Stephanie Burgis - Magical Books for Ages Ten to Fifteen

Literary families

September 7, 2010, 8.49 pm

Today I re-read one of my favorite contemporary fantasy novels for adults, Ilona Andrews's On the Edge. It's a great fantasy adventure, it's also a wonderful romance...but what struck me this time, in combination with that mental list I made last week of the comfort books I'd want to carry with me everywhere, is that it's also a fabulous book about family.

Rose, the heroine, is a young woman who had to become a grown-up very fast when her parents both (in different ways) abandoned her. The family that she does have left - made up of her two younger brothers and her grandmother - is her main focus in life, the thing she'll give everything to protect.

They're all fabulously well-drawn characters, but when I finished the book this time round, I found myself really missing my grandma in California, because Rose's own grandma is such a great character. She's strong, she's smart, she's loving, she never lets Rose get away with lying to her or to herself...and in my favorite scene of the two of them together, she gives Rose heartfelt, perfect advice that is ABSOLUTELY WRONG for her granddaughter. It's such a perfect family moment: two people loving each other, trying to protect each other, and sometimes screwing up anyway for all the right reasons.

Families: strong, believable, flawed (because they're made up of humans, who are never perfect), and fiercely loving. They're my favorite things to read about.

Looking at my list of comfort books made me realize that that's the big constant, for me, in almost all of my favorite books. I looooove reading about families, whether they're bohemian and eccentric, like the family in Hilary McKay's wonderful Casson family novels, or aristocratic and repressed, like the central family in Loretta Chase's Carsington novels...the main point is, I just love reading about how families interact with each other. I find it endlessly fascinating when it's done well.

And it's the one theme that keeps popping up in my own writing, too, which I guess is not surprising. Even in the dragon book, where I physically separated my heroine from her sisters before the book ever began, that same old family theme keeps coming back again, like an irrepressible force. I just can't stop exploring it.

What about you guys? Do you prefer reading books where the heroines/heros are safely isolated from any family influences, free to have adventures without interference from any interfering relatives, or do you prefer the ones where they're pushing and pulling against their families (whether loving or not) throughout the adventure?

And what are your favorite family books?

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The Great YA Bake Sale of 2010

September 5, 2010, 1.57 pm

It’s here, it’s here - The Great YA Bake Sale of 2010!

It all started when Christine Johnson realized that YA authors seem to have one big thing in common - an obsession with sweets and baking.

That gave her an idea. She started calling (well - okay, emailing) around and ended up with more than a dozen kind, sugar-loving authors on board to bring you one amazing contest.

Here’s the deal:

To enter, simply leave a thoughtful comment on an author’s Bake Sale blog post, or tweet about the contest with the hashtag #YABakeSale10. Voila! You’re entered.

When you enter, you become eligible to win any one of the Personal Prize Packs (i.e. a comment on Saundra Mitchell’s blog may net you the Cyn Balog prize pack. You’re entering the whole contest, not just that particular author’s part of it.) You also become eligible to win the humongonormous Grand Prize Basket.

What’s in the Grand Prize Basket?

Each author has hand-written two copies of a favorite sweet-treat recipe. One copy has gone into a beautiful recipe book that is part of the Grand Prize Basket. In addition to the (hand-written! Did we mention that?) recipe collection, the Grand Prize winner will receive:

• A signed copy of Cyn Balog’s SLEEPLESS Bookmarks for A MOST IMPROPER MAGICK (aka, KAT, INCORRIGIBLE) by Stephanie Burgis
• Signed bookmarks for THE CRESCENT and HALF MOON, pencils, and a crescent moon and crystal-studded star necklace from Jordan Deen
• A (signed?) copy of THE BODY FINDER, a THE BODY FINDER tote bag, sticker and bookmarks from Kimberley Derting
• An EVERLASTING-themed notebook, bookmark and pin from Angela Frazier
• A signed copy of CLAIRE DE LUNE, signed stickers and a silver, moon-themed bookmark from Christine Johnson
• A signed copy of SHADOWED SUMMER, matching chocolate candies, Twilight-themed heart candies, bookmarks and THE VESPERTINE dance card from Saundra Mitchell
• A signed copy of THE PACE, by Shelena Shorts, along with bookmarks and THE PACE pencils
• A signed hard-cover of SHADE and a Keeley Brothers pin from Jeri-Smith Ready
• A signed copy of PERSONAL DEMONS, a PERSONAL DEMONS tank top, temporary tattoos, and bookmarks from Lisa Desrochers . . .
• AND MORE!!! All for one lucky winner!

But that’s not all!

Each author has one other handwritten recipe that will be part of each author’s own Personal Prize Pack.

The prize packs include:

• Cyn Balog - Signed copy of SLEEPLESS and a handwritten recipe for Coconut Bread.
• Stephanie Burgis - UK paperback copy of A MOST IMPROPER MAGICK and a hand-written recipe for Apple Muffins
• Kay Cassidy - Hand-written recipe and giveaways
• Megan Crewe - Hand-written recipe and giveaways
• Shannon Delaney - Hand-written recipe and giveaways
• Jordan Deen - Basket with Pampered Chef baking gear and a recipe for Orange Pineapple Cake
• Kimberley Derting - Signed copy of The Body Finder, stickers, a totebag, bookmarks and a recipe for Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Lisa Desrochers - A copy of PERSONAL DEMONS and a recipe for Sunday Coffee Cupcakes
• Angie Frazier - A signed hard-cover copy of EVERLASTING, bookmark, and a recipe for Butter Rum Cupcakes with Coconut Buttercream Frosting
• Judith Graves - Copy of UNDER MY SKIN, a character card, and a recipe for Dead Lady Fingers
• Christine Johnson - A signed hard-cover copy of CLAIRE DE LUNE, stickers, a silver moon-themed bookmark and a recipe for Chocolate-Chip Butterscotch Blondies
• Saundra Mitchell - Recipe and giveaways Jennifer Murgia - ANGEL STAR swag, Octogram earrings, and a hand-written recipe
• Shelena Shorts - Signed copy of THE BROKEN LAKE and bookmarks and a hand-written recipe
• Jeri Smith-Ready - SHADE UK paperback edition and a recipe for Scottish Oat Scones

Fine print: The contest entries must be posted by midnight eastern time on September 20th. This contest is open to the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Questions? Leave them in the comments or email Christine - christine(at)christinejohnsonbooks.com

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Reading hiccups and a giveaway

September 3, 2010, 11.31 am

First, the important news for UK readers: if you live in the UK, check out this giveaway at the BookBabblers! From now until 8pm Monday, 6th September, you can win a copy of A Most Improper Magick just by commenting on the post.

And speaking of books...

Most of the time, being a writer and a reader go together like...well, like birthday cake and ice cream! You can't have the first without the second, right? (Well, OK, some very strong people may be able to eat birthday cake and NOT eat ice cream with it, but...not me.)

Every so often, though, there's a hiccup. And it's weirdly unpredictable which books - or whole genres - turn out to be off-limits during particular writing projects.

When I was writing A Most Improper Magick, you might have thought that the genre I wouldn't feel able to read would be Regency romances. On the contrary! I loved reading them even more than ever and felt no conflict or discomfort whatsoever as I wrote my own Regency-set adventures, which (gently and lovingly) teased some of the biggest literary conventions in Regency romance.

Books about sisters, though? They felt like poison. I COULD NOT read any of them, no matter how good they were. They could be set in pioneer America or 23rd-century space; they could be gritty realism, even. None of that mattered. As soon as I realized that a book centered around the relationship between sisters, my whole body screamed RED ALERT! RED ALERT! DANGER! and I had to stop reading...

Because what I really cared most about in my own novel, it turned out, was the relationship between Kat and her sisters. That was the most important part of the book, for me, and it felt way too vulnerable and raw to let myself get influenced or thrown out by anyone else's literary sisterhoods.

Now I'm writing a dragon book that's yet again set in the Regency (although about 13 years later, after the Napoleonic wars are finally over). Again, I'm happily reading other Regencies. I'm fine reading other books with dragons, too, because for all the million different representations of dragons in literature, I feel perfectly comfortable and secure in my own interpretation. I'm perfectly happy to read about someone else's 2-ton dragon even as I write about my own heroine carrying her small, decorative (and troublesome) dragon on her shoulder. No problem.

But last week I tried picking up the newest novel by one of my favorite Regency authors for adults, Eloisa James. As usual, it's witty and romantic...but this time, it's a retelling of Cinderella.

As I read, I felt discomfort creep slowly but steadily through me. It got worse and worse, to the point where it actually felt painful. After two (really excellent) chapters, I had to give up and admit that I CANNOT read this novel right now.

This is a book I've been eagerly anticipating, because I LOVE the way Eloisa James writes. But guess what? It turns out that, at its essence, my dragon book is a Cinderella story. One of my beta readers pointed this out a couple of months ago, but I didn't take any notice, because that wasn't how I thought of it at all. I never conceived the novel as a fairytale retelling - Cinderella has never even been one of my favorite fairy tales, so why would I? - and I had no plans for any glass slippers to get involved.

But it turns out...well, my beta readers are really, really smart. Because at its essence, yes, for all the differences between my story and the original fairytale, I really am writing a Cinderella story about loss and transformation and romance...and right now, I cannot bear to read anyone else's version.

What about you guys? If you're writers, are there any genres you've had to give up reading while you wrote a book? If you're a reader, what are your favorite fairytale retellings? Or the genres that you could NEVER give up reading, no matter what?

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Aww and Yum...

August 31, 2010, 7.15 pm

This article made me come very close to tearing up - especially the photos near the bottom of the page. A 100-year-old male tortoise in Kenya has adopted an orphaned baby hippo, and the pictures are incredible. This one was my favorite - but really, if you love animals, click through to see the whole series. It's worth it.

And for the yummy portion of the post, here's the teaser that's appearing on several YA author blogs today:

COMING SOON:

It just may be the most delicious contest that’s been run this year. More than a dozen of your favorite YA authors, an obsession with sweets, and a stunning array of prizes. On September 4th, details will be announced here and on Christine Johnson’s blog.

Until then, here’s a hint:

(ETA: Actually, because of international time-zone differences, it will probably get announced here a day later...but you can find out on Christine's blog in the evening of September 4th, if you're in the US!)

***

Why is it that so many kids' authors are obsessed with baked goods? Does it say something about us? Or is it true of everyone? Hmm.

Today I was good and did not buy a baked good at the café, even though the chocolate cheesecake looked INCREDIBLE. Unfortunately, I can't take too much credit, since I was busy melting all over the floor in chocolate bliss - yes, I gave in to temptation and ordered another Hot Chocolate Milano...

And then, in a weird coincidence, the book I found at Waterstones that ended up in my shoulderbag (a book I'd never heard of before, but which looks great) was Cathy Cassidy's Sundae Girl.

There's definitely something edible in the air right now...

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Links and Kindles and Comfort Books

August 30, 2010, 12.10 pm

I have so many links to pass on, I'm going to list them first, before I can forget:

First, Tracy at Tall Tales and Short Stories just interviewed me about the writing/submission process for A Most Improper Magick. You can read the interview (and her review of AMIM) here.

Second, Jocelyn at Book Babblers interviewed me here.

And for anyone with kids who's going to be within driving distance of Newport, Wales on October 27th: you can check out the full programme for Big Read Day online, including the worldbuilding writing workshop I'll be leading for kids aged 10 and up, "How to Write Your World Real". You can also find a booking form here.

Whew! Now on to the real entry. :)

***

A long time back, I posted here asking what people's favorite e-readers were. Over the past year, a toxic combination of exhaustion and CFS has made it almost impossible for me to read long manuscripts on my computer screen...which has struck a fatal blow to my (very important) habit of critiquing novels for close friends and crit partners. Not only does that suck for me (because getting to read great novels before they're published is a huge gift!), it means I'm really letting down everybody who critiques my novels by not helping them out in return.

So, after months of indecision, I am finally breaking down and spending the money on an e-reader. From everything I've read and heard, the iPad seems like by far the best one out there, but...well, sadly, we don't have that much free money! The prices on the new Kindles have finally dropped to a point where we can justify the expense, though, so Patrick and I are going to buy a joint Kindle this month.

This is something I wouldn't be doing if I didn't want to do critiques - I definitely prefer reading books on paper - but I'm getting excited about it already. Last week, as I was re-reading a favorite book for the umpteenth time (a Regency novel for adults, Loretta Chase's Miss Wonderful), I thought about how great it would be to have extra e-copies of all my very favorite comfort books stored on my Kindle so that they were always available, no matter what. I started making a list in my head of all the books I would want to ALWAYS have on me for comfort and fun.

Then, of course, I looked on Amazon...and, curses! Those are almost all books that were published pre-kindle (or just without kindle rights), so of course there aren't any electronic versions available of my favorite comfort books. Wahh!

Still, it was fun making the list in my head. Here's a quick sampling from it (I'm going to save you guys the whole list, because it was LONG!):

• Ilona Andrews, On the Edge (adult rural fantasy)
• Loretta Chase, Miss Wonderful, Mister Impossible, and Lord Perfect (adult Regency romantic comedies)
• Joan Bauer, Squashed (YA comedy)
• Georgette Heyer, The Talisman Ring (18th-century romantic comedy)
• Virginia Euwer Wolff, The Mozart Season (lovely MG novel about family and music)
• Linda Urban, A Crooked Kind of Perfect (quirky MG comedy)
• Lois McMaster Bujold, Paladin of Souls (high fantasy adventure for women, with a great quasi-historical setting)

...aaaand so many more!

What about you guys? If you could stick extra copies of any books in the world onto an e-reader, which books would you carry around with you all the time?

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