Sex in YA Novels
There’s a lot of discussion online about sex in YA novels: too much of, not enough of, inappropriateness of, negative consequences of, condoning of, etc. etc. Among the critiques I received on the first draft of my YA novel was…
Category: Genre
Friday Feast: Cinderella Story, Narrative Tension, Self-Esteem, and Bad Seeds
There are many versions of Cinderella. I’m fond of the Brothers Grimm version, which includes severed toes and heels and an army of birds who peck out eyeballs. After long hours of toil and trouble, Cinderella weeps and prays at the tree growing on…
Friday Feast: 12 Links for Friday the 13th
My primary association with Friday the 13th — as is the case for many of us, I suspect — is Jason Voorhees. But there are also those who are superstitious about making travel plans on this unluckiest of Fridays. Many…
Friday Feast: Writer Emptiness, Peer Reviews, Plus-Sized Protagonists, and Books You May Have Missed
It’s the last Friday Feast of the year! Thank you for coming along with us as we scour the internet for the tasty bits of our bookish lives and throw them at you with the gusto of the Lost Boys…
The Gifts that Keep on Giving: My “Go To” YA Books
In her Dead Darlings post of July 8, 2014 Why Adults Should Read YA, Emily Ross makes a compelling case for why YA books are not just for kids. I happen to agree. I read a lot of YA books….
The Twelve Books of Christmas
Based on a recent tortuous visit to the mall I’d have to say tis the season of babies bawling their eyes out on Santa’s lap. But tis also the season of lists — best of lists, worst of lists, lists…