All posts in the ‘YA’ Category

We love vampires, apocalypses, witches, mermaids, and Darklings as much as the next guy, but sometimes there’s nothing better than reading something real.

ReaLITy is a program designed to shine a light on Macmillan’s realistic literary fiction. These titles feature strong writing, important themes, and memorable voices. They are pathways to discussion about topics that impact the lives of today’s young adults. These are real books for real teens.

Books in the ReaLITy program are the kind of stories that stay with you long after the last page. They can inspire understanding of a life completely different than your own or make you realize that there are others out there just like you. These are the books that you can’t wait to share and discuss. Because of that, we’ve created discussion guides for every ReaLITy title. We’ve talked to each author and asked them what inspired their novels—what makes their books “real”?

Books can make it easier to figure out your place in the world and we think the titles in the ReaLITy program will do just that.

You can head on over to ReaLITyReads.com to learn more about each of the ReaLITy titles, which include Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark, and My Book of Life By Angel by Martine Leavitt and download discussion guides to start conversations about these realistic, important titles.

As an author, I always find it rather amusing when I read a post or review about my book and someone says, “I love the homage the author made to [insert show I’ve never seen].” Or, “I really enjoyed how she used elements from [insert book I’ve never read].”

I think it just goes to show how many common themes there are in books, movies, and TV shows. Especially when you start getting into more specific genres like science fiction. Why are these themes so common? Because people relate to them. And when people relate to them, the stories reach a bigger audience, making it more appealing for writers to explore them in their next work.

Although there are many movies, books, and TV shows that I haven’t seen and, therefore, didn’t influence my writing (at least not yet!), there are several that were a huge inspiration for me when creating the world of Unremembered. These are the top five.

 1) Alias (TV series)

This is by far one of my favorite shows in existence. I was hooked on Sydney Bristow’s every badass, kung fu move from hour one. Actually, anything that J. J. Abrams does is pretty much gold in my mind.

I’ve always loved the depth of Jennifer Garner’s character in this show. At work, she’s a tough, no-nonsense superhero (or superspy) and then at home, she’s just a girl who’s vulnerable and lonely and tired of hiding secrets from the people she loves.

But what I loved the most about Sydney Bristow was her ability to speak several languages. I just think that would be one of the coolest skills to have. So I decided to give the same ability to Seraphina, in Unremembered. Only, in my story, she doesn’t remember the fact that she can speak multiple languages. So discovering them one by one is half the fun.

Also, interesting side note. I don’t think I did this intentionally, but it’s funny nonetheless. Obviously, I’m a huge Jennifer Garner fan (as evidenced above). And it wasn’t until my first draft was finished that I noticed my main character’s name is Seraphina, which is Jennifer’s second daughter’s name. But when the character initially arrives at the hospital she doesn’t remember her name so, because of her purple eyes, the hospital staff all call her Violet, which is Jennifer’s first daughter’s name. So yeah, I felt pretty stalkerish at that point, but I loved the names so much, I couldn’t bear to change them!

2) Gattaca (movie)

This movie is a bit older but it’s such a classic, one of those movies I will stop whatever I’m doing and watch it to the end, whenever it comes on TV. The idea that, in the future, human beings are genetically modified to be, essentially, “perfect” fascinates me. I loved the way the filmmakers explored this kind of society and what it meant, especially for the outsiders who weren’t altered. Who were just…normal.

The Unremembered trilogy shares some similar themes to this story. Namely the exploration of the questions: What is perfection? How far will we go to get it? And, more important, What is the price of it? These questions are introduced in book 1 but come up a lot more in book 2.

3) The Bourne Identity (movie)

When I first pitched this book to my agent, I called it “Bourne Identity for teens…with a sci-fi twist.” He later used this same pitch to sell the book to my publisher.

I’ve always been fascinated by stories of memory loss. But Bourne took it one step further. It asked, “What if you lost your memories and then discovered you were actually…extraordinary?” The scene in the park when Jason Bourne suddenly whips out all these awesome fighting moves and takes down three bad guys at once is probably my favorite scene in the whole movie. He goes on autopilot, kicks butt, and then snaps out of it and is like, “Um…what was that?”

When I set out to write a story about a girl who loses all her memories and has to piece together her past, I really wanted to include a few “what was that?” moments as well. One of my favorite scenes to write took place in a bus station where Sera has a conversation with a stranger. She doesn’t realize until a few minutes later, that the entire conversation was in Portuguese.

4) The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson (book)

It’s funny to think of a time when Mary E. Pearson and I didn’t know each other. We’re such good friends now, it feels as though I’ve known her all my life. But I remember when I first got her book in the mail. I had just sold Unremembered to my editor at FSG and she sent me a package of Macmillan books that she thought shared similar themes with my new trilogy. “For inspiration,” her note said.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox was the first one I read. It also deals with memory loss and a life impacted by science and technology. I devoured it and was so impressed and inspired by Mary’s writing and her ability to get inside the head of a character with no memories. I loved how rich and three-dimensional Jenna Fox was. She was clearly a character with a past, even if she couldn’t remember what that past was. I sought to accomplish the same difficult task in Unremembered.

5) ????? (movie)

Okay, so this last one is tricky. It had a HUGE influence on me but I can’t say what movie it is. Because as soon as I do, the whole big twist at the end of the book is spoiled. And I just can’t/won’t do that to you. I worked so hard to make sure that end came as a surprise, I would hate to see my efforts go to waste in one fell swoop!

But I will say this: once you finish the book, you might be able to come back to this post and figure out what movie this is. It’s one of the most popular movies dealing with this subject matter. And I did leave a clue in the book, as a little “homage” to its inspiration.

At the onset of the story, Seraphina is pulled from the wreckage of Freedom Airlines flight 121 after it crashed into the Pacific Ocean. And let’s just say I didn’t randomly choose that flight number…

So there you have it! My top 5 influences for my new sci-fi trilogy, UNREMEMBERED. I hope you enjoy the book and can see how these movies, TV show, and book inspired the creation of my new world!

UNREMEMBERED is Jessica Brody’s sci-fi debut. Check to see if Jessica will be coming to a city near you on the Fierce Reads tour this spring!

To learn more about Jessica and her books, visit her online at JessicaBrody.com

Dedicating a book is a tricky thing. It’s like deciding whom to invite to your birthday party, only this is a birthday party that people all over the world are going to hear about, and you can only invite one guest.

When dedicating a book, you want to choose someone who has been legitimately supportive of you. You want to choose someone who you know will understand and appreciate the enormity of having this book—your opus—dedicated to them. And, in my opinion, you want to choose someone whom you trust will be an important, positive part of your life for a long, long time.

Think about it: books can stay in print for years. Even if my novels go out of print, I certainly intend to keep copies of them on my bookshelf for the rest of my life. And how weird and sad would it be to, twenty years from now, pick up a book that you wrote, read the dedication, and think, “I don’t even remember who that person is”?

Sometimes it’s obvious whom you should dedicate a book to. Many authors dedicate their first book to their parents, which makes complete sense. I dedicated Past Perfect to mine, because without them I not only wouldn’t be a writer; I wouldn’t be anything.

I dedicated my previous book, Mostly Good Girls, to my high school best friend, which again felt natural because the book was so inspired by our own misadventures. I cheated a little with that one, dedicating it to my grandmother, too, because I knew she was approaching the end of her life and I wanted to make sure I’d dedicated a book to her before it was too late for her to see it.

Leila with her godmother Katherine Deutch Tatlock

For my newest YA novel, This Song Will Save Your Life, I thought carefully about this question again. Once you’ve done your parents, your best friend, and your grandmother, you’ve already gone through many of the people whom you can be confident will be in your life forever. I’m lucky that I had another person to add to that list: my godmother, Katherine Deutch Tatlock.

This Song Will Save Your Life is about (among other things) a girl who comes to understand that she is an artist. She’s not a painter or a sculptor—actually, she’s a DJ—but she has that artist’s originality and the need to question, need to create, that cannot be denied. My godmother was the perfect dedication choice because she has been one of my artistic models since my childhood. And I knew for sure that she was the right choice because she was so happy when I told her that she almost cried!

Why don’t you take a stab at it? If you were writing a book, whom would you dedicate it to, and why?

–Leila Sales is the author of MOSTLY GOOD GIRLS, PAST PERFECT, and the forthcoming THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE (coming September 17, 2013). Visit her at www.leilasales.com or follow her on Twitter at @LeilaSalesBooks.

Last week EW.com exclusively debuted the book trailer for Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, yesterday we asked fans to cast their vote for who should play Alina Starkov in the movie and today we’re SO excited to announce that you can download the first five chapters of Siege and Storm onto your e-reader for FREE!

 Download it for FREE!

Can’t wait to read the entire book? Don’t worry…only 55 days left until the Darkling returns.

There’s something to be said for doing something badly. Like writing with your left hand when you’re right-handed. Your script might not be pretty, but the exercise is good for your mind. Of course I have no evidence to back this up (science is one of the things I like, but I’m not very good at). It’s just a feeling. But I also know I’m not the first person to feel this way.

It’s the “What have I got to lose?” mentality. There’s no pressure. When we lack skills in a certain area, we don’t set unrealistic goals for ourselves and it’s easier, even necessary, to remain in the moment. You can almost hear the click as doors to unexplored regions of your brain unlock. I have a short list of things I love yet do badly. My go-to activities when I need a break from writing. Singing, drawing, playing guitar. (Okay, so it’s a huge stretch to call what I do “playing” guitar, but you get the idea.)

But of all the things I’m not-so-very-good at, running has become the most important to me, even though I’m far from being a natural. (Think Corgi attempting to run a thoroughbred horse race.) I have an app on my iPhone that tells me how far and fast I’m running. It also offers words of encouragement from top professional athletes. Things like “Nice work! That was your personal best!” Me? I keep expecting to hear Betty White in my ear buds saying something like “Are you kidding me? Are you even moving?”

Still, I hit the pavement at least three times a every week—undeterred by Betty White’s imagined taunts—because I believe of all the things I do badly, running has taught me the most about writing. Here’s why:

1. Running, like writing, is something I need to do consistently. The longer I go between runs, the harder it is to get back into it. Some running is better than no running.  Same with writing.
2. Running is better than free writing for me. I started running regularly at about the same time I began writing my young adult novel FAMOUS LAST WORDS. So much of the plot and dialogue came to me as I logged miles on the treadmill and around the neighborhood. There’s something about concentrating on every breath and every step that puts my head in that space where uncensored ideas start flowing.
3. As much as I enjoy it. Some days, I just don’t feel like running. On those days, I need to trick myself. “Just run one mile today.” I say. I fall for it every time. It gets me out there and before I know it, I’m lost in my running mix, feeling good, and ready to keep going. Same with writing. I dangle the carrot out there. “Just three new pages and then you can sign on to Twitter” or “Two hundred and fifty words and you can break for coffee.” Whatever it takes to get my butt in the chair. Just like with running, I always wind up going farther.
4. When I was considering running a 10K race, I asked a good friend of mine, a marathon runner, how to go about training. Working backwards from race day, she put me on a schedule whereby I’d start out running half the distance (5K) and add one mile each week. Again, it’s an easy and obvious formula that works with writing too. I give myself a deadline and each week I push myself to write more than I did the week before.
5. So I never did run that 10K race. Turns out 5K races are more suited to my abilities. But every once in a while, when I’m out for longer run and the endorphins kick in, and my knees aren’t hurting, and Betty White isn’t screaming in my ears, I start to believe I can run a 10K, or a half marathon, or even a full marathon. Then reality hits and I realize the mere thought of running those distances makes writing that next novel seem a whole lot easier. At the very least, I’ll be sitting.

Jennifer Salvato Doktorski is the author of the young adult novels How My Summer Went Up in Flames (Simon Pulse, May 7, 2013) and Famous Last Words (Christy Ottaviano Books, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, July 2, 2013). She is also a freelance nonfiction writer and has published articles and essays in national magazines, such as Cosmopolitan. Her first paid writing gig was at The North Jersey Herald & News, where she wrote obituaries and began her lifelong love of news and coffee. She lives in New Jersey with her family and their dog, Buffy (The Squeaky Toy Slayer). Visit her at www.jendoktorski.com or on Twitter @jdoktorski.

We love Anna Banks, you love Anna Banks, so let’s all chat with Anna Banks!

The Of Poseidon author is counting down to the release of Of Triton, and the spring 2013 Fierce Reads tour and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate with this serious author than by chatting on the most serious and unfunny of days, Monday, April 1.

Join us on Monday, April 1 at 9pm EST / 6pm PST as we talk with Anna Banks about that crazy cliffhanger that ended Of Poseidon, what’s ahead for Galen and Emma, and why she’s so fascinated with Sasquatch. And get your questions ready because we’ll be giving out swag during the chat!

Haven’t read Of Poseidon yet? Get caught up before the twitter chat

• Read the first three chapters of Of Poseidon in the Fierce Reads Spring 2012 Chapter Sampler
• Watch the book trailer!
• Follow Anna Banks on Twitter

Readers beware! Here there be spoilers for Outpost by Ann Aguirre, second book in The Razorland Trilogy…

Ann Aguirre‘s Razorland Trilogy–a series with one of the most refreshingly competent, tough, and human heroine’s–will end this fall with the publication of Horde, the final book in the trilogy.

A lot has happened since Deuce and Fade went topside in Enclave. They’ve made new friends and new enemies, found and lost shelter, and discovered a horde of Freaks large enough to take out everyone they care about.

Outpost ended with Deuce, Fade, Stalker, and Tegan literally fleeing to find salvation for a burning Salvation, a place that had become home to them over the course of the book and gave Deuce something she had never known she was missing–a family.

In book three the stakes are higher, the losses are real, and the horde of Freaks is coming.

The only way to fight a horde of that size is to raise your own army. And who better to lead than Deuce?

Horde will not disappoint fans of the first two books. It’s our favorite of the trilogy, with action, adventure, romance, and an ending that feels right.

The Horde is coming October 2013

Ann Aguirre is a national bestselling author who made her young adult debut with the Razorland Trilogy. She is currently working on a new trilogy for Feiwel and Friends. She lives in Mexico with her family.

Follow her on twitter @MsAnnAguirre and visit her website for more information on all of her books.

Fox Forever by Mary E. Pearson

Locke Jenkins has some catching up to do. After spending 260 years as a disembodied mind in a little black box, he has a perfect new body. But before he can move on with his unexpected new life, he’ll have to return the Favor he accepted from the shadowy resistance group known as the Network.

Locke must infiltrate the home of a government official by gaining the trust of his daughter, seventeen-year-old Raine, and he soon finds himself pulled deep into the world of the resistance—and into Raine’s life.

Mary E. Pearson brings the story she began in The Adoration of Jenna Fox and continued in The Fox Inheritance to a breathtaking conclusion as Locke discovers that being truly human requires much more than flesh and blood.

Want more of The Jenna Fox Chronicles?

• Like The Jenna Fox Chronicles on Facebook!
• Follow Mary E. Pearson on Twitter
• Read the reviews on Goodreads!
• Download the free chapter sampler of The Adoration of Jenna Fox
• Visit Mary E. Pearson’s Website

Are you in the New York City area? The 2013 NYC Teen Author Festival starts on Monday and there are several fierce authors in attendance!

Look below to see where you see some of our authors like Emmy Laybourne, Jessica Brody, Greg Takoudes, Kathryn Williams, and Leila Sales speak about different topics and check out the NYC Teen Author Festival facebook page for a full schedule of events.

Friday, March 22, Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, Berger Forum, 2nd Floor, 2-6)

2:10 – 3:00 pm: He Said, She Said

Description: Only David Levithan knows…

Panelists:

• He: Ted Goeglein, Gordon Korman, Lucas Klauss, Michael Northrop
• She: Susane Colasanti, E. Lockhart, Carolyn Mackler, Sarah Mlynowski, Leila Sales
• Moderator: David Levithan

4:40 – 5:30 pm: Alternate World vs. Imaginary World

Description: Of these authors, some have written stories involving alternate or parallel versions of our world, some have made up imaginary worlds for their characters, and still others have written books that do each.  We’ll discuss the decision to either connect the world of a book to our world, or to take it out of the historical context of our world.  How do each strategies help in telling story and developing character?  Is one easier than the other? Is the stepping off point always reality, or can it sometimes be another fictional world?

Panelists: Sarah Beth Durst, Jeff Hirsch, Emmy Laybourne, Lauren Miller, E. C. Myers, Diana Peterfreund, Mary Thompson

Saturday March 23, Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, Bergen Forum 2nd Floor, 1-5)

2:20 – 2:40 pm: New Voices Spotlight

Description: Each debut author will share a five-minute reading from his or her work

Panelists: J. J. Howard, Kimberly Sabatini, Tiffany Schmidt, Greg Takoudes

2:40 – 3:30 pm: Under Many Influences: Shaping Identity When You’re a Teen Girl

Description: Being a teen girl is to be under many influences – friends, parents, siblings, teachers, favorite bands, favorite boys, favorite web sites.  These authors will talk about the influences that each of their main characters tap into – and then talk about what influences them as writers when they shape these characters.

Panelists: Jen Calonita, Deborah Heiligman, Hilary Weisman Graham, Kody Keplinger, Amy Spalding, Katie Sise, Kathryn Williams

Moderator: Terra Elan McVoy

3:40 – 4:20 pm: Born This Way: Nature, Nurture, and Paranormalcy

Description: Paranormal and supernatural fiction for teens constantly wrestles with issues of identity and the origin of identity.  Whether their characters are born “different” or come into their powers over time, each of these authors uses the supernatural as a way to explore the nature of self.

Panelists: Jessica Brody, Gina Damico, Maya Gold, Alexandra Monir, Lindsay Ribar, Jeri Smith-Ready, Jessica Spotswood

Moderator: Adrienne Maria Vrettos

Sunday March 24:  Our No-Foolin’ Mega-Signing at Books of Wonder (Books of Wonder, 1-4)

While there are tons of great authors signing at Books of Wonder on Sunday. We’re highlighting the MacTeen authors who will be there. Check the full schedule on the Facebook page for more details.

• Jessica Brody, Unremembered: 1:00 – 1:45 pm
• Emmy Laybourne, Monument 14: 2:30 – 3:15 pm
• Greg Takoudes, When We Wuz Famous: 3:15 – 4:00 pm
• Kathryn Williams, Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous: 3:15 – 4:00 pm

It’s been a good few weeks for YA, especially here at MacTeenBooks. Fall galleys are starting to appear on our bookshelves, author visits are in the air, and we’ve been able to share four new covers for books we’re so excited about!

• Last week MTV Hollywood Crush exclusively revealed the cover for Leila Sales’ This Song Will Save Your Life along along with a playlist from the author herself.
  
• EW.com revealed the cover for Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts, a story about what to do with the time that’s left, right before the end of the world.
• io9 revealed the cover for Leigh Bardugo’s Siege and Storm, the second book in the Grisha Trilogy hot on the heels of last summer’s Shadow and Bone.
• We revealed the cover of Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark, one of the most touching and lyrical YA debuts we’ve read.