SPARK ON AMAZON AND GOODREADS

There's something about seeing the entry for your book go live on Amazon and Goodreads...even when it doesn't yet have a cover or jacket copy posted. It just makes it real somehow.

Just last week, SPARK (my forthcoming YA) went live on both sites.

You can pre-order SPARK on Amazon here.
And add SPARK to your Goodreads TBR shelf here.

On Having an Adult Narrator in Kids' Fiction - Linda Fausnet Guest Post

If you're like me, you enjoy reading middle-grade books. Many of them are funny, entertaining, and yes, even educational. The vast majority of middle-grade fiction is written from the perspective of a middle-grader, the idea being that a reader of that age can best identify with a similar character in a book.

While it may be true that it's easiest to identify with a character who is most like you, part of the fun of reading is learning about other people and experiencing new adventures. For my middle-grade novel, THE JOYVILLE SWEAT SOX, I decided to mix it up a little and write from the perspective of an adult; an adult who is forced to deal with kids who know absolutely nothing about the sport she loves. I thought it might be for fun for young people to hear the inner thoughts of a grownup who is often annoyed by the young baseball players she's saddled with. In reading this book, we get to see how the main character, Konnie Mack, goes from being extremely frustrated with the kids to becoming very protective of them. By the end of the book, she considers the young players her kids, and anyone who messes with them had better look out!

Naturally, the traditional publishing world passed on THE JOYVILLE SWEAT SOX, mainly citing that the POV was from an adult perspective. That idea was different and, therefore, it was no good to them. Of course, this judgment was passed without reading a single word of the manuscript...

One of the best things about self-publishing is that we are allowed to take risks. We can publish a book with an exciting new idea or a unique perspective, then step back and see what happens. If it sells well, great! If not, a good author will do what she does best. Write another book. In the meantime, it's possible that the first book will eventually gain traction. That simply won't happen in the traditional world. If a book doesn’t sell well immediately, it will be yanked from the shelves and you'll just never know what might have been.

The trouble with never taking risks is that you can end up with a lot of lookalike, cookie-cutter –type of products. The movies are a prime example of this (that's why there is such a glut of superhero movies and bad sequels. It's safer. They are pretty much guaranteed to make money, even if they’re terrible).

I am a married, mother of two. If every book I read was from the perspective of a mother who is the same age as me, I think I would get bored pretty darn quickly. I love to read – and write – books from a totally different perspective from my own. I also write adult fiction, and my debut novel was written in the first-person perspective of a gay man. My second adult fiction book was mainly written in the perspective of a single woman in her 30s. I am currently writing a paranormal romance about Civil War soldiers, and I deliberately made the Confederate soldier the romantic hero, the "good guy" if you will, because I knew that would be a challenge.

Challenges are fun. Writing and reading about people who are different than we are can be challenging, but it can be also be a rewarding experience. I already know how a married woman with kids might see things because I am one. Kids already know how kids their own age see things, so why not give them a new perspective to consider? In THE JOYVILLE SWEAT SOX, they can hopefully laugh along with Konnie as she rolls her eyes, pops her gum, and mutters sarcastic comments under her breath while she struggles to keep from losing her temper. I also hope the kids reading the book will feel a little tug on their heartstrings as Konnie comes to love and protect the kids in the end.

Reading is a wonderful way to be transported to exciting new worlds and to explore different ways of thinking. It is my hope that there are lots of kids out there who will enjoy going on this special journey with Konnie and me. 

~

I thoroughly enjoyed THE JOYVILLE SWEAT SOX--sweet, funny, and incredibly cinematic. Be sure to grab yourself a copy. And keep up with Linda: @LindaFausnet, wannabepride.com.

THREE REASONS YOU MIGHT WANT TO PLACE YOUR BOOK IN A FICTIONAL SETTING

I’ve published books with both real settings (New York / Queens; Peculiar, Missouri; Fair Grove, Missouri; my hometown of Springfield, Missouri, Lake of the Woods, Minnesota) and fictional cities (“Willow Springs” Missouri). Even in my real settings, though, I take plenty of liberties—especially in my YA, FERAL, in which I completely fictionalized the town of Peculiar, Missouri. (I just had to use that name!)

 

While many authors gravitate toward setting their books in regions or cities that they’re familiar with, I’ve discovered some definite advantages to placing my work in fictional cities:

 

1.      You don’t get mired in research. As I said, many authors prefer to write about locations they’re already familiar with—but if it’s a new-to-you location, or if you’re writing about a different time period, you can get lost in learning the details—which streets intersected, which businesses were present, names of schools, etc. It can take some serious time away from actually getting your writing on the page.

 

2.      Your town becomes a character. If you aren’t relying on what already is, you have to craft your town or location just as you would a main character. This can help add a new, often metaphorical dimension to your novel as well.

 

3.      Your reader isn’t pulled out of the story. If you pick a real location, you’re bound to have readers who live in (or are well-versed with) the area where your book takes place. Bloggers and reviewers always mention the spots in which my own fictional world deviates from the real world when I pick actual cities for my novels. But if your location is fictional, your readers will be immersed in the story only, and won’t be comparing your own setting to the city they know.

 

How about you? What’s your preference as a reader or a writer? Fictional locations or real ones?

HIGH SCHOOL / TEEN LIBRARIAN BOOK TALK: FERAL

School is back in session in my hometown--well, schools are opening back up all over, actually--and I've been spending quite a bit of time talking to some fabulous school librarians.

For those who are looking to get their teen or high school students geared up for some new adventures in reading, I've filmed a short book-talking vid on my last YA, FERAL:

PLAY IT AGAIN - MY PROGRESS

My editor and I are hard at work getting PLAY IT AGAIN (the sequel to PLAYING HURT) in tiptop shape. That's one of the absolute best parts of indie work, I think--being able to work on a manuscript without a set time limit, making sure all the pieces are just as you want them before releasing your latest book to your readers.

 

In the interim, though, I wanted to share what kind of questions I'm addressing in this new book...

 

There’s no love quite like the first. Ever. But what if you could go back? What if there was a chance to pick up where that first love left off? What if you could revisit the most powerful summer romance of your life? The one that changed you for the better? Would you do it? Or would you prefer to leave well enough alone, thinking that you could never possibly tap back into what you once had? Would you be afraid that if it didn't live up to what you remembered, you'd be forever disappointed--you'd even think differently of that time in your life?

 

Or: What if your former love walked back into your life out of nowhere? After you had put that chapter of your life behind you? How would you feel about seeing that person again?

Don't miss out! Find out how these questions work their way into the plot of PLAY IT AGAIN. The official release date will be announced on my newsletter (tinyletter.com/hollyschindler). I'll also be hosting giveaways for subscribers.

THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY - ALABAMA CAMELLIA CHILDREN'S CHOICE

I got some fantastic news late last week--THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY is a 2015-2016 Alabama Camellia Children’s Choice Book Award Nominee in the grades 4-5 range!

Yay, Auggie...