA books.

I was lucky enough to score a little interview with Sarah!

1. What inspired you to become an author?

I've been writing books since I was six years old when I illustrated an EPIC VOLUME about a unicorn with a rainbow horn (and by EPIC, I mean RIDICULOUS). I was deeply influenced by my mother, and my Polish grandmother, Donda, who were constantly putting books into my hands or reading to me--at my insistence--almost constantly since I launched from the womb. My earliest memory is sitting in my grandmother's lap, being read to about a unicorn. You know, which explains everything about me. :D

2. You release books as both Sarah Diemer and Elora Bishop. How are they different?

I write my lesbian YA (Young Adult) fiction under Sarah Diemer, and my lesbian adult fiction under Elora Bishop. I chose to do it this way to differentiate as much as possible between the two genres, but my Elora works are read by my YA fans, and my Sarah works are read by my adult fans, and there’s lots of cross over. My works are categorized as “Adult” under Elora because they have older heroines, and are written differently, but there’s nothing super “adult” (THE OTHER MEANING ;D) about them at all, and they’re very comparable to my YA work. You know. Since I wrote both sets of stories. You can certainly read my Elora works if you’re a teen.

3. Your wife Jennifer is also an author. Are you the first to read each others work? Do you edit each others writing?

Definitely! Jenn is actually an editor, too, so that makes everything awesome and wonderful. We really ARE a cottage industry! *laughing* I also have a team of incredible women who beta my stuff--they're editors or writers or both, and they're absolutely priceless in their feedback. So much of what I'm capable of as a writer is because of the incredible support that my wife and these lovely ladies give me--they push me to the best I can be.

4. What is it like to self-publish? How does that process work?

Self publishing is intensely hard, but incredibly rewarding. You must write something worth reading, pay an editor to edit (or marry one! NO AUTHOR CAN EDIT THEIR OWN WORK PERFECTLY, IT DOESN'T WORK, PLEASE TRUST ME ON THIS.), pay a cover designer to design a cover (or have graphic knowledge), pay a formatter to format it (or have formatting knowledge), and then you must upload it, market it and do eleventy billion other tasks that you weren't ever told about. In return, you hold your destiny in your own hands, and you have the possibility of living the proverbial dream every writer has: working for yourself and being a self employed author. Every time I talk about self publishing, I sort of want to tell people: "it's dangerous to go alone! Take this!" and then give them a volume of hard-earned knowledge that took me almost two years to make enough mistakes to earn. But such a book doesn't exist. If you're looking to do self publishing, do enough research until you think you know everything. Then do a few more month's worth. And then try it. :)

5. Many self-published books have rather plain covers. And I know it's up to the author to get the cover done. Where do your beautiful covers come from and how much say do you have in how they turn out?

Aw, thank you so much! :) I really appreciate that. One of my very first jobs was a graphic designer, and I'm obsessed with design still--so I do all of my covers myself. :) AS SUCH, I get tons of say in how they turn out! *laughing*

6. You write romantic relationships between girls. Why do you choose to write it, and how important do you think it is for lesbian literature to be available for children, teens, and adults?

I personally believe that I have no choice. I'm a lesbian, madly in love with my wife, and I'm a writer. From the earliest of ages, I desperately looked for girls like me in the books and stories I was reading, and I never found them. It was devastating to me. So much so, that from a really early age, I was writing gay stories, because I wanted them so very much. There are so many people like me--girls and women who want stories that reflect them. So I *have* to tell these stories. It's also so incredibly important that straight people read stories about lesbians--you can't have empathy for people if they're invisible to you.

7. I know you're openly pagan. (So am I.) Does your faith influence your work? How?

I think that every aspect of an author is going to influence their writing. We write about experiences we've never had, but who we are is going to color that. Being Pagan is a deep core in my identity, as Sarah, as a woman, as a lesbian, as a writer. I think that my spirituality is very apparent in THE DARK WIFE, my retelling of the Persephone myth. Persephone is my matron Goddess, and I wanted to retell the tale for Her. But I also think it's visible, but not as apparent, in everything else I tell. I write a *lot* about death, the culture surrounding it and what happens to your soul after you've passed on. I don't believe that there are monsters who snatch you (like in my novel TWIXT), or a machine that recycles your spirit (like in my short story, "Far"), but I do believe that our souls live on, and that reflects itself in all of my stories.

8. What has been the hardest project you've worked on? The easiest? The most enjoyable?

The hardest project I've ever worked on is my novel, TWIXT. I've been working on variations of it for over five years now, and no single one has ever been what I wanted that story to be. I call it my "heartache" book--but I know it's going to get finished one of these days. Soon. :) The easiest and most enjoyable one has to be ONE SOLSTICE NIGHT. I LOVE that little book--it's such a happy romp, and those characters are some of my favorites I've ever written. A bumbling witch? A shape-shifting deer? A town where everyone can do magic? *laughing* People always tell me they'd love to live in Benevolence, the town in the story, and I always tell them I would, too. ;)

9. What are you working on now? Any exciting writing news to share?

I actually have some VERY exciting news to share. :) I am now represented by Liza Dawson and Judith Engracia of Liza Dawson Associates. This means that all of my current projects are VERY up in the air, and I'm hopefully going to have some extremely awesome news to share very soon--but until then, I must keep mum. :)

10. Have you and Jennifer ever co-written a story? If so, how did that compare to writing on your own?

Jenn and I have, and it's wonderful. Our writing styles are dissimilar enough, but similar enough where writing with each other is exciting and challenging and really kind of wonderful. Jenn and I have been working on--FOR YEARS!--the "sequel" to THE DARK WIFE, called ALIGHT. It's the first story we told together, back when we first got together, almost nine years now. :) Writing together has always been one of the things we did together that brought us closer.

11. Besides writing, what other artistic endeavors are you pursuing?

*laughing* What am I NOT pursuing would be a shorter answer! :) I'm a really creative person, and I'm always coming up with ideas and dreams and GLITTER PROJECTS. Together, Jenn and I run The Fable Tribe, where we make magical pendants out of old, unloved fairy tale books and original poetry. We're always working on an update for the shop--we fill it with shrines and magical objects and strange, sparkly things. We love that little shop. :) I'm working on knitting a prayer shawl for Jenn, a couple of pairs of fingerless gloves...a few sets of prayer beads and Goddess rosaries, and some Yule presents. Every area in our house is covered in glue and glitter and unfinished-but-patiently-waiting dreams.

12. What are some of your favorite books?

Oh gosh! So many! THE LAST UNICORN by Peter S. Beagle is my bible. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA are my favorite books in existence. Every book Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Tamora Pierce and Sarah Waters ever wrote is a glowing gem in my library. I love Libba Bray and Astrid Lindgren, Robin McKinley and Mercedes Lackey. But PATIENCE AND SARAH by Isabel Miller is my favorite book of all time. :) I think I could go on for hours...

13. What is your favorite sabbat?

*laughing* I always joke with Jenn that it's whatever happens to be around the corner. ;D But no, seriously, I'd have to say Samhain. I'm a Halloween girl, to my bones and back, and there's something about Samhain that fills my heart.

My site: Oceanid
My blog: Muse Rising
My Twitter: SarahDiemer
My Tumblr: Oceanid

And because I love Sarah's stuff so much, I'm giving away one copy of anything in Sappho's Boutique. Winner's choice! (Note: If you want a paperback, you must have a US address I can ship to. If you're out of the US, you get a choice of ebook.)

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Book Review: Feyland The Bright Court

INSIDE THE GAME...

Jennet Carter escaped the dark faeries of Feyland once. Now, fey magic is seeping out of the prototype game, beguiling the unwary and threatening everyone she cares about.

MAGIC...

Tam Linn may be a hero in-game, but his real life is severely complicated. Still, he'll do whatever it takes to stop the creatures of Feyland, even if it means pushing Jennet toward the new guy in school--the one with an inside connection to sim-gaming... and the uncanny ability to charm everyone he meets.

ALWAYS WINS...

Despite the danger, Jennet and Tam must return to Feyland to face the magic of the Bright Court--and a powerful new enemy who won't stop until the human world is at the mercy of the Realm of Faerie.

Feyland: The Bright Court by Anthea Sharp picks up right where The Dark Realm left off. Tam is finally going back to school, but both he and Jennet are still dealing with what happened with the Dark Queen. Enter Roy Lassiter. A new guy at school who has a mysterious pull that leaves all the girls swooning over him. Well, all except Jennet.

Tam and Jennet know something's up. And after discovering that Roy's mom is one of the developers for Feyland, they're sure he's been in the faery realm. Tam and Jennet are forced to go back in game to stop Roy and save the girls at their school from his nefarious plans. But this time, the final boss isn't the Dark Queen. It's the Bright King.

This story was just as fun and interesting as the first. I love Anthea's use of folklore. This novel was inspired in part by the fairy tale Childe Rowland. If you want to check out that tale, I suggest checking SurLaLune. And her blending of gaming and faeries makes this trilogy very unique.

If you haven't read The Dark Realm, you can by it for your Kindle for less than a dollar. But I suggest buying The Bright Court with it because if you love faery stories, you'll love these. The final book in this trilogy, The Twilight Kingdom will be available next month. I'm excited!

Meeting Authors: Once Upon a Slightly Different Time

Every year I got to the Baltimore Book Festival on Friday. The festival lasts all weekend, but Friday night at the Children’s Book Store stage is the greatest panel of the festival. Every. Time. This year: “Five authors and editor Ellen Datlow offer their thoughts on the recreation and retelling of fairy tales for a modern audience. Panelists include: Adam Gidwitz, Jessica Day George, Shannon Hale, Sarah Beth Durst, Ellen Datlow, and Michael Buckley.”

Oh. My. Goddess! I practically jumped out of my seat and shouted in delight when I read this. It’s like they planned this panel just for me.

And because it was requested, here’s some of what was discussed. If it’s in quotes, it’s a direct quote. If it’s not, I’m paraphrasing what they said. Authors, if you see this, and I got something wrong, sorry. I was taking notes as best as I could.

Moderator: What was your introduction to fairy tales?

Ellen Datlow: I don’t remember which story, but Oscar Wilde.

Sarah Beth Durst: I don’t remember. Fairy tales were introduced very early, so I don’t remember a time before they were around me.

Shannon Hale: I had a large two-volume set of fairy tales that was beautifully illustrated. One of them was “The Goose Girl.”

Jessica Day George: I remember watching Jim Henson’s Storyteller. At 16 I found PJ Lynch’s version of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon.”

Adam Gidwitz: I had a book of Grimm's tales all my life, but I only opened it five years ago. I agreed to be substitute librarian and thought hey, fairy tales are for kids.

Michael Buckley: I grew up with Disney. And I started real tales midway through the first draft of the first Sisters Grimm. The first fairy tale I read was Pinocchio.

Moderator: How did you come to start to writing fairy tales?

Ellen Datlow: Terri and I edited Best Fantasy and Horror. It was suggested to us to edit a fairy tale anthology. Snow White, Blood Red became the first of several, and it’s still one of the most popular.

Sarah Beth Durst: Into the Wild and Out of the Wild was wish fulfillment. I always wanted something magical to happen, so I made fairy tale characters invade my hometown. With Ice it was the same PJ Lynch version of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” that Jessica read. I wanted a fairy tale where the girl wasn't asleep or dead for most, and I wanted to save her beast

Shannon Hale: I didn’t pick my favorite. I picked the fairy tale that bugged me the most. “Rapunzel is dumbest.” A guy climbs up her hair and agrees to braid her a ladder out of silk. Why don’t they just chop off her hair and use that. And she mysteriously becomes pregnant. “It’s useless.” My husband loves super hero comics so Rapunzel’s Revenge was born. But don’t worry… there are no mysterious pregnancies here.

Jessica Day George: I fixed the “Twelve Dancing Princesses. I have an edition in German and so does my husband. There were some inconsistencies so I wrote in details from both. Mette Ivie Harrison said she wrote Mira Mirror because she thought Snow White was useless.

Michael Buckley: I wanted to know what would happen if many characters from different fairy tales were stuck in one place and couldn’t die. I pitched a show idea about celebrities who faded from the spotlight because they were recruited to join a secret organization. I changed it into Grimm characters for this series.

Question for Michael: Did you plan out the entire series?

Michael Buckley: I knew ending and most major moments. I knew Sabrina's direction. But there were a lot of surprises.

Do you intend to keep working with faery tales?

Ellen Datlow: Terri and I want to do a new anthology at some point.

Michael Buckley: Sister’s Grimm is done. (lots of sad faces here) I’m working on young adult books with a mermaid. It’s like District 9 meets The Little Mermaid. And I have an idea for a middle grade Steampunk.

Adam Gidwitz: I have another Grimm book planned, and then I want something new. I’ve been reading up on medieval saints lives.

Jessica Day George: I have nothing planned but that doesn't mean I won't in future.

Sarah Beth Durst: I move around in fantasy genre, but I have nothing with faery tales planned. Though they often come into play.

Shannon Hale: The thing I’m working on now I not a retelling. But it’s influenced by Cinderella.

What stories would you like to fix or see fixed?

Michael Buckley: Twilight or 50 Shades of Grey

Ellen Datlow: The Goose Girl. Without giving away spoilers, the part with the beheading.

Michael Buckley: The Wizard of Oz

Adam Gidwitz: I accidentally fixed “Brother and Sister.”

Ellen Datlow: Rumplestiltskin

Michael Buckley: Hansel and Gretel. The witch has a point. They could've used stones instead of food to mark their path. Then they wouldn't have to eat the house.

Do any of you watch Once Upon a Time?

Michael Buckley: No but my lawyer does. Every week.

Jessica Day George: I love it. I never miss it. However, the best Hansel and Gretel is The Simpsons.

What do you think about staying within the lines of archetype and tradition?

Sarah Beth Durst: I don’t stay within the lines, but I’m aware of them. The reason for that is because readers often know the story.

Ellen Datlow: I don't follow to closely. It’s boring.

Shannon Hale: The importance is to change the story. These stories come from an oral tradition. Transform it into something new.

Moderator: Andrew Lang takes out a lot of specifics so you can really see how similar they are.

Adam Gidwitz: Most names used were common. Archetypes help retain an elastic emotional state.

Did you study faery tales?

Jessica Day George: I read a lot and took classes.

Sarah Beth Durst: I read a lot, too, and did lots of research.

How did you come up with the personalities for the Sisters Grimm?

Michael Buckley: I had a girlfriend who was like Daphne in personality and who had a relationship with her sister like Sabrina. My grandma was named Relda. Puck is like my brother.

How do you afford to be an author?

Shannon Hale: “I’m a kept woman.”

Michael Buckley: “I’m a kept man.”

Adam Gidwitz: “I keep Michael.”

Michael Buckley: Touring. Putting out two books a year. Having a good publisher.

Adam Gidwitz: Getting out and meeting readers. I’m like a traveling salesman.

Michael Buckley: I wanted to be a writer so I wouldn't need to be a salesman. Indie stores are best for selling.

Adam Gidwitz: Teachers and librarians.

Considering how gruesome faery tales are, what do you consider a kids story?

Adam Gidwitz: It’s the technicality. The way it's told. As faery tales move into YA, they become more brutal.

Emma (moderator): Kids love justice. The bad guy gets his.

Michael Buckley: A good book for your child is what's good for them. It depends on who they are.

Shannon Hale: Very young readers can't escape visual brutality in a movie. And they can't visualize a lot of gruesome faery tale stories because they haven't been in that kind of situation. It's beyond what they can imagine.

Adam Gidwitz: Kids know what they're ready for. And it’s easier to put a book down. Movies rush at you.

Emma: Kids get what they can get and everything else goes over their head.

Ellen: It’s great to read to kids to help them understand.

Shannon Hale: I’m a fan of talents that can't be tested for show off.

What do you do when writers block?

Michael Buckley: I never get it. I’m full of ideas. If you do, it might be because you don’t know enough about what you're writing about.

Jessica Day George: If it’s not working I take a few days off and read familiar book.

Sarah Beth Durst: I shut my brain off. Music. Chocolate. And then I write more.

How long does it take you to write a book?

Michael Buckley: Four months for a draft. Four months revising.

Sarah Beth Durst: Six months. Two years originally, but then I learned more about the writing process. I need to outline.

Shannon Hale: A year to four years

Jessica Day George: Six weeks for the last one.

Adam Gidwitz: A year to two years

Do you commission stories for anthologies?

Ellen Datlow: We assign a story. We have to herd them as time goes on. Keep on them. Always get 1/3 more authors than you need. You can only read a story the first time once, so I try not to read any while they’re being written.

*

This was introduced to me at another panel, but I wanted to share it with you. If you like faery tales, check out Sur La Lune.

Giveaway: Zom-B (winner announced)

When news reports start appearing of a zombie outbreak in Ireland, B's racist father thinks it's a joke-- but even if it isn't, he figures, it's ok to lose a few Irish.

B doesn't fully buy into Dad's racism, but figures it's easier to go along with it than to risk the fights and abuse that will surely follow sticking up for Muslims, blacks, or immigrants. And when dodging his fists doesn't work, B doesn't hesitate to take the piss out of kids at school with a few slaps or cruel remarks.

That is, until zombies attack the school. B is forced on a mad dash through the serpentine corridors of high school, making allegiances with anyone with enough gall to fight off their pursuers.


Rules:
1. You must be 13 or older.
2. You must follow my blog.
3. You must have a US address I can ship it to.
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If you're the winner, please email me your US mailing address. If I don't receive an email by Sunday November 4 11:59pm, I'll choose a new winner.

Book Review: The Goose Girl

"She was born Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, 
and she did not open her eyes for three days."

Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, spends the first years of her life under her aunt's guidance learning to communicate with animals. As she grows up Ani develops the skills of animal speech, but is never comfortable speaking with people, so when her silver-tongued lady-in-waiting leads a mutiny during Ani's journey to be married in a foreign land, Ani is helpless and cannot persuade anyone to assist her.

Becoming a goose girl for the king, Ani eventually uses her own special, nearly magical powers to find her way to her true destiny. Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original and magical tale of a girl who must find her own unusual talents before she can become queen of the people she has made her own.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale was added to my list of books I need to read this year because it's simply been on my shelf far too long. Why it's sat there for so long, I have no idea. Because it was amazing. Beautifully written. Just... breath-taking. It's a rare novel that I love so much that I don't want to put it down, and I want to read it slowly so as to savor every word. The Goose Girl was one of those books.

"The Goose Girl" is a fairy tale written by the brothers Grimm. If you want, you can read it here. It tells the story of a young woman, a princess, who is to move to another kingdom and wed the prince. She has the ability to speak to her faithful, loving horse, Falada. Falada was to take the princess to this new kingdom, along with her chambermaid. But the chambermaid was jealous, and during the journey, forced the princess to switch places. Upon arriving at the neighboring kingdom, it was the chambermaid who was introduced as the prince's betrothed. The true princess was given a job... to work with the king's geese. She became the goose girl, working alongside the goose boy. There is much more to the story, but I don't want to spoil it for you.

Shannon Hale's version follows the Grimm version closely, but adds so much. It reads like a fairy tale. (As it should.) And while it is not fast-paced or filled with action scenes, it is simply amazing. Ani is a strong protagonist, and the friends she meets along the way are invaluable. I enjoyed the relationships Ani had with the other characters.

The goose boy, Conrad, was one of my favorites. As was Enna. So it's said with no surprise that I'm especially excited for book two in the Bayern series, Enna Burning. I'm curious to see how the kingdom of Bayern will have changed from The Goose Girl to Enna Burning, and I'm hoping old characters will show up. The Goose Girl has officially been added to my list of favorite books ever!

And because I love the cover so much, here is the Spanish edition. I want it!