YA Book Pick: UNRAVELING

On the second Monday of every month, we choose an outstanding YA book to review. We want to spotlight books of interest to aspiring writers, as well as highlight some of our favorite books and authors!

This month's Book Pick is UNRAVELING by Elizabeth Norris.

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.

First Line: "I can tell the exact moment Nick steps onto the beach."

Unlike some of the other books we've featured for YA Book Picks (like LEGEND or BITTERBLUE) this one doesn’t have a "grabby" first line. But to be honest, this book doesn't really need one. The inciting incident—the turning point that propels the whole story forward—happens on page seven. We get to know Janelle and something about her attitude and her family situation… and then boom, we're into the action, hurtling forward toward the inevitable climax.

Highlights: I really liked the characterizations in this book. Janelle, her friends, and her family all had good reasons why they acted the way they did. They weren't one-note characters, and they sometimes behaved irrationally because of strong emotions—like real people do. 

I'm a big fan of sci-fi (and am currently working on a sci-fi thriller of my own!), so the twist in the middle of the book was right up my alley.

And finally: I'm a huge X-Files nerd, so all the references to the show kept putting a grin on my face.

Notes for Writers: If you're writing action, suspense, or thriller, you've probably heard the "ticking clock" advice. Having a deadline or a kill date helps heighten tension and drive the reader forward.

Elizabeth Norris takes this advice literally in UNRAVELING. The book's tagline is "Stop the countdown. Save the world." Each chapter begins with a number that shows exactly how much time is left before… well, you'll have to read the book to find out. But trust me, the stakes are really high.

A Good Read For: Anyone interested in sci-fi and action-packed thrillers, or anyone who wants to see an example of breakneck pacing done exactly right.

On Realizing I Might Fail

About a month ago I had a really bad day.

After months of polishing my query letter and putting the finishing touches on my manuscript, I was finally ready to put myself out there. I sent off my first batch of query letters and entered my first contest since wrapping revisions.

Then the day came for the contest participants to be announced. I opened blogger, heart pounding and hands sweating, sure that I would be among the chosen few selected to participate in the multi-agent event.

I wasn't. My entry didn't even get an honorable mention.

I opened my email in an attempt to distract myself. My first two form rejections were sitting in my inbox, smiling thier evil smiles.

I told myself that it was just a stupid contest and only a few measly rejections. There would be plenty of opportunities, the business is subjective, I was earning my stripes, it only takes one yes, etc.  But something inside of me had shifted, because it was the first time I really considered the fact that I might fail.

Outside my window was a sea of grey - the fog had rolled in overnight, and San Francisco looked as bleak as I was starting to feel. It was July, but the temperature had dropped to the upper 50s. It was also Friday the 13th.

Pity Party, table for one.

Several weeks later I went for a walk with a friend and lamented about my struggles. I looked her in the eye and said the words that had repeated in my head since that gloomy Friday afternoon:  I might fail.

"Fail?" She said, eyebrows raising. "But you wrote a book.  You. Wrote. A. Book. How is that failing?"

I'd never really thought about it that way.

I wrote a book. I actually finished an entire manuscript. In the process of doing that, I learned a ton about the publishing industry, met some new and wonderful people, improved my craft, started a blog, read and edited other writers' manuscripts, received positive reviews from beta readers (even had several stay up late reading because they couldn't put my story down). So why was I so obsessed with the idea of failure, when I had accomplished so much?

It's simple: I developed such a finite view of what success looked like that I lost sight of everything else. I couldn't see the trees for the forest, so to speak.

There are artists with paintings that will never make it past the refrigerator door, dancers who will never make it off the recital stage, and bands that will never make it out of their garage.  But does that make them failures?

I would argue that the simple act of trying is a success in and of itself. How many people do you know that have actually attempted to make their dreams come true versus just talking and day dreaming about them?  My guess is not many, because there is safety in not knowing.

For those of you who are on this crazy path to publication, don't forget to celebrate your small successes along the way. And don't lose sight of the biggest success of all - you wrote a book. You were brave enough to put yourself out there.  You were brave enough to try. That alone deserves a little celebrating, no matter where your story ends up.

What have your recent successes been?

GUTGAA Tag: I'm it!

Participants in the Gearing Up To Get An Agent blogfest are having a game of tag! I was invited by the lovely Rachel of You Are What You Write to answer the questions below about my current manuscript.

What is the working title of your book? THE LONG-TIMERS

Where did the idea come from for the book? The seed of the idea came from a Popular Science article that talked about one man's quest to slow down the aging process.

What genre does your book fall under? It's one of those slightly tricky ones, but the closest I've come is YA sci-fi/thriller or thriller with sci-fi elements. At conferences, I've had agents/editors call it speculative fiction and light dystopian too.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I have the perfect person in mind for Remy, the book's narrator: French actor Gaspard Ulliel. I was so excited to find a picture of him—he looks exactly like I pictured Remy.

For Marisol, the main female character and one of Remy's best friends, I'd go with Columbian actress Catalina Sandino Moreno. Isn't she adorable? 

What is the one-sentence short synopsis of your book? When a privileged teenage boy learns the horrific truth behind a miracle drug that prolongs the life of the rich, he must try to bring down his parents' all-powerful company from the inside.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I'm interested in getting representation from an agency and doing the traditional publishing route.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About three months, which is average for me for first drafts. Then I probably spent another four months revising—also average.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I tried to include all my favorite elements in this book: action/adventure, humor, romance, sci-fi, suspense, some dark moments, and a (hopefully) satisfying ending.

I'm tagging three other GUTGAA bloggers who might want to answer the same questions on their blogs (apologies if you've already been tagged!):

Sarah (@SJSchmitt)

AG (@agwickedspirits)

John (@ABoredAuthor)

Villain of the Month: Teen Picks.

 I'm gearing up for a great year with my AP Literature students & when asked about who their favorite villain is and why, here is what they came up with in under two minutes:

Captain Hook: Because he’s very funny and has a pet crocodile.

• Syndrome from the Incredibles: He wasn’t born with super powers, he created them himself. He was a genius who just wanted to be a super hero, but he was turned away and turned evil.
• James Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes: Because he’s really brilliant and is Sherlock’s equal. Plus he doesn’t have any advantage, because their intelligence is on the same level. Making him the perfect enemy. –Brittany Rodriguez
• Manray from Spongebob: he  is easily the best villain. He has all the best gadgets and a cave underground pretty much like an evil Batman, and Batman is badass. Darth Vader is a close second. –Andrew Solomon
• Queen Beryl from Sailor Moon: She was tall, had purple skin, bony limbs, and frizzy witch’s hair. Everyone was afraid of her because she was heartless but she ended up falling for Sailor Moon’s Boy Tuxedo mask and she ended up dying by his and Sailor Moon's hand.
• Ice King from Adventure Time: Why I like him: He is obsessed with capturing princesses for a bride but is really dumb and weird. Evil: because he kidnaps princesses and is always trying to defeat Finn and Jake the heroes. – Kailey Castro
• Green Goblin:  He is just really scary and I know that I would lose a fight with him.
• The Penguin from Batman: That guy wore a suit and had a cane; that’s a classy villain. And Darth Vader too, self-explanatory. –Daniel Charette
• Ursula: She has Octopus arms and is very scary. She’s mean and not pleasant to hear about.
• Darth Vader: He is the peak of evil at a point in his life. He is unwavering and loses his true self to the evil within. However, I believe that there is always good within that can change a person back to good. –Ben Lee
• Gaston from Beauty and the Beast: You would first think the Beast is the villain, but the person who thinks he’s doing the most good is actually the worst. –Grace P.
• Frankenstein’s monster is who I think of when I think of a villain because he is the epitome of a being that wreaks havoc and spreads disdain. He’s not a cliché character and gives a tribute to literature. He also has a wretched appearance.
• Captain Hook: I love that he’s probably never going to give up on trying to capture Peter pan even though he’ll never beat Peter because he’s never going to grow up.
• Cruella De Ville: Because she is just such a mess and basically is ruining her life and other’s lives just to get the dalmations. –Shireen Karimi 
• Bane from The Dark Knight: Because he is very manly and very skilled at being the bad guy that even though you know he is going to lose to Batman, you enjoy his winning scenes and battles.
• Scar from Lion King: I like Scar because he’s very clever although he uses it in a bad way. He has a strong personality too and has great power over other animals.
• Bane: Because his voice is awesome and that thing on his face is frickin scary. He just has this horrifying presence about him that is really frightening. – Mariah M
• Cruella De Ville: 1. Her hair is rad. 2. I like how she wears fur coats and diamonds while smoking her long skinny cigarette. She’s different from other villains. –Coral Jones
• Lord Voldemort: Because he’s just mean and his face and characteristics and the symbol of the snake. It’s just plain evil. Not nice. –Caroline
• Voldemort: Evil man, part murderer, part wizard, part demonish looking. He is a little bit of everything and lots of people know about him. Harry Potter was such a big seller that tons of people know about him. Just a good combination of part imaginary, part human.
• Voldemort: Because he manipulates people for his own self-preservation and kills without regret.
• Voldemort! Even though I don’t like him he’s still my favorite villain because he is so evil. He is so creative and never gives up. I like villains in stories because there would be no story or conflict without them.
• Voldemort:  Not only does he have a really cool nose but he also has the best lines in the books “there is no good or evil, only power and those too weak to see it!” –Kelly
• And then a ton of votes for one villain who received so many that he'll receive his own column next month. Any guesses?????

PS: Props to University of Chicago for the best college application prompts on analyzing enemies and posing the age-old important question: Where is Waldo? Looking forward to reading those essays.

GUTGAA Meet & Greet

Two of our contributors, Stacy and Triona, are participating in Deana Barnhart's Gearing Up to Get An Agent Blogfest! (She's wisely calling it GUTGAA for short.)

Stacy and Triona, along with our other blog contributors Jenn and Lauren, met at the Big Sur Writing Workshop in the spring of 2012. We became friends and critique partners, and then co-bloggers. We try to spotlight resources and information of interest to writers. Fun stuff like chocolate and knitting slips in from time to time, too!

Tell us about yourselves!

Stacy: I'm originally from Texas, but now live in the lovely town of San Francisco.  I'm a reader and writer of all things YA, currently shopping a YA Magical Realism manuscript and working on a YA Supernatural/Magical Realism Suspense Thingy. I have a secret love of puns (some say lowest form of humor, I say they're hilarious) and I love dark comedy movies (think Drop Dead Gorgeous or Freeway.)  Welcome to our blog and thanks to Deana Barnhart for throwing this little shindig!

Triona: I recently moved from southern California back to the Midwest. I love speculative fiction in all its forms, and my perfect story is equal parts sci-fi/fantasy, action, adventure, romance, humor, and suspense. Easy, right? I'm a Twitter newbie (@trionabmurphy) but a total addict already.

Where do you write?

Stacy: Mostly on my couch. Sometimes on planes when traveling for work or fun. Not very glamorous am I?  

Triona: At home or coffeeshops—probably about a 50/50 split. I find it easier to concentrate and tune out all the other things that should be getting done when I get out of the house. I also recently discovered that my local library of awesome has a lounge/workspace area, complete with vending and coffee machines. What could be a better place to write than one surrounded by books?

Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

Stacy: A window! It actually has a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The fog is rolling in right this very minute. Man, I love this city!

Triona: At home, my preferred writing space is just to the left of a huge picture window. So the first thing I see is morning glories. It's okay to be jealous :-)

Favorite time to write?

Stacy: I'm a night owl, so typically in the evenings. That said, I dream in stories, so some of my best ideas happen right when I first wake up.

Triona: Definitely evening. When I have everything done for the day, I can give writing my full attention. Before I moved, my husband and I used to frequent a coffeeshop that was open until 11 pm. We closed the place out many nights. Now that I live in the Midwest, it's a little harder to find places to write that stay open late, but I haven't given up looking!

Drink of choice while writing?

Stacy: Water. Wow, that sounds boring. But can't blame a girl for wanting to stay hydrated, right? Let's pretend I said something more interesting, like a margarita on the rocks with no salt, which happens to be my post-writing drink of choice.  Nom, nom, nom.

Triona: Coffee, coffee, and more coffee. But I try to balance all that coffee with equal glasses of water so I don't get too dehydrated.

When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

Stacy: I'm a silence girl, but will sometimes put on my headphones and listen to classical music if it's noisy.

Triona: I love listening to music while writing! In coffeeshops especially, headphones and music are essential to tune out any conversations around me.

I have playlists I created in iTunes that are labeled things like "Sad Scenes" and "Action Scenes." Sometimes I pick an album that works for lots of different scenes. Some of my favorites are below: Radiohead's In Rainbows, Modest Mouse's Good News For People Who Love Bad News, and anything by Soul Coughing or Ben Folds Five.

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

Stacy:  I had a dream about it. I saw this girl standing on a staircase, and I when I woke up I wanted to tell her story. I knew little bits and pieces about how she came to be standing on the stairs, and oddly knew exactly what the last sentence of her story would be. I barely slept that first week because I was so enthralled with her story.    

Triona: My current manuscript was inspired by an article I read in Popular Science last year. The author was talking about his plan to increase the human lifespan. To be honest, the science itself sounded a bit questionable—but it was interesting anyway! I started to wonder what society would be like if there was a drug that extended life by hundreds of years. When I thought of a truly horrible way they could be sourcing the drug, I knew I had a great idea for a novel.

What's your most valuable writing tip?

Stacy:  Stay positive and find good beta readers! Seriously, the best thing I've done for myself is to reach out to other writers for opinions, input and advice. I don't know what I would have done without all the fantastic beta and critique partners I've had this past year. I've also had the good fortune to read a lot of great manuscripts in the process.  

Triona: Keep writing and moving forward, no matter what happens. There are always going to be reasons why your novel might not get agented or sell, and many of them are beyond your control. Knowing when to move on to the next project is vital.

I'm querying my third novel in two years, and the only thing that's kept me from going stark raving mad is my practice of starting the next book while I query the current one. Each book has gotten better, both in concept and execution (and that's not just me talking. I've had more agent interest on this book than the previous two combined!). If this manuscript doesn't get me an agent—well, I have the next one all outlined and ready to go, and it's going to be awesome.