More Author Insight: Social Issues

When writing a book do you include nods to real life problems or social issues or do they emerge organically?

"Big picture, real world issues always emerge organically for me, if they emerge at all, and always as a result of the characters. I could never sit down and say, 'I’m going to write a story about global warming.'" - Sara Walsh, author of The Dark Light.

"I think the message should be secondary to a good story, so I try to let points come out on their own and then I try to solidify them during revisions. But I do think it's important to say things relevant to today." - Stefan Bachmann, author of The Peculiar.

"I don’t set out to write about social issues, but if they come up while I’m researching the time period, I won’t shy away from them." - Robin Bridges, author of The Unfailing Light.

"The main character of Solstice, Piper, has her best friend and her romantic interest in the book. That said, if they didn’t exist, she’d have to do some book hopping to find the right fit. She’s not one to easily form friendships or relationships, so it would have to evolve over time." - P.J. Hoover, author of Solstice.

Waiting on Wednesday (38)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine 

that highlights eagerly anticipated books.

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Dualed by Elsie Chapman

Release Date: February 26, 2013

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Author Website: http://elsiechapman.com/

Pre-order: Amazon / IndieBound / Barnes & Noble

You or your Alt? Only one will survive.

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.

Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.

Elsie Chapman's suspenseful YA debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and every child knows there is another out there who just might be better.

Why can't I wait?
Talk about a metaphor for coming to terms with yourself! This girl isn't just confronting another person. She's taking on her self-worth and so much more. I have to know how this all turns out. 

Author Insight: Social Issues

When writing a book do you include nods to real life problems or social issues or do they emerge organically?

"Always organically. I don’t write 'issue books'. But as a psychotherapist, I always seem to retrofit damage into each of my characters. Those problems become a layer rather than the crux of the story." - Daniel Marks, author of Velveteen.

"Everything in The Memory Chronicles developed organically. The problems my main character faced were directly related to her experience and upbringing." - Lenore Appelhans, author of Level 2. 

"If it doesn’t come out of the story organically, it shouldn’t be there at all, is my feeling. It’ll stick out like a sore thumb and probably be a bore to read. Characters have lives and emotions of their own. They’ll do what they do. You try to control them too much, you’ll end up with a book full of flat, lifeless characters." - Lili Peloquin, author of The Innocents. 

"Whether they intend to or not, all writers address social issues. I prefer it when there's intention behind it, because it's apparent that the writer is investing themselves. I have a lot to learn about the world, for sure, and one of my great projects in life is to sensitize myself more to issues of race, class, gender, and all of the ways in which we intentionally and accidentally support the oppression of others. This is the ocean I try to swim in as a writer, even though half the time I'm almost drowning." - Steven Arntson, author of The Wrap-Up List.

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Release Date: Feb. 5, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Age Group: Young Adult
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Series: Shatter Me #2
Pages: 480
Buy: Amazon / Book Depository / IndieBound Description: Goodreads
tick, tick, tick, tick, tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

Tahereh Mafi has a special place in my YA heart, as her debut novel Shatter Me was actually my first official review.  I was enraptured by Juliette, by her pure kindness in a hopeless place, by her need to be needed, especially by her relationship with Adam.  I ended that review already excited for whatever Tahereh would hand us next.

And, oh sweet honey bees, what we’re handed next is Unravel Me -- another incredible, pulse-pounding, exquisitely written piece of beauty that hits you soundly in all the right places.  Apparently, Ms. Mafi has never heard of this “sophomore slump,” and we should all count our blessings for that.

Juliette’s story continues at Omega Point, where she’s trying to learn to harness her overwhelming power.  We get a bit of a refresher as far as characters and important plot points from Shatter Me, but it’s never clunky.  Then, without warning or fanfare, Juliette is bombarded with twist after turn until she’s lost in a mental maze of her own making, fighting to prove that she’s worth the hassle, worth the time and energy Omega Point has spent on her.  And there’s this epic war waging between the rebellion and The Reestablishment.  I think I’m missing something… OH THAT’S RIGHT, two ridiculously attractively broken boys are desperately in love with her.

So much of my raving opinion of Shatter Me applies here.  The wild and winding words of Juliette’s mind still exist in Unravel Me, including the strike-throughs.  It’s intense to a breaking point, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.  I adore the stylistic prose so much, not only because it’s gorgeous but because it fits Juliette so perfectly.  She’s somehow so fragile and yet completely invulnerable at the same time.  The world-building stands out more than before, complementing the plot we’ve already heard and expanding on it without getting in the way.

There is one thing, though.  While still anchored on the side of my dear Adam, I’m beginning to see the appeal of Warner.  The reader is introduced to all new facets of both of the men in Juliette’s heart—Adam’s angsty, unstable side and Warner’s more human side-- and it gets me all kerfuffled.  What does remain, though, is the unadulterated steamy hotness that this series is known for.  If you thought that Shower Scene was something… oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet.  And I won’t even tell you which guy it involves.

So instead of picking a team, I’m going with Kenji.  I took him for a one joke pony when we were first introduced, but after just a few pages with him, I threw that opinion right out the window.  Kenji is hilarious, level-headed, and amazing, and I would like to carry him around in my pocket for those moments when I need the perfect comeback.

I feel I’ve said so much and yet barely told you anything at all.  You just have to find out for yourself.  I have been looking forward to reading Unravel Me since the moment I finished Shatter Me.  I thought I knew what to expect, or at least I knew what I was ready to read.  Yet, I wasn’t prepared for this, not at all, and I mean that in all of the best ways.  Just as I was shattered, I am now unraveled by Unravel Me.

Blackhope Enigma/Crimson Shard Giveaway

The Blackhope Enigmaby Teresa Flavin

When Sunni Forrest’s stepbrother accidentally transports himself into a Renaissance painting, she and her friend Blaise set out to bring him back. They find themselves in a strange world of labyrinths, monsters and pirates.

Can they evade their greedy pursuers? And will they ever find their way home?

The Crimson Shardby Teresa Flavin

During what seems like an ordinary museum visit, a tour guide lures Sunni and Blaise through a painted doorway, where they discover they’ve stepped into eighteenth-century London.

When they realize their "tour guide" will do anything to learn what Sunni and Blaise know about magical paintings, they attempt to flee and encounter body snatchers, art thieves, and forgers in this gripping sequel to The Blackhope Enigma. Can they evade their captors and figure out how to get back home before it’s too late? Or will keeping their secret safe mean they’re stuck in the past forever?

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More Author Insight: Fictional Matchmaking

If your character was best friends or in a romantic relationship with a character from another book, who would it be?

"That’s so tough. I can’t imagine Mia being best friends with anyone other than Willie! They are peas and carrots." - Sara Walsh, author of The Dark Light.

"My character is a bit asocial for the first part of the book, being a Victorian waif who's been locked up for most of his life, so I'm not sure how well he'd make friends. But maybe with Sarah from Burnett's The Secret Garden. I think they would get along just fine after she's had a tantrum or two, and he's sulked for a while." - Stefan Bachmann, author of The Peculiar.

"I think Katerina would be best friends with Kate Grable, from Carrie Harris’ Bad Taste in Boys. Kate is another teen with who aspires to become a doctor, but has to deal with those pesky walking dead. I think the two girls have a lot in common." - Robin Bridges, author of The Unfailing Light.

"The main character of Solstice, Piper, has her best friend and her romantic interest in the book. That said, if they didn’t exist, she’d have to do some book hopping to find the right fit. She’s not one to easily form friendships or relationships, so it would have to evolve over time." - P.J. Hoover, author of Solstice.