November Linklove

All the best stuff I've read around the weboverse in the last month!

WRITING & MARKETING ADVICE

Jonathan Stroud (Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase) offers tips on how to scare the pants off your readers (via Nerdy Book Club)

Author Dee Garretson (Wildfire Run) on filling up your idea box (Project Mayhem)

Kelly Jensen at Book Riot discusses the Myth of Girl Characters in YA Fiction

Writer Angela Ackerman on the difference between conflict and tension (thanks to Cynsations for the link)

Story consultant Lisa Cron talks about 9 Ways to Undermine Your Characters' Best-laid Plans (Writer Unboxed)

Susan Dennard offers Simple Tricks to Unstick Your Story (Pub Crawl)

AGENTS & QUERIES

New agent Maria Vicente of P.S. Literary is looking to build her list (WritersDigest.com)

Literary Rambles shines their spotlight on agent Erica Rand Silverman of Sterling Lord Literistic

Foreword Literary interviews their newest agent, Emily S. Keyes

KIDLIT / PUBLISHING NEWS

Possible theme park based on The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (really? is that a good idea?) (GalleyCat)

PW's year-end lists: Best Children's Fiction 2013 (MG/YA), Best Picture Books 2013, and Best Nonfiction for Children 2013

A gala celebration at--where else?--the Plaza marked the birthday of Kay Thompson's Eloise

Jeff Kinney's latest sales are anything but Wimpy (PW)

Book Riot loves the new film adaptation of Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2)

PW says farewell to legendary kidlit author and editor Charlotte Zolotow

and another sad good-bye to Junie B. Jones creator Barbara Park

INTERVIEWS

The Enchanted Inkpot talks to Matthew J. Kirby (The Lost Kingdom)

Shannon Younger of Chicago Now interviews tween blogger Erik of This Kid Reviews Books

Leah Cypess of the Enchanted Inkpot chats with Erin Bow (Sorrow's Knot)

Pam Witte asks 16 kidlit authors what they're grateful for this year (Ink & Angst)

PW features National Book Award for Young People's Literature winner Cynthia Kadohata (The Thing About Luck)

Pub(lishing) Crawl sits down with YA author Alison Cherry (Red)

BOOK REVIEWS: FABULOUS NOVEMBER RELEASES!

Champion by Marie Lu (finale of the Legends trilogy) (YA sci-fi/dystopia)

The Seventh Pleiade by Andrew J. Peters (YA fantasy)

Extracted by Sherry D. Ficklin & Tyler H. Jolley (YA steampunk/time travel)

BOOK TRAILERS

Picture Day Perfection (picture book by Deborah Diesen, illus. by Dan Santat)

MISCELLANY

Scholastic offers a wonderful video glimpse into what's coming up in spring 2014 (thanks to Watch.Connect.Read for the link)

Brooks Spencer gives you the Top 10 authors for reluctant readers (Nerdy Book Club)

You guys! Get your very own Harry Potter postage stamps! (via Book Riot)

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October Linklove

If you've never seen one of my linklove posts, then more's the pity, because this is the time every month when I divert you from this lovely (if malnourished) blog to all the diverse and wonderful info I've read elsewhere. Search for the tag linklove to see all the goodies in previous months.

WRITING & MARKETING ADVICE
Dianne K. Salerni (The Eighth Day) on writing a middle-grade series (Project Mayhem)
... and Angie Smibert (The Meme Plague) weighs in on series as well (Cynsations)
Kevin B. Parsons details The Top Ten Writing Fallacies (Author Culture)
Dan Blank explains how to launch something (you know, like a book, maybe) (Writer Unboxed)
Author Marissa Burt (Storybound) explains what to expect in the letter from your editor

AGENTS & QUERIES
Gemma Cooper of the Bent Agency reveals what she's looking for
Kathleen Nishimoto of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment chats with Cynsations
Literary Rambles shines their agent spotlight on Josh Getzler of Hannigan, Salzy, Getzler

KIDLIT / PUBLISHING NEWS
National Book Award for Young People's Literature finalists announced (PW)
Roth's Allegiant comes racing out of the gate (PW)
S&S Launching New Sci Fi / Fantasy Imprint (PW)

INTERVIEWS
Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown) chats with The Horn Book
Debut author Caroline Carlson (The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot) sits down with Cynsations
Veronica Roth (Divergent trilogy) on the Today Show with Matt Lauer
Rick Riordan (The Heroes of Olympus series) and Jonathan Stroud (Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase) interview each other on Riordan's blog (thanks to Charlotte's Library for the link)

GREAT NEW MIDDLE-GRADE READS  

Sunny Sweet Is So Not Sorry by Jennifer Ann Mann (contemporary; 1st in new series) (Secrets & Sharing Soda blog)
When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket (mystery; 2nd in series)


Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends by Shannon Hale (fractured fairytale; 1st in new series)

The Winter of the Robots by Kurtis Scaletta (sci-fi)
The 9 Lives of Alexander Baddenfield by Jon Bemelmans Marciano (gothic humor)
My Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula J. Freedman (contemporary)








  The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente (fantasy; 3rd in series)
House of Hades by Rick Riordan (fantasy/mythology; 4th in series)










COOL BOOK TRAILERS
When the Butterflies Came by Kimberley Griffiths Little (via Cynsations)
The Templeton Twins Have an Idea by Ellis Weiner (via Watch. Connect. Read.)


MISCELLANY
Maryann Yinn gives a list of book-themed Halloween costumes (GalleyCat)
Real, true ghostly encounters from the authors at The Enchanted Inkpot
Cool bookish jack-o'-lanterns featured on Book Riot


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September and So On Linklove

I know, blogfrogs: I haven't posted a Linklove post in forever. But I'm starting up again, so for those of you who don't know, this is a monthly collection of great links for writers and readers that I've discovered in the last month or so. This one may have a few from months gone by, since I've been so lax. Again. Sorry. FYI: Though usually I list fabulous new releases in the Linklove post, I've decided to separate them out this time. You can find middle-grade and picture books here, and the young adult releases here.

WRITING & MARKETING ADVICE
Rachelle Gardner on reconciling your marketing and writing lives
30 writing prompts for September, via 30 Day Challenge
Barbara O'Neal collates a handful of tips from a variety of writers
Kristen McLean pens a guest post at Writer Unboxed on the 5 phases of book marketing
Writer Dianne K. Salerni (Caged Graves) gives advice for when you get stuck (Project Mayhem)
Julianna Baggott gets you back to the page, even when you're on the verge of giving up (Writer Unboxed)
Author Marissa Burt (Storybound) recounts how she revised her latest ms
Sherman Alexie posits that grammar cops aren't good writers--eeeek!
Writer Justin Swapp offers story/novel templates for Scrivener users
Veteran author Peter Lerangis outlined advice for MG writers at the summer SCBWI con (via GalleyCat)
Figuring out the Common Core requirements via a new column at PW
Dave King talks about process vs product: Are you obsessing about your outline? (via Writers Unboxed)


AGENTS & QUERIES
Rachelle Gardner on how to pitch your project in person
Literary Rambles shines their spotlight on agent Rachel Stout of Dystel & Goderich
Cynsations' Cynthia Leitich Smith interviews the agents at Pippin Properties 
Agent Hannah Bowman of Liza Dawson Associates, via Literary Rambles

KIDLIT / PUBLISHING NEWS 
JK Rowling to write a screenplay based in the world of HP (via GalleyCat)
Alice Hoffman lands deal to write an MG novel (via GalleyCat)
How Pat Zietlow Miller's Sophie's Squash moved out of the slush pile (PW)
PW gives us a sneak preview of what's coming in Spring 2014
Yeah, finally: Barnes & Noble makes nice with Simon & Schuster (PW)
 James Patterson is giving cash away to indie bookstores (via GalleyCat)
Keith Cronin at Writer Unboxed gives advice about query mistakes

INTERVIEWS
Q&A with MG/YA writer Holly Black (PW)
Nerdy Book Club talks to Newbery winner Christopher Paul Curtis
Natalie Aguirre chats with Caroline Carlson, author of Magic Marks the Spot
Video interview with Newbery medalist Patricia MacLachlan (from Mr. Schu's Watch.Connect. Read.)
Illustrator Kazu Kibuishi talks to PW about creating brand-new Harry Potter covers (podcast)
xoJane chats with YA author Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor & Park, Fangirl)
Suzanne Collins (The Year of the Jungle, The Hunger Games) talks about her experiences as the child of a Vietnam War soldier (via USA Today)

COOL BOOK TRAILERS

Journey by Aaron Becker (picture book; Candlewick)

Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman (MG sci fi; Random House, Sept 24)












MISCELLANY
Author P.J. Hoover gives travel tips for writers (via Cynsations)
Alex Bracken explains what happens in a day in the life of a publicist (via PubCrawl)

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