A Wonderful Wednesday with Megan Kelley Hall

Megan Kelley Hall is the debut author of Sisters in Misery, a successful freelance writer and a founding partner in Kelley & Hall Book Publicity and Promotion. She studied creative writing at Skidmore College under Steven Millhauser. Megan lives in Salem, Massachusetts (near the setting of her novel!)

INN: Sisters of Misery is set in Hawthorne, Massachusetts, a place wherewitch-hunting was almost as common (and scary!) as it was in Salem. Why did you choose to set your novel there?

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MKH: I live right next to Salem, Massachusetts and I’ve always wanted to write something that captured the essence of the gothic undertones of growing up in a place that had such a dark history. Plus, I wanted to show how people really haven’t changed all that much—that persecution and ostracism are still alive and well in today’s society. Plus, what better place to set a modern-day version of the Salem witch hunts than a fictional town right next to Salem, Mass?
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INN: Your book has been called "stunning," "amazing," "unforgettable" and "superb" by readers and reviewers alike. What's it like to read reviews of your own work?
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MKH: Completely surreal. Before your book gets published, you have no idea whether or not people will like it or connect with the characters or enjoy the story. The feedback that I’ve gotten from readers has been amazing and has gotten me through some tough days. I don’t think that readers realize the impact they have on writers. Their opinion means more than any review or magazine mention, at least in my opinion.

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I love hearing directly from readers (and I always try to respond) because that is why I started writing in the first place: to connect with others. What makes me happiest about writing is entertaining people with my stories and giving them a little escape from their own lives. That’s what reading has always been for me. An escape.
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INN: How did you break into publication?
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MKH: Hmm… Let’s see, the book started off as an adult fiction. Then I had a preemie (2.5 pounds at birth) who stayed at Mass General for 60 days (I was there 8 hours a day for sixty days with her). Then a few years later, I had series of mini-strokes, lost partial vision in one eye, had a carotid stent, discovered that my carotid arteries were aged from radiation therapy I received when I had childhood cancer and had to undergo open heart surgery and a sternotomy. It was a nine hour procedure where they basically flatlined me for 96 minutes.

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It was during my recovery period that I dusted off my manuscript, turned it into a YA, got and agent and sold it in a two book deal all within the same year. So….just a typical first book story, I guess. But seriously, I’ve been freelance writing for years for major mags like Glamour, Elle, Boston Magazine, etc. I’ve had a lot of jobs—advertising, radio, public relations, event planning. And I’ve found a way to incorporate writing into all of them. I am also a founding partner in Kelley & Hall Book Publicity, an independent literary publicity company (http://www.kelleyandhall.com/) that I started with my mother and sister a few years ago.

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While I was at Skidmore College, I studied under Steven Millhauser for a few semesters in his fiction and creative writing courses. This was before he won the Pulitzer Prize for Martin Dressler. He was pretty inspiring and very supportive, but I didn’t realize at the time that I was studying under such an incredible writer. Writing has always been a huge part of my life. I like having control in a world that at times feels completely out of control. I enjoy creating characters and places and relationships. Writing has always been a form of therapy for me as well. When I was recovering from my recent open-heart surgery, the only way that I got through those difficult and painful months was to work on my novel and to write on my blog (as well as in my personal journals). Writing has gotten me through many difficult times in my life.

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INN: If Alfred Hitchcock made a movie out of *Sisters of Misery,* who would play Kate, Maddie and Cordelia (either contemporary or old Hollywood
actresses)?

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MKH: My dream cast (although they are too old to play teens now), would have been Jennifer Connelly as Maddie, Gwyneth Paltrow as Kate, and Angelina Jolie as Cordelia. And for the boys, I’d pick Josh Holloway as Reed and Johnny Depp as Finn. Again, they are about twenty years too old to play those parts.But if I were to cast it using age-appropriate actresses/actors, here’s my picks:

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Cordelia: Blake Lively (though she’d have to dye her hair red)

Maddie: Rachel Bilson or Kristen Stewart (even though she’s already Bella in Twilight)

Kate Endicott: Katie Cassidy (Supernatural) or Kate Bosworth

Finn: Jared Padalecki (Supernatural)

Trevor: Chace Crawford (Gossip Girls)

Reed: Henry Cavill (The Tudors)

Rebecca: Julianne Moore

Abigail: Laura Linney or Sandra Bullock

Tess: Shirley MacLaine
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INN: Who's your favorite Gothic author?

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MKH: I’m inspired by “gothic” writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson, and William Faulkner. Today’s gothic writers that provide inspiration would be Stephen King, Donna Tartt, and Alice Hoffman. I’ve always loved suspense novels, especially as a teen. So many YA suspense novelists like Lois Duncan, Christopher Pike and V.C. Andrews inspired my writing.

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INN: Any advice for teen writers?

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MKH: Three tips: First, if you want to be a writer, stop talking about it and just do it. The more you talk about it, the less writing you actually get done. Believe me, I know from first-hand experience!I’ve heard people say again and again that they don’t have the time to write. NOBODY has the time to write (unless you’re James Patterson or JK Rowling). You have to be like Nike and JUST DO IT!

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Second tip—an important one—develop a thick skin and expect rejection—it happens a lot in the publishing industry. The third, and you’d think this is strange, but READ. I’ve been to so many houses of people who want to write or be an author and there isn’t a book to be found. If you want to be a writer, you have to read endlessly, in different genres, in different time periods. If you’re not writing, you should be reading.

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Thank you, Megan!

Visit Megan's websites at www.sistersofmisery.com and www.megankelleyhall.com, and buy Sisters of Misery at http://www.amazon.com/Sisters-Misery-Megan-Kelley-Hall/dp/0758226799.

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As I write this, the Phillies have just won the World Series and our beloved city of Philadelphia is going bananas. I'm going pretty bananas myself because my *#$%ing mousetrap car has just travelled the 3m required for an Acceptable Grade and it appears I will enter postsecondary education. It is a Wonderful Wednesday.

On Hiatus (Except for Megan Kelley Hall)

I'm going to have to put Innovative on hold for a week while the marking period ends. Teachers have created new definitions for the phrase, "cruel and unusual punishment," and I do have to go to college. However, Megan Kelley Hall will be joining us on Wednesday to talk about her fab debut, Sisters of Misery.

The Thing About Contests

I don't enter contests much, unless they're scholarship-based. There are many different opinions about contests- they're fab, they're fly, they're flat- but I stay away from them for a couple reasons.
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There's likely to be an entry fee, and I'm in a perpetual state of being broke. Unless I've published something. Contests also have specific guidelines (stories about mad cats celebrating Kwaanza) and I find it hard to go that specific (mad cat celebrations in general are OK.) Contests have concrete deadlines and that's a good thing, but in the long run, contests are harder to put on query bios. I prefer straight-out working with an editor.
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What do you think?

NEXT WEEK: Megan Kelley Hall will be joining us for Wednesday Wonderfulness to talk about her spooky-and-acclaimed debut, Sisters of Misery

I Wanna Write a Teen Life Novel

Which begs the question because I'm writing a book about high school academia.
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But still.
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The guy who read Crime and Punishment at age 7. The girl with the awesome blonde streak in her dark Asian hair. The friend who's already been accepted to college and lords it over us all, charitably. The debate team captain who's quiet and brilliant. The SCA president straight out of Mark Twain. The newspaper editor in love with her boyfriend.
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These people make up the mosaic of my Monday-Friday life, and sometimes weekends, when writing allows. They get cranky and fussy and mean and lovely, all the time, without reason. They are the ones that I want to write about, to explain the mystery of teenness to the outside world. Their dramas and stories, and whining and laughing are what feeds writers. They make my day. They will make my book.

Bookshelf: Hello to Kent Healy!

Kent Healy wrote his first book, "Cool Stuff" They Don't Teach You In School, when he was 17. He's now the author of the "Cool Stuff" Coaching Course, The One Minute Student and co-author with Jack Canfield of The Success Principles for Teens. He's appeared on TV and radio shows more than 100 times, writes columns for several newspapers, and was the youngest contestant on The Messengers, a search for America's next great inspirational speaker.

INN: What prompted The Success Principles for Teens?
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KH: It all began over six years ago when I was 17 years old. While my brother and I were writing our first book, “Cool Stuff” They Should Teach in School, we were faced with some “doubtful opposition” (to be politically correct). Many of our friends didn’t believe we could actually write a book and many adults thought it was a “nice idea” that would never come into fruition. Part of us began to believe some of the feedback. After all, neither one of us had a strong writing background. We didn’t have any connections in the publishing industry and our business experience was minimal.
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Fortunately, we met somebody whose opinion put a new gust of inspiration in our sails. Six months earlier I had set a goal to meet Jack Canfield. Miraculously, a family friend mentioned he had two tickets to an entrepreneur’s conference in which Jack Canfield would be the key note speaker. It was a combination of déjà-vu and astonishment. To say the least, we were excited.
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After waiting in line for twenty minutes, we finally had our chance to speak with Jack. Upon sharing our “Cool Stuff” book idea with him, he was extremely supportive and helpful. Of course, we then had a newfound motivation to see the project through. Jack and I spoke a on a few different occasions over the next few years and slowly, he became a mentor and coach for me.
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When the original Success Principles was released, Jack sent me a signed copy. I read it and not surprisingly, I was inspired. I just knew that this information needed to be packaged for my generation as well. After speaking with Jack about it, he asked me to co-author The Success Principles for Teens with him.
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The information was important and powerful and I was thrilled to begin writing The Success Principles for Teens which took over two years to complete. I also couldn’t help but take the lead on personally managing the design process of the cover and the interior (I know how important those parts are). Now that the book is written and distributed through bookstores I can honestly say (with a sigh of relief and contentment) that I am very pleased with the way it’s turned out.

INN: In your opinion, what principle do you think is most important?
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KH: Well, all 20 principles are designed to work together. Jack and I were very careful when we chose these top 20 principles from the original 64. But the one principle that comes to mind immediately for me is the very first chapter titled, Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life—and it is first for a good reason.
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In order to make any positive changes in our lives we must take full responsibility for the results we are currently getting. We must give up all of our complaining and blaming if we want experience the level of success we deserve. Like we always say, the only way to a better life is a better you. And the only way to a better involves taking 100% responsibility for our actions.
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Although it’s a very simple concept, this can be a difficult lesson to learn. That’s why Jack and I have dedicated an entire chapter to address this topic.
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There are of course other topics in the book that are perhaps a little more interesting and unique, but this principle is the foundation that allows all other success principles to work. If you don’t FULLY understand this concept inside and out, then you won’t have the quality of life you deserve. It’s that simple.

INN: What's the craziest thing that has happened to you since getting published?

KH: So many things have happened in the past few years its hard to chose just one. However, one area that has changed my life completely is how I have befriended an entirely different peer group—people who are young, driven, and very successful. I love being around other young people who are optimistic, talented, and motivated—and those are the people I have been able to meet as a result of writing books and starting a company. It’s just proof that following your passion attracts more like-minded people into your life.

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I’ve also been invited on TV shows, radio shows, exclusive events, and yes, even private yachts! To think how my life has changed in the last 5 years is difficult to fathom.

INN: What was it like working with Jack Canfield?
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KH: I always love working with people who are creative, hard-working, and those who walk-their-talk. It’s difficult not to like Jack! He is charismatic, wise, and he genuinely cares about others. He also happens to be one of the busiest people I know, so as a result, much of the time I was taking the lead on the project. But like any good coach, Jack challenged me to think—and I really liked the challenge of expanding my knowledge and awareness about behavioral science and success psychology. We also just enjoy each other’s company and share a common goal, which is energizing in itself!

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INN: Any advice for teen writers?
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KH: Yes, be persistent, creative, and proactive. Those traits have enabled me to write five books, become a columnist, and enjoy many other successes in life. Here’s how it works:
Be Persistent: Jack and I both agree that persistence is probably the single most common quality of high achievers (not natural ability like we’re often lead to believe). It’s really a simple concept: The longer you hang in there, the greater the chance that something will happen in your favor. Since we cannot expect success to come overnight we must be prepared to persevere through challenges, fear, doubt and discomfort. Like Norman Vincent Peale says, “It’s always too soon to quit.”
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Be creative: In school we are sometimes trained to believe that there is only one answer to a problem. In reality, this is not always true. Sometimes we must challenge ourselves to try to look at life from a completely different perspective.
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Sometimes thinking different makes all the difference. Since questions direct our thinking and our focus, we can begin to change our outlook by changing the questions we ask ourselves. I’ve made a habit of asking myself two primary questions, “Is there a better way to do this?” and “What’s unique about this that I haven’t noticed yet?” These questions can help you recognize a new way to promote your writing, approach a mentor, and achieve your goals. Don’t get sucked into the train of thought that says, “This is the only way it can be done because this is only way it has been done.” That mentality will instantly limit your creativity and potential.
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Think outside the box, question everything, and develop a deep sense of curiosity. Long ago, the Greek philosopher Socrates said it best, “Wisdom begins with wonder.” Curiosity urges us to explore the unknown, step out of our comfort zone, and tap into the magnificent power of passion.
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Be Proactive: It’s possible that someone in the right position will “discover” you and offer you your dream job, but it is not likely. Gabrielle, you are a perfect example of a writer “putting herself out there.” You saw an opportunity to use the internet to hone your craft and market yourself as a professional writer. That is being proactive!
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Never be afraid to ask for help and support. The power of Asking is one of the Success Principles in our book—and I think it is one of the most powerful. When I was writing my first book, I was constantly asking everyone I met, “Who do you know in the publishing industry?” and “What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were my age?” Eventually, the right connections and advice began to shape my writing career.
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I even sold my book door-to-door when it came out to make sure as many people as possible knew about it. One of my favorite quotes is: Some people want it to happen. Some people wish it would happen. Successful people make it happen! Bottom line: Success requires action and that means being creative and persistent. It’s all related. Much success to all of you writers!

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Thank you so much, Kent!

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You can visit his awesome websites at http://www.coolstuffmedia.com/ and http://www.kenthealy.com/.

The Art of Amendable Deadlines

I wanted to have a big query done tomorrow, but it will not happen.
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I wanted to finish my novel's 2nd draft by 8am on Wednesday, but it was 9:30.
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If you're super goal-oriented, channel this into your writing. Read Time to Write and get those WAP plans started. But, my dear little perfectionists, you will get published a total of three times (give or take .2) if you don't learn the art of amendable deadlines. What? Amendability? Is that even a word?
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Artistic Principle #1: Know the difference between amendability and procrastination. If you keep putting something off, it will not get done. However, if your original deadline was earlier than a contest deadline, you still have a little time.
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Artistic Principle #2: Work around your life. If you know that you have 5 tests this Monday, don't count on finishing three chapters of your novel. Homecoming, SATs, volunteering, massive parties: these are fabulous things that must be worked into our writing schedule.
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Artistic Principle #3: Amend by little amounts. I can't finish that Big Query Friday, but I can have a good chunk of it done tomorrow. I can have a complete draft by Monday, and send it off by Wednesday. Later than I'd hoped? Yes, but still submitted.
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And you will never get published if you don't submit, remember? Speaking of deadlines, Kent Healy's coming by tomorrow... yes, he is the co-author of my favorite 2008 nonfiction release, The Success Principles for Teens, along with a bunch of other books. Yes, he worked with Jack Canfield. Yes, he pretty much blows the mind and is very nice to interview. Look out for him tomorrow.

Bombs of the Alphabetical Variety

I'm trashing any normal schedule for this week as PSATs have screwed up school and even though I'm exempt (seniors!) they're bugging me.

Bad Language

*%$$ is how it normally appears in cartoons. In one horrible 80s mystery, the girl's mother said h--- all the time. No, really. H---. With dashes.

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For the responsible teenager (and many of us are that), the whole writing-bad-language-in-your-fiction can be a bit of a dilemma. Adults have an even bigger problem with it. I was at one writers' group meeting when the mom-aged writers were complaining about the crudeness of YA fiction and how shocked they were to see the f-bomb in a novel for teens. I didn't say anything but I was thinking You are shocked because...?

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Look. I don't condone cursing; it's a bad habit that I and my friends pick up (and try to control) because of culture, because we're pissed off, because we're immature, for whatever reason. But for me, swear words in literature and swear words in real life are different.

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You are a writer. Writers imagine worlds and write their stories true to that world. The most mild-mannered British grandmother will unleash the coarsest of words, if she's writing about the Boston drug world, because that is what her characters will do. Do your characters make mistakes? (I hope they do, or your book will be really boring; see Elsie Dinsmore) Are there murderers in your books? Are there villains? Sure. Does that make you a villain? No. Though you might be.

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I try to talk clean. My book opens with a beep-out word. How is this? I'm writing about the overachieving American high school crowd, the same group of people I see five days a week. And part of writing about them is being true to the way they speak, and they speak badly. If I had all my characters say Goshdarnit! every time they got stabbed in the back, this would be an unrealistic and boring book.

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Banned Book Week (last week!) celebrates the fact that fiction often expresses an ugly side of life, scenarios or characters or words that are not age-appropriate and will never be age-appropriate, yet life is many times inappropriate. If you want to clean up the world, clean it: but let the writers-- and yourself-- depict the world as they hear it.

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Goshdarnit, we are totally off track.

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming to Announce

That E. Lockhart has been Selected as a Finalist*

For the National Book Award

For her March 2008 release

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

- Publisher's Lunch and Media Bistro

* Originally said Semi-Finalist, but no! It's a FREAKING FINALIST! THERE IS JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD!

WORD: Making It as a Teen Writer

by Gabrielle Linnell

I've noticed a disturbing trend in my publishing efforts. More and more markets, leads, sources and opportunities are coming not from my magazine subscriptions but from... my Google Reader.
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Weird.
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Yet, this is not surprising. The only way you will learn to swim is if you jump into a pool. The only way you will be published, and be published again and be published with pizazz, is if you immerse yourself in the publishing world. Because teens have problems with abstract thinking, here are 3 concrete ways to do so.
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1. Call your local writing organization and offer to speak. Sound intimidating? Probably is. If you've been published at least a few times, find out who runs the writing shows in your town and volunteer yourself as a teen panelist. I'm doing writing workshops at my library this year, which I am very excited about. It gives me credibility and something new to add to my query bios.
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2. Read writing blogs. I cannot stress this enough. Freelancers' blogs are best for market opportunities, agents' blogs for biz updates and querying advice, and fellow teen blogs for teen-specific markets and inspiration. If you need help getting started, check out the Best of the Blogs panel on the right. The internet has changed the isolation of the writing world into a constant networking opportunity. Use it!
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3. Get published everywhere (kind of.) Authors are always advised to get their name out any way they can. WriTeens need to identify (1) what kind of writing they want to do and (2) who will publish it. If you love short fiction, make a list of 3 nonpaying-but-reputable e-zines (with editors and domain names!) that publish short fiction and submit. After two months, make a new list of paying e-zines and work your way up. I review books for one teen magazine without compensation, but it's a way for me to break into book reviewing and to get free books.
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Swim with them fishies. The water is a very cool place.

Bookshelf: The TTYLs

Lauren Myracle's TTYL series has rocked the bestseller lists (TTYL, TTFN and L8R G8R) and they better darn well be rocking your bookshelves. Apart from the fact that she co-wrote with E. Lockhart for How to Be Bad, her books are must-reads because... well, they're written in IM.

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Some may see this as the apocalypse of literature, but it's not. Myracle manages to create 3-D characters without any prose or description, and make it seem natural. I love the complex friendships between Zoe, Maddie and Angela because they're real without being boring. The problems they face with boys, Queen Bees, faith, doubt, each other and themselves are not easily solved and won't be fixed without sacrifice.

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Put them on your TBR.

The Character Was Being Passive

One of my biggest peeves in novels, and one of the most common, is when I don't have a vested interest in the main characters. It means I don't care about what happens to them. I checked out A Curse as Dark as Gold last week and let me tell you, this is one exquisite piece of literature. The writing is beyond superb. But I didn't finish the book because I didn't care enough about what happened to Charlotte. She was so stoic, strong and impervious to Wheeler's bad dealings. I'd rather see the story from Rosie's perspective, because she was superstitious and fun.
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Another book this week, Good Girls, had the same problem. It's the story of what happens when a compromising photograph of an honor student is spread around the school. Fantastic premise. But I found Ashley, however realistic, slow and depressing and not inviting. I didn't finish that one either, because it didn't matter to me whether she fixed it or not.
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Although annoying or mean characters tick me off, I hate passive main characters most of all. That is: characters to whom things happen, rather than characters that cause things to happen. Briony, in Atonement, is one heck of an unlikeable person but she makes things happen. Holden, well, Holden Caulfield was produced by a genius pen. If you're writing a book about the circus, should you write it about the BFF of the ringmaster or the ringmaster him/herself?
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The best example, as always, is Frankie Landau-Banks from E. Lockhart's March 2008 book. Frankie starts out as a "normal," intelligent girl with one ex-boyfriend. We can all relate. But as the book goes on, Frankie changes into someone who makes big things happen and pays the price for it. Gretchen Yee, in Fly on the Wall, goes on a similar transformation. I think of Maddie in Lauren Myracle's sharp and brilliant TTYL (more on that later), Jerome Foxworthy in The Moves Make the Man, Riley in This Book Isn't Fat, It's Fabulous.
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I have hated Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen the movie like no other movie. It redefined stupid. But Mary/Lola made things happen, as much as you hated her. That's an effective protagonist.

Query Letters, Part Tres: Who You Be?

As a responsible WriTeen, I do not use proper outlets for my rebellious hormones and therefore stick to legal ways of trashing the establishment. In a new three-or-four-part series on query letters, here is Part Three first: the bio.

Writing Credentials. Without a doubt, this is the most important part of your bio. Where have you been published? When you start writing, you may not have been published anywhere and that is quite all right. Leave this part out if that's the case.

If you have been published, list fiction credentials for fiction queries and non-fic for non-fic. If you've been published 20+ times, pick the 6 biggest and most relevant names for your bio. For example:

I have been published more than twenty times, writing for Cusackipity, JohnCusackstan, Say Cusack-Thing, The Other Cusack, Martian Cusack and Cusack Life the John Way.

Other "Professional" Credentials. This applies to non-fic queries. If you're writing a doggie article, what is your experience with dogs? Do you write a doggie blog with good traffic? Have you been a dog walker for 5+ years? How much money have you made from dog grooming?

I also run the Cusack fan site, Where's John Now?, which receives 1.6 billion hits per day and was featured on Oprah. Entertainment Weekly called me the greatest living expert on this great actor, and said I probably "knew more about John than he did."

Tasteful, Funny Add-ons. Be careful. This is appropriate only if you can pull it off. You can add "extra" things if it's relevant, humorous and shows off your writing panache. Otherwise, stick to your big guns.

I have met John a total of one time, in which he stared at me and then asked me for a drink of water. I still have the cup.

If anyone actually is interested in learning more about John Cusack, please see Say Anything. It will break your heart and then mend it again. Sigh.

Sad Postponements

Okeydokey, folks, bear with me. My mind is fried and if I tried to talk about query letters... I'd tell you to write it all in Sanscript. Sanskrit? Goodness. Posting will come, but to quote Reviewer X, real life is more important.

I Love Your Blog! Awardsiness

That's so COOL!

Nicole B. over at http://www.wordforteens.blogspot.com/ nominated me for the I Love Your Blog award. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Nicole! I love yours too!

The rules to the ILYB awards are as follows:

1. You put the logo and the rules on your blog

2. You link the person who gave it to you

3. You give seven of your favorite blogs

4. You have to tell them they're given the award

Okeydokey. My nominations are:

Miss Couturable (http://www.misscouturable.blogspot.com/): Noel runs a peerless fashion + life blog that makes my day, every day.

The Pema Pad (http://thepemapad.freehostia.com/): Pema hands out fantastic advice and support for every writing teenager, and I'm so impressed with what she's accomplished.

All Five Stars (http://fivestarreading.blogspot.com/): Gabbi writes brilliant, straight reviews, devoid of flattery or high-fives, and I respect her opinion.

Melissa Walker (www.melissacwalker.com/blog): Melissa writes about fashion, body image, culture, books and cover stories (incroyable!) and is the perfect read for any day.

Janette Rallison (http://www.janette-rallison.blogspot.com/): Janette, apart from writing very funny books, writes a blog about the author's life and the dogs of Orlando Bloom. Wonderful combination.

Teen Fiction Cafe (http://www.teenfictioncafe.blogspot.com/): This is a collective blog that rocks my socks. I love them. So much.

AND I can't think of one more even though I read 35 blogs. Who would you nominate? Self-noms are fine.

Gabrielle Online

I have an overwhelming inclination to yell, Wheerrre's Waldo?

My October column for KidMagWriters.com is online at www.kidmagwriters.com/work-day/freshideas.htm.

I blog every Thursday for Orb28, an online extension of New Moon magazine and blogged about cooking here: http://orb28.blogspot.com/2008/10/when-in-doubt-use-paprika.html.

And my post about the fantabulous Basket of Kisses was mentioned in their Lipp Gloss round-up. As I said, my life is now complete. Don't believe me? Visit at http://www.lippsisters.com/2008/10/04/lipp-gloss-week-of-september-29-2008/.

I updated our sidebar with quite a few things. The Innovative description has been rewritten, I've added a list of what I'm reading and now you can follow this blog as five lovely ladies have already done (Thank you Kristi, Lenore, Lana, Mags and KB!)

WORD will surface tomorrow as part of a 3-step guide to writing query letters. See ya!

Bookshelf: Hello to Ally Carter!

Ally Carter is the New York Times bestselling author of the Gallagher Girls series, featuring I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You and Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, with GG#3 coming out next June. ILKY is being turned into a Walden Media movie (think Chronicles of Narnia), which is totally wicked. Thank you so much for joining us, Ally!
INN: Which Gallagher Girl most resembles you?

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AC: It’s really hard to say, but my guess is that Cammie probably feels the way I feel more frequently than the others. I do have to say, however, that Anna Fetterman and I are prone to the same sorts of accidents (bloody nose from opening a can of Pringles? Yeah, actually happened.)
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INN: How did you react when you first found out that I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You was on The New York Times bestseller list?

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AC: Great question! At the time I was still working at my “day job” and it was an incredibly busy day as well, so at first it was a huge shock, and then a huge thrill, and then I had to stop thinking about it and go do a bunch of other stuff that had absolutely nothing to do with books, so it was very surreal to get this HUGE news and then have to switch gears so quickly and get back to work.
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What was perhaps more shocking was the next week when I found out the book was still on the list. And the week after and so on and so on. I honestly expected that all the people who were going to buy the book had already bought it. The fact that it kept selling was the most amazing thing of all.
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INN: Did you do any espionage when you were a kid? Or if not, who would you have spied on?

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AC: Well, yeah, I guess I did. I think we all did, to tell you the truth. All of my friends knew the class schedules of the guys they liked, and where they were likely to be after school, and all that stuff. And that’s exactly what real spies do. That’s something that I’ve always said about these books: every girl with a crush is a spy—these girls just have the training to back it up.

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INN: What are you reading right now, and why?

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AC: I just got back from the library where I picked up The Perks of Being a Wallflower because that’s one of those books that when other writers find out I haven’t read it, they gasp and yell YOU HAVE TO READ IT! So I’m going to do that this weekend.

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INN: Any advice for teen writers?

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AC: Don’t think and worry and talking about “being a writer”. Just write. It’s honestly as simple as that—read everything you can and write all you want. That’s the only way to learn this business.
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Thank you so much, Ally!

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Visit Ally Carter at her rocking website http://www.allycarter.com/, and buy the first Gallagher Girl here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Tell-Love-Then-Gallagher-Girls/dp/1423100042/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223129257&sr=8-2.

Just a Too Darn Geeky Review

Laura Preble was one of our first bookshelf interviewees, a big supporter of Innovative and the author of a geeky series called The Queen Geek Social Club. The latest in the story of Becca, Shelby, Amber and Elise's quest to geek out the world is Prom Queen Geeks, released this September.
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In this third book, Shelby is caught between two worlds (or two proms.) Becca is determined to create an alter-prom to say "Pooh pooh" to the high school elite and "hello!" to international geeks. However, Shelby's beloved-and-often-neglected boyfriend Fletcher is running The Real Prom and wants Shelby to go with him. Returning cast members are Euphoria (amazing robot), Mad Scientist Dad (clueless and adorable) and Thea the Mother of Art, as well as all those other geeks populating the Geek Club.
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Mixed bag on this one. On the proverbial one hand, Queen Geek Social Club needs to be in print because it's a recognition of a huge teen counterculture that Gossip Girls ignores. Not everyone wants to be popular; that's a fact. I also really appreciate how Laura Preble has woven the themes of boy-girl-bestfriend dynamics into her books, because it's a subtle conflict that happens in real life all the time: again, something that is ignored in most teen literature.

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On the other (left, maybe?) hand, I wasn't too happy with either Becca or Shelby. Becca's behavior, which in other books has been feminist assertive and enjoyably belligerent, was down right rhymes-with-witchy. I didn't find her likeable at all. Shelby, in contrast, annoyed the heck out of me for being so passive. Her passive-aggressiveness, or inability to tell the truth to those around her, is the real conflict of the novel. Everyone wants her to do something, but what does Shelby, the protagonist, want?

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I didn't think this conflict was resolved as the prom [SPOILER] problem ends with Shelby realizing how much her friends and Fletcher love her. Although there was a hysterically funny police car scene involved.

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Laura has a kick-butt website over at http://www.queengeekssocialclub.com/ , where you can find out more about the Geeksters, how to buy the books and Laura Preble herself.