Story Secrets: THE TIMEKEEPER'S MOON by Joni Sensel + Giveaway!

It's pretty exciting to not only welcome the co-regional advisor for SCBWI Western Washington, but also an accomplished fantasy novelist and one of the members of the original Class of 2k7, Joni Sensel!

She's here to chat about her latest, THE TIMEKEEPER'S MOON, companion to FARWALKER'S QUEST. "Joni Sensel writes like a dream," says award-winning author Karen Cushman.

Welcome, Joni!

*****

In THE TIMEKEEPER’S MOON, sequel to THE FARWALKER’S QUEST, Ariel Farwalker follows a strange map and an even more mysterious voice to discover the answer to an unsolved mystery — who sent the telling dart that started her on the Farwalker’s path.


What was it like to write a sequel, and how did you develop the idea of the dart?

As I drafted the last few chapters of QUEST, I realized what the source of the dart must be, and I wanted to write about Ariel’s search for it. Also, in my first tender ideas for the book, I’d envisioned a character who was an older teen girl and a Flame-Mage. But she never showed up in the story! So when I continued Ariel’s adventure in MOON, I focused on the source of the dart and made sure Ariel found Sienna Flame-Mage on the way. I also used my love of things astronomical and stories within stories (expressed in Ariel’s necklace).

Do you have a Story Secret for us?
When it comes to secrets, two things stand out to me about these two books. The first is that secrets are a running issue for Ariel — her story starts off with one, but she’s unable to keep it...

Read the rest and enter the TIMEKEEPER'S MOON giveaway!

Librarians Rock Lady Gaga!

Check this out: Masters in Library Science students at the University of Washington (my alma mater!) rock it, including readergirlz Salon reviewer and celebrity librarian, Nancy Pearl!




;-)

rgz Street Team: Jacqueline Reviews Paper Towns by John Green

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Jacqueline reviews Paper Towns, the featured title this month by John Green!

"Reading Paper Towns was like reading a mystery, love story, and a teenage drama all intertwined and I LOVED IT!

"Quentin Jacobsen is the average teenager boy, he likes hanging out with friends, talking about girls, and partying. Margo Roth Spiegelman is not the average teenage girl. She is the most popular girl at her school, she has the hottest boyfriend, and she is a mystery that no one can really figure out.

"When Margo shows up at Quentin’s window late one night he can think of no one he would rather be with. He has no idea what he has just gotten himself into. Leaving little 'surprises' at the house of a bully, in the car of a former best friend, for her ex-boyfriend (he cheated on her with her best friend) and visiting Sea World and the biggest sky-scraper in Florida all in one night with Margo seems like all of Quentin's life wishes fulfilled. The only problem is that the next morning and the days following after that Margo is nowhere to be found.

"Quentin, desperate for answers about her shocking disappearance, looks for any clues to why Margo left. When he starts to get a lead on where she is he decides that Margo meant for him to find the clues because she wanted him to find her. On his frantic journey to find the girl he may or may not love not only does Quentin find out things about Margo he never knew, he finds himself as well." --Jacqueline Glade

Rgz Shoutout: Tera Lynn Childs!

Hey, Readergirlz!

Today's a big day for Tera Lynn Childs, author of the Oh.My.Gods. series!




Her new book, Forgive My Fins, is out!



Here's Tera with a special hello just for you girlz!



Here's the skinny on Forgive My Fins:
Half-mermaid princess Lily Sanderson has been living on land for the past three years, crushing on Seaview swim-god Brody Bennett, dealing with annoying biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher, and just generally trying to figure out this whole human thing. But everything changes when she accidentally bestows her magical first kiss on the wrong boy.

Oooo. . .can't wait to pick it up!

June: PAPER TOWNS, Life-Changing Discoveries

John says, "When Margo and Quentin are nine they make a horrible discovery, and respond in very different ways. How do you think this shaped their lives in the years to come? How would you have responded?"

If you haven't read the book: Have you ever made a discovery that changed your life somehow? How did it affect you?

Welcome, John Green!

We are thrilled to welcome John Green to readergirlz. His fantastic novel Paper Towns is our June pick! Check out our interview with John, book party ideas themed around his book, and our Reach Out project idea--as well as the awesome soundtrack John has chosen for the book--on readergirlz.com.

Here's a little about Paper Towns:

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life -- dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge -- he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Quentin arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Quentin soon learns that there are clues -- and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Quentin sees of the girl he thought he knew.

And the buzz...

2009 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel

New York Times Bestseller

"Green's prose is astounding -- from hilarious, hyperintellectual trash talk and shtick, to complex philosophizing, to devastating observation and truths. He nails it -- exactly how a thing feels, looks, affects -- page after page." - School Library Journal, starred review

"Deliciously intelligent dialogue and plenty of mind-twisting insights." - VOYA

"[Green is] clever and wonderfully witty... he's a superb stylist, with a voice perfectly matched to his amusing, illuminating material." - Booklist, starred review

We are so excited to have the awesome John Green with us this month! Join us all month right here on the blog for discussions and mark your calendars a LIVE chat on Wednesday, June 16th at 6pm PST/9pm EST.

Happy June, readergirlz!

Holly's NYC Teen Author Carnival/BEA/2K10 Pictoral!

What a trip! I (Holly) came home totally brimming with the wonder of meeting so many book lovers and bloggers and other authors - and a few pics!

First, there was the Teen Author Carnival, organized the amazing trio of Mitali Dave, Devyn Burton, and Korianne Wey. It was incredibly well done. There were tons of authors I've been hoping to meet, and they were there! Jeri Smith-Ready, Amy Brecount White, Lauren Oliver (Story Secrets), Sarah Darer Littman, Linda Gerber, Michelle Zink, Jon Skovron, and more...plus many, many bloggers I've been dying to meet: Kristi of The Story Siren, Shelli Johannes-Wells of Market My Words, James of BookChic, Steph of Steph Su Reads, S.F. Robertson of Wastepaper Prose, Chelsea of The Page Flipper, Erica of The Book Cellar, Pam of Bookalicio.us, Laura of I'm Booking It, so many more...and...

Sharon Loves Cats! I will always be devoted to Sharon (and owe her litters and litters of adorable kitties) for being the first to read, review, and declare her love for TELL ME A SECRET:




I was on the Love & Heartbreak panel. To my right: Simone Elkeles, Kieran Scott, Susane Colasanti, and Alexandra Diaz's gorgeous hair:

To my left, Sarah Ockler, Kody Keplinger, Elizabeth Scott (Story Secrets) and Gayle Forman (hiding!), and Heidi Kling:

And amazing audience #3!

The asked such fantastic questions, and we laughed a lot about the various forms of relationships in YA. Thanks to all of you for coming!

Then we headed downstairs for signings, and I gave away a ton of my TELL ME A SECRET 2-chapter previews. (I still have a bunch to give away at my blog before the 6/22 release!)

But the coolest thing was that when I visited my editor earlier that day, she gave me the very first copy of the very first book (from which I did my very first reading in the TAC panel!). I was quite excited to be holding a real, live copy of my own book, which awesome blogger Reverie Book Reviews captured:

I finally got to meet fellow readergirlz diva/amazing author Elizabeth Scott in person:

Caught up with fellow readergirlz diva/YA queen Melissa Walker:

And met the incomparable Barry Lyga - as smart and funny and nice as you would expect him to be (plus he just blurbed my friend Conrad Wesselhoeft's incredible book, ADIOS, NIRVANA for 10/10):

And the very cool and nice YA author Stephanie Kuenert (kee-nert, I now know!), whose writing I love:

Bravo to Mitali, Devyn, and Korianne for putting together such an incredible event - topped off by getting to go out with a bunch of the authors from the other panels, including Courtney Scheinmel, who I know think is probably a soulmate. I was too shy to say hi to Ned Vizzini (I loved Kind of a Funny Story...hi, Ned!).

The next day (after a very exciting, top-secret meeting with...ack, I'm dying to tell you! Soon...), I headed over to BEA. I forgot to take pics there, but I did do a drive-by of the garment district. Oooh, fabric!

Then there was the wonder-ous event at Books of Wonder (my new favorite NYC haunt) with the Class of 2K10! Check them out!

Here was the blow-your-socks-off 2K10 Roster:

SWATI AVASHTI - Split
ALEXANDRA DIAZ - Of All the Stupid Things
JERI SMITH-READY - Shade
JENNIFER R. HUBBARD - The Secret Year
KITTY KESWICK - Freaksville
JUDITH GRAVES - Under My Skin
JANET FOX - Faithful
BONNIE J DOERR - Island Sting
JAME RICHARDS - Three Rivers Rising
SHARI MAURER - Change of Heart
LEAH CYPESS - Mistwood
IRENE LATHAM - Leaving Gee's Bend
RHONDA HAYTER - The Witchie Worries of Abbie Adams
SHANNON DELANY - 13 to Life
ERICA PERL - Vintage Veronica
DENISE JADEN - Losing Faith

I was really excited to see my old friend Swati Avasthi (see her SPLIT Story Secrets here):

And fellow Circle of Secrets gal Jennifer Hubbard and her sizzling debut (Story Secrets here):

And(!) my dear and FAITHFUL friend Janet Fox (Story Secrets here):

And I snapped an adorable shot of Mitali from the Teen Author Carnival, who has to be one of the most brilliant and book-loving gals around. I told her when it was time for letters of recommendation, there will probably be 30 authors lined up to give her one!

It was especially cool to meet Shari Maurer, Denise Jaden, and Irene Latham, who I ended up hanging out with quite a bit. And all of the women in this post should join GLOP (Gorgeous Ladies of Publishing) stat!

On Wednesday, I headed to HarperMedia Studio, where I was interviewed for a video by my editor! They matted me up and chatted sci-fi and books and were quite patient with my lack of media savvy. The final product will soon be available at my HarperTeen site.

I loved meeting all of you and celebrating successes and YA admiration. That was the best part!

~Holly Cupala

May: Round Up of Discussions

Just in case you missed any of the great discussions with Lisa, check out these links and drop your comment!


So, what would your nickname be?

Would you dye your hair?
What's your creative outlet?

Will Mean Girls be sorry?

Where is your quiet place?

Helping someone in a bad situation

What's your favorite food?

Underestimating Yourself
Do you judge?
Been in a love triangle?

Thank You, Lisa Yee!

Here's a big MERCI to the very fun and inspiring Lisa Yee for joining us at readergirlz this month!

We loved hearing stories from Lisa and learning more about the back story of Absolutely Maybe.

Some highlights:

Absolutely Maybe was supposed to be a middle grade book, but Maybe took over Lisa's brain and wound up telling her story instead!

Peepy loves the book!

Lisa thinks that "social media is the author's water cooler." YES!

We've so enjoyed having you here this month. Thank you, Lisa!

Cover Stories: Sea by Heidi R. Kling

Heidi R. Kling's debut novel, Sea, comes out next month. It's the story of a girl named Sienna (Sea) who travels to Indonesia after the tsunami with her psychiatrist father's relief team. See more about the book in the trailer below.

For now, let's get to the story behind that cover. Here's Heidi:

"I'm one of the lucky ones and my editor did ask my input on the cover for SEA. I suggested an under water image or a young couple riding a motorcycle or motor, as they say in Indonesia. The under water image I came up with was that famous shot of a sea turtle taken from below... I thought that would look cool because so much of the theme in SEA is about being underwater both literally and metaphorically.

"My editor, Stacey, took my suggestions to heart and let the design team know. They liked the underwater concept but wanted something more romantic than the turtle..."

Read Heidi's full Cover Story at melissacwalker.com.

PS-Here's a book trailer Kepler's Books so made for SEA:

Cover Stories: What Happens Here by Tara Altebrando

Tara Altebrando's What Happens Here received rave reviews from many sources, including ellegirl.com and author Sara Zarr, who calls it, "A compulsively readable tale of complicated friendships, life-changing loss, and the search for authentic experience in a world full of artifice."

Bonus: the book has a cool Cover Story. So here's Tara!
"One of the four pictures on the cover of What Happens Here wasn't actually there on the original version. Can you guess which one?

"Well, I'll tell you.

"But first, a little back-story: After a few title changes, we all finally decided on What Happens Here and my publisher felt strongly that she wanted the art to get the Vegas setting implied by the title across more directly. I did my usual obsessive searching on Getty Images and found a few cool imagines of two teen girls in Vegas-y settings (since two lifelong friends are at the center of the story) and sent those in to my editor for inspiration.

"Then the first version of the cover arrived in my inbox featuring none of those photos (of course!) and I took one look at it and thought, 'Okay. Me likey. Sort of.'

"Usually the first time I see cover art, I cry, so this was progress.

"I thought the tone was right. Dramatic. Dark. I liked the big white space at top that would eventually allow Sara Zarr to blurb the heck out of the book. I liked the fact that the surveillance camera aspect of the plot had been used to interesting effect.

"But there was one image among the four that didn't sit right with me at all. See that blonde girl in the top right photo? The bottom left photo was another angle on her and she had what I could only think to call a 'come hither' look in her eyes. She looked about 25 to me. And way too sexy. Like working girl sexy. So I said so and asked that the image be changed.

"'To what?' my editor asked. We talked for a while about putting in the Eiffel Tower since the book also has a lot of scenes set in Europe and also in the casinos in Vegas inspired by Paris, Venice, etc. But everyone thought that would be too confusing. Finally, I suggested a roulette wheel since the narrator is more than a little obsessed with odds and the gambles we all take in life. And they went for it. And once the come hither shot went away I felt like the model no longer looked too old and sexy but just old and sexy enough. Because the book also rubs up against some issues surrounding teen girls dressing sexy/looking older/drinking while underage.

"Ultimately I think the bottom right image--the dark alley--is the one that makes the cover the most effective. I hope people look at that alley and want to know what happens there."

Thanks, Tara!

Did you guess the right photo? I was thinking it was probably the alley that was added. Wrong! Anyway, I'm into the film-strip look of this cover, and the colors definitely convey the darkness of loss. I like the way the pink title pops, too. What do you guys think?

Little Willow's Book Bag

This Week's Picks
The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz
Put on Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom by Queen Latifah and Samantha Marshall
Gothic Charm School: An Essential Guide for Goths and Those Who Love Them by Jillian Venters, illustrated by Pete Venters

This Month's Spotlighted Title
Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee

Rgz Salon: Sisters Red by Jackson Pierce, Reviewed by Rene' Kirkpatrick

René Kirkpatrick has been a bookseller and book buyer, specializing in children's and teen literature, for many years. She has a degree in elementary education and reads widely across all genres. She is currently a buyer at Third Place Books.

We're honored to have her here as part of the rgz SALON, a feature where four of the top kidlit experts clue us in to the best YA novels they've read recently. Here's René!

"Sisters Red, by Jackson Pearce, is a great riff on the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale featuring two sisters whose grandmother is eaten by a wolf (a werewolf, known as a fenris) before the woodsman can get to the cottage to save them. In the battle to save her sister, Rosie, Scarlett kills the wolf but loses an eye. Seven years later, the woodsman’s son returns to the sisters. There has been an uptick in wolf-sightings in the city, and many missing girls. The three of them set out to do some serious wolf-hunting but soon find that there is much more to the increasing numbers of wolves than luscious dragonfly girls (pretty girls in pretty clothes, more style than substance); they are looking for a 'potential', a new man to turn to werewolf-hood. Can the trio find a way to keep this from happening? Can they protect the girls in the city? Can they save themselves from their own history? Will true love drive the three friends apart? I absolutely devoured this book (ha ha) in hours. It’s a good addition to the fairytale variants for teens that are out there. Ages 13 and up. (Little Brown. Hardcover, $16.99. Due June 1, 2010.)"

PS-Read the story behind the cover for Sisters Red at BN.com!

May: Have You Ever Been in a Love Triangle?

Lisa says, "Ted, Hollywood and Maybe are in a love triangle. Do you know anyone who's been in this situation? Have you?"

May: Do you Judge People Too Quickly?

Lisa says, "Maybe hates Willow the first time they meet, but later discovers she's not a total loser. Do you ever judge people too quickly?"

Story Secrets: DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS by C.J. Omololu + Giveaway!

It's very exciting (and I do feel a bit secretive) to be talking with DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS author C.J. Omololu (known in the blogosphere as Cynjay, or Cythia). DLS was a Borders Original Voices selection and has been garnering lots of buzz. PLUS she's giving away one copy!

When Cyn and I realized, along with Jenn Hubbard, that we all had secrets to share in our 2010 debuts, we formed the Circle of Secrets...

So I'm very excited to get to chat with Cyn about her own novel secrets - welcome, Cyn!

*****

In DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, a girl finds her mother dead in their hoarded home. As she’s spent her entire life trying to keep the hoarding a secret, she has to decide how far she’ll go to keep the secrets safe. The book takes place over less than 24 hours, and leads her to the only logical conclusion in the end. Despite how dark it sounds, I like to think of it as a hopeful story, of one girl who finally stands up and takes charge. And there’s a little romance, just because.


Holly: Hoarding is such a fascinating topic - what sparked the idea for DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS?

I was on an airplane, which is the only place I usually get to read “girl” magazines. I read an article about hoarding in Marie Claire and thought that it would make an interesting story. I’ve known some hoarders in my life, although I didn’t grow up like Lucy did, so it was fairly easy to picture the setting. I ended up doing some research with the woman that was featured in the story purely by accident. It wasn’t until later that I realized that my original inspiration came from her...



Read the rest to find out C.J.'s secrets and for a chance to win DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS!

Guest Blog: Cecil Castellucci

In July 2009, we featured The Plain Janes written by Cecil Castellucci - art by Jim Rugg - as our main pick at readergirlz. (Please check out the Art Saves project we did, which was inspired by The Plain Janes.) This month, the postergirlz selected Cecil Castellucci's novel Beige to be one of the books recommended alongside May's main pick, Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee. I recently caught up with Cecil and asked her to share with us what's new with her. Without any further ado, here's Cecil!

Hello readergirlz!

It's nice to be back to say hello! I've been getting ready to launch my new YA novel, Rose Sees Red (Scholastic, August 2010), and my first picture book, Grandma's Gloves (Candlewick Press, August 2010).

I hope you have been having a lot of fun with the fantastic Lisa Yee! Her book Absolutely, Maybe is a perfect Los Angeles book. I loved Maybe and her journey, her hair, her friends, her spirit, and her tacos!

I was so excited to be a read-alike because Beige is also a book about Los Angeles. Lisa and I clearly both love our city and I think that in both of our books, the city is one of the characters as well. Clearly Hollywood has a certain magic to it. And both Maybe and Beige feel totally hopeless and this city gives them a tiny light to go on. That's the great thing about Los Angeles, or any place that makes and gets you dreaming. Hope.

I have had moments of hopelessness and despair and it is terrible. I have always felt that anything that can get you dreaming again is a lifeline. The thing about hope is that all you need is a little bit of it. Just to get you to the next moment, and the next, until suddenly, instead of floating on an ocean of despair, you are standing on an island. And the sun is out. And there is a coconut to eat. And you can breathe and recollect.

I think books are good entry ways to finding hope. So get reading! And remember, hope is always there to love you. It's right there, even when you think it's not. Swears-y.

~ Cecil Castellucci