Interview: Hannah Moskowitz

Teen author Hannah Moskowitz is foraging into new territory with YA. Her debut novel Break is edgy and pushes the envelope.

The first feeling is exhilaration.
The second feeling is pain.
The feeling that never comes is regret.

Jonah is on a mission to break every bone in his body. Everyone knows that broken bones grow back stronger than they were before. And Jonah wants to be stronger—needs to be stronger—because everything around him is falling apart. Breaking, and then healing, is Jonah's only way to cope with the stresses of home, girls, and the world on his shoulders. This is the story of his self-destructive spiral, his rock-bottom moment, and how he finally learns to accept help and find true strength through recovery.

Break will be released by Simon & Schuster on August 25th, 2009, but in the meantime Hannah has been kind of enough to grace us with an interview!

Break, your debut YA novel, was written in merely six days. Can you tell us a little bit about how the process was like, how the motivation managed to last, and what the book's about?

Sure. Before BREAK, I'd had a bunch of false starts and wasn't quite sure what I wanted to be writing. I'd finished my last book a few months ago and I was born and stumbling around for a new idea. BREAK really hit me all at once--what if there was a boy who wanted to break all his bones? I really figured out the book while I was writing that first draft. I was unfolding Jonah's motivation as I went. That's the point of the story--why does Jonah want to break all his bones? I guess I wrote so quickly because I was anxious to find out.

A journey of discovery for both of you then - that's awesome that there was such a deep connection with the MC! If the apocalypse were coming tomorrow and you could only choose three books (in the entire world) to keep safe and bring into the "New World", which ones would you choose?

Oh God...that is so hard. I'm going to say Peter Pan, Fight Club, and The Kiss of the Spider Woman. There are so many books I love, but I think those are three that have a distinct point of view I wouldn't want to get lost.

Very worthy choices. Care to describe the circumstances surrounding The Call?

Sure! It was just about this time last year, and I was about to go get my ear pierced. I remember I felt pretty gross because I'd just eaten an entire enormous bag of cheese popcorn. My dad came downstairs and said my phone had been ringing constantly for the past ten minutes. I grabbed it and found my old agent, who'd tried to call me five times already. And she told me we had a sale.

I still got my ear pierced that day.

Haha, well. Now, your MC Jonah is on a self-destructive spree. Have you broken anything before?

I've never broken a bone. Fingers and toes, but those don't really count...unless you break them the way Jonah does, which I did not.

That's good that there hasn't been any major injuries! If you could meet any character from your book to just chill for a day, who would you hang out with, and what would you guys do?

I think it's pretty clear to anyone who reads the book that I absolutely love Jonah's brother Jesse. I would love to hang out with him. He could teach me how to ice skate.

He sounds lovely; speaking of the realm of the fictional sweetie pies - do you have any fictional or literary crushes? (Who?)

Billions. Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, James from Someday This Pain Will be Useful To You, Tyler Durden (of course), Elijah from Are We There Yet?, Pudge from Looking For Alaska, Nick Carraway from The Great Gatsby...basically there are millions.

Any other projects currently in the works that you'd care to share a little bit about?

Right now I'm working on a book about a chorus, told from the points of view of a soprano, an alto, a tenor, and a bass. It's about the crazy stuff that goes on in their lives when two of them fall in love, two of them fall out of love, one gets beat up in a bathroom and their choral director gets fired. It's working title is ALL TOGETHER WITH FEELING.

Sounds like a great premise, and what a beautiful title. Words of wisdom - what do you do when the muse has gone on vacation?

Listen to your favorite CD on repeat. Stare out the window. Read something. It'll come to you. Screw self-motivating. I'm lazy. And it always comes.

Now, about the unexpected. What're the best and worst unforseen things that have come along with this whole process (e.g. the planning, outlining, writing, querying, submitting, publishing, etc.)?

The people I've met, without a doubt, are the best part. It's been amazing getting in touch with people around the world I never would have met if we didn't have writing in common. And it's so comforting to be able to whine about word count or publishing trends or query letters with someone who understands.

The worst part, I suppose, is how much time it's sucked away from my real life. My friends and family complain they never see me.

Anything else to add?

Don't think so. Thanks so much for the interview!

Thanks for stopping by, Hannah!

Other places to where Hannah can be found on the world wide web: her website, her blog Invincible Summers,and her YA group blog Yapping About YA (of which Tenners Trish Doller and Suzanne Young are also part of). She's also a frequenter of the Absolute Write forums.

In My Mailbox [18]

Brought to you by Alea & Kristi, Lucid Conspiracy presents In My Mailbox #18...

So, this is actually pretty ironic, but if you recall by post back in April about tense, I'd been marveling over the fact that there're so many books written in present tense nowadays. In fact, I've even gotten used to it. (Actually, my WIP is in present tense.) So it was pretty cool to see that the following three books are all written in past tense! Pretty excited this week :)

The Dark Divine - Bree Despain

Brightly Woven - Alexandra Bracken

Epitaph Road - David Patneaude

Philippa Fisher and the Dream-Maker's Daughter - Liz Kessler

Now that you've seen the contents of my mailbox, it's your turn - what was in yours this week?

*And while you're here, don't forget to enter the giveaway for a copy of After by Amy Efaw!

AFTER by Amy Efaw GIVEAWAY

An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .

Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

Who would do something so terrible? Certainly not someone like Devon—straight-A student, soccer player with Olympic dreams, more mature than her own mother. But desperation and panic drove her to do what most people can’t even imagine. Now Devon ’s in a juvenile detention center charged with attempted murder. If she’s tried as an adult, she faces life in prison.

Does Devon deserve that punishment? Your answer depends on whether you believe her story.
*Viking, August 11th, 2009

Now you can have a chance to decide for yourself whether or not you believe Devon's story. Penguin has been kind enough to offer up a finished copy of After. Now, if you've seen my review and my interview with Amy, you'll know that this is definitely one to check out! (And if you haven't, pop on by :)

So now that your attention's hooked, you're probably wondering how to enter. It's simple. Just comment with an e-mail address. Contest is open to the US and Canada. Will end Saturday, August 15th.

Additional entries available (please leave a separate comment for each for simplicity's sake!)

+1 For each place you link the contest to (e.g. blog, twitter, sidebar, etc.)
+1 For reposting the trailer (& linking to contest)
+1 For followers
+1 Twitter followers
+1 [Meaningful] comments/feedback on the review
+1 [Relevant] comments on the interview
+1 For following Penguin on Twitter (@penguinusa or @penguincanada)

Stephenie Meyer Sued for Plagiarism?!

Just out of curiosity, how many of you guys have seen this news article regarding Stephenie Meyer allegedly having plagiarized Breaking Dawn off of another young author, Jordan Scott? (If anyone else feels like running a quick search, there are numerous other articles about it out there by now.)

Basically, the general gist is that there are "striking" similarities between Breaking Dawn and 21-year-old Jordan Scott's The Nocturne.

Similarities such as "a wedding, a sex-on-the-beach episode and a passage where a human-turned-vampire describes the wrenching change...characters in both books call their wives 'love'"(Today @ MSNBC). And then it goes on about how Scott & lawyer plan to file a copyright infringement lawsuit, but aren't seeking any monetary compensation. Um... okay?

Apparently, the lawyer also says "I think the fans have to read both books and make up their own mind, like a judge is going to have to." Furthermore, this dude has no idea how many copies his client's book (written in her teenage years, published "in book form" in 2006) has sold. Doesn't exactly sound like a good sign...

There was that major episode awhile back where JK Rowling got sued or something for her brilliant Harry Potter series (which kind of ended up being a bust, as I remember). So what do you guys think of this, is it simply more of the same? Trying to capitalize on a bestseller's success, or a legit claim? Weigh in with your opinions!

*Originally noticed by the fabulous Katie Alender here

In My Mailbox [17]

In My Mailbox is inspired by Alea and meme-ified by Kristi...

Willow by Julia Hoban
Obama's Blackberry by Kasper Hauser - Thanks Cinnamon from A Journey of Books & LB
Give Up the Ghost Swag - Thanks Megan Crewe!
'Beautiful Creatures' Subliminals Painting - Thanks Kami Garcia!

*Pictures to come later on! So check back for visuals ;)

So now that you've seen the contents of mine, what was in your mailbox this week?

Candor Review

Candor - Pam Bachorz
*September 22nd, 2009 EgmontUSA

In a town where his father brainwashes everyone, Oscar Banks has found a way to secretly fight the subliminal Messages that turn even the most troubled kids into model citizens. On the outside, he's the perfect Candor teen, and no one knows that he's built an entire business around helping new kids escape before the Messages take hold.

But then Nia Silva moves to town, and Oscar thinks she's perfect exactly the way she is. Soon he must make a choice: let Nia be lost to the brainwashing, or help her stay special and risk himself in the process.

Nowadays, we want YA sci fi that pushes the envelope. Something innovative, curiosity-probing, thought-provoking. Pam Bachorz's Candor more than delivers on that front. With an intriguing characters and a chilling plot line, Candor offers a fresh perspective on the "classic sci-fi themes of conformity and mind control" (back cover).

The first person present tense works very well here. It draws the audience in, sharing the experience live as the events unravel. Oscar - the cheeky little bugger's a very interesting leading man. Bachorz characterizes him exceptionally; intricate details and little asides add depth to his character, flaws add realism. Sherman, oh Sherman, what great comic relief thou dost offer! Mandi too; sure, at first glance it seems Candor has brainwashed them into the perfect teenagers, playing their roles perfectly. But can individuality ever be fully quenched? Quite a stroke of brilliance really - Bachorz manages to subtly add unique quirks to differentiate each character and explore the theme of individuality vs. conformity, nature vs. nurture.

And then of course there's Nia. Spunky, fun, rebellious Nia, whom Oscar falls for. Bachorz conveys their relationship beautifully. Oscar's thoughts of the physical are amusing asides, but also add a realm of realism, to keep it from turning to fluffy sap. There's a real progression shown in Candor, of how they develop, eventually relating on a sensual side. And that is something that takes a lot of skill - something that Bachorz completed masterfully. (I would've liked to have seen a little more interaction between the two before the "L" word popped, maybe a little more playful banter, but that's just me.)

As for the setting, the "world-building" so to speak, Candor presents a very skewed view of society - skewed, but somehow still realistic. The Messages, the mind control, Bachorz implemented the concept beautifully throughout. The new technology, the descriptions thereof - just like Campbell Banks built the city of Candor from the ground in the middle of a swamp, Bachorz took words, ideas, and built them into "perfect" concepts and inventions. The way typical stereotypes are dealt with is very interesting.

Candor is very fast-paced, very edge-of-your-seat, and exceptionally hard to put down. If you must do so for some reason, I would suggest taking that break before hitting the mid-point, because it only accelerates, and by that point, you'll be as hooked on Candor as its residents are addicted to the Messages. The ending - wow. Just wow. It was definitely hard to absorb at first, but now, I couldn't imagine Candor ending any other way. How many brilliant YA novels have had their impact diminished due to a floundering ending? Not Candor though, oh no, the ending here fits as perfectly as if it were custom-made in Candor, a work of Campbell Banks himself. If at all possible, it even augments the impact, the memorability of the story itself.

Spine-tingling and thought-provoking, Candor brings up the probing concepts of mind control and how to force conformity from that. Bachorz has pulled off quite the debut here. In fact, I'm starting to wonder - has she pulled an Oscar Banks herself and inserted subliminal Messages into the book? Perhaps, "Candor is perfect. You will love it."

Pam's Website | Candor on Amazon | Candor on Goodreads

Ash Review

Ash - Malinda Lo
*September 1st, 2009 Little, Brown & Company

In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, re-reading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love—and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Malinda Lo's Ash is a stunning debut! The story, the characters, the world comes alive like Lo has sprinkled it with fairy dust. It's pretty safe to judge Ash by its cover; the beautiful cover is fairly indicative of the interior. With Ash, Lo has taken the basic threads that comprise the timeless tale of Cinderella, rewoven them, and like the fairy godmother, waved her magic pen and transformed a pumpkin into a magnificent coach.

One of the things that stands out the most is definitely Lo's writing style. The diction choice, the phrasing, the tone... there's something especially melodic about her descriptions, almost achingly beautiful in places.

"The rhythm was echoed in the sound of her mother's fingers on the fabric of her dress, a subtle swoosh in the dark, up and down, up and down, the friction like a rope binding them together" (Lo 74).

Through the ethereal descriptions, the setting really comes alive, immersing the audience in Ash's world. Something about the voice - Lo has captured the fairy tale tone almost perfectly. There are moments where the language does seem a little reminiscent of the present, but that also draws the reader closer into the alternate realm. Over the years, various retellings of Cinderella have cropped up (e.g. Ella Enchanted, Just Ella, etc.), but there have been none like this. Ash is something else entirely; Lo has practically created a whole new fairy tale.

And throughout the course of Ash, there are various fairy tales that are part of Ash's world. These I found to be a very nice touch, and added realism, but also irony. They were very enjoyable mini-stories to explore. At 264 pages, Ash could have seen a little more character development with addition of a couple extra pages, but then again, some removal from the audience may be needed to maintain the fairy tale aura. In any case - Ash, Kaisa, Sidhean, the stepsisters... all very intriguing and well-written characters.

Not only that, but the relationships between the characters were conveyed very nicely as well. Ash is quoted as being "a lesbian retelling of Cinderella", but it's also so much more than that. It's a new sort of fairy tale (that could potentially spark a revival?), a story of loss, love, and life. The relationship that forms between Ash and Kaisa is very pure, very beautiful. The situation between Ash and Sidhean and the surrounding circumstances were a very nice - albeit sad and ironic - twist.

It seems the fairies must've aided with casting spells, because Ash is a spellbinding debut. Lo has created a truly remarkable story here - a real fairy tale.

Malinda's Website | Ash on Goodreads | Ash on Amazon

In My Mailbox [16]

In My Mailbox, a weekly meme, is inspired by Alea and the brainchild of Kristi...

Candor - Pam Bachorz

In a town where his father brainwashes everyone, Oscar Banks has found a way to secretly fight the subliminal Messages that turn even the most troubled kids into model citizens. On the outside, he's the perfect Candor teen, and no one knows that he's built an entire business around helping new kids escape before the Messages take hold.

But then Nia Silva moves to town, and Oscar thinks she's perfect exactly the way she is. Soon he must make a choice: let Nia be lost to the brainwashing, or help her stay special and risk himself in the process.

All Unquiet Things - Anna Jarzab

All Unquiet Things centers around the murder of teen heiress Carly Ribelli, who was found shot to death a mile from her house in a wealthy Northern California suburb. Carly’s uncle, a dissolute alcoholic, was convicted of the crime, but a year later his daughter still doesn’t believe her father is guilty. Determined to prove his innocence, Audrey Ribelli contacts Carly’s ex-boyfriend, Neily Monroe, the boy who found Carly’s body. She is convinced that he knows more than he thinks about the events that led up to Carly’s death. Despite Neily’s initial reluctance, he and Audrey begin their investigation at the posh private school they attend, identifying prime suspects from among their spoiled classmates and digging up secrets about Carly’s past to get to the truth behind her murder.

The ARC I received from Anna is also signed, and she included a brief note on a bookmark as well (for a total of six bookmarks!), which was really awesome. The little doll pin is also adorable - check out Anna's site for details as to why the doll. Thanks, Anna!

So, now it's your turn. What was in your mailbox this week?