For Your TBR - The Body In The Woods

The Body In The Woods
By April Henry

Published: June 17th, Henry Holt

From GoodReads: Alexis, Nick, and Ruby have very different backgrounds: Alexis has spent her life covering for her mom’s mental illness, Nick’s bravado hides his fear of not being good enough, and Ruby just wants to pursue her eccentric interests in a world that doesn’t understand her. When the three teens join Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they are teamed up to search for a autistic man lost in the woods. What they find instead is a dead body. In a friendship that will be forged in danger, fear, and courage, the three team up to find the girl’s killer—before he can strike one of their own.

My Thoughts:

The Body in the Woods is the first book in a new series by April Henry. The story pulls you in right away and I was fascinated reading about the Search And Rescue (SAC) training the characters went through. When they're called to help find a missing person lost in the woods, the teens stumble on a body and are pulled into a mystery worthy of a Law & Order SVU episode.

I really liked this one. It was a fast paced, intense read that left me guessing, but it was the characters that kept me hooked. I especially loved and connected with Alexis who spent most of the book in search for her mentally ill mother who went missing. Ruby was fascinating as well, and an interesting pick to narrate a mystery murder book. Obsessed with strange interests and reliant on logic and fact, Ruby spends most of the book tangling herself between the police and the investigation. She mentions that she has a hard time relating to other people, doesn't understand social norms, and doesn't process emotion easily--which led me to believe that maybe Ruby was a high functioning autistic.

The one character who wasn't explored as deeply was Nick, but since this book is the first in the series, I'd be interested to see if he's represented more in future books.

A lot of people recommended this book to me after I was looking to read more thrillers (especially psycho thrillers). I would definitely recommend this book to those who liked Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers or a more intense version of Jennifer Lynn Barnes' The Naturals. Another serial killer book on my TBR list is S.E. Green's Killer Instinct, due out this summer by Simon Pulse.

For Your TBR Pile - SECOND STAR

SECOND STAR 
By Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Published: May 13th, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

From GoodReads: A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward Pete's nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up--and the troubled beauty trapped between them.

My Thoughts:

First, you can never go wrong with a Peter Pan retelling in my book. I adored Jodi Lynn Anderson's TIGER LILY, so when I saw that SECOND STAR was Peter Pan set on the coast of California with surfer kids, I all but knocked down Fierce Reads door (Okay, no. I just requested on NetGalley, but whatever).

Alyssa B. Sheinmel did a fantastic job capturing the magic and adventure of surf culture, and drew some pretty awesome comparisons between those who don't follow a traditional academic path to college, opting for adventure. In SECOND STAR's case, boys who want to follow the waves so they can catch the biggest ones.

In the search for her missing surfer brothers, Wendy Darling is caught up between the somewhat-childish, straight-laced Pete and drug dealer Jas and their turf war for the beach. There's something really beautiful about the different ways grief can be written about, and I loved Sheinmel's approach on the fear of letting go and growing up.

SECOND STAR spins the story of Peter Pan on its ear, with appearances by Belle, Nanna, but leaves the crocodiles at home. Overall, a strong contemporary retelling full of romance, adventure and mystique.

For Your TBR Pile: FAR FROM YOU

FAR FROM YOU

By Tess Sharpe

Published: April 8th, Disney Hyperion

From GoodReads: Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice.

The first time, she's fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bum leg, and an addiction to Oxy that'll take years to kick.

The second time, she's seventeen, and it's no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina's murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery.

After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina's brother won't speak to her, her parents fear she'll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places and Sophie must search for Mina's murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, about Mina and about the secret they shared.

My Thoughts:

When I went to ALAMW in January, FAR FROM YOU was the book I had to come home with. I'd been intrigued ever since I'd followed Tess Sharpe on Twitter and read her thoughts about writing. "This is a girl who knows what she's doing when it comes to craft," I thought. FAR FROM YOU is proof.

Tess weaves a secret romance into mystery and thrill, and skillfully packs emotion into each and every scene (even the ones that involve threatening someone with bear mace!). Sophie is a fierce character and so three dimensional. I commend Tess for presenting a bi-sexual character so well onto the YA scene, but Sophie is so many other things as a heroine: a loyal friend, a strong-headed daughter, a struggling addict, a reluctant cripple.

Lately, a big trend in publishing is non-linear stories, told in a back and forth motion from past and present. With these stories, I get really confused easily and forget where I am in the story (stopping to think "is this past or present?"). Tess navigates around this well, by keeping her chapters short (most are only two or three pages) and grounding the reader at the beginning of each chapter by marking not only how many months ago something happened, but how old the character was at the time.

Don't miss out on this April debut. I'm excited to see more writing from Tess. I think she has the potential to be a strong force in YA.

Writers Like Us - Sashi Kaufman

I had to come out of blogging hiatus when Sashi Kaufman agreed to do Writers Like Us. Her book THE OTHER WAY AROUND comes out next week with Carolrhoda Lab.

Reasons why Sashi Kaufman is awesome:
1) I got to read THE OTHER WAY AROUND a little early (agency sister and ARC beggar perks!) and THE OTHER WAY AROUND is my favorite 2014 contemporary. It's about a boy who runs away from home to hit the road with a group of vegan, trash-picking street performers. I loved not only the road trip story, but the organic and rich alternative life Andrew tumbles into. It was a lovely, and unique, way to rebel against his uptight, by-the-books mother. I'm most likely going to start threatening people to read this one!
2) Sashi is an all-around awesome person and gives some pretty awesome answers below.
3) She also brought along a copy to giveaway in the Rafflecopter below!

So, without further adieu...

Sashi on Writing

• I've written 4 books, and 1 has seen the light of day….so far.

• My favorite type of scene to write is a scene where a lot is happening both action-wise and also emotionally. I like when character is revealed through action.

• No matter how long I've been writing, I still have issues with pacing in the last third of a book.

• The book I wished I wrote is On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.

Sashi on Getting Published

• If my agent really knew how crazy I was, she would find out not much that isn’t already apparent. I don’t really have a “social face” I save for my agent. I’m glad she’s the kind of person who’s accepting of who I really am.

• When I was querying, I felt excited and unnaturally anxious about my inbox.

• The biggest mistake I ever made while on submission was rewriting a book in the first person. I never believed in it that way and ultimately the editor who made the request passed. 

• The craziest thought I've ever had while being published is that everyone else knows what they’re doing. I’m often plagued by the idea that I’ve missed some really important publishing meeting or class and as a result I’m destined to fail –whatever that means.

• When I got "The Call," my first thought was not really a word –more like a primal muppet cry. I’ll try and put it into letters AWOOOGAHOWAAGA!!!

• When I saw my book sale in Publishers Marketplace, I brought back some dance moves from my junior high era. They weren’t even cool then.

Sashi on Life Outside Writing

• If I weren't a writer, I'd probably be ...well I am a middle school science and English teacher and that’s a pretty cool job. But for something totally different, I’d probably pick neuroscientist.

• Secretly, I'm terrified of that thing in Star Wars that tried to suck Luke and Han Solo into the pit and slowly digest them over the course of thousands of years. So I guess being slowly digested for thousands of years. 

• My secret boyfriend is Clive Owen.

• Sometimes, when no one is around, I talk to myself in accents. Sometimes I do it in front of people too –my students can attest to that.

Sashi is a middle school English and science teacher who lives in Portland, Maine with her husband and daughter. Her debut YA novel The Other Way Around is launching on March 1st. She is also an amateur trash picker.

Win a copy of THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

Andrew West goes to an all-girls school and he still can’t get a date. If that’s not bad enough, his Mom is the headmaster. Everyone seems to have the wrong idea about Andrew. His teachers think he’s a good student who doesn’t apply himself -he really is trying. The kids at his old school thought he was a goth. His cousin Barry thinks he’s gay.

When his Thanksgiving break goes tragically awry he decides to run away. He catches a ride with a strange group of older teenagers. The Freegans are street performers and dumpster divers. As Andrew travels the country with his new friends he leaves behind the expectations of others and discovers what he expects of himself.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want more Writers Like Us? Check out the entire series, including interviews with A.S. King, Sara Zarr, Jennifer E. Smith, Kristin Halbrook, Tara Lynn Childs, Robin Benway, Katie McGarry, Trish Doller, and many, many more.

Channing Tatum Says You Should Be Writing

I'm taking a little hiatus from blogging. Of course, I'll pop in to do the occasional What's Up Wednesday and I'm committed to my monthly Currently Reading posts.

Never fear! The agent and writer interviews are still available, and I'm sure I'll pick these series back up.

So I'm still here, just slowing down.

Why?

Because Channing says it best.

Currently Reading - February 2014

Happy February!! <3

Where in the heck did January go? Does anyone else feel like they blinked and missed it?! The funny thing is that I feel like I've been crazy busy, and still managed to blow through all of my January reading, plus a whole lot more. Here were a few of my favorites.

I went to ALAMW, which was amazing. While the conferences and meetings were for librarians and educators only, the exhibit hall was open to the public. I tagged along with my best blogging friends and they showed me the ropes on how to navigate the showroom floor and network with other bloggers. Plus, there were books. Lots and lots of books.

I was super excited to find agency brother Robert Lettrick's FRENZY at the Disney Hyperion booth (I even scored an ARC) and agency sister Sashi Kaufman's THE OTHER WAY AROUND at the Lerner booth (unfortunately, no ARC but I did score a rad bookmark!).

Clan MacLeod also celebrated agency sister Jodi Meadows' INFINITE, the thrilling conclusions to the INCARNATE trilogy! (I always wanted to type something super promo-y like that!). To show my support and through the powers of Photoshop, Robert gave me a feather face! You can see all our pictures on Sashi's blog here.

So for this month, the plan is to start tackling my pile of ALAMW ARCs, which include...

• Lucy Christopher's THE KILLING WOODS
• Kimberly McCreight's RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA
• Robert "Best Agency Brother Ever" Lettrick's FRENZY
• and Donna Jo Napoli's STORM

Hope you have a fantastic February! What are you reading?

2014 Reading Challenge

Valerie has read 1 book toward her goal of 55 books.

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Agents Like Us - Holly McGhee

Agents Like Us asks agents all their deep, dark agenting secrets. This week, Holly McGhee of Pippin Properties, Inc. is here!

Holly continues to look for projects she can't resist, from picture books (not rhyming), middle-grade, and young adult novels (the YA books she in drawn to usually star real people in the real world) to graphic memoir and graphic novels, as well as books about her favorite sport, baseball. On occasion, Pippin also represents adult crossover books. 

You can find query information here, the Pippin Facebook page there, and tweeting under @LoveThePippins. Holly's personal thoughts as writer Hallie Durand, including her NaNoWriMo 2013 pep talk, can be found on her website. She'll be appearing at the Metro New York SCBWI in February and in Seattle in April 2014.

Holly's answers are below in bold. Let us know what makes her like you in the comments!

Holly on Agenting

Photo Credit: Kamille Snell.

• When writers query me, I really wish:
• For exclusive queries, because in those cases, I can take my time and give full consideration to the body of work. Most of my clients have come to me exclusively and that get-to-know-you period of quiet time has been the basis for very productive, happy, and financially rewarding relationships. Don’t. Rush. Ever.
• That the potential writer would send just a short pitch for the book and then a note about why they are especially keen on Pippin, a pitch that shows an understanding of how we are different as an agency. And then let the work speak for itself.
• That there be no mention of what any friends, authors, neighbors, or children think of the work—no field testing in classrooms, please!. (Again, let the work speak for itself—it’s all in the execution.)
• When the writer uses lie lay lain, lay laid laid correctly and “different from” as opposed to “different than” my heart hums a little bit (Granny McGhee was an English teacher).

• My favorite part about being an agent is building big careers for really extraordinary writers and / or artists who are willing to work hard, and who are humble, open, and funny too. (Big wish!) And I love closing a deal and celebrating—I’m very patient, but I’m a closer. I like to place every project I send out. And I’ll go the distance to make that happen.

• Rules and trends aside, what I really look for in a story is that my heart be touched by pain, joy, recognition, or humor (or maybe all of these), but most of all I look for an authentic voice, or a sentence or two (or an image) that I can’t get out of my head. I want to feel richer for having read a story.

• Whenever I make a book deal, I am not proud, I am satisfied! I love making deals in creative ways too—I let the plan for the deal unfold as the project unfolds, no formulas.

• I really wish I saw more savvy writers who have done their due diligence on the agency in the slush. If you are asking us to consider you seriously, do your homework first. At Pippin, there is an actual person reading your query deciding whether to ask for more or press delete. Do whatever you can to avoid that trash can icon!!

Holly on Clients

• My ideal client would be extremely talented, extremely hard-working, grateful, and with a big sense of humor and a bigger heart. I’m very interested in writers and artists who want to break boundaries and try new genres. I hate rules of any kind! 

• What I love most about my current clientele is I know who they are and they trust me and understand that I love their work and that I want what’s best for their long-term careers. 

• What I want most for any client is to do the very best work they are capable of at any time in their life, and not to stop working, no matter the circumstance, till they can look in the mirror and know they have given the world their best.

Holly on Life

• If I weren't an agent, I'd probably be a full-time writer or a cook (not a baker, a cook). If I had better moves, I’d be a dancer.

• My favorite (non-client) book is I have new favorites all the time, but Brenda Ueland’s If You Want to Write is an amazing tool for writers, and funny too. For other books, I’ll try to plug some quieter titles: Picture Books—Barney Saltzberg’s Good Egg (I have no idea why this book isn’t famous—just a reminder of what a crap shoot this whole game is!), Middle grade: Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur (beautiful beautiful book), Graphic: My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf (makes you think about Dahmer and wish you could have been there in his childhood), Young Adult: / Adult—Wintertown by Stephen Emond (how important it is for human beings to be “seen”), and I’m also going to plug an oldie, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde—I think this book works perfectly for middle school / high school and should be required reading!

• Secretly, I'm terrified of bumblebees and riptides.

• My secret boyfriend is Christopher Guest, because he is brilliant and hilarious and dorky at the same time. 

• I have a total girlcrush on Christina Aguilera cause her voice can do anything.

• Sometimes, when no one is around, I like to iron napkins. It’s so easy to get them perfect and crisp.

• My favorite drink is sauvignon blanc with a splash of crème de cassis.

Don't miss the entire series! 

Read all the agent interviews here.