Class of 2013 YA Superlative Blogfest

Three years ago, Katy Upperman, Jessica Love, Alison Miller and I sat around in this posh wine bar slash library, talking about the evolution of literature and its role in society, when we had a brilliant idea for a literary sharing event. Or, you know, we were each sucking down boxed wine in our pajamas while emailing about YA books and high school yearbooks.

Point is, three years ago we came up with the idea for a blogfest that celebrates the current year’s new YA releases as if we were selecting our own yearbook superlatives. This, I guarantee you, is serious fun.

The Class of 2013 YA Superlative Blogfest will take place over four days, include more than 40 categories, and give you a chance to meet some really cool bloggers. If your TBR pile isn’t teetering by the end of this then ... you apparently read ebooks.

Here’s the deal, in bullet form for easy skimming:

• Each themed day features a list of superlatives you will fill out with your books of choice
• You don’t have to fill out every single category.
• You don’t have to participate every day.

At the end of the blogfest we’ll be hosting a giveaway, featuring some of our favorite 2013 books. Mark your calendars for December 16 through 19, then take a look at the categories featured each day.

HEAD OF THE CLASS (DEC 16)

Favorite Dystopian

Favorite Science Fiction

Favorite Fantasy

Favorite Contemporary

Favorite Action/Adventure

Favorite Historical Fiction

Favorite Comedy

Favorite Mystery

Favorite Romance

Favorite Paranormal

Favorite Family Drama

Favorite Genre Bender

POPULARITY CONTEST (DEC 17)

Choose characters who fit each topic from ANY 2013 YA book!

Class Clown

Most Likely to Become a Rock Star

Mostly Likely to Start a Riot

Biggest Flirt

Fashion King and/or Queen

Girl You’d Most Want For Your BFF

Boy You Wish You’d Dated in High School

Most Likely to Become President

Quirkiest Character

Villain You Love to Hate

Favorite Parental Figure

Coolest Nerd

ELEMENTS OF FICTION (DEC 18)

Most Envy-Inducing Plot (Or, the plot you wish you’d thought of yourself.)

Most Formidable World (Or, the setting you definitely would NOT want to visit.)

Wanderlust-Inducing (Or, the setting you’d happily travel to.)

Loveliest Prose

Best First Line

Most Dynamic Main Character

Most Jaw-Dropping Ending

Best Performance in a Supporting Role

Best Use of Theme

BEST IN SHOW (DEC 19)

Favorite Cover

Cutest Couple

Most Likely to Succeed (Or, pick a Printz Winner.)

Most Likely to Make You Miss Your Bedtime (Book you just couldn’t put down!)

Best Repeat Performance (Your favorite sequel or follow-up.)

Favorite Finale or End of Series Novel

Romance Most Worthy of an Ice Bath

Breakout Novel (Your favorite book by a debut author.)

Best Old-Timer (Your favorite read of the year, published BEFORE 2013.)

Book Most Likely to Make a Grown Man Cry

Most Pleasant Surprise (Best book you didn’t think you’d like, but totally did.)

Most Creative Use of a Love Triangle

Sleeper Hit (Book you found so awesome you wish it had been hyped more.)

Favorite Outlier (Your favorite middle grade or adult 2013 book)

Your turn! Pick your own superlative category and post it at the end this day’s list. Blog hoppers will be able to drop by and vote for their pick in the comments of your blog.

Grab our button (below) or banner (above) to promote the blogfest on your site. And make sure you’ve read all of the 2013 books you can!

The Makeover

SOURCE

Once in a while I like to pretend I’m exciting and impulsive by doing things like wearing a color other than black or trying a different salad dressing. Or, as it turns out, giving this blog a makeover.

(Not to be confused with playing makeover on myself, which is its own rut. What? I like makeup.)

As much as I’d like to believe that with a lot of research and ten years hard work I’d be able to design a site like this bad boy, it is a lie. CSS is like … You know, I’m so dumb when it comes to computer speak that I can’t even give you a decent analogy.

All of the credit goes to my friend Caroline Richmond who, in addition to being an awesome writer, is great at web design. I’m well aware of life’s unfairness. We’ll still be making a few more tweaks, but mostly this is the new Words on Paper.

And, if you haven’t guessed it yet, I love it. I want to hug it and stroke it’s silky hair and—oh wait, I’ve ventured into creepsville. Let’s just say, Caroline is supremely talented and I bow down to her website-creating skillz.

Happy Friday, folks!

Unraveling Giveaway

Sometimes when a book is getting really close to releasing I’ll do this thing where I become a book stalker. I don’t do it intentionally really. It’s more of a random type of stalking, which I guess would shave a few years off my sentence (or a few yards off my restraining order) were we talking about humans and not books.

I’ll be browsing Goodreads with an idea of the sort of book I want to read when there it is in all its unpublished glory. This will happen a half dozen times, me stumbling upon the exact book I want to read that instant, the book not being published yet. Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris* is one of those books.

I stalked this one for a while, constantly clicking on it whenever Goodreads told me about books Readers Also Enjoyed. And then I’d read the blurb and yell, I KNOW, GOODREADS, I KNOW. I’VE WANTED TO ALSO ENJOY THIS BOOK SINCE THE FIRST TIME YOU TEASED ME WITH IT. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE!

So I’m super excited that not only is Unraveling FINALLY available, but that I can help spread the word. And, most importantly, help you win a copy of the book.

For those of you whose stalking abilities pale in comparison to mine (I think that’s a good thing), here’s the blurb:

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.

Um, you caught that right? Girl detective! Mystery! A clock counting down to the FREAKING END OF THE WORLD! As you can see, it has been crafted out of awesome. (Need proof? Check out the first 90 pages here.)

So, in honor of Unraveling’s debut, a giveaway. (It ends Tuesday, May 1.)

Oh, and I almost forgot my Unraveling-related question: If you find out that the world’s expiration date is somewhat nearer than anticipated, what’s your next move?

Unlike Janelle, I don’t need a back-from-the-dead experience or a world destruction countdown to know the end of the world is near. Might I remind you:

That right there is reason enough for me to eat pizza as many times as I like during the week.

What would you do if The End was sooner than expected?

*Elizabeth Norris briefly taught high school English and history before trading the southern California beaches and sunshine for Manhattan’s recent snowpocalyptic winter. She harbors dangerous addictions to guacamole, red velvet cupcakes, sushi, and Argo Tea, fortunately not all together. Her first novel, UNRAVELING (Balzer+Bray, April 2012), is the story of one girl’s fight to save her family, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.

An Excerpt

You guys have probably guessed by now that I don’t do a lot of WIP sharing around here. Insecurities about and all. But I was tagged with this Lucky Seven … thing (what are these—memes?) and it seemed too fun to pass up.

The rules:

• Go to page 77 of your current MS.
• Go to line 7.
• Copy down the next 7 lines/sentences, and post the as they’re written. No cheating.
• Tag 7 other writers.

First off, I cheated. I know, I KNOW, but hear me out. Line seven contained a half sentence so I started with line eight. I’m pretty sure I didn’t spoil the fun or anything. Also, I’m posting more than seven lines since the scene ends a few sentences later, and I figured, why not end there?

Okay, so you’ll be getting these lines from my YA sci-fi. There’s a very good chance I’ll be cutting this scene in the future, so I’m glad that, of all the passages the 77-7 ended up on this one.

Unlike Katy Upperman, who posted an awesome kiss, my character is forced to sit next to a cute boy without kissing him. As you can probably guess, I’m not as nice to my characters (or readers, apparently) as Katy is. (And if you haven’t read her excerpt, please, go, now.)

When I came up for air, I paddled to the rock at the base of the cliff where Eli sat. A group of trees on either side shaded the flat rock from the bright sunlight. 

“Your attempt to get me into my underwear was a massive failure,” I said when I had pushed myself onto the rough ledge. Eli smiled, avoided my eyes. He watched his feet make circles in the water. 

“You figured me out.” He started to say something else but stopped. 

“Say it.” 

He took in the kind of deep breath people take before attempting to touch the bottom of the lake and then said, “Do you think I’m a murderer?” 

“I think you’re a healer. Just because you can kill doesn’t mean you have to.” The sun slipped behind a fat cloud. Without its warmth and with my wet clothes sticking to my body, I started to shiver. 

 “I do kill. Every time,” Eli said. 

“Fine, but you don’t let them stay that way. You’re only a killer if you want to be.” 

Eli put his hand on the wet rock beside mine so it pressed into my pinkie finger. I wondered if that was accidental or if his heart was flip-flopping, too. Only he wasn’t paying attention to our almost-interlacing fingers. Eli’s head was tilted back against the rock wall, eyes shut.

And, oh, I hate deciding who to tag. So, let’s see, how about Alison, Jessica, Liz, Sarah, Jaime, Kelly, Elodie, and Erin Bowman.

Let’s try to go a bit shorter in the comments. What’s the seventh line of chapter seven in your WIP?

Coming Soon

Oh hi.

So there’s this blogfest I’m doing in May that I wanted to tell you about, mostly because I want to read the posts you create for it. Which means this is a totally selfish post. I’m okay with that.

See, my friend Sara McClung was having a hard time keeping up with her blog and thought, “Hey, May would be a good month to rededicate myself to the Internet People.” Though I can’t guarantee the order of events, I’m pretty sure she then scratched her chin (yes, in my imagination Sara is really an old man) and said, “How can I make this month of blogging fun?” 

Anyhow, the point of this reenactment is not to get you to picture cute blonde Sara as an old man. No! The point is to tell you that the result of all of her thinking and chin scratching is the Blog Me MAYbe blogfest, which I’m hosting with Sara, Katy Upperman, Alison Miller, Cambria Dillon, Jessica Love, Alexandra Shostak, and Lola Sharp.

Here are a few reasons this blogfest is high on the FEST:

1. Though there’s a schedule for daily posting, you don’t have to post daily.
2. Which means it’s totally okay if you participate in the blogfest every Monday or only three times in May.
3. We won’t track you down.
4. Because we’re lazy.
5. You don’t have to follow every single blog participating in the blogfest.
6. If fact, you don’t have to follow a single person to participate.
7. Yippee.
8. You don’t have to comment on other people’s posts daily.
9. Though if you do, I’m sure they’d blush and squeal with joy.
10. But those against joy and/or squealing can still participate.
11. We won’t judge.
12. Much.

So here’s how it works, starting with May 1.

MONDAYS: May I tell you something about writing?

This can be anything writing related. A post on craft. A post on your process. A snippet of your WIP, if you like to share. A book on craft that you want to recommend. Things you struggle with. Things you rock at. ANYTHING at all!

TUESDAYS: May I tell you something about myself?

Share something about yourself that your readers may or may not know, like how you’re a professional cake tester. It doesn't matter—this is just so people who read your blog can get to know you a little better.

WEDNESDAYS: May I ask something about you?

Ask your readers something about themselves. Like, any professional cake testers out there? I’d like to lessen your workload a little…

THURSDAYS: May I tell you something about someone else?

Make this post about someone else. A writing friend. A critique partner. A person from history who’s fascinating. A character from a book. Anyone you want. Have a guest poster. Give an interview. Get creative. Just let the spotlight shine on someone else.

FRIDAYS: May I share something funny?

Friday = the start of the weekend. That’s reason to celebrate and laugh on its own. Plus, who doesn’t want to see something amusing after a long week? (Well, probably those people against squealing for joy...)

So, if you’re interested in playing along—all month or just every now and then—grab a button for your blog and start posting come May.

<center><a href="http://thewordsonpaper.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Words on Paper" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lbsQLM4Q1WGvtr9MuOi2EQM51bUbwptUv1-u25FfeQY0dcQlDr7G_7bvP4wwVuW6snR6OZnh_ZvNmWdZ-qxR7ECh-7-zdVGe1dFSXSOAOIpXvtCCXPTDwblwk0udVzYYkBtFfeETFNE/s1600/BMM+Button.jpg"/></a></center>

You can sign up here, and check these blogs during the month of May to read what other participants have to say:

And in the mean time, I’m going to pretend it’s a Friday in May and leave you with these oldies but goodies:

In case can’t hear it from where you are, I’m SQUEALING with JOY.

Query Mad Libs: The Reveal

The other day I asked you guys to play along with a game of Query Mad Libs. You left words in the comments, and I picked one set to reveal to you today. So here’s Crystal Schubert’s office supply–inspired query, my friends. If you want to add your words to the query instead, look for your comment here and then replace the words in bold. Have fun!

Dear curly agent,

Seventeen-year-old Adrianna has everything she’s ever wanted—a bed-ridden boyfriend, infested friends, and a spot on her varsity soccer squad. That is, until her workaholic trumpets move her to Middle of Nowhere, Pacific Northwest. Now she’s the new girl and majorly peeved at the local kids’ choice of cheap brassiere over Gucci.

But everything changes when she meets Tristan, the super below freezing loner with orange eyes and a sodden smirk. He’s the only caplet who hasn’t looked at her twice, which makes her even more interested in him. Even though Tristan is closed off, he opens up after she flirts with him 72 times in a row. As the pair get to know each other, egregious things start to happen. Quickly, Adrianna is gorgeous, fast, and telepathic. It’s not until she notices Tristan sitting outside her foyer 12 nights in a row that she realize she’s in love with him.

When hunting dog hunters come to town looking for her new boyfriend, Leigh knows something’s due north. But could Tristan be highlighted? Though she has her doubts, Leigh knows that the family crest she feels for him is real—and he’s in calculator. Using her superpowers, Leigh must track the hunters before they skitter her true love. If she doesn’t succeed, he may not be the only one to infuriate. Her bottle is on the line, too.

My High Fantasy young adult novel, Pride & Prejudice, is complete at 27 words. I think you’ll plop the way it mixes tape dispenser with mailbox, similar to your client’s book Moby Dick.

Sincerely,

Crystal

Query Mad Libs

About a week ago, I was chitchatting with Erin Bowman and Amy Garvey on Twitter and had one of those Aha! moments that really require a self-illuminating light bulb to appear directly over my head. Because I thought of something super fun to do with you guys.

It is not playing Internet Twister. (Though if someone has an idea of how that might work I’d gladly put my right foot on red to see it.)

It is not playing “Never Have I Ever” via vlog posts. (Though, again, I’d most definitely watch yours.)

And, despite the fact that this sounds awesome and is also something teen me totally would have done, it is not pulling pranks on unsuspecting people while videotaping them for YouTube. (Do not count me out of this one just yet. Also, watch your back.)

Nope, the Fun Thing We’re Going to Do That Probably Seems Less Fun Thanks to All of My Hype is Mad Libs. But not just any Mad Libs—QUERY MAD LIBS.

Not only will I chose a random commenter and use their words in the query I’ve created, I won’t stop any of you from using this query when e-mailing agents. (That said, I highly suggest filling in the blanks with your own words, just so it makes sense with your project. See? I always cover ALL my bases.)

So, here’s what I need from you today (I promise it only looks like a lot—picking words off the top of your head goes quickly):

Adjective

Age

Girl’s name

Adjective

Adjective

Sport

Plural noun

Geographical location

Item of clothing

Designer label

Boy’s name

Temperature

Color

Adjective

Noun

Number

Adjective

Adverb ending in –ly

Adjective

Part of a house

Number

Noun

Noun

Direction

Adjective

Noun

Verb

Verb

Noun

Genre

Title

Number

Verb

Noun

Noun

Title

Your name

Leave your words in the comments and I’ll reveal the query later this week.

Also, you see those illustrations on the Mad Libs photo above? They look a lot like my dad, who is the human version of the glasses, nose, and mustache disguise. No joke. I'll have to show you photo proof some time.