Story & Place: How Audiobooks and Locations are Tied Together in My Mind

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

It’s usually smell, isn’t it? That mighty, mighty memory trigger. But, interestingly, for me, the biggest connectors I have are audiobooks and locations; that is, a story that I listened to will forever be tied to the location where I heard it.

* If I drive out to my friend Caitlin’s home, there is a place on the road that I can’t help but think of Going Bovine— and not only the book, but even a specific part.

* In the parking lot of the Super8 on 41st in Sioux Falls, I think of Perry and Aria from Under the Never Sky.

* Out by the DMV– not my usual one, but the special one where I have to get an updated MVR for work every year– I think of The Mortal Instruments.

* I think of Saving Francesca any time I drive out to Plymouth to meet my friend Elyse.

* If I even think of Watertown, South Dakota, I think not only of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, but also a specific part (highlight for spoiler: when Ron comes back and Hermione is so irate that Harry has to cast a shield charm between the two!).

It’s quite fascinating to me, honestly– I won’t even be thinking of a certain story at all, and then, like the flip of a switch, something about the location will trigger the memory of that story. It’s a little like unwittingly driving right into a story. And I quite love it.

Of course I do.

Which two things are tied together tightly in your mind?

Spotlight on Melina Marchetta

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

I’ve written before about how amazing Melina Marchetta is, giving six reasons why you should read her books:

1) The writing is unbelievable.
2) The characters are people you want to know in real life.
3) The books are laced with wonderful humor.
4) You can’t guess what will happen next.
5) She knows how to write about teen romances without being cliche.
6) She is consistently good. Every. Single. Book.

This time, I thought I’d tell you a little about the books themselves so that you can choose where you’d like to start (since I *REQUIRE* that you read her books).

Jellicoe Road is my favorite. It’s a contemporary novel set in Australia, and it’s about a territory war between the boarding school kids, the townies, and the cadets (boys from a military school who camp on their land six weeks each year). It’s really two stories that become one (gosh, I love when that happens), and it’s probably my favorite contemporary YA novel period. Just saying. It can be a little confusing at the beginning, but keep reading: it will fit together like a jigsaw puzzle in the end, and then you’ll want to go re-read it immediately. Also, major swoon factor: Jonah Griggs is one tough cadet with a heart.

Saving Francesca is right up there for me, right alongside Jellicoe Road. It’s about a girl whose mom is going through a mental breakdown at home while the girl is trying to maneuver her way through her new school– which had been an all-boys school prior to that year. It’s uh-may-zing. Seriously. When I read this one, I just soak in the utter brilliance of Marchetta. Not to mention that there is a hot Italian-Australian math nerd hottie involved.

The Piper’s Son reunites the Saving Francesca gang, only it’s five years down the road, and this story promotes a secondary character from the first book to being the protagonist. And, my oh my, he does so well in that role! This book is about a family that is trying its best– making it sometimes and not making it sometimes. It’s sheer brilliance.

Looking for Alibrandi is actually Marchetta’s first novel that put her name on the map. Even though it’s my least favorite book of hers, it is still so, so good. Now, that’s pretty impressive. It’s about a girl whose lifelong absent father suddenly re-enters her life.

And then we come to the fantasy stories. Yes, that’s right– Marchetta is just as comfortable writing fantasies as she is writing contemporaries. So. Much. Talent.

The Lumatere Chronicles begin with Finnikin of the Rock, an amazing story full of twists and turns about reviving a kingdom that’s been under a curse. I’m not naturally drawn to fantasy novels (with the glaring exceptions of Narnia, Potter, and The Last Unicorn), so I didn’t immediately purchase this book. But after I’d read all her contemporaries, I was dying for more Marchetta, so I took the plunge … and am so glad I did! This book was delicious.

Froi of the Exiles and Quintana of Charyn round out the trilogy, and they are full of politics and intrigue and romance. I should warn you– Froi ends on a killer cliffhanger, so make sure you have Quintana ready to go afterward! I read Froi before the third book was out and ended up ordering an Aussie copy of book three so that I could get my hands on it 6+ months before the book was released in the US. That good.

It’s the characters, I think, that make all her books so good. When you start with amazing characters, you can toss them into any situation and see what happens. Melina Marchetta is a masterful storyteller, my favorite YA writer out there, and you’d better believe that is the highest of praise coming from me.

Hop to it! In my opinion, you should just skip the library and purchase copies of your own to have and to hold from this day forward.

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

For those of you who have already read Marchetta’s books, what is your favorite and why? Leave a comment below!

The Faith of a Pantser

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

Plotter: a writer who plans out his or her novel.
Pantser: one who writes by the seat of his or her pants.

Confession: I am a pantser.

I have tried to be a plotter. Here is the evidence, blurred in case I use it one day:

I sat down and figured out the timelines of events for seven characters and subplots.

And then I proceeded to stare at my blank screen and could. not. make. it. happen.

I returned to my pantser ways.

It occurred to me the other day that pantsers need to have a lot of faith in the writing process: we are stepping into the unknown, armed with no conclusion, shielded by no outline. Instead, we have to simply believe that the writing process will take over: write, feedback, revise, repeat. It’s so, so risky.

What if no conclusion presents itself?
What if I get my characters into trouble I can’t save them from?
What if I’m walking blindly over the edge of a cliff?

Thankfully I’ve learned (and continue to learn) to love risk and uncertainty. (Thanks, ERP!)

And so I’ll walk that tightrope, trusting the creative process is a net beneath me.

Sequels I’m Ready to Gobble Up

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

In general, I’m not a huge fan of series, so I perhaps don’t have as many on my radar as others.

But I am quite eager for the following:

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi | Oh my gosh, cannot WAIT to see how things end up for Perry, Aria, and Roar! And early reviews have said the conclusion to this trilogy is really satisfying. Yay!

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare | I’m invested in the Shadowhunters now and dying for book six to pull everything together.

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi | I finished Unravel Me mostly feeling pissed. Not sure whom to root for: Adam is my favorite, but I’m not sure Juliette deserves him.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater | Listening to the audiobook right now! Will Patton’s drawl makes this whole series even better.

UnSouled by Neal Shusterman | I just finished reading UnWholly, and it. was. amazing.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Books I Wish I’d Written

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

So much amazingness.

Bonus: I wouldn’t mind having written Harry Potter either. 🙂

For the Next Time I Start Writing a New Novel

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

Dear Jackie,

By the time you start writing your next novel, you will have forgotten a few things, and in those moments, I hope you’ll come back to this post and be reminded.

* Writing a novel is hard. The beginning stages kind of suck. You barely know your characters until you’ve written the whole first draft, and so for a couple months, you’re essentially writing blind. You forget that. In those difficult days of editing, you think longingly of the “carefree” days of freewriting, having forgotten that you felt completely lost and simultaneously terrified that you were wasting your time.

* This is just what it is like at the start of a new novel. You feel lost and lonely, and every scene feels stilted and confused. You haven’t yet figured out your character’s deep-seated desires, let alone their surface ones, and you certainly aren’t aware of their secrets and many of their motivations. You will. You just need to spend time with them. That’s how you get to know any new friend.

* It all seems so touch-and-go at the start. You feel sort of committed to your idea, kind of committed to the characters. Everything seems masterful in your head, and then the moment you start to type it out, it feels thin and aimless. That’s because it is thin and aimless– for now— but that is just what it’s like at the start of a new novel. At least for you.

* One thousand words each day will get you one thousand words a day closer to a completed first draft. And when you force yourself to show up and sit down, your characters will show up too, and that’s essentially the only way you’re going to get them to spill their guts to you. So keep showing up.

* First drafts are meant to be terrible.

* You don’t see most writers’ first drafts, just like most people won’t see yours. So calm down.

* Remember that E.L. Doctorow quote? “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” Those are someone else’s words explaining your experience, because, really, it’s quite universal. Remember that.

* Sometimes you’ll go down rabbit holes that lead nowhere. Even if there aren’t novels down there, there are still lessons.

* Pumps need to be primed.

* Quit complaining to everyone and go write one thousand more words.

Love,

Jackie Lea, who is fumbling in the darkness of the beginnings of a first draft and wanted to remind future Jackie Lea of what it is like

Review: How to Love by Katie Cotugno

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

Oh my gosh, loved this. I tore through Katie Cotugno’s debut novel in only a couple days!

This is a young adult contemporary novel, and it’s told in alternating chapters of “before” and “after”– that is, before Reena’s boyfriend/baby daddy vanished for two years and after he came back in her and their daughter’s life. Interestingly, my novel Truest also does this back-and-forth thing, but it felt different than mine. How to Love was equal parts before and after, whereas the bulk of my novel is the before– the after is just tiny glimpses. Anyway, it was fascinating to watch how another novelist made this work for her so well. The hard thing about it though was switching back and forth. Just when I’d really get into either the before or after, we’d switch. Still, it drove the novel forward.

How to Love is really the story of Reena and Sawyer– but also a story about family and about failed friendships and secrets and drugs and ohmygosh really enjoyed this. If you like contemporary, go! Read! Enjoy!

P.S. If you do read this one, let me know. I have a couple things I want to discuss with someone!

I repeat: writing a book is hard.

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

I know I just recently blogged about this, but I just wanted to emphasize it again. Not to toot my own horn (ummm, I don’t even have a book deal yet!), but to wave some sort of banner over those who are DOING IT.

Writing a book means this: days that turn into months that turn into years of writing and revising, hours upon hours invested into researching minute details, the sacrifice (and also joy) of building a platform from the ground up, giving up evenings with friends to stay home and research literary agents, headaches, crafting the perfect query or proposal, taking a permanent seat on an emotional rollercoaster.

Kristin Cashore is a YA author I admire. She wrote Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue. Click here to read about the journey it was to get Bitterblue to where it needed to be (hint: after three years on a first draft, her editor suggested she start over from scratch). There are even pictures. Read this, and you’ll better understand the agony of writing.

Character Names I Love

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Harry Potter series by Jo Rowling

Atticus Finch
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Eustace Clarence Scrubb
Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis

Ponyboy & Sodapop Curtis
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Stargirl Carraway
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Augustus Waters
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Evanjalin of the Monts
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Chaz Santangelo
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Hester Prynne
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Soapbox Church
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Bonus:
Huckleberry Finn
Peregrine of the Tides
+ let’s all just acknowledge that this entire list
could have been names from Harry Potter
(Regulus Arcturus Black; Mundungus Fletcher;
Marvolo, Merope, & Morfin Gaunt;
Gellert Grindelwald; Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank;
Bellatrix Lestrange; Xenophilius Lovegood;
Olympe Maxime; Kingsley Shacklebolt)

🙂

Trends in YA

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

This article made me happy.

To summarize, contemporary realism on its way up, dystopia on its way out. More standalones please, and fewer trilogies. And no more vampires needed, thankyouverymuch.

Good news for this writer (I hope!).

JACKIE LEA SOMMERS

Author & Advocate

Category Archives: YA