One of the most amazing experiences on my crazy road to publication has been the opportunity to work closely with Val Cox, the graphic artist Leap Books commissioned to create several illustrations for Freaksville by Kitty Keswick, as well as my book (a la my pen name, Judith Graves) Under My Skin.
From the moment I saw Val’s work, I knew she would get my characters and the paranormally infested town of Redgrave. Her illustrations celebrate the magical, the supernatural and are a blend of contrasting colours and gothic sensibilities. Plus, she appreciates the quirky and offbeat.
We started the process with a phone call / brainstorming session. From there I went through the UMS manuscript and found key scenes which would translate well into visuals and those that held the most drama. We had the go ahead to create ten images in total, so I had to be selective.
Then came the fun part. Providing Val with enough physical and personality descriptions for her to bring the UMS cast to life. There were several incarnations of Eryn McCain, the main character. Ultimately we funked up her hair and gave her such a stellar look, that I had to go back and tweak the manuscript to reflect her new image. Here's a very cool illo, Val calls, The Three. Eryn with her two love interests (Wade on the left, Alec on the right). I'm thrilled with the devil/angel over her shoulder concept as these guys appeal to very different facets of Eryn's half human/half paranorm nature.
I'm crazy about the final images and can’t wait to work with Val again on book two, Second Skin. Hopefully we’ll be able to add a few more illos. ;) You can find out more about Val from this Leap Books interview, and on her website.
First off, welcome to our new followers! Once we hit 60, we will be giving away a book to one lucky follower! Next, an update to our follower free book contest from when we hit 30! I never heard from the original winner, so our NEW winner of Justine Larbalestier's Liar is...
Pagecrawler!
Please email me your address at YAedge @ yahoo.com (without the spaces) by Wednesdsay, January 20th! Congrats!
Now on to our regularly scheduled post:
I don't know about you, but I have a obsession regarding my bookshelf. All books have their place and when I get new ones, I hate to see them pile up without a proper home. It takes constant shifting to get the right thickness and height all in order, along with subject/genre. I'm never happy with the arrangement and each time I walk into our studio, I have to fight myself to walk over and start pulling books of the shelf to reorganize them. Where do you put your Maureen Johnson hardbacks and paperbacks? Do you put them together or do the hardbacks go with others of their kind? Or how about those odd sized books that don't seem to fit anywhere? I'm the crazy that puts hardbacks with hardbacks, trade paperback with other trades and mass with mass paperbacks. The odd shaped/sized ones?...don't even get me started.
Growing up, I had this same situation with CDs, but it was a bit easier. I would alphabetize them by singer/group and then within that, by date of the album. Obsessive? Yes. But, I could almost name every CD I owned because of this. Over time, as I've gotten older, my CDs now sit in huge folders. Once digital download became big, I was less obsessed with keeping track of my collection. I still buy real CDs from time to time at used stores or of the groups/singers I really love, but most of the time I just download the album instantly. Why not? I can buy a CD from the comfort of my home, sitting with my cats on my lap, my dog at my feet and a glass of wine on the table next to me. I can even wear my pajamas!
You're probably wondering where this post is going. As I mentioned last month, I bought Barnes and Noble's new ereader, nook. It is my jump into the digital age of books, one I fought for so long. I LOVE reading on it (one thing I wasn't sure about when I ordered it), but I have SOO many "real" books on my shelf! I am rotating, reading one "real" book, then an ebook and so on.
It makes me wonder, at some point will I want to stop organizing my bookshelf like a madwoman and just turn on my nook and let it do the dirty work for me? I think the answer will always be "no". I love ebooks right now, but they AREN'T the same as cracking open a new or old book, smelling the ink and paper and turning the pages one by one. Like my CDs, I will always buy my favorite books/authors as "real" books, and possibly also in ebook because it's great to know that I'm always carrying around a good friend (umm, I mean book) in my purse. I love walking into a bookstore and seeing people cracked open to a page or carrying a huge stack around ready to buy. To me, books will always be around in some kind of paper format, at least one can hope!
How do you organize your books and if you have an ereader, how do you handle reading "real" books vs. your ebooks?
This is more than the usual promo for an up and coming YA author. Kitty has been a loyal critique partner for me and Tami for about two years. We've struggled through chapters together, supported each other through the dramas of the real world, and through it all we've grown to appreciate our unique writing skills and just who to Skype with to help fix the current plot crisis. So how cool it was to invite Kitty on YAedge as a featured author and help celebrate her debut novel? VERY. Onto the questions!
Kitty, you're a self-professed Anglophile, and recently went on a dream trip to the UK. What was the most unexpected thing you discovered?
Roundabouts are really confusing! I had my own Chevy Chase National Lampoon experience in Edinbourgh. We drove around and around and around before we figured out how to get off.
Best experience: Seeing Caeverlock Castle in Scotland was like going home. I’ve spent ten plus years researching the Maxwells and even used their story in Freaksville. But be careful--those castles had really small and steep stairs with no rails! If your middle name isn’t grace, like me, the winding spirals in stone can be dangerous.
Not only do you write about furry beasties, but also you live with one! Can you tell us about him? (perhaps a pic of Jensen, too?!)
Jensen’s my gray tabby. Yes, he’s named after Jensen Ackles from Supernatural. I’m shameless. No, I’ve never met his namesake. Dreamsville.
You're very good at building sexual tension between your characters - makes your writing steamy! lol...
I am? (Tracy and Tami are my critique partners so they’ve seen my stuff in the rough stages.)Wow, thanks. I like conflict and I like pairing opposites. But they have to have enough common ground—too different and you don’t get sparks, you get embers, as in crash and burn, baby.
You've often said you love House of Night, the PC Cast & Kristin Cast series. If you could ask the mother/daughter writing duo anything about the books, what would it be?
Well, I do write with another YA author, Judith Graves (Under My Skin). Do you know her? ;) So I guess I would want to know who wrote what part. LOL. Judith’s and my voice meld really well and so do PC and Kristin’s. It would be interesting to see how their internal plotting sessions work.
Have you bought a drum kit yet? Tami plays bass, I play guitar and sing..... Man, let's go on the road!
Nope. I’ve got my eye on a snare drum and stand. I’m saving for it. It has practice pads so I won’t tick off the neighbors. I hope to buy it as my Freaksville-finally-released-and-now-the-fun-starts present. But wouldn’t that be cool?? Three YA authors in a band. YA edge is even a great name.
We often discuss the backstory of our characters, things only we, the authors, know, but they often affect the choices our characters make. Can you share a few backstory secrets about your main characters: Kasey, Josh and Gillie?
Hmm… good question. Backstory is so important.
Josh Johnstone is always in his older brother’s shadow. He likes the outdoors and hates lifts because he was stuck in one when he was young. Tight spaces….not a good thing. He sometimes feels as if his wolf will rip out of him at any moment. You’ll learn more about Josh as the series progresses. (Illustration of Josh by artist Val Cox, as he appears in Freaksville.)
Gillie Godshall has to be prepared for everything, because failure isn’t an option in the Godshall household. She’s a pack rat and carries a massive amount of stuff in her bag; you never know when trouble will show its face. She has big shoes to fill, and she can’t tell her BFF Kasey. You’ll learn her secret in the next book, Furry & Freaked.
Kasey, the heroine, would rather be a fashion writer for Glamour than see visions. Unfortunately, her DNA is freaked.
Thanks for hanging with us, Kitty. Congrats again on your January 8th release and may you never be at a loss for words. ;)
Find out more about Kitty at her website. She's been all over the book blogging community lately, if you see another interview, be sure to say "hi". Kitty's also a member of the Class of 2k10, watch for announcements about New York appearences/group book signings during Book Expo America in May.
Kitty's publisher is giving away a copy of Freaksville on the Leap Books Blog. Read an excerpt - I'm warning you, it's HOT, then comment to win!
NEWSFLASH: Kitty has just informed us she'd love to do an ARC giveaway right here on YAedge. Sooooo....comment on this post to enter and she'll do a draw on Friday for a winner. That's two chances you now have to win Freaksville! Ain't you guys lucky? ;)
I posted my top books of 2009 shortly before the new year. In that post, I promised that I would also give my thoughts on each title, but I ran out of time. Today I wanted to fulfill that promise! I hope you enjoy my thoughts on all of my favorites of 2009.
Here it goes:
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins What is not to love about Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games series? It has action, excitment and a love story. My favorite part? A strong female character that isn't afraid to do anything. Catching Fire starts right where The Hunger Games leaves off. I enjoyed both books more than words could explain and can't wait until the 3rd in the series comes out. This is one series I would stand in line for hours to buy on release day.
Warning: If you haven't read The Hunger Games, SHAME ON YOU! Make sure to read it before you read Catching Fire.
Ballads of Suburbia byStephanie Kuehnert I have yet to read Stephanie's first book, I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, (but I finally did find it at a Barnes and Noble by my parent's house and it is on top of my TBR list) so I didn't know what to expect with this one. I heard such great thing about it on review blogs and Twitter so I had high expectations. Boy, did it not let me down.
When I started to make a list of my favorite books of 2009, I knew instantly Ballads would be on it. It's smart, funny and heart tearing all at the same time. The characters jump off the page with each word, making you care about each and everyone one of them. The premise is harsh and edgy, but don't let that scare you. I would recommend this to anyone, even the faint of heart.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan This was the first book of 2009 that I read and adored. From the first page to the last, I was hooked, so much so I passed it off to my husband who only reads YA after I read them to see if he'd like it.The cover pulled me in from the moment I saw it online. Mary's world is small, but her dreams are not. You don't need to be a zombie fan to love this one. There are so many elements to it and so much meaning. Once you read The Forest of Hands and Teeth, you'll be on Carrie's website to find out when the next one comes out in the series, The Dead-Tossed Waves (and for those of you already wondering, March 9, 2010).
Going Bovine by Libba Bray The premise is so wacky for Going Bovine, I didn't know what to expect. Laughs, for sure, but this book is so much more. I laugh, I cried and I fell in love. The story isn't just a crazy set up about a boy who has mad cow disease, it is about teens finding out who they are and what they're made of. This is defintely a long book, but I didn't want it to end.
This was the first book by Libba Bray that I've read, and it makes me want to pick up her series. The writing is poetic and beautiful, making you get lost in the world of Going Bovine.
Hate List by Jennifer Brown There is so much violence in the world today, I could see where people might shy away from a book about a school shooting. I don't know how many of you were old enough to remember the Columbine High School shootings back in 1999, or the many that came after it, but I definitely was. It's haunting to think about a place as safe as a school should be, under attack. This book goes way beyond the act of a shooting, it deals with the period after the shooting and what led up to it. In an interesting style, author Jennifer Brown shows us how each person dealt with the tragedy through the eyes of the shooters girlfriend. Hate List sent shivers down my spine, but also showed how people can change and how others aren't what you might think. Don't just look/read this book and think violence, think about human growth and survival.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner When I read the premise of The Maze Runner, I knew I had to have it. I ran out to B&N the day it came out and devoured it quickly. Hoping it would wet my appetite while waiting for more from The Hunger Games, it did not disappoint. For fans of Suzanne Collins' series, this is a must. I know it has been compared to her series a lot, but it also has an identify of it's own. Fans of adventure and sci-fi books, this is a story for you. What I loved was I wasn't sure where it was going until I turned the last page. I cared about the characters and struggled when they did. I wasn't sure if the fact that the character doesn't remember who he is or where he's from would bother me. I loved how you learned as the character learned. I would recommend this book to everyone and for the record, this is one I passed on to my husband! I can't wait until book 2 comes out!
Unwind by Neal Shusterman LOVED this book. Again, this is the first book I've read by Neal Shusterman and after I finished it, I purchased two more. His writing sucked me in from teh beginning and the premise was amazing. What if parents could decide to get rid of their children after a certain age. There is so many things so morally wrong about it, and yet this book got me think about the ligistics of it. Not only do you love the three main characters you follow, it's so amazing to follow their journey to becoming or not becomnig unwound. I'm sure there are a lot of parents (sadly) out there they would love for the government to pass this law and see it become a reality. Each character has a heart bigger than the words that created them, whether they were "good" kids or "bad". This was another book that is now on my husband's TBR list. You know it's good when I pass it on to himas a must read!
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Books about a character's death and afterlife have always held my interest. I'm not sure what I find so fascinating about these books but I'm always drawn to them. I've read The Lovely Bones, Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin and many more along those lines. There was something different about If I Stay. There was hope and happiness through the main character, Mia's memories just like the books I just mentioned, and heartache. But there was something else, a choice. I cried...man did I cry reading this book. I think the only book I've cried harder was My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (man oh man did I bawl my eyes out on that one). This book was amazing and a fast read. I loved every page, every memory Mia shared. It's beautifully written and one of those books that I put down at the end and thought 'I sure wish I had written this one.'
Congrats! Please email us your address at YAedge@yahoo.com to claim your prize! Please make sure to contact us before Wednesday, January 13th. If we don't hear from the winner by that date, I will be picking a new winner. I will be making a trip to the post office this Saturday, so if you send me your info before then, I'll be able to send it out right away.
This is how I picked the winner: I picked a random number using a number generator and then counted out the followers of the blog.
Don't forget, we will be giving away another book when we hit 60 followers! Make sure to tell your friends to follow the blog!
Thanks again to all of our loyal readers/followers.
Tami's post on New Years resolutions was the kick in the butt I needed to get back into my usual writing and workout schedule. The last half of 2009 I was immersed in edits for Under My Skin and establishing all the social networking profiles a newbie author needs to promote their debut novel. Most prominently, my time and effort spent as co-president for the Class of 2K10. Now that the Class has officially launched and most of the initial background / grunt work is over - I simply HAVE to get back into writing and treadmilling it daily. My characters and my thighs won't stand for another day of neglect.
Sure, time will still be a hot commodity considering all the promotional stuff my publisher, publicist and 2k10 have planned, and yeah, I have a full time day job, a husband and two hyper labs to care for...but I also have about four WIPs in various stages of disarray, all demanding their stories be told - and a pair of skinny jeans that haven't been out of the closet for six months.
So here's to 2010. A year of shameless self-promotion, wonderful camaraderie and my skinny jeans - but most importantly - a year of writing and critiquing with the bestest crit group in the world. Tami and Kitty - you rock!!!
