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How social are you?

By on February 26, 2016   /   Articles  

So today I finally activated my Instagram account. I know! How very 2010 of me, right?!? (I’m just mildly behind the times… Give me another six years and I might actually post something on it!)

Now, I’m not anti-social media. Not at all. In fact, I probably spend a little too much time there. I love the connections, the real-time updates from friends, and communicating with fellow writers and readers. I’m pretty active on Facebook (great for keeping my mom up-to-date on my whereabouts, or so she tells me); and Twitter (which I understand is an excellent place to beg Mark Zuckerberg for money, haven’t tried yet though). And I’m actually rather excited about following the whole #bookstagram community (some of the photographs are truly works of art!).

But.

(And I know I’m hardly the first person to say this… ) But… all of it can be a bit daunting, right? So. Much. Information… In so. Many. Different. Places. And just when you think you’ve mastered one social media site, a new one pops up and takes its place (I know, I know, this is coming from the person who just discovered Instagram. Please, whatever you do, don’t try to Snapchat me, okay?!?) I mean, I haven’t even ventured into Google+ territory. Or Tumblr. And my YouTube presence is limited to watching music videos while I work out. There’s only so much time in the day, and that laundry isn’t going to do itself… (um, is it?)

So, I’m curious — how social are you? Do you do Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Snapstagramchat… or would you be just as happy if people started communicating with tin cans and strings again? Do you have a favorite social site? And why? Tell me in the comments below… And maybe we can @ each other!

Jan Gangsei is the author of ZERO DAY (Disney-Hyperion, 2016), as well as several MG series for Working Partners, LTD. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook and yes, now Instagram (where eventually she may even post a picture of what she ate last night!).

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Victorian Era Middle-Grade Books

By on February 24, 2016   /   Book Lists, Fiction, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers, Nonfiction  

Off and on for the past three years I’ve been working on an idea for a Young Adult Victorian Gothic thriller. I even have an entire first draft—which, like all rough first drafts, needs extensive revisions and some re-imagining. I recently pulled it out and brainstormed some new ideas to write a proposal for my agent.

Which means that my mind is filled with all sorts of Victorian era setting and dress and manners—and got me wondering about books for Middle-Grade readers set in the Victorian Era. Are there any? Do they exist, and if so, what are they like?

I began hunting (as well as digging into my gray memory cells) and found some serious, some lighthearted, and some very clever novels—as well as a Newbery Honor Title. The list, with book covers, are below herewith! And, of course, in MG Victorian Era books we have orphaned children, castles, governesses and headmasters, mansions, secrets, and even murder.

I’ve actually read several of these and highly recommend them. They are award-winning titles with rave reviews. I’m now looking forward to the few I had never heard of though they are fairly recently published.

Are there other titles I’m missing? Have you read these? Which are your favorites? Please share in the comments!

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry

Scandalous_Sisterhood_Cover

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Mary Rose Wood

The Mysterious Howling, Maryrose Wood

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: a melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz

A drowned maiden's hair

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

splendors-glooms

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

nightgardener_cover_cmyk

Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson

nooks-crannies-9781481419215_hr

The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove

glass-sentence

I included the following because I wanted a nonfiction title, even though some might not consider it strictly Victorian Era. But this infamous and intriguing family was born and rose to power in the Victorian Era, although their deaths occurred in 1918.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming the-family-romanov-candace-fleming-677x1030

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What Exactly is a Book Birthday and Mistakes I Have Made

By on February 21, 2016   /   Fiction, For Writers, Publishing & Promotion  

IMG_2967I have to admit that when I first heard the term book birthday, I was really confused. According to the Merriam Dictionary, birthday has two meanings. It’s the anniversary of a birth or it’s the day of a person’s birth. Normally, we celebrate birthdays for humans or beloved pets in the anniversary sort of way. Not too many people say, “happy birthday” to a newborn infant, of if they did they might say to the mother, “Congrats on giving birth,” and hope that it was a safe and easy one. Birthdays don’t really get going until a full year later. So a birthday, in essence, functions more like an anniversary of a birth. The day we are born, we’re considered zero and then after 12 months we celebrate the YAHOO-very-big-deal first birthday.

Books are completely different.

On the day a book is born is considered the book birthday. The exact, very day.

The first time I saw people posting on Facebook that it was their book birthday, I honestly thought they meant their book had turned one-years-old. And I thought cool. They’re remembering their book anniversary. And I was seriously impressed that they remembered such a thing.

My seventh book, Queen of Likes, a middle grade, is coming out soon, in about six weeks so I remember that date, April 5. But I couldn’t tell you my other book anniversaries (unless I cheated and looked to see when the book were actually published). All I know is that my new book is coming out and it makes my stomach go all knotty. It feels more like getting ready for a really big deal date, maybe to the prom (which I never went to but I figure that must make a girl or guy get all butterfly filled).

Birthdays, regular ones, on the other hand, don’t do that for me. On birthdays, I sort of expect people to do things for me. You know, like presents, and for my kids to load the dishwasher and make me cute cards.

My book birthday is completely different.

My book is demanding. She’s a real diva. She wants a party thrown just for her. And she expects a whole lot of attention and compliments. And guess who’s got to do all the party planning? Me.

The book never does anything for herself. She’s pretty self-centered when it comes right down to it.

I’ve never once heard her say thank you.

Or paid me a compliment.

But I’m not going to complain because she doesn’t talk back to me either.

In the past, I would do anything to please my book.

Once, I tried a really gimmicky birthday party. I invited the Ugliest Dog in the World (yes, there is a such a thing. There’s a World’s Ugliest Dog Contest and the winners do the talk show circuit). That book was called Things Are Gonna Get Ugly, so I thought I’d be really clever, and you know, invite this celebrity dog to appear. Well, the dog came and, hundreds of people came to the signing. And it was even covered by several area Bay Area television stations. But who had the biggest line at the bookstore? Me or the ugliest dog in the world and her handlers?

You guessed it.

The dog won.

A much bigger line.

She was giving out autographs. And swag.

People had to pay for the birthday girl.

It really was no contest.

But this year, I’m just going to have a regular party, and am not going try anything flashy or gimmicky. I think my book will understand.

Hillary Homzie is the author of the forthcoming Queen of Likes (Simon & Schuster MIX 2016), The Hot List (Simon & Schuster MIX 2011) and Things Are Gonna Be Ugly (Simon & Schuster, 2009). She can be found at hillaryhomzie.com and on her Facebook page.

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