Whitewashing Discussion (and a giveaway)

I still haven't seen The Hunger Games, but I have seen so many different reactions. This one caught me off guard. Call me crazy, but I find it shocking that people who have obviously read the books are angry that Rue is portrayed by someone with dark skin. She looks exactly the way that Collins described her. In fact, when I saw the first preview, I knew her immediately. She's hiding, and she looks way too young. I thought, Wow, she's perfect.


I almost didn't write this post because Adam Heine beat me to it: "If we want to fix racism, we do need to point these things out, but we need to keep our anger in check. If we don't, then we're as much a part of the problem as they are. Racism isn't killing us. Hate is." 


No one is perfect. We all have strengths and weaknesses that are part of who we are, and racism is something that can be unlearned. I've seen it happen. But it's the kind of lesson you have to learn through love. Love. Education. We have to be aware.


For some time it's bothered me that most of the covers in the YA section feature skinny white girls. Seriously, most of them look like they have eating disorders. I suppose the vampires and zombies do. And where picture books, middle-grade, and adult sections have a beautiful variety of skin tones, the teen section looks pasty. I don't think editors are doing this on purpose. At least, I hope they're not. But those of us who care could say we'd like to see more variety reflected on the covers.


Ahem. I'd like to see more cultural diversity reflected on YA covers, please. Thank you. 


If this is not something that has ever bothered you, please read this post, by Ellen Oh. Or if it does bother you, you could read it anyway and tell her you agree and maybe continue this discussion in another time and place.


To celebrate the YA covers that DO reflect cultural diversity, I would like to give away a signed paperback of BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS, by Shannon Hale. 

Dashti is one of my favorite characters, not because she's beautiful, but because she's clever and loyal and honest, even when she's pretending to be someone she's not. "I'm right aware of the red birth splotches on my face and arm, not to mention my dull hair and lips thinner than the edge of a leaf." But as a reader, you fall in love with Dashti's character and you think she's beautiful in spite of the way she's described herself. 


Is that not how we should fight racism? Once you love someone, you see past the differences between you to how beautiful they were all along. 


To enter, all you have to do is comment (no hate or spoilers, please). If you tweet, FB, or blog about the contest, I'll give an extra entry for each. You have until midnight on Wednesday, April 4th, to enter. 


Thanks for reading my longish post! 

MMGM: BOBBY THE BRAVE

The first book in Lisa Yee's series is actually BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY), and I like it a lot. It made me laugh and cry (always a good sign).

But I absolutely love BOBBY THE BRAVE. It has so much funny, and Bobby is someone that kids can relate to. So many of his insecurities are things that I remember bothering me as a kid. I read the first few chapters to my reluctant reader and then let him finish the rest on his own. He didn't want to put it down. And he finished it. He hardly ever finishes novels.

Some of my favorite things:

The scary cat
His relationship with the fish
His dad's cooking
Their Halloween costumes


I'll be reading more of Lisa Yee's books. If you know a boy who likes funny books, these would probably be a good fit. The main character is a fourth grader.


If you'd like to read about more Marvelous Middle Grades, the following people would love to oblige you:

Shannon Whitney Messenger (our founding mother)

Joanne Fritz 

Shannon O'Donnell 

Barbara Watson

Michael Gettel-Gilmartin

Natalie Aguirre

Deb Marshall

Karen Yingling

Have a Marvelous Monday! 

Writing for Charity

Friday afternoon, Robyn (my thirteen-year-old writer) talked me into taking her to Writing for Charity. We'd been talking about it for a weeks without coming to a decision. So, yeah, I dropped Dax and Gwen off at my sister's, and we drove and drove and drove until midnight (when we reached my other sister's house in Pleasant Grove).

Too early the next morning, we headed for the Provo library. :o)

The event started with an impressive author panel. You can click here to find the whole list of authors that attended. Shannon Hale always seems to end up with the mic at these kind of things. She's hilarious. And she can stop the long-winded ones without offending anyone. "Novelists, keep your answers to a paragraph. Picture books authors already have this down." Heheheh. Some of my favorite tidbits from the panel:

1. Brandon Sanderson wrote 13 first drafts before he sold ELANTRIS.
2. You have not yet written your best work. Keep writing.  ~Tracy Hickman
3. Matthew J. Kirby doesn't outline. *grins at CPs*
4. Shannon Hale sets goals of 1,000 words/day or 20 pages of revison.
5. Mette Ivie Harrison sets time goals (2 hours).

Then we split into critique groups with our author of choice (Matthew J. Kirby). There were only seven people in our group, and we had two hours, so we had lots of time to discuss the beginning pages we brought and our manuscripts in general. This was my favorite part. His suggestions just felt right. And when he was asking if I'd tried to sell it yet (I haven't), he said something about reaching a point where there's not much difference between a published and an unpublished writer. They do the same things. And that felt right too.

Robyn chose the workshops we attended: The Psychology of Characterization (Jennifer Nielsen), Rewriting the Crap Out of It (Dean and Shannon Hale), Fantasy Panel (Mette Ivie Harrison, Laura and Tracy Hickman, Dene Low, and Brandon Sanderson), and The Do's and Don'ts of Dialogue (Janette Ralison). I learned something new in each of them. Many of the authors have websites where they go into the same things they covered, so if you're interested, click on their names. I just wish we could have fit Brandon Sanderson's workshop on Advanced Plot Structure in there somewhere.

If you live in (or close to) Utah, this is an amazing event. It cost $45 for the whole day (including lunch and a snack) because the writer's all volunteer their time. The money always goes to some kind of charity. I spent more on gas money than I did on registration for the event, but then I spent more on books than I did on gas money.

We came home with a lot of notes and an unwieldy stack of signed books (Happy 100%).

Also, we learned about a new series that's being written by multiple authors. Have any of you heard of THE INFINITY RING series? The first one is by James Dashner. It sounds like fun. :o)

THREE TIMES LUCKY Winner!

I've just picked a piece of paper that has Barbara Watson's name on it. Barbara, I'll mail you your ARC of THREE TIMES LUCKY as soon as I get your mailing address in an e-mail. Thanks, everyone, for your comments! 

MMGM: THREE TIMES LUCKY (Review and Giveaway)

This one doesn't release until May 10th, but I'm giving away my ARC to one lucky commenter. ;o)

THREE TIMES LUCKY, by Sheila Turnage, refers to how Mo (short for Moses) is lucky that, when she was a baby, her mother's tying her to a makeshift raft saved her during a terrible hurricane, lucky the Colonel was handy to save her from the flood, and lucky that Miss Lana decided to keep her. The reader is lucky that Mo has spent so much time piecing together her past that she's practically a detective; by the end of the fifth chapter there's a murder to be solved, and her best friend is the only real suspect.

And this isn't one of those stories where you find out it was just an accident or a misunderstanding. Those tend to make me crazy. There's at least one seriously scary person running amok in Tupelo Landing, and Mo has to figure out out who the bad guys are before they hurt or kill the people she cares most about. THREE TIMES LUCKY is a wild ride. I loved it: beginning, middle, and ending. Oh, how I loved the ending! If you're into middle grade and murder mysteries, this book is a happy combination.


As I mentioned before, I'm giving away my ARC to one commenter. This contest is open internationally and will close at midnight on Thursday. I'll announce the winner on Friday. If you'd like to read about more Marvelous Middle Grades, the following people would love to oblige you:

Shannon Whitney Messenger (our founding mother)
Joanne Fritz 
Shannon O'Donnell 
Barbara Watson
Michael Gettel-Gilmartin
Natalie Aguirre
Deb Marshall
Karen Yingling


Have a Marvelous Monday! 

Have You Read INCARNATE?

If you haven't read INCARNATE, by Jodi Meadows, you'll want to find a copy. I won mine by participating in the treasure hunt that I mentioned in my last post. This story kept me up into the wee hours of the morning, and then, as soon as I had a moment to myself the next day, I picked it up to read the ending all over again. I wish I had the sequel, not that she leaves you hanging. She doesn't. I just wanted more. Some things, they make you happy, you know?

There are so many things I loved about this book, but explaining them would spoil it. For instance, page 104 is so perfect that I read it three times, but it's only perfect because the previous pages led up to it. I loved the personality quirks of the characters, but there again, you'll want to discover those on your own. I will tell you that music is important. My favorite line (a response to X telling Y not to die): "And leave you alone with my piano? Not a chance." There isn't an emoticon to convey how that line made me feel, but maybe your favorite line will be different.

The premise: Ana is born into a world of people whose souls are reincarnated. Everyone remembers their past lives, everyone but Ana. She's new. She's replaced one of the the old souls. And you can see how it would follow that logically it might be frightening for the others to realize they could cease to exist. There might be some resentment. Some fear. But there might be others who will accept her for who she is.

And there might be a lot of scenes that center around playing a piano. :o)

Did I mention that there's a blurb from Robin McKinley on the back of the book? *sigh* "INCARNATE has an eerie and intriguing premise and I am looking forward to seeing where Jodi Meadows takes it next."

Yeah. What she said.

On a more personal note, my hand is NOT broken. I'm typing and playing the piano again, and I wanted to share a piece that I'm working on. No, I'm not inflicting my playing on you, but Mitsuko Uchida's version of Mozart's Sonata in A Major, K. 331 is lovely. The bit in my lesson book is only the beginning of this, but even that little bit is uplifting, peaceful and energizing at the same time. I love playing it.

Are there any books or songs that just make you feel happy? If so, please share in the comments! :o)

   

Monkeys, Wrenches, and Mount Doom: The Problem With More

The problem with taking more time for one thing (or more than one thing) is that it means taking that time from something else. That is why I tried to balance my Mores with Lesses, and I still think it could work. I just need better self-control (especially when it comes to the internet).

But have you seen Jodi Meadow's INCARNATE Theater Treasure Hunt? It's kind of like getting sucked down a rabbit hole (in a good way). You have until February 6th to play. :o)

Speaking of monkeys and wrenches or monkey wrenches or wretched monkeys, if exercising is one of your Mores, make sure you're getting enough iron. Yeah. Working out so much that you make yourself anemic (sick and exhausted) is counter-productive. I know. You probably could have told me that. But I'm feeling a lot better now that I'm taking iron supplements. Unfortunately, the boy picked up a wicked cough, this week, and now everyone is snuffling. And I may have broken my hand, yesterday, but really, I hope not. Le sigh.

On a more positive note, I don't hate the revision I'm working on at the moment. The last couple of months have been rough, but I've given myself permission to save draft six (as is) and move on to draft seven. This allows me to use the delete button (copiously) without feeling like I've wasted the last two or three months of my life.

It's funny. This laptop has never had a nickname, but ever since the conversation that led to abandoning draft six, I can't help calling it Mount Doom. :o)

Have a great weekend!