I LOVE DARK YA How to save a life? Check Sara Zarr

Kelley York, Heather McCorkle, Christa Desir, and E.R. King of YAtopia have hosted a month-long blogfest in November for anyone who loves their YA books on the darkside.

 

This is the last week ;(

 

WEEK 5:

30th November: Waiting on Wednesday—What dark YA book are you most looking forward to?

As, (*guilty secret *blushes) I'm addicted to Teen Mom - Janelle; what can I say? - the dark YA book I'm looking forward to reading is "how to save a life" by Sara Zarr.

Frustrations, dilemmas and uncertain futures, I have got to read this book.


When she wants to adopt a baby, Jill's Mum invites a pregnant teen to live with them until the child is born.

This is a trio of relationships I would love to read.

It is a described as a story of teenage pregnancy that really delivers.

WHEN IT COMES TO TELEVISION VIEWING, DO YOU HAVE A GUILTY SECRET?

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY - DRAWN

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY


The clue is in the title, every week the participants post six sentences from their work-in-progress.


For this week’s list, click here.

Welcome to my 6 ;) Thanks for visiting and thanks again if you commented. 

This is the novel I work between session writing MG. 


It continues directly after last week's post - because I couldn't leave Darrah hanging any longer ;)


Darrah is The Arm of Elthor's Corp - this gives her responsibility for the men she selects to train and to lead. Her secret mission is to find the Regal's heir who has been taken. The evidence suggests that The Sarkisians - who, with their unusual powers and their need to feed directly from the living, are hated and feared - are responsible. Darrah, who has personal reasons to want all that race to husk and crumble is finding it hard deal with her reactions to Hale who has been sent to find out who, or what, is trying to destroy the fragile peace between their peoples.


Darrah is hanging over a chasm clinging to Hale's wrist. Even though he could help her Hale has, so far, chosen not to lay a finger on her.  

DRAWN

Although it was hot and steamy, the unworldly air, from far below, chilled her. Darrah felt sick, nothing she tried stopped her hand sliding over his wrist. Before giving in to the inevitable, she gazed along their arms until she could look Hale in the eye. Whatever she’d expected to see it wasn’t the red blotches of shame in his cheeks or the impossibly wide, dark lakes of his eyes. As each of his fingers connected, one by one, along her wrist, Darrah gasped. With the faintest of tugs she was all warmth… and darkness.

If you have been celebrating, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving Weekend. :D

We've been celebrating our son's birthday with different groups of friends and family since last Wednesday - that was a long birthday ;) Now we can start thinking about Christmas.

November is nearly over, did you get lots of writing completed? Did you see your word count rise?

ASK LEONARDO, IT IS NEVER REALLY FINISHED

THE VIRGIN ON THE ROCKS
Leonardo da Vinci
1495-1508

Art is never finished, only abandoned.
Leonardo da Vinci

THE VIRGIN ON THE ROCKS
Leonardo da Vinci
1483-1486

Writing. Are you getting it done?

When the manuscript is finished and the revision has been done, do you find you love the novel but every time you look through it you find words, phrases, sentences - or more - you need to tweak, reorder or replace?

You are not alone. 

Writing, like art, it is never finished.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

INSPIRED BY ART 3 - Leonardo da Vinci

DARK YA - THE GIVER - UTOPIA TURNED DARK

Kelley York, Heather McCorkle, Christa Desir, and E.R. King of YAtopia are hosting the DARK YA blogfest.

The theme for this blogfest:

WEEK 4:

23rd November: #YASAVES—Blog about how a dark YA book made an impact in your life.

After my daughter was born, and when The Whirlwind was napping, I never got the hang of catching up on sleep - I was too busy reading. One book cut through my idyll.

In The Giver, Lois Lowry created a society where drugs suppress emotions, where individuals are matched as partners, where one male and one female child – born to women designated as Birthmothers – are allocated to couples to create balanced families: I felt this world resonate through mine.

Genetic engineering had manipulated human beings so they couldn't even see in colour, so they physically conformed to Sameness. In this world, everyone had the same dark eyes, except Jonas – and a few other exceptions – who were born with pale eyes.

All members of the society had to abide by rules. If anyone broke the rules three times they could be punished by Release. With a child who already showed an inability to understand that societal norms applied to him, the unfolding of what Release meant was very chilling.

The Community’s Committee of Elders would meet to assign each 12-year-old the job they would perform for the rest of their lives in The Ceremony of Twelve.

Jonas, the central character in the novel turned Twelve.

During the Ceremony of Twelve, the Elder did not call Jonas.

After everyone else has been given their Assignment, the Chief Elder explained that Jonas would train to be the Receiver of Memories. Another had been selected, sometime in the past, but that Receiver was considered to be a failure.

In his new role, Jonas watched his father care for baby twins. Selecting the lighter child, his nurturing father gave one baby a lethal injection and dumped the body in the rubbish.

The world had once included violence, sadness, and loss, as well as love, beauty, joy, adventure, animals, and family.

Jonas realised that the extremes were better than being dulled and inhumane.

This dark novel impressed me, deeply.

I think it still has the power to reach teenagers and other authors, today.

WHICH NOVEL MADE AN IMPACT ON YOU?

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY - DRAWN OR POSSIBLY DROPPED ;)

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY 


When Saturday's X-factor was dreary and plodding and I was finding it hard to choose between four dull acts to hope wouldn't make it back next week, I found time to write this post :) 


If you're that interested, in the end, I couldn't decide between spotlight-and-static or winsome-and-lilting as the acts who are going nowhere except predictably round to where they were at the start.


SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY


In this weekly feature, participants post six sentences of their work. 

I am also delighted to get a little feedback on the work.

Thank you for visiting and thanks again if you commented. 

For a list of this week’s participants, click here.

This is a small section of the novel I work on when I forget I am supposed to be writing MG. It continues directly after last week's post - which is odd, for me ;)


Darrah is The Arm of Elthor's Corp - this gives her responsibility for the men she selects to train and to lead. Her secret mission is to find the Regal's heir who has been taken. The evidence suggests that The Sarkisians - who, with their unusual powers and their need to feed directly from the living, are hated and feared - are responsible. Darrah, who has personal reasons to want all that race to husk and crumble is finding it hard deal with her reactions to Hale who has been sent to find out who, or what, is trying to destroy the fragile peace between their peoples.

DRAWN

Darrah was a spasm away from letting go of the Sarkisian’s wrist. Her fingers ached and bone deep strain wrenched through her arm. She wondered where the flashes of her life were – the ones that were supposed to distract her from the fact that she was only seconds away from death. The images of her loving family were probably cowering before her anger. She didn’t mind dying, like living rough and training, it was part of her calling, but she did object to succumbing when the strong male nearby held his hand tantalising inches away from hers.

“I knew your sort could never be trusted!”

Now, I didn't have to miss family time. Feeling mighty pleased about that ;)

ARE YOU HAVING A GREAT WEEKEND?

INSPIRED BY ART 2 - INCIDENTAL COMICS: Literary Devices

Inspired by art for the second Thursday's in a row? What were the chances of that? ;)
Today's post is hosted by Incidental Comics and to add anything else would ruin the purity of the art work.


My daughter added the link to Grant Snider at his thoughtballoonhelium.blogspot.com and I have to say she knows me sooooo well.
I was hooked from Grant's FORESHADOW  PUPPET.


You could help Grant out by nominating INCIDENTAL COMICS as the "Best Webcomic 2011.
e-mail them to comicriffs AT washpost.com 


or, if possible, add a comment in the usual box.


WHICH LITERARY DEVICE MADE YOUR GRIN SPREAD WIDEST?


For teacher-types this poster is available free from Grant's blog.;)

I LOVE DARK YA BLOGFEST - I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YOU by John Marsden

I spell Wednesday a different way, oops!

Kelley York, Heather McCorkle, Christa Desir, and E.R. King of YAtopia are hosting a month-long blogfest in November for anyone who loves their YA books on the darkside.

WEEK 3:

16th November: Music and Movie Fun—Take a dark YA book and build a soundtrack for it or cast characters for a movie version.

I looked for music for to do justice to a great YA novel that helps many people explore the affects of domestic abuse, depression, loss and self-esteem.

So Much To Tell You by John Marsden

Written in journal layout - short and direct - this is an extremely moving story.

None of the therapies the specialists tried have helped her.

Mariana has been disfigured and she will not speak.

In her journal she describes the people around her - her family and friends - and how everyone interacts with her face and with her.


Her facial scars are only one kind of hurt she is suffering.

She feels isolated and depressed.

The main themes in this book are adolescence, child abuse, domestic violence, depression, family relationships, self-esteem and trust.

Going Under - Saliva  
(This song sums up how Mariana feels.)


Dirt On Your New Shoes – Bishop Allen

Angel - Belly

Can Freedom Regulate The Volume – Bolt Action Five

I Hate Camera – the bird and the bee

Hill of Our Home – Psapp

I’m Good, I’m Gone – Lykke Li


CAN YOU THINK OF A SONG THAT SUMS UP WHAT YOUR WIP IS ALL ABOUT?

SIX SENTENCES FOR SUNDAY - DRAWN - NEXT TIME, FAMILY IRRESPONSIBILITY?

Blast!


Family and all things Sunday have conspired against me again, and I am late to post. I'm beginning to think being rude to the family in Family Time is the only answer, that or posting on Saturday night late - so late it counts as Sunday.


Oh woe!


I read the reminder that chiseling and chipping at another writer's work is by invitation only so please, feel  yourself well-and-truly welcome to offer suggestions on ideas,  punctuation or vocabulary selection and a HUGE thank you to all of you who do :D


DRAWN fantasy/romance




Darrah is The Arm of Elthor's Corp - this gives her responsibility for the men she selects to train and to lead. Her secret mission is to find the Regal's heir who has been taken. The evidence suggests that The Sarkisians - who, with their unusual powers and their need to feed directly from the living, are hated and feared - are responsible. Darrah, who has personal reasons to want all that race to husk and crumble is finding it hard deal with her reactions to Hale who has been sent to find out who, or what, is trying to destroy the fragile peace between their peoples.

As Darrah slipped she scrabbled around for something to hold.

There were no rocks or roots in the cascade of small stones, dust and disturbed bats.

Louder than all, rushing blood filled her head with an ocean of sound. The sandy stone, frosted by glittering crystal, whirled by - light and dark, in turn - and all of it gilded by glimpses of the Sarkisian's golden skin. As the blended images spun in her mind, she ran her hand over the leather strips that banded his arm until she curled her fingers around Hale's wrist. 

Time slowed when Darrah realised she now hung over a precipice and the Sarkisian's fingers strained away from  her.

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all keeping up with your writing targets and the words are flowing.

ARE YOU FINDING IT HARD TO BALANCE WRITING TARGETS WITH OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES? 

INSPIRED BY SERENDIPITY AND ART

A costume sculpture made of shredded
newspapers found around East London,
by Fabio Lattanzi Antinori and Alicja Pytlewska.

So, I was sitting here this morning, with my cup of tea, reading the newspaper while I was trying to decide what I should post today. 


I typed tea and newspaper into Google and I found an amazing website. 


Miss Tiny's Where is my tea? is a new favourite with me.

I have never seen so much character in such an inanimate object. 


Then I got to thinking: all characters are made up of different combinations of words.


Individual words don't make a character it is all about how the words are shaped and combined. 


HAVE YOU BEEN INSPIRED BY ART?

I LOVE DARK YA BLOGFEST - NEARLY HOME

Kelley York, Heather McCorkle, Christa Desir, and E.R. King of YAtopia are hosting a month-long blogfest in November for anyone who loves their YA books on the darkside. 


I loved writing a piece of dark Flash Fiction for this Blogfest.

WEEK 2:

November 9th: Write a 500-word or less flash fiction piece inspired by this picture:

                                NEARLY HOME


When she stumbled through the woodland, Freya’s dress snagged on trailing brambles and thorn bushes. The space seemed huge and her ignorance sickened her as it slowed her. Freya pressed her hands against her sockets to protect her sensitive eyes. She bit her lip and snaked a foot forward. She trod on twigs more substantial than her fine-boned frame - had no more strength than those dried fingers of wood. She took another step when she’d controlled the shivers that ran through her. 

Insensitive, the wind almost achieved what her imprisonment had failed to do: Freya swayed when the breeze cut through the fine dress; it almost blew her determination away with it. She pulled her elbows closer to her chest to shield herself. There would never be another opportunity to escape. Slowly, she made painful progress from that hell. Freya was afraid. She didn’t know what might be ahead but she was more afraid of who she'd left behind.

Except for her own slow paces, there were no other footsteps.  He, the deep voice that sneered and laughed in the darkness, had told her she was weak. The bucket she’d lashed out with said he’d lied.

It wasn’t something seen or heard, Freya felt the darkening around her.

“ Who’s there?” she whispered. Unable to see, she lifted her chin, tilted her head. She strained to understand the faint noises until pain spasmed in her neck and aches raked inside her throat. Soft sounds, the steps and scrapes, although they were more quiet than her own footsteps they alarmed her.  

“Show me where you are!” his voice hissed. 

Freya dropped to her knees and swallowed her breath. What could he see? What did he know? She could wait and hope but what good would that do for her. She crawled. Under her palms and knees, the shells and nuts, the thorns and vines that dug into her were agony. Agony and hope. The dawn had brightened and, without protection, it seemed to Freya that she crawled into a golden ball of pain. But, the sun rose and bathed the front of her house with that kind of glow and beech trees grew in the woods there. Ignoring the seeping damp that glued decomposing shards of leaves to her hands and knees, Freya was fuelled by the hope that she was heading home.

Opening her eyes to slits, she recognised the house in the distance. She sobbed and pushed herself up until she stumbled forward. She staggered. Rebounding from tree to tree her arms bruised and bleeding, her foot slipped in soft mud. With a shake of her head and gulp of air Freya tried to stand again. Her dress ripped, she couldn't tear it free. She searched, hands seeking for the branch that trapped her.

With knee on her back, he pinned her. "Did you think I'd let you go?" He laughed as he caressed her throat, "Let's go home, honey. You don’t want to be there. You’re mine."

I'm enjoying writing this November. 

ARE YOU MEETING YOUR WRITING CHALLENGE?

I’ve been to two Fireworks Displays and now I’m all Fawkesed out ;)

 

I wasn’t back from holiday, or organised enough, in time to add my name to the Six Sentence Sunday list which is a shame. :( 

I am going to post my Six Sentences for Sunday.

As usual, I’d like to say Thank You for visiting my blog and the thoughts and ideas you share. I especially appreciate the suggestions on DRAWN because this is the only novel I'm writing for adults.

DRAWN.

Darrah is The Arm of Elthor's Corp - this gives her responsibility for the men she selects to train and to lead. Her secret mission is to find the Regal's heir who has been taken. The evidence suggests that The Sarkisians - who, with their unusual powers and their need to feed directly from the living, are hated and feared - are responsible. Darrah, who has personal reasons to want all that race to husk and crumble is finding it hard deal with her reactions to Hale who has been sent to find out who, or what, is trying to destroy the fragile peace between their peoples.

Her hands were still shaking as she moved silently through the camp to reassure herself that her men were safe. Restless movements, breathy steam and warmth, everything was as she had expected, as she’d hoped.

She had made a mistake and there was nothing she could do but learn from it. The Sarkisian would not catch her so unprepared again. She needed a drink to wash his taste from her mouth. More than that she needed to stay awake, to be on guard.

ARE YOU ABLE TO GET ON WITH YOUR WRITING?

If you are NANO-ing I hope the word count is climbing well :D

WIN a FREE General Critique by Cornerstones Literary Consultancy

Apologies for not posting yesterday one my tectonic plates shifted: crises crunched into dilemmas, it was all very messy.

On to better news: a prize worth up to £500

I'm not a lottery player and I know it's a long shot but I couldn't resist entering this competition and hoping no one else does. ;)  

You're not going to enter it and make the odds even longer, are you? No, I didn't think so. *grins

Time is running out, there is only ONE day to get your entries in!

WIN a FREE General Critique by Cornerstones Literary Consultancy

Helen Corner, of Cornerstones Literary Consultancy, is offering a free General Report on a manuscript up to 100,000 words in length.

Her report will include:

•             pointers on how to polish the novel

•             tips on how to raise it to the next level

•             advice on the novel’s marketability

Helen Corner scouts for UK Literary Agents and her advice could get a manuscript out of the slushpile and onto a desk.

To enter online, and for more information, visit the Words with JAM website.

www.wordswithjam.co.uk/compcornercornerstones

All you need is an opening paragraph, of not more than 100 words, that will impress Helen and make her want to read on.

Writers on the shortlist will be notified and required to submit the first page of their novel after the closing date, from which Helen will be picking a winner!

This is a great opportunity. 

I have my fingers crossed and my entry written but I don’t think I’ll be able to hold my breath until the winner is announced in December. ;)

Words with JAM have a Short Story Competition too. 

Hopefully all the fireworks this weekend are the ones up high in the sky: Bonfire Night is the signal that Christmas, and snow, will soon be upon us or just are getting near ;)

Do you have something great planned for this weekend?

I LOVE DARK YA BLOGFEST - The Demon's Lexicon

Kelley York, Heather McCorkle, Christa Desir, and E.R. King of YAtopia are hosting a month-long blogfest in November for anyone who loves their YA books on the darkside.

The rules are simple, they start by asking all participants to a promise to try to post before Wednesday of each week and to attempt each week’s activity. (They are understanding, if it doesn’t work for your schedule they will give  you a pass ;)

RULES:

1. Put the I LOVE DARK YA badge on your sidebar or at the top of each of the posts you do for the fest.  You might still be able to link to the YAtopia linky sign-up – even at this late stage.

2. Visit blogs of your hosts and other participants if you can. Interact. Make some friends. It’ll be more fun!

3. Your blog post needs to be up on Wednesday. You can post early if you want, but people will be hopping on Wednesdays.

The themes for this blogfest:

WEEK 1:

November 2nd: Blog about your favourite dark YA book(s)

WEEK 2:

November 9th: Write a 500-word or less flash fiction piece inspired by this picture:

WEEK 3:

November 16th: Music and Movie Fun—Take a dark YA book and build a soundtrack for it or cast characters for a movie version.

WEEK 4:

November 23rd: #YASAVES—Blog about how a dark YA book made an impact in your life.

WEEK 5:

November 30th: Waiting on Wednesday—What dark YA book are you most looking forward to?

DARK YA BOOK REVIEW

FOR WEEK 1

A leaky sink and Nick having to find a new place to hide his sword while Alan went to find him his tool box drew me into this book with a grin. 

Sarah Rees Brennan opened up a, seemingly, everyday world but one coloured with a seam of dark magic.

While taking this journey with Mae and Jamie who were also learning - the hard way - about the dangers that exist in this reality, I felt how heavy helpless fear could be.

Nick, who is about as sociable as my autistic teen, was the guide to this world. Although he was not a character I found easy to love I could recognise the potential and the complexities in the things he felt and in his actions.

Alan, Nick's brother, is a different sort of man. The depths of his humanity were obvious from the start: he doesn't need to help Mae or Jamie and doing it really messes up his already complicated life but he insists that he and Nick must help because they can.

I love this book: the dark, the danger and the sense of hopelessness that creeps in at regular intervals can't quite smother the determination and the drive shown as the characters try to protect and save each other. 

Sarah Rees Brennan reveals the characters' secrets one teasing layer at a time. It was that and the humour which kept me turning pages when sleeping would have been the more sensible option.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR YA DARK AND TWISTY?