A few months back, you may remember that Word Nerd talked about asking a few trusted readers to read her whole WIP and give feedback.
Well, as has been said, turnabout is fair play and so now Word Nerd is doing this for a writer pal and she's realizing just what hard work she subjected her friends to. This is a different kind of reading than just reading a book for fun. It's harder because you have to pay more attention and figure out how to tactfully explain problems and still give praise where praise is due. (It's so much easier to pick on the negatives.)
What this really brings Word Nerd to is a big THANK YOU for her magnificent seven who have read/are beta reading her WIP. She really didn't know what she was putting you through and you absolutely deserve every ounce of thanks and credit possible for helping make the WIP better.
17 April 2009
14 April 2009
Book Banter -- Matriarch
Title: Matriarch (Wess'har wars, bk. 4)
Author: Karen Traviss
Length: 381 pages
Genre: Sci-fi
Plot Basics: SPOILER ALERT
Things continue to deteriorate around the planets of Bezer'ej and Wess'ej as the Eqbas Vorhi ship prepares to restore ecological balance to the iseni before moving on to Earth. Meanwhile, as hard as Shan Frankland has tried to keep the c'naatat contained to herself, Aras and Ade, she is furious to learn that Rayat and Lindsey were infected. Shan struggles to keep her own moral compass as the Eqbas contemplate unleashing bioweapons on the iseni and what they will do to Earth when they get there.
Banter Points: The plot basics don't really cover this book very well. As Word Nerd has discovered in the past, writing these for the books well into a series is hard. Nevertheless, the series just keeps bringing it, adding plot twists and forcing characters to grow and adapt to the alien environments they find themselves in.
Bummer Points: Some of this book seemed a little light on action and a bit heavy on the philosophy.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Top-notch sci-fi here. Read it if you are a fan of the genre.
Author: Karen Traviss
Length: 381 pages
Genre: Sci-fi
Plot Basics: SPOILER ALERT
Things continue to deteriorate around the planets of Bezer'ej and Wess'ej as the Eqbas Vorhi ship prepares to restore ecological balance to the iseni before moving on to Earth. Meanwhile, as hard as Shan Frankland has tried to keep the c'naatat contained to herself, Aras and Ade, she is furious to learn that Rayat and Lindsey were infected. Shan struggles to keep her own moral compass as the Eqbas contemplate unleashing bioweapons on the iseni and what they will do to Earth when they get there.
Banter Points: The plot basics don't really cover this book very well. As Word Nerd has discovered in the past, writing these for the books well into a series is hard. Nevertheless, the series just keeps bringing it, adding plot twists and forcing characters to grow and adapt to the alien environments they find themselves in.
Bummer Points: Some of this book seemed a little light on action and a bit heavy on the philosophy.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Top-notch sci-fi here. Read it if you are a fan of the genre.
07 April 2009
Book Banter -- Greywalker
Title: Greywalker
Author: Kat Richardson
Length: 341 page
Genre: urban fantasy
Plot Basics: P.I Harper Blaine dies for a whole two minutes after the vicious attack of a small-time crook she's chasing. When she recovers, she discovers that she can see into the Grey, the shadowy realm between life and death. Her Greywalking ability leads her into the territory of vampirs, ghosts and one terrifying antique that could destroy much of Seattle if Harper doesn't figure out how to stop it.
Banter Points: Word Nerd was jonesing for some good urban fantasy and had seen the Greywalker books while browsing at a book store. The concept of the Grey is cool and again, its nice to see a book with vampires in it where they are still scary guys and not the main squeeze of the female protagonist.
Bummer Points: This book sort of screamed first novel. There were lots of info dumps and lots of places where Richardson had to spell out how the Grey worked. Word Nerd felt like she didn't get to know Harper well enough, or that the stakes were never high enough for her personally.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Word Nerd will tackle the next two books in the series, hoping that Richardson improves with time. There's enough good about these to make it worth it.
Author: Kat Richardson
Length: 341 page
Genre: urban fantasy
Plot Basics: P.I Harper Blaine dies for a whole two minutes after the vicious attack of a small-time crook she's chasing. When she recovers, she discovers that she can see into the Grey, the shadowy realm between life and death. Her Greywalking ability leads her into the territory of vampirs, ghosts and one terrifying antique that could destroy much of Seattle if Harper doesn't figure out how to stop it.
Banter Points: Word Nerd was jonesing for some good urban fantasy and had seen the Greywalker books while browsing at a book store. The concept of the Grey is cool and again, its nice to see a book with vampires in it where they are still scary guys and not the main squeeze of the female protagonist.
Bummer Points: This book sort of screamed first novel. There were lots of info dumps and lots of places where Richardson had to spell out how the Grey worked. Word Nerd felt like she didn't get to know Harper well enough, or that the stakes were never high enough for her personally.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Word Nerd will tackle the next two books in the series, hoping that Richardson improves with time. There's enough good about these to make it worth it.
06 April 2009
March and Literary Year Bibliometer
Word Nerd crunched her reading stats a week ago, but just kept forgetting to post. Here are the salient numbers.
March 2009
8 books
2743 pages
88 pages/day average
2009 YTD
23 books
March also saw the end of the 2008-09 Literary Year. Word Nerd's seventh such LY was right on par with the others. (The Literary Year marks when Word Nerd began keeping her book list during her last year of college).
LY 2008-09
96 books
Seven Year Total = 573
March 2009
8 books
2743 pages
88 pages/day average
2009 YTD
23 books
March also saw the end of the 2008-09 Literary Year. Word Nerd's seventh such LY was right on par with the others. (The Literary Year marks when Word Nerd began keeping her book list during her last year of college).
LY 2008-09
96 books
Seven Year Total = 573
30 March 2009
Book Banter -- Illegal
Title: Illegal
Author: Paul Levine
Length: 367 pages
Genre: legal mystery
Plot Basics: Hot-shot lawyer Jimmy "Royal" Payne is watching his career go down the drain after he was set up on a sting operation to bribe a judge. But when he finds a young Mexican boy, Tino, who was separated from his mother during a border crossing, Payne takes it upon himself to reunite the family, amidst a growing wave of anti-immigration sentiment.
Banter Points: This is definitely a book for the times, given the political debates about immigration. Jimmy Payne was reminiscent of Levine's other lawyer hero, Steve Solomon from the "Solomon v. Lord" series, but had his own set of hang-ups that made the two characters different. Tino was a great character, full of a youthful feistiness, that made him a treat to read about.
Bummer Points: This is definitely a book for the times. Levine's cultural references (to things like the flop of the last Indiana Jones movie) were very specific and likely will lose their punch in a few years. The plot is rather predictable as well and while Jimmy Payne is not Steve Solomon, the characters are quite similar. Overall, it seems like Payne is sort of recycled from Solomon.
Word Nerd Recommendation: It's a good airplane read, but if you are looking for a gripping legal thriller, this isn't it.
Author: Paul Levine
Length: 367 pages
Genre: legal mystery
Plot Basics: Hot-shot lawyer Jimmy "Royal" Payne is watching his career go down the drain after he was set up on a sting operation to bribe a judge. But when he finds a young Mexican boy, Tino, who was separated from his mother during a border crossing, Payne takes it upon himself to reunite the family, amidst a growing wave of anti-immigration sentiment.
Banter Points: This is definitely a book for the times, given the political debates about immigration. Jimmy Payne was reminiscent of Levine's other lawyer hero, Steve Solomon from the "Solomon v. Lord" series, but had his own set of hang-ups that made the two characters different. Tino was a great character, full of a youthful feistiness, that made him a treat to read about.
Bummer Points: This is definitely a book for the times. Levine's cultural references (to things like the flop of the last Indiana Jones movie) were very specific and likely will lose their punch in a few years. The plot is rather predictable as well and while Jimmy Payne is not Steve Solomon, the characters are quite similar. Overall, it seems like Payne is sort of recycled from Solomon.
Word Nerd Recommendation: It's a good airplane read, but if you are looking for a gripping legal thriller, this isn't it.
24 March 2009
Book Banter -- The Domino Men
Title: The Domino Men
Author: Jonathan Barnes
Length: 382 pages
Genre: modern fantasy
Plot Basics: Henry Lamb is a file clerk for the national civil service archive. When his grandfather has a stroke, Henry is recruited by a shadowy agency called the Directorate to continue his grandfather's secret work -- which Henry knows nothing about. He ends up on a mad-cap search for a woman named Estella and pursued (or led) to her by the mysterious Domino Men, all in an attempt to stop London from falling victim to the Leviathan, who is owed the whole city from a Faustian bargain made years ago by Queen Victoria.
Banter Points: So, the plot summary sounds weird, that's because the book's weird, but it's AMAZINGLY so. The plot unfolds very naturally, actually, and brings the reader along so gently that you forget just how strange this whole set-up really is.
Word Nerd is amazed at Barnes' sophomore offering after she was less than thrilled with his debut, "The Somnambulist." Henry Lamb is a delightful character, sort of Arthur Dent-ish in his approach to suddenly having to save the world. The whole book has a bit of a feel of Hitchhiker's Guide to it... if you infuse that with a big does of H.P. Lovecraft and a splash of "V for Vendetta."
Bummer Points: Word Nerd can't say what she thinks is a bummer without ruining the book. Sorry. She's staying spoiler free here today.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Two thumbs way up. Fans of quiet horror and modern fantasy, this is a must-read. Watch for The Domino Men on Word Nerd's Top Ten in 2009.
Author: Jonathan Barnes
Length: 382 pages
Genre: modern fantasy
Plot Basics: Henry Lamb is a file clerk for the national civil service archive. When his grandfather has a stroke, Henry is recruited by a shadowy agency called the Directorate to continue his grandfather's secret work -- which Henry knows nothing about. He ends up on a mad-cap search for a woman named Estella and pursued (or led) to her by the mysterious Domino Men, all in an attempt to stop London from falling victim to the Leviathan, who is owed the whole city from a Faustian bargain made years ago by Queen Victoria.
Banter Points: So, the plot summary sounds weird, that's because the book's weird, but it's AMAZINGLY so. The plot unfolds very naturally, actually, and brings the reader along so gently that you forget just how strange this whole set-up really is.
Word Nerd is amazed at Barnes' sophomore offering after she was less than thrilled with his debut, "The Somnambulist." Henry Lamb is a delightful character, sort of Arthur Dent-ish in his approach to suddenly having to save the world. The whole book has a bit of a feel of Hitchhiker's Guide to it... if you infuse that with a big does of H.P. Lovecraft and a splash of "V for Vendetta."
Bummer Points: Word Nerd can't say what she thinks is a bummer without ruining the book. Sorry. She's staying spoiler free here today.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Two thumbs way up. Fans of quiet horror and modern fantasy, this is a must-read. Watch for The Domino Men on Word Nerd's Top Ten in 2009.
23 March 2009
Rewrites
Word Nerd worked this weekend on finishing rewrites to chapters 27 and 28 of the WIP. She was really hoping she was past this point of ripping out sections and adding new, but that wasn't the way of it. In fact, this weekend, she wrote in a new minor character (!) to really bring the scenes to life. A little bit of back work will get this person into some earlier chapters too, until her big scenes in these chapters.
This new character isn't long for this world, but giving her a few scenes and a name keeps her from being a throw-away character. It would be easier to just make her a nobody, but doing that deprives the main character of some actions and reactions to a real character. Giving a minor character a bit of a personality helps to make the story feel less wooden and gives minor characters some bit of purpose and motivation.
Word Nerd knows enough about this character that were she so inclined, she could write a separate short story about her. One of the other minor characters from the WIP may just get her own short story because she won't leave Word Nerd alone.
The editing now is back on track and Word Nerd hopes to be done with this process soon.
This new character isn't long for this world, but giving her a few scenes and a name keeps her from being a throw-away character. It would be easier to just make her a nobody, but doing that deprives the main character of some actions and reactions to a real character. Giving a minor character a bit of a personality helps to make the story feel less wooden and gives minor characters some bit of purpose and motivation.
Word Nerd knows enough about this character that were she so inclined, she could write a separate short story about her. One of the other minor characters from the WIP may just get her own short story because she won't leave Word Nerd alone.
The editing now is back on track and Word Nerd hopes to be done with this process soon.
17 March 2009
Book Banter -- The Black Ice
Title: The Black Ice (Harry Bosch, bk. 2)
Author: Michael Connelly
Length: ~400 pages
Genre: mystery
Plot Basics: LAPD Detective Harry Bosch doesn't get the call about the apparent suicide of another cop, because the department is determined to keep it under wraps. Bosch realizes there is more to the case than what it seems, particularly as it intersects with another murder investigation he's working on. Soon, Harry is tracking drug smugglers running black ice from Mexico into California and the cartel is gunning for him as he tries to figure out who really killed whom.
Banter Points: It was nice to get back to Harry Bosch soon after reading the first one in this series because the bigger plot line about what happened to Harry was fresher. Word Nerd didn't like this one quite as well as the Black Echo, but it was still a good series mystery read.
Bummer Points: See above.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Word Nerd's sticking with the series, largely in preparation for Bouchercon.
Author: Michael Connelly
Length: ~400 pages
Genre: mystery
Plot Basics: LAPD Detective Harry Bosch doesn't get the call about the apparent suicide of another cop, because the department is determined to keep it under wraps. Bosch realizes there is more to the case than what it seems, particularly as it intersects with another murder investigation he's working on. Soon, Harry is tracking drug smugglers running black ice from Mexico into California and the cartel is gunning for him as he tries to figure out who really killed whom.
Banter Points: It was nice to get back to Harry Bosch soon after reading the first one in this series because the bigger plot line about what happened to Harry was fresher. Word Nerd didn't like this one quite as well as the Black Echo, but it was still a good series mystery read.
Bummer Points: See above.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Word Nerd's sticking with the series, largely in preparation for Bouchercon.
10 March 2009
Back to the paper and pencil
Word Nerd has barely written anything in the past two weeks because everything has been so busy.
Last night, knowing she needed to get back into revisions, Word Nerd pulled out the paper and pencil to use to rewrite a chapter or two of the WIP. It's a section she's not sure about -- whether it needs a rewrite at all, or just pretty major edit. So far, it's a mix of both, keeping some sections of the chapter and overhauling the boring parts.
It's sort of ironic, that these two chapters were the last one that Word Nerd wrote by hand before switching to writing on the computer to finish off the book, and now she's redoing them by hand. The few pages she wrote last night went well. There's something more visceral about writing by hand than on the computer.
Hopefully this will get her back in the swing of things to finish off this last set of revisions. Somebody tell her that she needs to finish this book again.
Last night, knowing she needed to get back into revisions, Word Nerd pulled out the paper and pencil to use to rewrite a chapter or two of the WIP. It's a section she's not sure about -- whether it needs a rewrite at all, or just pretty major edit. So far, it's a mix of both, keeping some sections of the chapter and overhauling the boring parts.
It's sort of ironic, that these two chapters were the last one that Word Nerd wrote by hand before switching to writing on the computer to finish off the book, and now she's redoing them by hand. The few pages she wrote last night went well. There's something more visceral about writing by hand than on the computer.
Hopefully this will get her back in the swing of things to finish off this last set of revisions. Somebody tell her that she needs to finish this book again.
05 March 2009
Book Banter -- The Black Echo
Title: The Black Echo (Harry Bosch, bk. 1)
Author: Michael Connelly
Length: ~400 pages
Genre: Mystery
Plot Basics: LAPD Detective Harry Bosch gets a call on a weekend afternoon about a dead body in a drainage tunnel. The police believe that the man OD'ed, but Bosch recognizes the man from serving with him in Vietnam and thinks the case is really a murder. The case takes Bosch deep into his past as a 'tunnel rat' during the war and helps the city and FBI solve an bank heist.
Banter Points: Word Nerd picked up the first of the Harry Bosch novels because Connelly is going to be the guest at Bouchercon this fall, which she is really hoping to attend. She thought it was a good idea to read some of his stuff before then. This was a good idea too because it was a good book. Bosch is the classic loner detective character, but Connelly does this well and makes Bosch likeable (sort of) despite his attitude.
Bummer Points: Word Nerd is looking at a long back list to get through all of the Harry Bosch novels.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Mystery fans, this is a well-known series in the genre that's worth exploring at least a little bit. Non-mystery fans, this is a pretty good heist story.
Author: Michael Connelly
Length: ~400 pages
Genre: Mystery
Plot Basics: LAPD Detective Harry Bosch gets a call on a weekend afternoon about a dead body in a drainage tunnel. The police believe that the man OD'ed, but Bosch recognizes the man from serving with him in Vietnam and thinks the case is really a murder. The case takes Bosch deep into his past as a 'tunnel rat' during the war and helps the city and FBI solve an bank heist.
Banter Points: Word Nerd picked up the first of the Harry Bosch novels because Connelly is going to be the guest at Bouchercon this fall, which she is really hoping to attend. She thought it was a good idea to read some of his stuff before then. This was a good idea too because it was a good book. Bosch is the classic loner detective character, but Connelly does this well and makes Bosch likeable (sort of) despite his attitude.
Bummer Points: Word Nerd is looking at a long back list to get through all of the Harry Bosch novels.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Mystery fans, this is a well-known series in the genre that's worth exploring at least a little bit. Non-mystery fans, this is a pretty good heist story.
26 February 2009
Book Banter -- Land of a Hundred Wonders
Title: Land of a Hundred Wonders
Author: Lesley Kagen
Length: ~280 pages
Genre: literary fiction
Plot Basics: Gibby McGraw is the local town reporter in her small Kentucky town... all part of her effort to become QR (quite right) after a devastating car accident killed her parents and made her NQR (not quite right). In her investigative reporting efforts, she stumbles across the biggest story possible in her town... but her easily distracted mind makes it hard for her to report and leads her to learning that those she thinks are QR have their own secrets.
Banter Points: Kagen is a master of colloquial dialogue. Many times this just comes off and strange in books, with characters dropping consonants/vowels, etc. but Kagen does it so well that it work.
Bummer Points: Word Nerd was really excited for this book after loving Kagen's debut novel, but was a little disappointed with this one. The book moves along fine until the end, which feels like one great big infodump of information that the reader had no clues about throughout the book. While it does a good job of disorienting Gibby, it's too deus ex machina for the reader, to reveal that many truths that were un-hinted at all along.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Read Kagen's first book first and then read this one, if you want.
Author: Lesley Kagen
Length: ~280 pages
Genre: literary fiction
Plot Basics: Gibby McGraw is the local town reporter in her small Kentucky town... all part of her effort to become QR (quite right) after a devastating car accident killed her parents and made her NQR (not quite right). In her investigative reporting efforts, she stumbles across the biggest story possible in her town... but her easily distracted mind makes it hard for her to report and leads her to learning that those she thinks are QR have their own secrets.
Banter Points: Kagen is a master of colloquial dialogue. Many times this just comes off and strange in books, with characters dropping consonants/vowels, etc. but Kagen does it so well that it work.
Bummer Points: Word Nerd was really excited for this book after loving Kagen's debut novel, but was a little disappointed with this one. The book moves along fine until the end, which feels like one great big infodump of information that the reader had no clues about throughout the book. While it does a good job of disorienting Gibby, it's too deus ex machina for the reader, to reveal that many truths that were un-hinted at all along.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Read Kagen's first book first and then read this one, if you want.
19 February 2009
Book Banter -- Tripwire
Title: Tripwire (Jack Reacher, bk. 3).
Author: Lee Child
Length: ~400 pages
Genre: mystery/thriller
Plot Basics: Reacher is tracked down in the Florida Keys by a low-level PI. A few hours later, the PI turns up dead and Reacher decided to find out who sent him and why he was killed. The trail takes Reacher back to Jodie Garber, the daughter of his former CO and a girl he's always been sweet on. Together, they start to unravel an MIA case from Vietnam that could make them pay for information with their lives.
Banter Points: Word Nerd has enjoyed the Reacher books so far, and she thinks this one may be the best of the ones she's read. What was nice about this was the Reacher/Jodie plotline and how this relationship could change Reacher. Oh, and the plot has a good twist at the end.
Bummer Points: Apparently, Child writes some of the Reacher books in 1st person and some in 3rd person. This was a 3rd person book and Word Nerd wants back into 1st person to find out what's really going on in Reacher's head.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Read the series.
Author: Lee Child
Length: ~400 pages
Genre: mystery/thriller
Plot Basics: Reacher is tracked down in the Florida Keys by a low-level PI. A few hours later, the PI turns up dead and Reacher decided to find out who sent him and why he was killed. The trail takes Reacher back to Jodie Garber, the daughter of his former CO and a girl he's always been sweet on. Together, they start to unravel an MIA case from Vietnam that could make them pay for information with their lives.
Banter Points: Word Nerd has enjoyed the Reacher books so far, and she thinks this one may be the best of the ones she's read. What was nice about this was the Reacher/Jodie plotline and how this relationship could change Reacher. Oh, and the plot has a good twist at the end.
Bummer Points: Apparently, Child writes some of the Reacher books in 1st person and some in 3rd person. This was a 3rd person book and Word Nerd wants back into 1st person to find out what's really going on in Reacher's head.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Read the series.
13 February 2009
My interview
Jennifer, over at Adventures of Badgergirl, was offering to send interview questions to fellow bloggers. Since I normally interview people as Word Nerd, I thought this would be fun.
1. What's the best part about your Starfish job?
The best part about my job at Starfish is getting to tell people about the great kids we serve. A lot of people write off low-income kids as all being headed for trouble and up to no good. But for the kids I know, that's not the case at all. They are bright and smart and funny and talented and happen to come from homes that don't have the financial resources. It's so rewarding to know that what I'm doing -- even as a fundraiser -- is making it possible for Starfish Scholars to get the kind of help they need and radically change their future and their family's future.
2. You left Wisconsin to move back to Indiana. What's your favorite thing about Indianapolis?
My favorite thing about Indianapolis -- wow, this is a tough question. Indy is a great city. There's lots of culture here, but it's still got the friendly feeling of a smaller town. I love the how accessible the arts are here, from the art museum being free to the First Friday gallery nights. Even though I'm a writer and not a visual artist, it's very inspiring. And, Indy's closer to home.
3. You're the Word Nerd. I have to ask a question about books. What's the best one you've read in the last year or so?
Do you know how hard this question is? In the last year or so, I've read more than 100 books, which is an insane number. If I go by my "Word Nerd" award list, the best book in the last year was "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. However, during the last year, I've devoured almost all of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, and I have to say, as a collected body of work, those are some darn fun books -- mystery, magic, monsters, a wise-cracking wizard, how can you go wrong?
4. We admit it. We all swoon when we get to talk to everyone's favorite state Representative here in Oshkosh. Are you jealous I still get to hear his voice on a fairly regular basis?
If we go just on voice alone, perhaps a little bit. But when combined with all the stress of government reporting and combing through campaign finance records and covering elections, etc. etc., I can't say I'm jealous at all. I haven't met my state rep. here in Indy, but I'm guessing her/his voice wouldn't be as good.
5. In a fight, who would win? A T-Rex or 10,000 5-year-olds lead into the fight by a battle-hardened 7-year-old riding a St. Bernard?
Oh my. Where is the world did this question come from? I think this is a tough one. The T-Rex obviously has some offensive advantages, such as being able to eat and squash 5-year-olds. However, under the guidance of that kid on the St. Bernard, I guess it's possible that the 5-year-olds could surround the T-rex and do some real damage. On the other hand, I think I'm going to have to go with the T-Rex as the winner, because I don't think the 5-year-olds would really do well in battle -- I think many of them would be paralyzed with fear and unable to act after seeing some of their fellow warriors get gobbled up. Yeah, the T-Rex.
Anybody else want to play? Leave a comment and I'll send you fun interview questions too.12 February 2009
Author Answers with Kelly Parra (redux)
Word Nerd's taking the day off from blogging and letting author Kelly Parra talk about her new book and the writing life in this edition of Author Answers. Kelly's been here before, when her first book "Graffiti Girl" came out. Now, she's talking about her sophomore effort, "Invisible Touch."
WN: What's "Invisible Touch" about? Where did the idea for this story come from?
PARRA: Invisible Touch is about Kara, who after experiencing a tragic boating accident where she lost her father, awakes with a gift or more like a curse. She begins to see "signs" or symbols on individuals and learns to piece the signs together like a puzzle in order to help save them from unfortunate fates. Because no one believed what she was seeing, she keeps her gift secret and blogs about it anonymously on a Secret Fates blog. The stakes are risen higher than ever before when she sees a gun on a classmate and the clues lead her to a boy on the wrong side of town. There's romance, suspense, and mystery.
WN: Was it harder or easier to write your second book? Why?
PARRA: This book was harder for different reasons. Invisible Touch is a mystery while my first book, Graffiti Girl was not. I had to keep the reader guessing and according to some feedback, I accomplished that. :) Also there is a level of grief in this novel that was emotionally draining to write.
WN: What are you currently working on?
PARRA: I'm working on a book that is even more challenging than the first two. It seems I challenge myself more and more. My current work-in-progress is a young adult novel based in the future. That means I have to create my own world which has been a lot of hard work, but exciting at the same time. I hope to share more once I find an interested publisher.
WN: YA fiction has had a huge boom in the last few years. What do you see as the causes for that and the challenges for the future of YA fiction?
PARRA: Many writers and readers can thank J.K. Rowling for opening the door for the latest great boom of YA fiction, then with the success of the Twilight series and more adapted films have helped to bring these exciting stories to more readers. I think with the rush of YA fiction hitting shelves some of the little guys can get overlooked and with the hardships on the economy, I believe editors will become more hesitant taking on new authors in the future.
WN: What piece of advice has helped you the most as a writer?
PARRA: Its always been to READ and to STUDY what you read. When you read your favorite authors, you learn what you enjoy about a book: the characters, the story, the voice? And it helps you to develop your own writing style.
WN: What's your favorite word and why?
PARRA: "and". haha! I'm not all that sure it's my favorite but its the one word I find myself having to edit out as much as I can when I write. :)
WN: What's "Invisible Touch" about? Where did the idea for this story come from?
PARRA: Invisible Touch is about Kara, who after experiencing a tragic boating accident where she lost her father, awakes with a gift or more like a curse. She begins to see "signs" or symbols on individuals and learns to piece the signs together like a puzzle in order to help save them from unfortunate fates. Because no one believed what she was seeing, she keeps her gift secret and blogs about it anonymously on a Secret Fates blog. The stakes are risen higher than ever before when she sees a gun on a classmate and the clues lead her to a boy on the wrong side of town. There's romance, suspense, and mystery.
WN: Was it harder or easier to write your second book? Why?
PARRA: This book was harder for different reasons. Invisible Touch is a mystery while my first book, Graffiti Girl was not. I had to keep the reader guessing and according to some feedback, I accomplished that. :) Also there is a level of grief in this novel that was emotionally draining to write.
WN: What are you currently working on?
PARRA: I'm working on a book that is even more challenging than the first two. It seems I challenge myself more and more. My current work-in-progress is a young adult novel based in the future. That means I have to create my own world which has been a lot of hard work, but exciting at the same time. I hope to share more once I find an interested publisher.
WN: YA fiction has had a huge boom in the last few years. What do you see as the causes for that and the challenges for the future of YA fiction?
PARRA: Many writers and readers can thank J.K. Rowling for opening the door for the latest great boom of YA fiction, then with the success of the Twilight series and more adapted films have helped to bring these exciting stories to more readers. I think with the rush of YA fiction hitting shelves some of the little guys can get overlooked and with the hardships on the economy, I believe editors will become more hesitant taking on new authors in the future.
WN: What piece of advice has helped you the most as a writer?
PARRA: Its always been to READ and to STUDY what you read. When you read your favorite authors, you learn what you enjoy about a book: the characters, the story, the voice? And it helps you to develop your own writing style.
WN: What's your favorite word and why?
PARRA: "and". haha! I'm not all that sure it's my favorite but its the one word I find myself having to edit out as much as I can when I write. :)
09 February 2009
Book Banter -- Love in the Time of Fridges
Title: Love in the Time of Fridges
Author: Tim Scott
Length: 347 pages
Genre: Sci-fi
Plot Basics: Huckleberry Lindbergh returns to the city of New Seattle to try to pick up the threads of his life. He used to be a New Seattle policeman, but he left that life to try to escape personal pain. Now, as returns, he finds the city run by the Department of Health and Safety, with their inane warnings "Don't die for no reason, there's really no point." Within hours of arriving, he's helping a girl move some contraband, sentient fridges (and a tumble dryer), getting head hacked and wondering why he returned at all.
Banter Points: Word Nerd found this book just browsing the new sci-fi books section at the library. Admittedly, it was the title that made her pick it up and she found a great story within. The "plot basics" section makes the story sound strange -- which it is -- but it also has some really tender moments. Moreover, this is sci-fi in the vein of "Brave New World" not space opera, and it was really plausible to see how our hyper-safety conscious world could turn into the manic safety drive New Seattle. This is a title is an early front-runner for Word Nerd "Best Books of 2009" list.
Bummer Points: So far, Tim Scott only has one other book out. Word Nerd was hoping for a really long back list because this is one of the freshest, quirkiest sci-fi books she's read in a long time.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Fans of Jasper Fforde or Douglas Adams should gravitate to Scott, who add a depth to his silliness.
05 February 2009
Last four chapters. Again.
Word Nerd is rereading her own book and marking it all over with purple pen after her beta readers provided their feedback.
First, it is important to note that the pages aren't bleeding as much as the last time through.
Second, it is important to note that in fixing things a second time, Word Nerd thinks these edits will be much harder. She took care of the easy things the first time. This time will require real sleeve-rolling-up, nose-to-the-grindstone attitude to get done.
Third, there is a chapter, or possibly two, that might get completely excised and rewritten to include more Danger! and Conflict! because they are seriously lacking in these areas and Word Nerd was close to bored by her own novel when reading them. This can never be a good sign.
But first, she must read the last four chapters. A note to all future readers -- when you get to the last four chapters of Word Nerd's book, make sure you have time to read them all at once. Her book is sort of like a roller coaster where somehow the engineers have figured out how to save the Really Big Hill for the very end. Everything comes hurtling down to the conclusion all at once.
Word Nerd, as a reader, sort of wishes she could skip at least three of them and just jump to the end. She could skip all the big emotions, all the stuff that happens to the characters in the last three chapters.
As a writer, Word Nerd takes her own reaction to this as a wonderful sign. This means, she thinks, the set-up works. The emotions are true. The plot holds together.
She hopes. Because she still has to reread these last four chapters. Again.
First, it is important to note that the pages aren't bleeding as much as the last time through.
Second, it is important to note that in fixing things a second time, Word Nerd thinks these edits will be much harder. She took care of the easy things the first time. This time will require real sleeve-rolling-up, nose-to-the-grindstone attitude to get done.
Third, there is a chapter, or possibly two, that might get completely excised and rewritten to include more Danger! and Conflict! because they are seriously lacking in these areas and Word Nerd was close to bored by her own novel when reading them. This can never be a good sign.
But first, she must read the last four chapters. A note to all future readers -- when you get to the last four chapters of Word Nerd's book, make sure you have time to read them all at once. Her book is sort of like a roller coaster where somehow the engineers have figured out how to save the Really Big Hill for the very end. Everything comes hurtling down to the conclusion all at once.
Word Nerd, as a reader, sort of wishes she could skip at least three of them and just jump to the end. She could skip all the big emotions, all the stuff that happens to the characters in the last three chapters.
As a writer, Word Nerd takes her own reaction to this as a wonderful sign. This means, she thinks, the set-up works. The emotions are true. The plot holds together.
She hopes. Because she still has to reread these last four chapters. Again.
04 February 2009
January 2009 Bibliometer
The readings for the last month were:
9 books
2,177 pages
70 pages/day
The YTD totals are obviously the same.
9 books
2,177 pages
70 pages/day
The YTD totals are obviously the same.
02 February 2009
Book Banter -- Lord of Misrule
Title: Lord of Misrule (Morganville Vampires, bk, 5)
Author: Rachel Caine
Length: 247 pages
Genre: YA paranormal
Plot Basics: Claire Danvers and friends are up to their elbows in an all-out vampire war between Amelie, the Founder of Morganville and her father, Bishop, a particularly nasty vampire. Humans and vamps are taking sides and getting into position for this showdown. One the first night of fighting, Amelie disappears, leaving Claire and Co. to figure out how to deal with Bishop and avoid his traps on their own.
Banter Points: Caine's world of vampires is a good one... it's nice that the vamps are still the bad guys and the so-called good vamps could turn at any time.
Bummer Points: This book was sort of a set-up book for the next one. It wasn't until the last 50 pages that Word Nerd was eager to find out what happened. It was still a good book, but it didn't hit the caliber of the other Morganville books.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Fans of Twilight really should check this out and see how cool other vampires stories are.
29 January 2009
Book Banter -- Brighton Rock
Title: Brighton Rock
Author: Graham Greene
Length: 247 pages
Genre: literary fiction
Plot Basics: Newspaper contest man, Hale, is murdered in the seaside resort town of Brighton. The crime does not go unnoticed and Ida Arnold, who only met Hale briefly, takes it upon herself to find justice. Her quest runs into Pinkie, the juvenile leader of a local gang/mob, who is determined to get away with him crime. Pinkie's single-mindedness runs afoul of his mob and one crime leads to another...
Banter Points: Word Nerd LOVED this book in college when she had to read it in "Valuing through Literature" class. In fact, this book turned her on to all of Graham Greene and she's read most of his famous works since then. This is the first one, though, that she's gone back and reread. She didn't like it as much the second time through -- maybe because she knew one of the big twists. It was still good, and a remarkable piece of writing.
Bummer Points: This book felt less accessible than the first time Word Nerd read it. Of course, the first time was right after being forced to read Tess of the D'Urbervilles and ANYTHING can be more accessible than that, in Word Nerd's opinion.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you want to tackle Greene, this isn't a bad place to start, but not necessarily his best.
Author: Graham Greene
Length: 247 pages
Genre: literary fiction
Plot Basics: Newspaper contest man, Hale, is murdered in the seaside resort town of Brighton. The crime does not go unnoticed and Ida Arnold, who only met Hale briefly, takes it upon herself to find justice. Her quest runs into Pinkie, the juvenile leader of a local gang/mob, who is determined to get away with him crime. Pinkie's single-mindedness runs afoul of his mob and one crime leads to another...
Banter Points: Word Nerd LOVED this book in college when she had to read it in "Valuing through Literature" class. In fact, this book turned her on to all of Graham Greene and she's read most of his famous works since then. This is the first one, though, that she's gone back and reread. She didn't like it as much the second time through -- maybe because she knew one of the big twists. It was still good, and a remarkable piece of writing.
Bummer Points: This book felt less accessible than the first time Word Nerd read it. Of course, the first time was right after being forced to read Tess of the D'Urbervilles and ANYTHING can be more accessible than that, in Word Nerd's opinion.
Word Nerd Recommendation: If you want to tackle Greene, this isn't a bad place to start, but not necessarily his best.
26 January 2009
Book Banter -- The Graveyard Book
Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Length: 307 pages
Genre: Juvenile fantasy
Plot Basics: A murderer goes after an entire family, but the youngest member -- just a toddler -- manages to slip away... and toddle into a nearby graveyard. There, the toddler becomes Nobody "Bod" Owens and is raised as a living boy among the dead. Bod is taught the secrets of the graveyard, how to Fade and frighten people, but he craves human companionship. As he grows up, it becomes clear that those who originally wanted to do Bod harm want to see the job finished.
Banter Points: This is another one of those books that shouldn't be labeled as a kid's book, because grown-ups really should read it too. Gaiman's spooky riff on Kipling's "The Jungle Book" is great storytelling, with a full cast of delightful characters. Bod's struggle to figure out what it means to be human among a graveyard full of dead people from different times is poignant and surprising.
Bummer Points: A few plots threads aren't ever full explained, but Word Nerd's holding out hope that this means she'll get to visit with Bod Owens again.
Bonus News: This just in. The Graveyard Book was named as the Newberry Award winner for this year. Neil Gaiman's got the whole story about how he learned of it up on his blog here.
Word Nerd Recommendation: A sure bet for readers of all ages.
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