Friday Fifteen

August 26, 2016Leave a comment

Happy Friday, everyone! I know that in a few months I’ll be dreaming of summer again, but for now I’m so done with heat and humidity and I need fall to start asap. (Either that, or I need to find a way to spend the next few weeks reading by a large body of water.) Until then, let’s get the weekend started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: This Side of Home by Renée Watson
Touching look at growing up, growing apart, gentrification, and the people who make a neighborhood.

Writing: “You’re either going to start dating or bite his head off like a praying mantis.”
One or the other.

Links Galore

August 24, 2016Leave a comment

A few good links for today:

The second episode of Crossover Appeal is now up! This week we’re mashing up British tv drama fav Downton Abbey and epic fantasy classic Lord of the Rings. Find us on iTunes, Soundcloud, and Stitcher, and on all your favorite social medias.
Fascinating look at documenting Hawaii Sign Language.
Major props to the creator of all the BSC handwriting, and other fun Baby-Sitters Club trivia.
And you can read like your favorite BSC member.
Mapping out Yoknapatawpha.
Some necessary middle school reading.
Remember: if Tyra Banks can write a novel, you can write a novel.
Loved this post on how to keep writing when your book doesn’t sell.
Psyched for these forthcoming ebooks about Hogwarts.
And speaking of the Wizarding World, Zoë Kravitz has been cast in the Fantastic Beasts movie.
And apparently I need to start planning a trip to the British Library.
What is the social responsibility of a writer?
I already have way too many mugs, I need this one.

Friday Fifteen

August 19, 2016Leave a comment

Happy Friday, guys! I’m hoping to have a super writerly weekend, so let’s start things off with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing this week:

Reading: Althea & Oliver by Cristina Moracho
Loved Moracho’s writing, but very conflicted about one key plot point.

Writing: “…even though our Prospero thinks he’s friggin’ Gandalf, I think it’ll be a good production.”
Oh high school theater productions.

Friday Fifteen

August 12, 2016Leave a comment

Happy Friday, guys! Between the heat and the excitement of the summer Olympics (oh my lord, those gymnasts!), I am super feeling August right now. While I cling desparately to my iced tea, let’s get the weekend started with a look at what I’ve been reading and writing:

Reading: Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Cyborg Cinderella plus galactic political intrigue plus an adorable prince equals a big yes!

Writing: “I think I’ll never have another first time I went sledding, and I’m blindsided by sadness.”
Main character starts having some feels.

New Podcast Project: Crossover Appeal!

August 11, 2016Leave a comment

I mostly talk about reading and writing here, but I’m also big into TV and movies and narrative pop culture in general. I mean, where my friends talk about how they only had like half an hour of TV a day, the TV was always on in our house, and I think I’m better for it. If only because it’s given me a lot of things to talk about for my new podcast, Crossover Appeal! The gist:

Crossover Appeal is a biweekly podcast about media, fandom, and who you’d ship. Hosts Annie Cardi & Walt McGough take two popular pieces of culture, analyze their thematic relationships, and then figure out how to mash ‘em up together.

Walt and I decided that we like geeking out about books and movies and TV already, so why not make it official and share our thoughts with the world? The first episode is now up most places you can listen to podcasts:

iTunes: Crossover Appeal
Soundcloud: Crossover Appeal
Stitcher: Crossover Appeal

In the debut episode, we’re talking about Gilmore Girls, Battlestar Galactica, awesome female characters, family drama, and my favorite gazebo.

So in case you feel like you need more of my thoughts on writing, reading, viewing, pop culture, and fandom, subscribe in your audio platform of choice! And until the next episode, please ship responsibly!

Links Galore

August 2, 2016Leave a comment

A few links I’ve been saving:

A 9-year-old saves his allowance money to donate books to a prison library.
The hard truth about book sales.
Great list of cover reveal resources.
Steampunk reading suggestions.
Elizabeth Wein on framing stories, boy/girl books, and pathetic fallacy.
Famous writers on plotting and pantsing.
My fabulous agent, Taylor Martindale Kean, on developing voice.
Writing advice from Laini Taylor.
I’m very on board with these book suggestions based on your Hogwarts house.
How to build a bestselling book.
Using the three-act structure to add drive to your story, scene by scene.
Don’t quit. Don’t quit. Don’t quit.

Friday Fifteen

July 29, 20161 Comment

Happy Friday, guys! It’s the end of July, which to me means it’s Harry Potter’s birthday weekend. (Once a friend and I got an ice cream cake for July 31, and asked Dairy Queen to write “Happy Birthday Harry” on it in Gryffindor colors. Good times.) Before we head into Harry Potter weekend, here’s a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer:

Reading: Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood
Loved returning to Phryne’s adventures, and loved the intro of Jane and Ruth.

Writing: “I am the most pleasant mother pheasant plucker who ever plucked a mother pheasant.”
Got a chance to work in my favorite tongue twister to the new draft.

Quote of the Day

July 27, 20161 Comment

“Sure, it’s simple, writing for kids. Just as simple as bringing them up.”—Ursula K. Le Guin

In case you need a response for when people tell you that writing for young readers sounds easy, Le Guin’s got you covered.

Friday Fifteen

July 22, 2016Leave a comment

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s meltingly hot in the Boston area, and all I really want to do is spend a week by a large body of water with a big stack of books. In the meantime, I’ll have to accept a giant iced tea and a little reading and writing at home. Here’s a look at what I’ve been reading and writing in fifteen words or fewer.

Reading: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Even though it’s not set in summer, definitely one of my new favorite Dessen novels.

Writing: “Boo,” I say. “Too much Shakespeare, not enough smashing of pumpkins.”
High brow, low brow.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books Set Outside The US

July 19, 20163 Comments

I love reading all the Top Ten Tuesday posts, a weekly blog link-up feature hosted by The Broke and Bookish. This week, the prompt is ten books set outside the United States and, considering international vacations aren’t happening for me this summer, I’m happy to do a little bookish travel and share a few of my favorite internationally-set YA favorites. Although I could add a dozen other awesome international books, these are all novels I feel really capture a particular sense of place. In no particular order:

The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
A surreal and terrifying story of trust, self, and survival in Antarctica.

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
This powerful story of strength, family, and destiny centered around an arranged married wrecked me in the best way.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
It’s unfair how good Australian YA writers are, and Marchetta is the best of the best, and this book is her best.

The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
An arresting and touching look at child slavery in the chocolate industry, as narrated by a boy trying to protect the people he loves.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Nothing gets my Oxford-loving heart beating quite like Lyra’s thrilling adventures in this beautifully crafted story.

Sekret by Lindsay Smith
Spies, psychics, and secrets in Communist Russia–tell me you don’t want to see the movie version of this.

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper
A charming and surprising story of a tiny European island and its royal family on the edge of WWII.

Caminar by Skila Brown
Told in verse, this stunning story of love and survival in Guatemala’s civil war in 1981.

Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae
Bright and charming and surprisingly touching, this Italian vacation has everything from love to grief to lots of gelato.

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
Powerful story of history, family, and sacrifice set in Ireland during the Troubles.