Young Adult Books

Anybody who spends any time on Twitter might have noticed the buzz about Amazon's most recent announcement: a new division called Kindle Worlds, where works based on other works can be published. (You can read the press release here.) How Kindle Worlds will work: Unlike Amazon's self-published division, Kindle Worlds accepts submissions rather than blankly allowing everybody to upload their own work. The works have to stay in the original canon of the story and merely expand upon the already given universe. There are two two separate arms: one where the original publisher licenses the work, where they've reached out to authors to write for this; and another where the authors can submit work and Kindle Worlds chooses whether or not to publish them via their guidelines. This posts focuses on the second, self-publishing (or, rather, self-submitting) arm. It can be argued that this is less publishing fanfiction and more licensed works; it's approved by the publisher to expand the universe of stories that are already collaboratively written. Like Chuck Wendig said, it's a mash-up of tie-in licensing and self-publishing. Licensed works aren't anything new in the realm of entertainment -- all of the Star Wars and Star Trek books you see in the children's section of your local library are licensed sub-works. However, rather than reaching out to writers who do this sort of thing professionally, anybody can submit to Kindle Worlds. What can you write? Amazon currently only has a deal with the company Alloy (and Warner Bros. by extension, for those books that have been made into television shows), so you can only write work for those stories belonging to them. For instance, literary agent Pam van Hylckama Vlieg was one of those who fits into the first arm of Kindle Worlds; she was asked to write four licensed short stories in the Vampire Diaries universe, which will be available in June. As Jon Scalzi explains, "Alloy Entertainment is on board for allowing people to write what they want (within specific guidelines — more on that in a bit). Since that’s the case, there’s probably a technical argument here about whether this is precisely “fan fiction” or if it’s actually media tie-in writing done with intentionally low bars to participation." Alloy Entertainment is also a company that, by default, creates packaged books - all of their series are collaborative, so having multiple writers isn't an issue for them. Because of the submission rules, there are things you can't write about - including pornography. Don't expect publishers like Scholastic to jumping on board with this anytime soon, partly because of how contracts with their authors work - we won't have to pay for Harry Potter fanfiction anytime soon. The concerns: There are multiple concerns within the actual Terms and Conditions for how Kindle Worlds works, including: - the ability of Alloy or Warner Bros. to use your original creations (characters, plots) without paying the author - Amazon owning the story for the term of the copyright, which allows them to do things with it without paying the author The contracts and requirements for the authors who were reached out to are rumoured to be radically different from those who will be submitting, but the details on that aren't known. Vlieg was able to confirm that her contract wasn't the same as the ones for the self-submitting process, though she couldn't go into details on the actual differences, and confirmed that there were two separate arms to Kindle Worlds. As Katie said on Twitter, there's also the issue of people submitting fanfiction that other people have written as their own - how do you know that they didn't just lift it from somewhere else? While there isn't a huge concern for non-Alloy authors right now, this does lead to potential issues in the future for authors who don't want fanfiction of their work published. Contracts will now need new subrights clauses that focu

This week I've been giving you some mini-reviews from Indie/New Adult books that have been released over the past year or so. I'd read a ton of them so it's easier to review a few at once. Monday had the books that got a 5 star review from me and yesterday featured the 4 star books. Today is another batch of 4 star books. Hopefully you will find a few you'd like to add to your list. Fallen Crest High by Tijan Add to Goodreads As far as new adult authors go, Tijan is not one that pops up often. I happened to find this book while browsing one day and was so glad that I did. This is really one of those books where the characters stay with you. You may not love every aspect of the story, but you can't help but keep reading till it's finished. Mason and Logan (the bothers) were great in their own ways and Sam has the misfortune of living with them after her mom decided to marry their dad. This book is pretty complicated with all the plots, sub-plots, and characters but I definitely want to see what happens in the new book. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover Add to Goodreads This one is easy to spoil because there is a lot going on. Tons of tragedy! When Sky meets Dean she has no idea of their past. Sky has been through more than many people could imagine. It was sad to see how broken she was but I was glad that Dean could be there for her. At times the drama seemed a bit too much but it was still a well written story with a lot of great moments between the characters. Dean was my favorite. You can't help but love him and hope that these characters can somehow find happiness through all the heartbreak. Not sure when/if I'll read the next one but so many people loved this one. Play With Me by Piper Shelly Add to Goodreads You know how sometimes you just want a light, sweet book to read? This one is perfect for those times! This was one of the cutest romances ever. Liza is a cutie! Poor girl has been in love with her best friend Tony forever and he comes back from soccer camp in love with another *sigh*. So, she has a plan to become sporty herself in hopes he will notice her. What she doesn't plan for is the soccer captain, Ryan, to start paying attention to her. They have so many of those cute moments that have you saying "awww." The ONLY complaint I had about this story was that it was just too short! I wanted more! Of course, there is now a version in Ryan's POV but still... I wish this one would have been a bit longer. But, I totally recommend it. If You Stay by Courtney Cole Add to Goodreads Some books say they have bad boys but this one is really bad. Pax is a jerk, 100%! He has money to burn but is rude, disrespectful, and has a whole slew of drug issues. Not the easiest character to like but I liked that there was no doubting his personality. Everyone knew immediately what type of guy he was. Mila is a sweetheart who can't help but try to help Pax. Even though she is told to forget about ever changing him, she can't help but have hope that he will get better. It took a while for their sparks to really heat up but I liked seeing Pax change. Much is the story is from his POV and it was easy to see how Mila got under his skin. Courtney Cole is a great author and I look forward to reading more from her. Someone to Love by Addison Moore Add to Goodreads This is a light story and a nice college-age romance but there was something lacking. Maybe it was depth for the character? Not sure. But, in this book, Kendall wants to be a player and she goes to the king of all players, Cruise, for help. She says she's determined to learn how to play guys. The overall story was fun to read but I'm not sure I fully bought the whole "wanting to be a player" thing. I think that with more work this book could have hit it out of the park but for something light and fluffy, it's a pretty good read. I've seen other people with some mix

5 chocolate chocolate chip cookies.Cover Love:Meh. Don't love it, don't hate it.Why I Wanted to Read This:This one has been on my TBR forever. I noticed the movie was on NetFlix and wanted to watch it, but it is my general rule to only watch movies made from books after I read the book. So, I read the book-finally! Here's the synopsis from GoodReads:Troy Billings is seventeen, 296 pounds, friendless, utterly miserable, and about to step off a New York subway platform in front of an oncoming train. Until he meets Curt MacCrae, an emaciated, semi-homeless, high school dropout guitar genius, the stuff of which Lower East Side punk rock legends are made. Never mind that Troy's dad thinks Curt's a drug addict and Troy's brother thinks Troy's the biggest (literally) loser in Manhattan. Soon, Curt's recruited Troy as his new drummer--even though Troy can't play the drums. Together, Curt and Troy will change the world of punk, and Troy's own life, forever. Romance?: No, in fact there are no female characters in the whole book. My Thoughts:Most of these thoughts I wrote as I was reading the book. There is nothing spoilerish but I wanted to remember a few things as I was going along.I love how Troy's dad gets it. When we first meet him he seems like he will be such a hard ass, but he isn't. He is a really good guy--he knows that he isn't doing the best by Troy and recognizes that his son needs something like this to help him become more. He also really wants to help Curt, he's just not sure how much he should do.The most heartbreaking relationship to me is Troy & Dayle's. When Troy is talking about taking Dayle on the subway when they were little and how Dayle looked up to him as a big brother it brought tears to my eyes. When do those kind of relationships change so much?I love Curt so much it's not even funny! Everyone needs someone like Curt in their life. Maybe not a homeless, ADHD, local rock legend, but someone who will push you out of your comfort zone, who will challenge you to try something new, who doesn't easily take no for an answer, but will back down when you need them to.It is heartbreaking to see Troy try and navigate this friendship--his first "grown-up" friendship. It's like seeing a girl twist herself into knots over a boy because she constantly think that he will leave her.I just have to say again, I love Troy's dad. He's a retired Marine who lost his wife and has no clue how to raise two boys. BUT, he is trying and he is not bad at it and he wants the best for Troy, whatever that may be, even if it is punk rock and Curt. It hit me about 3/4 of the way through that this book has no female characters in it. Well, a few very, very minor ones, but really, it's an all male book. An all male YA book. That is next to unheard of in YA lit!Okay, now that I am done I have to say I loved it! This is a coming of age book. There were no magic fixes, no make overs for Troy or Curt, just people headed with hope in the right direction. Nailed it!To Sum Up: This is just a very engrossing read that I want to shove in the hands of both female and make young adults. Excellent stuff!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where bloggers feature upcoming book releases that they're looking forward to. This week I'm eagerly anticipating... Soulbroken(Legacy of Tril #2)by Heather Brewer Publisher: Dial Release Date: August 20, 2013 Synopsis (from Goodreads): [SPOILERS from first book!!] Sometimes you have to break the rules to discover the truth. In this follow up to Legacy of Tril: Soulbound, Kaya has learned that she is Soulbound to Darius, the Barron she secretly trained with at Shadow Academy. But he’s been sent away, leaving Kaya with questions about how he could be Soulbound to her and another Healer. Determined to find answers and prove herself worthy of fighting in the war against King Darrek and the Graplars, Kaya sneaks away, encountering a mysterious Barron named Gage in her travels. But Darius has shocking information about Gage—information that changes everything Kaya thought she knew about what it means to be Bound. I seriously enjoyed the first book in this series, Soulbound, and it feels like it's been FOREVER since it was released. I'm so looking forward to this second book!!

I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music. Attribution Billy Joel

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine spotlighting upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating. Release Date: October 8, 2013Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young ReadersAdd to GoodreadsSummary (from Goodreads): A week ago, Dinah’s cousin Claire cut her wrists.Five days ago, Dinah found Claire’s diary and discovered why.Three days ago, Dinah stopped crying and came up with a plan.Two days ago, she ditched her piercings and bleached the black dye from her hair.Yesterday, knee socks and uniform plaid became a predator’s camouflage.Today, she’ll find the boy who broke Claire.By tomorrow, he’ll wish he were dead.I always love a good revenge plot, and as soon as I heard about Josin L. McQuein's Premeditated, I was already dying to to read it! My sister and I immediately gushed together that we needed to read it and find out what happens because there is something just so satisfying about seeking vengeance and making others pay for their horrible actions. With just a few lines, I already want to comfort Claire and help Dinah serve her own form of justice against the boy who hurt her cousin so badly... Premeditated definitely sounds like a book you won't want to miss reading!

My Librarian friend Jess from I Read to Relax came up with a great idea. It's to highlight the books on hold at the library. I usually have 20-40 items checked out Five Summers: Sounds like the perfect summer book and I Love the cover!Dad is Fat: Love Jim Gaffigan! Excited that he has a book. He talks a lot about food!Tea Rex: Looks SUPER Cute!Bones Never Lie: Sounds intriguing.

Rating: 5/5 StarsGenre: Contemporary/HumorRelease Date: 2/5/2013Add to GoodreadsAudible Audiobook PreviewAbout the Book: Thirteen-year-old Nate is from a small town in Pennsylvania and he dreams of being on Broadway. When his best friend Libby tells him of an open audition of ET: The Musical, Nate and Libby devise a plan for Nate to run away to New York City and audition. Will this be Nate's chance to move out of his small town and become a star?GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I knew I was going to love this book from the moment I heard it booktalked at ALA. I love musicals, I love show tunes, I love Broadway. I spent every summer from fourth grade into college attending and working at a fine arts summer camp. I was a drama and choir kid all throughout my school years. I knew Nate and I would become kindred spirits. And I was not disappointed one bit.Nate is a kid that I would love to have in my library and we would talk Broadway and it would be awesome. I love Nate that much. He has the perfect blend of humor and heart that you just have to adore in a main character. He's from a small town, so he's a bit naive at times, but I believed it all-this is the first time Nate's ever been out of Jankburg PA (except for that trip to Disney) and this is first trip to a big city. His innocence about New York is part of his charm-he sees the good in everything which makes you want to cheer Nate on.In New York, Nate discovers what Broadway is like-from auditioning in a room full of adults to pushy stage moms and incredibly talented kids up for the same role as you. Tim Federle is obviously writing about a subject he knows-and knows well. He captures the craziness of a show, the excitement and nervousness of auditions and the painstaking wait as you wonder if you'll hear more.This isn't just Nate's journey to New York, but also to accepting who he is. Nate is teased back home for liking musicals. He's a bit of an outsider and doesn't feel like he fits in. He's teased for being gay, but as Nate says, he's thirteen and he doesn't know who he likes and why should it matter anyway? Nate's journey to New York opens him up not only to the world of Broadway, but to a larger world outside the small minded town he's used to. What I appreciated about Nate's story was that it was a story about Nate learning that he's awesome and it's OK to love musicals-gay or straight-and that he can be a boy who loves to sing and use Broadway flops and curse words.I was lucky enough to listen to this one on audiobook and there are some authors that are just meant to narrate their books and Tim Federle is one of them. He gives Nate a wonderful voice and blends his optimism, innocence and passion for musicals in a brilliant way. He also plays the jokes well and really adds to Nate's humor. I'm sure I would have laughed if I had read this book, but listening to it I was laughing out loud the entire time. It's well worth listening to! A funny and heartwarming read that has worked it's way into my heart. It's the perfect book to hand over to kids who feel as though they a bit of an outsider and are looking for a place to belong. I hope this debut isn't the last from Federle-he's a writer to look forward to.Book Pairings: Withering Tights by Louise Rennison, Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt,Full Disclosure: Reviewed from audiobook provided by the publisher for review

/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Excitement! Gathering prizes for the MotherReader 48 Hour Book Challenge. Here’s a teaser of what MIGHT be awarded—still figuring out HOW to award them.The wonderful Carol Rasco of Reading is Fundamental has once again graciously offered our winners RIF's Celebrations collections to be donated to a school or non-profit of the recipients choice.Other prizes may include:· Five great prizes from Kelly Celia at Walden Pond Press, · Four YA titles from Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media · Jennifer Angus' In Search of Goliath Hercules from Albert Whitman Publishing· A signed copy of Bot Wars from author Jennifer RushA variety of things from: · Random House · Big Honcho Media· Egmont USA · Quirk Books· Penguin Group Rhodes, Jewell Parker. Sugar.7 May 2013, Little Brown Books for Young Readers Sugar is not a slave, but she might as well be. Her father was sold before slavery ended, her mother has died, and the former slaves who have remained at Mr. Willis' sugar plantation in the 1870's work very hard. They are also alarmed when Chinese workers are being brought in. While their work is hard, they don't know anything else, and are reluctant to go North away from everything they know. Sugar is fascinated by the Chinese workers and wants to get to know them, but finds it hard to keep out of trouble. The kindly Mr. and Mrs. Beale watch over her, but she insists on playing with the son of the owner, runs off on her own, and generally has trouble staying within the narrow parameters society has assigned to her. When the owner's son becomes very ill, Sugar refuses to leave his side, and realizes that perhaps heading North would give her more of the freedom she desires.Strengths: This is an interesting account of Reconstruction, and I didn't know that Chinese immigrants had been brought to the South during this period of history. The plight of African Americans is well covered, and good for students to read about-- just because they were no longer slaves didn't mean that their lives were instantly good. Easy to read, with an engaging main character.Weaknesses: While it is more interesting to read about spunky women or African Americans at times when they were oppressed, I wonder how many spunky sorts actually survived and prospered. I also wonder how many friendships there were between freed slaves and the children of owners.

"Writing in the New Adult Genre" The funny thing about my writing career at the moment is I’m 22—I’m in the same bracket as that for the New Adult genre. I wrote my first manuscript back when I was a teenager and have been hammering away since then. But something magical happened in the latter half of 2012 that changed me. New Adult was born into a wide audience, and I fell in love with it. My stories were great and I loved them beforehand but this new genre gave me an idea, which turned into Drowning in You. I didn’t want my characters to be young, immature and fluffy as is expected in some YA novels. But they weren’t career-driven, or motherly or such like in some Adult novels. They were adults who still felt like teens. I love this genre for many reasons but the main one is that I can do so much to these characters. They’re old enough to cope better with death than a 15- or 16-year old is. They can be as open to sex as they please. They can drink freely. They are starting their adult lives and trying to find direction. This leaves tonnes of room for failure. Part of the best fiction is made up of confused, silly or unfortunate characters. They are still learning about life, love and death. About where they fit in this world. My favourite subjects in New Adult fiction are: relationships; love; college; death; grief; forgiveness; and self-discovery (who am I?). This is what made me excited to write Drowning in You. When the Young Adult wave started in the 2000s, we loved reading stories that brought us back to being 16. But when we finish school and move on in the world and really discover the beauty and harshness of being dependent, there’s something thrilling about reading books about characters in this stage of their lives. There’s just so much more depth to experience in the characters The media says New Adult is only about sex. Sorry, that’s erotica. I wrote Drowning in You about two people finding themselves in their own lives, but together as one, falling in love. *** Thanks for having me! About Drowning in You Secretly crushing Crushed by a tragedy Charlee May’s been crushing on Dexter Hollingworth since she was fifteen. Five years later, a horrific skiing disaster at Mason’s Ski Lift Resort leaves her millionaire dad critically injured and her mom dead at the hands of Dexter operating the lifts. Charlee is suddenly the sole caretaker for her little brother while their world falls apart. Dexter couldn’t be more different from Charlee. He’s tattooed, avoids exclusive relationships and his Dad has a fair share of illegal dealings. With Dexter’s reputation, almost everyone believes he planned the Mason’s skiing disaster. And after all these years he’s still crushing on Charlee May, the girl who’s too good for him. When this cruel twist of fate ties Charlee’s family and Dexter’s reputation together, Charlee and Dexter wonder if their feelings are reciprocated, while Dexter discovers his dad is trying to steal the May’s millionaire fortune. But like an addiction, one look, one touch, one taste—they’re hooked no matter the consequences. Disclaimer: Recommended for mature readers due to sexual content and crude language. Purchase Links: Amazon Paperback | Amazon Kindle | Smashwords | Kobo AUTHOR BIO Rebecca Berto is the author or the dark contemporary/literary novella, PRECISE and the upcoming new adult contemporary romance novel, DROWNING IN YOU. She is also a freelance editor. She writes stories that are a bit sexy, and straddle the line between Literary and Tear Your Heart Out. She gets a thrill when her readers are emotional reading her stories, and gets even more of a kick when they tell her so. She’s strangely imaginative,