Although he became known almost as much for his reclusive ways as for his seminal YA novels, JA Salinger is a giant among writers. What impressed me most about him was his ability to give us narrators that intrigued – they weren’t quick to unlock their secrets or reveal their demons. Salinger left that job to the reader, and that’s why we pored over them again and again.
As for the reclusiveness, if I could pull that off I’d have written 10 novels by now. RIP, J.D. Salinger, you will always be my ultimate idol.
Archive for 2010|Yearly archive page
A Fellow YA Writer
In 1 on January 19, 2010 at 4:04 pmI am lucky to be writing in the children’s genre, because there is such a fantastic support organization called SCBWI. My current writer’s group grew from the organization, I attend their events when I can, and the e-mail feeds are filled with advice and encouragement. I have never been in a creative field where the successful members helped those starting out so much, or so sincerely. It’s wonderful to meet authors who are kindred spirits, and also to watch people work hard and get published for the first time.
click on picture to go to book site
Toward that end, I would like to plug a fellow YA writer I’ve been chatting with online, who I met through SCBWI: Dawne Knobbe. I ordered her book which, like mine, deal with teens in the outdoors. Here is her BOOK BLOG: runawaystorm.com – http://deknobbe.com/blog/great-kayak-giveaway/
She’s giving away a kayak on her blog!
We are going to meet in person soon and compare notes about writing. I can’t wait to meet her.
To My Agent in the Caribbean: Enjoy
In 1 on January 18, 2010 at 9:37 pmI feel sorry for my agent Bri, being on vacation when an event so horrible errupts that you must interrupt your bliss to tune in on the news. I happened to be in Positano, Italy when the Columbine disaster happened and remember dreading the news but feeling obligated to stay updated. Adding to that quandry, Bri is in the Caribbean, which much feel strange.. to know that besieged Haiti shores occupy the same sea as her chosen island paradise.
Knowing how hard she works, I hope she is thinking about little other than the gentle waves breaking on her pedicured toes. I do have to admit, however, my nagging need to obsess about the fate of my manuscript creeps in from time to time. Specifically, I wonder about her e-mail account & wonder what would happen if an e-mail about my manuscript came in while she is gone. Is someone looking them over in case an acceptance letter from an editor is gathering dust in her in-box? Can someone else reply if one does come in? Do I sound self-centered?
Tomorrow she comes back and no matter how hard I try, I will not be able to resist checking my e-mail every two seconds all day long. Dusty acceptance letter, take heart: we will get you, we will reply, and most importantly, we love you…
Girls in Movies Face Horrors of a Personal Nature
In 1 on January 6, 2010 at 3:30 am(exerpted from the LA Times)
“The young heroines of ‘Precious,’ ‘New Moon’ and ‘The Lovely Bones’ try to lead ordinary lives but instead face harrowing experiences. But the movies are more restrained than the books on which they are based.
By Lizzie Skurnick
January 2, 2010
At first blush, the heroines of the films “Precious,” “New Moon” and “The Lovely Bones” seem to have little in common — except that they all started out as characters in novels.
Precious is an abused, teenage mother who can barely read. “New Moon’s” Bella is a vampire-in-waiting who lives to be courted by a glittering heartthrob of the undead. Susie, the narrator of “The Lovely Bones,” is the product of the kind of suburban idyll for which Kodachrome was invented.
Yet despite these diverging narratives, these girls are deeply, sweetly ordinary. All three want to feel comfortable with what they see in the mirror. All three want the boy they like to kiss them. All three would prefer not to be social outcasts, all three want happy family lives and all three will never, ever get any of these things.
It is, to put it mildly, not a great season to be a girl on screen. If we take the three books-to-films as a rule, sheer carnage is the order of the day.
In “The Lovely Bones,” Susie is raped and killed by a neighbor… Bella is always a kiss or paw swipe away from being slaughtered by a boyfriend — if she’s not hurling herself over a cliff in pursuit of one. Precious is the victim of beatings and incest by mother and father.”
I am heartened by the fact that current films are not sugar coating the experience of being a teenage girl in the modern world. The juxtaposition of adult pathos and youthful innocence is what intrigues me about YA stories. Now I need to quit blogging and get back to my new book– and my young heroine in harrowing circumstances…
click on photo for full story
