guest post

12th Jan 2019 by CG @ Paper Fury 84 Comments (9)

2019 YA Trend And Genre Predictions (Ft. Opinions From The Book Community Too!)

It’s time we unpacked our magical powers and predicted the bookish future.

I mean WHAT could possibly go wrong with this. Clearly nothing. As 2019 tumbles in and books are announced, we start to wonder what is going to be BIG this year. What’s going to rule the shelves?! What trends will show their shiny faces and what genres will be top of the shelves and what patterns will we see in plots and topics???

So I’m teaming up with some fantastic voices in the YA book community to give our opinions on…

I was making a yearly habit out of this but fell off the moon in 2018 and, legit…I have no idea what I was doing. BUT IT’S BACK!. And you can see our 2016 and 2017 predictions too!

And the most MASSIVE thank you to these bloggers who’ve joined me in speculating about upcoming trends and book patterns! I’d love to do more collabs this year with more amazing bloggers, because you’re all so fun and nice?? I can’t even. Lovely beans.

ALSO. I asked everyone to volunteer their opinions independently, so it’s super exciting to see how many of us had the same thoughts!

* Note: none of us believe diversity is a “trend”! Whenever we talk about diversity here, we’re predicting what’s on the rise. And diversity isn’t a trend that’s here just to be popular. It’s a needed and realistic voice that’s here to sTAY.

give some follow love! ➸ Blog | Twitter | Instagram

I’m going to put this here now: 2019 IS GOING TO BE THE YEAR OF TISSUES because tears will surely be shed with all the amazing book releases this year. With books like King of Scars, The Wicked King and The Gilded Wolves gracing us with their presence in January, I don’t even know how I’ll be able to survive the rest of the year. As early as now, we need to organize support groups. Trust me, we will need it.

No one can also stop me from saying that YA Fantasy is going to be a hit this year especially because we’re getting a lot of diverse books from this genre in 2019. ASIAN BOOKS ARE ALSO RULING THE YEAR and I’m a million percent here for this. I’m looking forward to Descendant of the Crane which is dubbed as the Chinese Game of Thrones full of court intrigue and murder mystery. Yep I’m here for all the blood, folks. Then there’s Shatter the Sky which has DRAGONS and sapphic protagonists. You should also watch out for The Gilded Wolves (yes I’m mentioning it twice because it deserves everything) which has a crew of diverse characters who you will surely love from page one. Clearly these books are what you need in your life.

I have about a hundred books on my mental 2019 TBR pile and my wallet is crying fresh blood as we speak. Despite this, I’m still glad because HELLO TO MORE BOOKS. We just have to say goodbye to most of our money though.

give some follow love! ➸ Blog | Instagram | Twitter

I can’t believe it’s already 2019, but I think there are so many awesome things in store for us next year! I have a lot of guesses on the trends, but one of the ones I’m most excited about are richly developed fantasy worlds! (I’m looking at you, Hafsah Faizal’s We Hunt the Flame and Joan He’s Descendant of the Crane). I don’t think diversity is a trend–it’s here to stay–but I do think diverse fantasies with really rich world building are on the rise, and I could not be more ready to read all of these elaborate and rich fantasies. It’s really changing things up and bringing fresh new voices and perspectives into publishing, which makes me so so happy!

Something else I think is going to be kinda-sorta-REALLY huge are atmospheric books. Books that are contemporary but give off really strong spooky/chilling/forest-like vibes. Like Rory Power’s Wilder Girls and Christine Lynn Herman’s The Devouring Gray (I feel obligated to complete the trio and shout out Emily A. Duncan’s Wicked Saints and the obvious rise of enemies to lovers, as well!!!) I definitely think this trend started last year with books like The Hazel Wood (Melissa Albert) and What the Woods Keep (Katya de Becerra) but it seems to be on the rise this year as well! 2019 is so going to rock with its awesome book releases and novels–even if my predictions don’t come true, haha!

give some follow love! ➸ Blog | Twitter | Youtube

VAMPIRES AND WITCHES. VAMPIRE WITCHES. There, I’ve called it. 2019 already seems to be shaping up to be the year where two of my most beloved things are exhumed and let back out into the world to thrive (and feast on our blood). I COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED. Even though I’m still not over the emotional torment things like Twilight and Buffy the Vampire Slayer instilled in me, I’m ready to have my heart broken again (in the best way possible) over vampires and witches. And let’s not forget: vampire witches.

Honestly, Dracula would be TURNING IN HIS COFFIN if he knew it’s taken this long for vampires to be popular in YA again. But with the upcoming releases of The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh and the anthology Vampires Never Get Old, finally these blood-sucking fiends will get the respect they deserve once again. And let’s not forget the witches! We were blessed in 2018 with the Toil & Trouble anthology, but I’m calling it as another big thing this year, first up with the release of These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling. Prepare your TBRs (and your bank accounts), because 2019 is going to be one heck of a year!

give some follow love! ➸ Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

2019 will be such an incredible reading year, I can feel it and I am seeing such good upcoming books, too ! For me, there is one great and much needed wave coming this year better, harder and stronger than ever: diverse young adult contemporary books. If the last few years have brought us some wonderful diverse books, 2019 is kicking the bar even higher with such promising upcoming reads, Color Me In (Natasha Diaz), Don’t Date Rosa Santos (Nina Moreno), Opposite of Always (Justin A. Reynolds), I Wanna Be Where You Are (Kristina Forest), obviously On The Come Up (Angie Thomas) and WAY more to look forward to!

I’m absolutely thrilled to see that joined by diverse fantasy and sci-fi, too, with diverse casts taking the lead of many upcoming books: The Fever King by Victoria Lee, We Set The Dark On Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia, The Light At The Bottom of the World by London Shah to quote only three! YES TO ALL THE DIVERSITY IN 2019 I AM PUMPED CAN YOU TELL.

I feel like 2019 will also be super interesting when it comes to fantasy (and that comes from a mostly contemporary reader!), especially twisty, dark stories and complex retellings. I could mention here The Beholder (Anna Bright) pitched as The Odyssey meets Cinderella and WHAT, Blood Heir (Amélie Wen Zhao) which is a dark Anastasia retelling (SCREAMING), House of Salt and Sorrows (Erin A. Craig) pitched as a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling, Once & Future (Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy) a gender-bend ARTHUR retelling (!!). There are just SO many books to look forward to!

give some follow love! ➸ Twitter | Blog | Instagram

2019 has some amazing books coming out and honestly? I’m excited for them a! I think the biggest thing this year’s books will bring is a lot of diversity and a lot of #ownvoices authors. I feel like we’re getting more and more representation as each year passes and it makes me so happy. Specifically, I see lots of Asian-inspired fantasies written by Asian authors. And as an Asian myself, it means the world to me and I’m looking forward to seeing Asian rep grow more in the future!

One Asian fantasy that I’m excited for is Descendant of the Crane, a Chinese-inspired book by Joan He. The cover of this book is so beautifully Asian, and I’m lucky enough to be reading an early copy of it and I really like it so far! Another is Spin the Dawn, a Mulan retelling by Elizabeth Lim. The cover of this book is also gorgeous, and Mulan is one of my favourite stories and I’m so excited to read it! And as for an intersectional Asian fantasy, I’m excited for Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells, featuring some sapphic Asian rep (in fantasy!).

give some follow love! ➸ Blog | Twitter | Instagram

Given the recent groundbreaking success of Kpop, as well as the movie adaptations of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and Crazy, Rich Asians, I think that 2019 will be the year of breakthrough young adult books—both contemporary and fantasy—that are influenced by Asian cultures. Also, given the heated state of the current political climate, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more books that tackle hard-hitting themes that are relevant to our everyday lives. And finally, though I’m not necessarily predicting that this will happen, but we could all surely do with more kissing books, so fingers crossed for that happening!

Most anticipated books:
1) KING OF SCARS by Leigh Bardugo (a.k.a. the most anticipated book of my ENTIRE LIFE, because Nikolai Lantsov. Need I say more?)
2) DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE by Joan He (LOOK. AT. THAT. COVER!)
3) DARKDAWN by Jay Kristoff (I am convinced that Jay is trying to kill all of his readers, so this will probably be the last book I ever read. But it’s fine, I’m sure it will be worth it.)

So this collab post has been AMAZING and I’m squishing myself here at the end, despite feeling like everyone has marvellously covered what I, too, agree are going to be The Good Things™ of 2019. I’m still so stoked about the levels of diversity that flooding the shelves. Seeing all the #ownvoices Asian fantasies, to a glorious increase of POC teens on contemporary covers, to seeing queer kids starring in every genre??? WE ARE THRIVING HERE.

As May, Brittany, and Rain have mentioned, I too agree that Asian fantasies are going to be big in 2019. Another prediction I’ll make is: more focus on diverse contemporary! I’m living for The Weight Of Stars (f/f and POC) and You Asked For Perfect (m/m and POC) and I Wish You All The Best (nonbinary narrator!) and Love From A to Z (Muslim, POC, and disability rep!). I’m also really pleased to add my own contemporary, The Boy Who Steals Houses (with anxiety/autism rep), is getting to stand with these great and admirable authors I look up to!

So many of these are #ownvoices authors too, which makes my heart so full that these people are getting to tell their stories. All that’s left is for us to wildly support these types of books so publishers see us asking for more. Moooore. MOAR.

your turn to chime in! what predictions do you have for 2019?! genres or patterns or topics?? and do you agree with our predictions?

14th Oct 2017 by CG @ Paper Fury 208 Comments (12)

What It’s Like to Be An Autistic Book Blogger || Q&A With @DaleyDowning To Talk About Our Autism

**You know what we never talk about enough around here? BOOKS, OBVIOUSLY.**

Haaa HA ha ha…just KIDDING! I mention them once or twice, when I’m not pretending this blog isn’t completely about cake and how many rainbow books I can fit into one photo. (#Lies. That is exactly what my blog is for.) But there is an aspect of my book blogging, authorly, and bookworm life that I haven’t discussed here and I’m very passionate about so what are we waiting for?! *

Today I’m having a Q&A with my friend @DaleyDowning to talk a bit about how we’re both on the autism spectrum and how our autism affects our reading, blogging, and writing lives! This is definitely a different post to what I usually shout at you about, so I confess to N E R V E S. At least two of them, maybe three.

Since I’ve never actually discussed my autism on the blog before, I’ll do a little mini FAQ before I faceplant into the discussion like the truly chill person I am.

* I mean I’m waiting for the apocalypse. But whatever.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is exactly what is says: a spectrum. So everyone is super different.
It’s a disability, NOT A MENTAL ILLNESS. Although it’s usually a pre-packaged deal with mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression.
People like to classify autistics as “high functioning” vs “low functioning” which is fair, but hard to gauge because autism isn’t a line. There are “low functioning” autistics who can talk to strangers. There are “high functioning” autistics who can’t leave their house.
Girls are often under-diagnosed because we can blend in more easily than boys. Hence I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 21.
I’m not an expert on anyone’s autism except my own!
Some really excellent YA novels with good autism rep are: Lady Midnight, Queens of Geek, Kids Like Us, and Things I Should Have Known.
Contrary to the myths, autistic people don’t eat their followers’ souls. That’s just me. Mwah hahaha. Aren’t you SO GLAD TO BE HERE.

ALRIGHT LET’S DIVE INTO THE Q&A!

And don’t forget to go check out Daley’s blog! She’s an author and bookworm and her first book came out this year WHICH IS COOL. It’s about magic, faeries, talking cats, and secret organisations.

1. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE GENRES TO READ AND WHY?

DALEY: Fantasy and YA. Sometimes historical fiction. Mostly it’s because I don’t have a very strong attention span, so I really prefer shorter novels (300 or so pages) and styles that don’t include 17-letter words that I constantly have to look up. Also I like to be able to pronounce the character and place names, so I’m not huge on high fantasy or sci-fi.

CAIT: My truest love is also fantasy, everything from magical realism to high fantasy. Basically = please let there be knives and dragons. But lately I’ve really fallen in love with contemporary YA too. I’m finding the new releases to be really emotional, raw, diverse, and prone to breaking your feels and while you cry into your cake about it. Books are so nice. I mean.

2. WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS?

DALEY: Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Erin Hunter, JK Rowling.

CAIT: Maggie Stiefvater and VE Schwab win for BEST OF BEST…but I also adore Cassandra Clare, John Green, Leigh Bardugo, Scott Lynch, Adam Silvera, and Jay Kristoff! (Yes I’m sorry but I’m allergic to minimizing my answers to this kind of question.)

3. WHICH GENRES DO YOU PREFER TO WRITE AND WHY?

DALEY: Fantasy, for sure, but also contemporary. (I have created my own genre, called suburban fantasy – since my plot/characters are generally set in small town communities in modern times.) It’s so much easier for me to keep up with the language and technology and fashion of an era I (more or less) understand, than trying to go back a hundred or more years.

CAIT: I’m with Daley in that my top 2 genres are definitely fantasy and contemporary. I write a lot of epic fantasy, but I’m dying to try magical realism. The idea of having WiFi and chocolate ice cream BUT ALSO faeries and dark magic just is pleasing. I also write just YA contemporary, which is 50% me being able to make a shameful amount of puns and add in Tumblr humour and 50% me trying not to let everyone get murdered because apparently that’s not normal for contemporaries. Who knew??? Amazing. I have written sci-fi before but HAHA NEVER AGAIN. I DO NOT SCIENCE.

4. WHAT PARTICULARLY ASPECTS OF WRITING DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH, AS AN AUTISTIC AUTHOR?

DALEY: Making sure my NT (neurotypical) characters behave in ways non-autistic people would behave. (Depending on the scene, that can be really hard.) Also not cutting short dialogue (because I can’t come up with the corresponding emotional reactions), and explaining action sufficiently (my brain likes to get ahead of my fingers).

CAIT: I’ve always struggled with writing characters, particularly relationships…ok fine, particularly romances. Since I wasn’t diagnosed with autism until a few years ago, I didn’t know why I this was so hard for me and it genuinely freaked me out that my characters couldn’t seem to move beyond sassing each other to death. (Though I still see no downside in that. My aesthetic.) But I’ve put a heckin’ lot of work in with a lot of research through reading and it pays off! As a writer, I think it’s our duty to write from different perspectives and work at it!

CAIT: I also write a lot of neurodiverse characters but not intentionally. Recently I finished a book with my first canon autistic character and my sister read it and said, “OK so who isn’t autistic here?” WHOOPS. So it slips in. Just like it’d take conscious effort for a neurotypical (non-autistic) author to write an autistic character, it’s the same for us vice versa. We have to translate and analyse. I’ll be asked by betas to explain myself more and put more emotional connection on page. “You know your characters can touch right?!?” I’ve been told for my romances and then realised with surprise that I hadn’t done that because my autistic-self hates physical contact so I accidentally avoid writing it. And just like Daley, I find myself doing a double take on how I’ve made my neurotypical characters act. It feels like a big messy puzzle and one I didn’t even know I was putting the pieces in backwards until recently. But do I enjoy the puzzle? #YES.

5. AS AN AUTISTIC READER, DO YOU HAVE SPECIFIC TRIGGERS OR EXTREME DISLIKES THAT YOU TRY TO AVOID WHEN YOU CHOOSE BOOKS?

DALEY: I don’t like explicit, graphic violence or sexual content or lots of profanity. Too much info-dumping really bores me and makes me not invested in the story. And I’m not one for 5-paragraph descriptions of how the character’s shoes were made.

CAIT: I’m opposite to Daley though in that I love dark books. Darker the better yessss. (I’m sure I’m fine, shh don’t fret.) But some of my biggest triggers are: (1) talking flippantly about suicide, and (2) actually reading bad representation of autism in books…which happens a lot. When you see “your people” in books but they’re constantly belittled or forced to change or just written with condescending stereotypes, it gets to you. I’ve finished YA books about autism and felt anxious and ill afterwards. So that’s what problematic representation does to those in the minority, peoples.

6. DO YOU FEEL THAT FINDING NT (NEUROTYPICAL) CHARACTERS IN BOOKS THAT YOU CAN RELATE TO IS HARD?

DALEY: Sometimes, yes. Often I like to read about protagonists who are introverts or who have traits that put them closer to the autism spectrum (even if they’re not actually on it), because I simply can’t connect with people who have 345 friends and are always going places and like having a 9-5 job. And finding narrators/protagonists who experience sensory issues (like a fear of crowds or loud noises and the ensuing physical responses) is very rare and precious.

CAIT: Again I’m so with you, Daley! I love finding characters who have a lot of autism traits because I instantly connect. Sometimes they won’t be diagnosed on page, but I will headcanon that they are and it IS SO NICE. (Especially in fantasy! Where are my fantasy autistics?!) However? The average protagonist…no I don’t relate to them. I actually freak out over this and all my low-star ratings on books I review. Is it because I don’t relate? Am I doing the book a disservice because my brain + that book = aren’t compatible? But fretting aside — I CAN enjoy a book and not “relate.” Good writing wins.

7. DO YOU FEEL THAT WRITING FROM AN AUTISTIC PERSPECTIVE WILL MAKE YOUR OWN NOVELS DIFFICULT FOR MOST PEOPLE TO CONNECT WITH?

DALEY: I do worry about it a little. Since I have 2 characters on the spectrum, they’re really easy to write; and yet, I truly hope I can describe their experiences in a way NT readers will understand and get something from. There are certain things about myself that I just can’t alter or adjust to seeing in a purely NT way, so I do A LOT of editing before I consider my manuscripts complete, hoping to achieve a good middle ground.

CAIT: Again, I hadn’t thought about this till recently…but I’ve worried about it! I also worry that if I write “too many autistic characters” people won’t be as interested in my work. Is that worry unfounded? Maybe??? But I see SO MANY reviewers on Goodreads reading a book with an autistic character and their first comment is: “Well I didn’t relate obviously because I’m not autistic.” It makes me sad. Then it makes me worried. I don’t think it SHOULD be a problem because if I can relate to a neurotypical, why shouldn’t you relate to an autistic? But so far, any betas I’ve had have all found my books delightfully stabby and relatable and I’ve had NO problems. OK fine they didn’t say “delightfully stabby” but I’m sure they think that deep inside.

8. HOW DO YOU PREPARE TO WRITE? WHAT’S THE ENVIRONMENT YOU NEED TO BE PRODUCTIVE?

DALEY: I like it quiet, not many (or any) people around. The cat is fine. Sometimes I like to put on music, or a movie I’ve seen 14 million times, so it just becomes background. Definitely I need to have been thinking tons about my next plot point or moment in the character arc. Usually I handwrite my first draft, then take everything to the computer from there for easier revising and editing.

CAIT: I need 100% silence. I have noise-cancelling headphones to help with this. I also need a very tight schedule to be fully productive. So I write in “binge sessions” and will put in 8+ hour workdays with every minute accounted for (WITH RESTS OK I’M NOT A MACHINE). People often ask me how I even focus for that long and…well I literally can’t focus like that for ANYTHING else. (I have the attention span of a gnat.) But writing? Dude, I just don’t stop. I get into hyper-focus and I’m gone.

9. ARE YOU PURSING TRADITIONAL OR SELF-PUBLISHING, AND WHAT ARE YOUR REASONS?

DALEY: Self-publishing, because I got really tired of sending out queries to agents and getting this response: “We feel your work is promising, but…” The “but” always related to something autistic I’d done (often without even realizing it) in the manuscript, and most people aren’t well-educated on ASD, so they didn’t even consider that the writer was ASD or even close to that possibility. So it boiled down to they liked my premise and my style, but they didn’t get the plot points or MC’s motivations. Through self-publishing, I have total creative control, and no one telling me “not to be autistic.”

CAIT: I have a really lovely and understanding literary agent in the UK and I honestly don’t think I’ve had any hiccups that a non-autistic writer pursing traditional publishing wouldn’t have had too! It’s long and hard journey and YOU GOTTA BE PATIENT even when you want to eat a brick wall. But my agent is extremely understanding and there has been 0% problems with the facts that (a) I’m autistic, (b) I can’t do phone calls because of social anxiety and I’m not good at speaking out loud, and (c) the way I think and write stories.

10. WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT BEING AN AUTISTIC WRITER AND READER?

DALEY: That we frequently won’t see things the way you do – we may never like the same authors you do, or the same genres, for very valid reasons. And it doesn’t mean we’re being stubborn or extremely judgemental. Often I’ve read books that weren’t for me at all, but I still considered them to be well-written and even recommended them to other readers. Also that as writers, we work REALLY, REALLY HARD to craft a tale that can be enjoyed by a variety of people (I can guarantee harder than most authors, and many of them do work their tails off). And that you shouldn’t worry that you won’t be able to relate to our writing; lots of NT readers have really enjoyed my debut novel. (You may even learn something about how we think and why we act the way we do, and that’s all good.)

CAIT: I love what Daley’s said there! I also think that it’d be nice if NT readers didn’t go into a book by an autistic author or about an autistic character with the assumption they’re not going to relate. Just enjoy the story. Don’t put up mental-roadblocks yourself. Our brains are having a slightly different party to yours, but it’s still a freaking cool party.

i know it’s sometimes hard to think up a comment after a post like this! so TELL ME ABOUT YOU. how does your life experiences (especially if you belong to ANY sort of minority) affect your writing and reading? have you read many books with autistic characters??? and ask any questions. I have at least 10 fingers ready to type answers.

21st Jul 2017 by CG @ Paper Fury 68 Comments (5)

A Monstrous Discussion with @PaperFury And @ChasingFaerytales on Eliza And Her Monsters (Geek Life, Internet Appreciation, and So Many Eggs)

I’m so so SO excited to be doing a collab discussion today over the amazingly geeky story of Eliza And Her Monsters!

I have kidnapped Mish @ Chasing Faerytales (and I suggest you go follow her blog and twitter immediately because she is #FABULOUS) and we’re going to basically discuss, fangirl, and flail over this tome. We’ve set up the discussion in internet-chat-style in honour of all the glorious internet appreciation in Eliza And Her Monsters! Our “usernames” are also book references. Because we’re nerds.

It’s been like forever since I’ve done a collab so thank you x 100000 to Mish for coming over!

★★★★☆

Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.
In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.
Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.
But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

Goodreads Book Depository Boomerang Books Cait’s Goodreads Review

_FaeriesandMonsters_: I adored Francesca Zappia’s debut Made You Up – which is hands down one of my fav books ever – so I was so excited for Eliza and her Monsters. I was very much pleased to see that Eliza had similar vibes, yet was it’s own story. I adored this book, and now I can’t wait to read more of Zappia’s books! Did you feel that the book was similar to Made You Up?

~constellation_fury~ : I totally felt the same! I loved the similarity in styles, but the storyline was completely different, which I loved too. Although I confess Made You Up probably holds my heart still the most. <3

_FaeriesandMonsters_: Haha, that’s understandable! Made You Up was just so amazing! But I loved Eliza too, I guess the two stories are two leagues of their own. Like you said, the subject matter was so different, yet there was this similar vibe and I could totally imagine the main characters of the two books conversing in real life. They’re all precious cinnamon rolls for sure!

~constellation_fury~ : Cinnamon is RIGHT. I think one of the biggest things I love about Zappia’s books is how relatable the characters are. Like Eliza is basically the best representation of all we fangirling, internet-loving, geeks! Every time her parents told her to get off the internet and go outside, she groaned. And I was just like: hEY IT’S ME.

_FaeriesandMonsters_: OMG YES! Eliza was basically 14 year old me, and the similarity was so uncanny, I was shook! I loved how the book showed a different side of online personalities. The want for anonymity, the ability to live as this whole new person on the internet, and the constant struggle to not get too engrossed in our online lives that we ignore the real world around us, especially as a teen, was portrayed so perfectly!

_FaeriesandMonsters_: And her family was just so authentic! Her parents struggling to understand, while being proud, still being worried, her brothers were just the best!!!! I loved their involvement in the book, and the regret Eliza felt regarding how detached she is to her family, especially her brothers, made me almost guilty myself for giving so much prominence to my online life at times without spending family time!

~constellation_fury~ : I sooo agree. I also liked how it talked about the great parts of being really involved with an online life — but it also talked about the darker sides. I never felt preached at though! I loved the balance. And Eliza’s family was A+ for sure! I wish more YA books had healthy and nice families like this!

_FaeriesandMonsters_: Haha, I know how much you adore families in YA! It was refreshing for sure! And I agree about the balance as well! Certain things, like how we form a community around the world, how passion for something brings people together – anyone part of a fandom or has a significant online presence would definitely relate!

_FaeriesandMonsters_: And the characters themselves were wonderful! I love how adorably awkward the MCs are, and Eliza and Wallace are just precious. And I also loved how their mental health rep was handled!

~constellation_fury~ : YES. So much awkward. And no instalove too, which is super refreshing. I looove seeing characters become friends first and then reading it developing into shippable squishy feelings. Also they were really quite similar, both struggling with anxiety and depression, but in different ways! I think it was great to show how mental health can be such a spectrum.

_FaeriesandMonsters_: So true! I can give a certificate for the book’s rep, as a teen who has severe anxiety and has gone through depression, it was so authentic and real and sometimes so perfectly captured, it made me sob. Eliza’s depression – which is basically the monsters in the book symbolic of, which I LOVED!!! – was so real and I loved how art was her relief but still it was not foolproof or a complete escape, which again was so realistic. And both hers and Wallace’ anxiety was well dealt, and like you said, shown in different lights. I related to Eliza’s anxiety more, and I had to actually put down the book at a scene where she has a panic attack because it was too much to handle.

_FaeriesandMonsters_: The book was also definitely much darker than I expected. But it gave the book an intensity which I adored.

~constellation_fury~ : So so much intensity. Which gave it good pacing too…because I was always a bit nervous to see how everything would go (especially when everything was going sO nicely with Eliza and Wallace’s friendship/romance). EXCUSE ME WHILE I STRESS FOR THE CINNAMON CHILDREN. I also loved how they communicated a lot in writing. Which I think is something a lot of internet-creatures like us can relate to? Sometimes it’s easier to write out difficult things than to say them.

_FaeriesandMonsters_: I agree! The romance was so adorable and so much like a growing attraction between two awkward kids. I just loved how everything was awkward, period! Also yes for the writing communication! I talk a LOT, but I still feel much more comfortable writing down things, especially when it involves feelings.

~constellation_fury~ : One of my favourite things has to be, I admit, how many illustrations and art was included! (This author is wildly talented!!) I think it totally made the book stand apart from others, even if it had a slightly predictable storyline.

_FaeriesandMonsters_: YES! I totally didn’t know about the art, and it was just a pleasant surprise! The illustrations of the webcomic were stunning, and I think a special mention goes to the web comic itself! There were frequent snippets of illustrations and transcriptions, and I so badly wanted to read Monstrous Sea as full fledged novel or comic! It was so good and intriguing!!!

_FaeriesandMonsters_: Actually I loved the unique format throughout the book! There were forum chats, forum profiles of the MCs and their updates, and I am always a huge fan of format differentiation in books, and I adored it!

~constellation_fury~ : The unique formatting won me over SO fast!! And also made me super long for the actual Monstrous Sea comic too. (Kind of like Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell turned into Carry On!) And the emails and message chats were some of my favourites because of the banter. It’s epic how complex and alive all the characters felt, even the ones we only “met” over a few lines of internet chats!

_FaeriesandMonsters_: Yes! Emmy and Max, had so little screen time, and we literally only know them from snippets of chats, yet I adored them, and same goes to most of the side characters!

~constellation_fury~ : Just reason #9837 why Francesca Zappia is an AMAZING writer.

_FaeriesandMonsters_: That she is! She’s definitely an auto-buy author from now on. I can’t wait to see what else she might write in the future!

_FaeriesandMonsters_: All the pros aside, anything you didn’t like about the book?

~constellation_fury~ : Literally my only complaint is that I’ve read a few other books like it (notably Geekerella and Radio Silence) so it was a bit predictable to me. How about you?

_FaeriesandMonsters_: I have to agree on the predictable aspect! But that’s one of the reasons why the story is so special I guess, plotwise it was pretty normal, but the characters, and the writing and themes made it a spectacular tale!

_FaeriesandMonsters_: Tbh, I am thinking. Overall maybe I’ll give the book a 4.5? But I can’t pinpoint anything I didn’t like. Nah, this book was just so good, I guess, and it gave me all the feels for me to pick apart anything! 🙂

~constellation_fury~ : Sneaky book…being too relatably awesome that we’re hopelessly destined to do nothing but LOVE IT. I’d definitely give it 4.5 too!

_FaeriesandMonsters_: : 5 star books are too much of rare unicorns for both of us, huh? 🙂

~constellation_fury~ : We’re picky bookworms! (But to be fair, we have GREAT taste in books.)

_FaeriesandMonsters_: Since I know we’re practically book twins, I agree with that statement 😀

~constellation_fury~ : #BookTwinsFTW

_FaeriesandMonsters_: ( P.S – Reason no #45892 that Mish is the best :))

_FaeriesandMonsters_: I am so glad we got to read the book together!

~constellation_fury~ : SAME. It’s been so fun, Mish! Thanks for coming over to my blog too. Reason no #45893 why Mish is the best. ;D ;D

_FaeriesandMonsters_: Thanks for having me over! All in all, Cait and I wholeheartedly recommend Eliza and her Monsters, especially if you are bookworms who adored Made You Up like us! Hopefully I can be back sometime with another amazing book discussion! <333

~constellation_fury~ : Absolutely yes! I shall kidnap you for many more buddy-reads in the future!! And until then we’ll just force everyone to read and love Eliza And Her Monsters. Deal? 😀

_FaeriesandMonsters_: Aye Captain!

Okay so collab posts are AWESOME and I need to do more of them.

Do I hear a yes from you fiends of the darkness??! Let me know!

And all the thanks to the marvellous Mish for coming to visit meeeeee. See? So much proof that internet friends are BEST. (Also I get this nerdy sort of joy that we can have friends on opposite sides of the world and put together bookish posts and IT’S JUST SUPER COOL.)

have you read Eliza And Her Monsters?!? are you planning to? do you like books with illustrations? and do you have a secret, or just different, identity online? do you think internet-friends are as important as in-the-flesh-friends?? can you live with just one, or do you need both? LET’S CHAT!!

(And don’t forget to go follow Mish’s blog!!)

(And also…I actually have another collab post coming tomorrow…it shall be very very VERY different to anything I’ve ever done on Paper Fury. SO BE CURIOUS AND PREPARED.)

16th Jan 2017 by CG @ Paper Fury 89 Comments (5)

2017 YA Genre Predictions (Which Can’t Possibly Go Wrong)

What genres and topics in YA are going to be on the rise in 2017???

This is, obviously, the golden question you’ve all been asking. And if you hadn’t even thought of asking it until right this second, well — BOOM — you’re asking it now because you just read the first sentence of this post. #MindControl

And because it’s a question that I think is very interesting I am (A) not only going to answer it with my own infallible knowledge, but (B) I’m asking several amazing bloggers to lend me their genius skills! (COLLABORATION POSTS FOR THE WIN.) So a massive thank you to these bloggers for lending me their brains (in a non-creepy way…nope, wait. Still sounds creepy) and be sure to let us know YOUR predictions in the comments.

Basically we’re going to share some books we’re super excited for and predict what genres, trends, and topics might be A BIG DEAL in young adult books in 2017.

We’re most likely right.

Also I absolutely 500% recommend you go attack all of these bloggers with your friendship because they’re so fabulous and kind and they love books. Basically they are perfect.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Blog Instagram Twitter

I’m so excited for this year’s YA, because it looks like it’s going to be more diverse than ever. I’m particularly hoping this is the year that #ownvoices books are really promoted by bloggers — if we fangirl hard enough, we can hype up any brilliant book, right? This year we’ve seen a lot of discussion on sensitivity readers, author intent and representation, so I think it’s fantastic that we’re getting more complex, nuanced portrayals that don’t rely on stereotypes.

I also love that we’re getting lots of retellings based on lesser-known stories — we’ve got Wintersong in March, which is based on Goblin Market, a poem I studied in year 12 English. There’s also Roseblood based on The Phantom of the Opera, and Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, a re-imagining of Snow White based on Asian folklore and mythology. So excited for all of these!

Some of the books I’m really looking forward to are We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz.

Instagram Blog Twitter

I’ve already noticed several trends emerging in 2017, and I’m optimistic about all of them. I’ve been branching out of my fantasy comfort zone lately, so I’m pleased to see several YA horror novels coming out this year. The one I’m most excited for is Garden of Dust and Blood by K. K. Pérez – a fantasy based on the world’s first female serial killer. How epic does that sound? Many of the other upcoming horror novels also cross genres, which is a plus in my book, and they seem to mostly feature monsters of the human kind. I find this trend particularly relevant, considering the current political climate.

Another trend I’m hoping pans out is a long-awaited rise in diverse fantasies. I’ve seen blurbs mentioning sexual diversity, cultural diversity, and even characters with physical disabilities. I can’t wait! My most-anticipated diverse fantasy this year is The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera. I’m equally excited that YA seems to be moving beyond sexual diversity limited to a token gay or lesbian character. I’m looking forward to also reading about gender-fluid, transgender, bisexual, and asexual characters. Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller, for example, is about a gender-fluid pickpocket, while Kathryn Ormsbee is releasing Tash Hearts Tolstoy, featuring an asexual main character. Really, the only thing 2017 doesn’t have to offer is an extra day each week to read all these fantastic books.

Twitter Blog Instagram

Diversity is something that has been in demand for a few years now, but I would definitely like to see more diverse fantasy especially without harmful stereotypes! The Six of Crows duology (WHICH IS MY FAVOURITE) is a series that did this right, featuring disability, PoC Characters, same sex relationships, all wrapped up in an awesome Russian fantasy world and the most precious of characters (KAZ HAS MY HEART). I definitely think more diverse fantasy from #ownvoices authors is on the radar as well in 2017!

3 books I’m looking forward to in 2017: Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh – SAMURAIS, ALCHEMISTS and Japanese fantasy. OMG this freaking sounds SO GOOD. *grabby hands*

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore — I’ve read When the Moon Was Ours which was one of my top 10 books last year, with it’s gorgeous magical realism about a transgender boy. Wild Beauty has the most gorgeous cover and the blurb sounds freaking AWESOME.

A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi — The Star-Touched Queen was also one of my favourites featuring Indian mythology and a Hades/Persephone retelling. The companion novel sounds just as magical, with a tournament of wishes and a whole lot of enchantment <3

Blog Twitter Instagram

2017 is going to be such an amazing year for books! If I stacked all of the books I want to read this year up against myself it would be 10x taller than me. AND THAT’S ONLY BOOKS FOR 2017. There are many fantasy books I can’t wait to read. I feel as though this year is a year filled with action packed fantasy adventures that are really fast paced and keep you on the edge of your seat, with cliffhangers. SO MANY CLIFFHANGERS. Some books like this include Flame In The Mist, which will have SAMURAIS AND BANDITS and sounds epically awesome, the main character in this book is a prominent Samurai’s daughter I CAN’T WAIT!

But I have to say that I think in 2017 contemporary will absolutely amaze us all. Which I’m excited for because contemporary is my favourite genre! Also pre-warning I am predicting that there will be many tears shed this year over said contemporaries. I am soo excited for all of the diverse contemporary books that are getting published this year in particular When Dimple Met Rishi (which sounds like a super cute, and fun contemporary read) also The Upside of Unrequited (this book is by Becky Albertalli who wrote Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda which I loved so I can’t wait for this one, which is a book about twins), History Is All You Left Me (a heartbreaking contemporary about a boy who loses his first love) and also The Hate U Give (which is a book inspired by #BlackLivesMatter and sounds like a very important book to read.) ALL OF THESE COVERS ASWELL! So beautiful!! I also can’t wait for the final Lara Jean novel, Always and Forever Lara Jean! I’m going to miss this series so much once it’s over! This year sounds like a great year for both fantasy, HEARTBREAKING contemporaries (oooh and also gorgeous covers) but I’m calling contemporary to have it’s best year in 2017.

Blog Twitter

Last year I put my money on YA Fantasy (not literally because I’m always broke, but ssshhh), thus abandoning my YA Contemporary roots. But not this year! No no. I’m going to predict that 2017 will be a grand year for YA Contemporary. Specifically the diverse kind because diversity is a BIG thing these days. Which is good because YAY diversity! Why do I predict this? Because of books in the genre that I have already read and loved like The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, which is freaking spectacular, and The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, which is adorable and diverse and amazing. So yes, diverse YA Contemporary will be huge. I’m telling you.

Three books in the genre that I’m particularly looking forward to…Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner. Because The Serpent King was my faaaavorite of last year so I’m sure this one will blow my mind. If not, I will be very sad. Next to that I’m also going to give a shout out to Meg & Linus by Hanna Nowinski and The Gallery of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz. I hope these two will be amazing and that I will love them forever and ever.

Blog Twitter Instagram

Even though I feel like everyone was screaming that 2016 was going to be the year of high-fantasy, I felt like it turned out to be more a year of contemporary issues books—just tons of hard-hitting, heart-wrenching, snot-inducing books about the harsh realities of life. And me? I read to get away from that. As far away from it as possible, actually XD SO! I’m hoping that 2017 will be the year of YA Fantasy! I’m talking sword fights and magic wands, made-up lands and planets I’ve never heard of, character names and creatures I can’t pronounce, and dragons galore! (A.K.A. The Year of The Cait?)

Additionally, I’d say it’s pretty inevitable that it’s going to be a big year for YA Superhero books! With the collaboration between Random House and DC Comics, we’re going to see some epicness, I can just feel it! We’re getting Wonder Woman: Warbringer by the amazing Leigh Bardugo, plus books about Batman, Catwoman, and Superman, all of which are being conquered by megastars Marie Lu, Sarah J. Maas, and Matt de la Peña. Now I’ve never been big on superheroes, but when they’re written by such fantastic authors and with a YA spin? I’m on board!

So to stick with my genre picks, three of my most anticipated books of 2017 are as follows: Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh (holy balls, Batman—have you seen that stunning cover?!), The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye (kinda cheating here because I’ve read it, and WOW, it’s a marvelous Russian-inspired fantasy and everyone needs to read this series), and FINALLY… Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo (because duh, Leigh is a mythical creature whose writing skills should be worshipped, and she can basically do no wrong)

Twitter Blog

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a bit of an increase in the number of retellings being published, but I think 2017 is going to be THE year where retellings are going to be everywhere. As someone who has really got into retellings over the past year, I am so excited for the books being published this year!

Maybe you’ve been wishing for the origins story for sea witch in The Little Mermaid? 2017 will answer your wish: The Sea Witch by Sarah Henning. Or maybe you fancy a retelling of the little mermaid herself? Where she’s bisexual? With some Norse mythology thrown in? 2017 has got you covered: The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember. Or maybe you’d like a middle grade story about Jack Frost’s daughter? 2017 can give you that, too: A Girl Called Owl by Amy Wilson. With Disney’s Beauty and the Beast coming out this year, perhaps a retelling of the fairy tale is what you’re after? 2017 is way ahead of you: Hunted by Meagan Spooner. Or maybe you’re after a reimagining of The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndam? Yup, 2017 will see that on the shelves, too: The Fallen Children by David Owen.

And that’s without even mentioning the huge retellings we’re anticipating; RoseBlood by A. G. Howard, Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh, or, for us UK readers who are still waiting on it’s release over here, Heartless by Marissa Meyer. I’m pretty sure 2017 is going to be The Year of the Retelling.

My biggest prediction for 2017 is that it’s going to to smack us in the face with ALL THE BOOKS OF EVER. My TBR is exploding with dozens of books I’m desperate and dying for. I cannot even. My wallet cannot even. RIP us both.

I definitely think authors and publishers are answering the cry for diversity, which is brilliant and I’m so excited! I admit my soul has been particularly swallowed by all the diverse fantasy coming out. But I’m also seeing a lot of books promising disability rep (which we desperately need more of) coming out, including Things I Should Have Known which features a girl with Autism, A List of Cages which features boys with ADHD and dyslexia, A Quiet Kind of Thunder which features teens with Selective Mutism and Deafness, and Love At First Sight with a blind protagonist, and Unfolding with a boy with Epilepsy.

I’m also excited about the promise of pirates WHICH ARE MY FAVOURITE. Daughter of the Pirate King and Blacksouls are gracing us with their piratage presence. And also con artists with The Gentleman’s Guid to Vice and Virtue, Here Lies Daniel Tate, City of Saints and Thieves, and The Love Interest. This is probably an indication that 2017 wants to steal our souls with all these good books. Good on it. I am the excite.

An enormous thank you to these wonderful blogger contributors!

And I hope you (A) found an enormous amount of new books to flood your TBR with to make you somewhat scared for you life, and (B) enjoyed our hypotheses on what 2017 is going to bring us!

so what do YOU think, small pineapples?? do you agree with our predictions? what genres (and topics!) do you think are going to be big in 2017?? see any patterns? and feel free to help explode everyone’s TBRs by telling us some books you’re super excited about!

10th May 2016 by CG @ Paper Fury 70 Comments (0)

Michael Grant’s Writing Process (Plus #BlogTour) (Plus Sacrificing Goats) (Plus Front Lines #Giveaway)

You know what is exciting? TODAY IS EXCITING. Because I have the bestselling and famous author Michael Grant himself here for a guest post on his writing process! (No I’m not freaking out YOU’RE FREAKING OUT.) I’ve been addicted to Grant books ever since I found the Gone trilogy back 703 years ago. So I’m super excited to be on the blog tour for his latest book FRONT LINES, which is set in WWII and all about the women who served and is, basically, fantastic.

What to expect from today’s glorious post?

a guest post from Michael Grant (!!!!)
a review of Front Lines (which is a book that you should eat immediately by the way)
giveaway of 2 x copies of Front Lines!

An enormous thank you to Hardie Grant for this opportunity!

Michael Grant always been fast paced. He’s lived in almost 50 different homes in 14 US states, and moved in with his wife Katherine Applegate, after knowing her for less than 24 hours. His long list of previous occupations includes cartoonist, waiter, law librarian, bowling alley mechanic, restaurant reviewer, documentary film producer and political media consultant.

Michael and Katherine of have co-authored more than 150 books, including the massive hit series Animorphs, which has sold more than 35 million copies. Working solo, Michael is the author of the internationally bestselling GONE series, the groundbreaking transmedia trilogy BZRK and the MESSENGER OF FEAR series. Michael, Katherine, and their two children live in the San Francisco Bay Area, not far from Silicon Valley.

Front Lines Website Facebook Twitter

MICHAEL GRANT’S WRITING PROCESS

guest post

First, you need coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Then you need sunlight, and a nice fat cigar. . . But I suppose you could get by on tea, rain and a lollipop, too. The point being that this post is about how I do it. Me. If you want to write for a living you’ll have to find your own way to do it, because every writer does it their way, and there is only one criterion to judge the success of your method: did it result in a published book and an advance payment? It did? Then whatever you did was obviously right. If it takes sacrificing a goat to Satan to get you through the writing process, well, I understand goat meat is perfectly edible if you season it right, and all the best writers will be in Hell anyway.

So, all that said, this is how I do it:

I have an idea. Here’s how that works for me. I think, “Hmm, I should be thinking of an idea.” And eventually out pops something like, “Kids turn into animals,” or, “Teen-age Grim Reaper,” or, “Lost with superpowers, or “Women in World War 2.” From there I tease the idea out. I sort of weigh it for story potential. Does it feel like a lot of story? Too much? One book? Three? This is a mix of instinct and experience. You can’t learn the first, you just have to have it. And experience, sadly, involves a whole lot of typing. At this point I do a memory check with some Google help, trying to see if my concept or my title are already out there. If not – and they never have been – I start putting together the Series Bible.
The Holy Series Bible. It is part brainstorming session, part sales tool, part bluff. Putting it together sort of forces my brain to get to the next level of detail. At this point I’m mostly still convincing myself that I have something, but I do it in a sort of imaginary dialogue with an editor. I guess what she’ll need to hear from me. I guess what she’ll need in order to take this concept into a meeting and make the sale. I anticipate what the sales force will say.
Step one of the Series Bible is to write a tag line and/or elevator pitch. In a single sentence, what is this concept about? I make it catchy, because again, I’m not just thinking through the book, I’m thinking through the pitch and the marketing.
Next, I start thinking characters. Certain character ‘slots’ are dictated by the idea of the book. There will be a lead, male or female. The lead will need someone to talk to, otherwise, no dialog. This number two person can be a love interest or a friend. In GONE I built it in groups of three because that gives you a feeling of openness. Sam/Astrid/Quinn. Caine/Diana/Drake. But again, this is not chiseled in stone.
Anyway, what I do next is start pulling up head shots on Google Images, searching “Teen boy,” “African-American girl,” whatever. (For God’s sake put on Safe Search first, because the first, oh, billion or so hits are not what you’re looking for.) At this point I may have half a dozen characters sort of vaguely in mind, and I’m looking for faces that will make that character pop for me. Other times I discover a face and decide to build a character around the face. This is how Dekka from GONE came to be. Pretty soon I’ve got seventy or eighty head shots or candid’s.
Now I start building the characters. This is all about detail. I will eventually know a lot more detail about the characters than will be in the book, but for now I’m sketching personalities, feeling my way around this made-up person. I wonder, “How do they dress?” “What’s on the walls of their room?” “What’s on their playlists?” I decide on half a dozen things about the character, and include those in the Bible. I slap in the picture, and add descriptions – physical, psychological, their key relationships maybe. So I sketch for the Bible, but at the same time this person, this made-up person, is starting to take on some weight in my mind. I’m getting to know them. And this is important because Law Number One: character first. I don’t care how much it screws up your plot, or complicates things, always, always be true to the characters. Remember: it’s not you the reader loves, it’s your characters.
With characters more or less sketched in and growing like little brain tumours in my fevered subconscious, I move on to environment. You thought I was going to say plot, didn’t you? No. Everything you’re writing has to feel real, and the more you’ve thought through the physical setting and the rules that govern your little universe, the more real it feels to readers.
Now, it’s time to think story. I already have the core concept, I know the layout, I know the main characters, so now it is time to convince my editor that I have some idea what the story is about. Some people are great at outlining. I am not. All my outlines are about 50% b.s. I don’t like outlines, I don’t use them, but editors need something to show in the meeting, so I write an outline. (Only for the first book if it’s a series.)
Now my Series Bible has a tag line, character pics and descriptions, maybe some pics of locations, maybe a map, and a reasonably convincing outline. Now comes the bluff — I want to convince editors (and myself) that I know what the hell I’m talking about. So I add some sections on where I think your book goes in the market, I prattle a bit about the psychology that undergirds my world, maybe talk space ships or aliens, if I have any of those. Basically, I lard up the Bible a bit to look as if I’ve got it all worked out. I fire it off to my editor and she says, “Okay, but I can’t pay much,” and I say, “Yeah, well, we’ll see about that.”
Wait, what? I hear you cry. What about agents and submission letters and all of that? Remember how I said this is how I do it? This is how I do it because I’m way into this career by now, and I don’t have to jump through those hoops. But if you’re reading this then you probably do, and I’ll leave that to someone who knows more about it than I do.
Finally, I have my deal, and now I sit down to write. I start to type. I work maybe three hours a day, not writing in discrete drafts but circling back, again and again, whenever the anxiety builds and I’m feeling the need to fix something. The early chapters have always been re-written many times before I submit, with later chapters being more on-point and thus rewritten less. And about six months later, I’m done.
Now, I will tell you the secret to why I have been able to get 150 plus books published. It’s not that I am a great prose stylist. I’m not. It’s not that I have a great imagination, though I do, or that despite being a misanthrope I’m told I do well with character. Anyone who makes a living at this has talent, that’s a given. But I also have something very boring: great work habits. I am never seriously late. I never hand in a bad manuscript —I seldom have more than a single, relatively light revision. I never need anyone to hold my hand, and I take complete responsibility for my work. I am, in short, utterly reliable. Never forget: editors are busy and work hard. The easier you make their lives, the longer you stay in this business.

And that exhausts my store of wisdom. Just remember: this is how I do it. Maybe it works for you, maybe not. There’s always still the goat thing to try.

REVIEW OF THE AWESOME FRONT LINES

Every time I see Michael Grant has a new book out, my first thought is always “I NEED THIS IMMEDIATELY.” I’m an entirely hopeless fan of the Gone series and Messenger of Fear. Soooo, I totally was excited to try Front Lines. It did feel very DIFFERENT to all other previous Grant books I’ve read but IT WAS STILL GOOD.

I really loved how it was all focused on the girls. HUZZAH FOR WOMEN. But oh oh it was extremely historically accurate on the sexism — which made it hard to read at times. My heart STIRS WITH RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION. It focuses on 3 girls enlisting (voluntarily!!) into the army and they are constantly given grief for it. And misjudged. And dismissed. AND YET THEY WERE CONTINUOUSLY AWESOME. #heroes

THE CHARACTERS:

RIO: She’s probably the mainest of the mainy characters. And she is my favourite…just because she went to war as a naive but well-intending girl, and grows into something tough and sharp edged. Character development = A+
FRANGIE: She’s African-American and had to battle sexism and racism constantly. I absolutely admire her. She goes the medic route when she enlists.
RAINY: She’s a Jewish girl who is super super smart and enlists in like the special forces.

It’s VERY warrish. So like tons of lingo and explanations. I enjoyed that part from the historical viewpoint and I felt like a learned a lot. Especially about the conditions and the attitudes and how they trained the recruits. But…it took them 300 pages to even get to the war. So it IS quite slow.

Ultimately: A SOLIDLY GOOD BOOK! It reminded me of Code Name Verity! And while it felt different to Michael Grant’s previous paranormal-ish-horror-ish books, I learnt a lot from Front Lines and I’m just gonna sit here and GAPE at the amazingness of women in WWII, okay?! OKAY.

1942. World War II. The most terrible war in human history. Millions are dead; millions more are still to die. The Nazis rampage across Europe and eye far-off America.
The green, untested American army is going up against the greatest fighting force ever assembled—the armed forces of Nazi Germany.
But something has changed. A court decision makes females subject to the draft and eligible for service. So in this World War II, women and girls fight, too.
As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, three girls sign up to fight. Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman are average girls, girls with dreams and aspirations, at the start of their lives, at the start of their loves. Each has her own reasons for volunteering. Not one expects to see actual combat. Not one expects to be on the front lines.
Rio, Frangie, and Rainy will play their parts in the war to defeat evil and save the human race. They will fear and they will rage; they will suffer and they will inflict suffering; they will hate and they will love. They will fight the greatest war the world has ever known.

Goodreads Purchase

GIVEAWAY? HUZZAH GIVEAWAY!

2 x copies of FRONT LINES to win
Will be sent from the publishers
AUSTRALIAN only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

do you like WWII books?! tell me your favourite one!! and if it was 1944 would YOU have enlisted or waited for possible conscription??? (also have you/will you read Front Lines?) LET’S CHAT.

8th Jan 2016 by CG @ Paper Fury 196 Comments (2)

2016 YA Genre Trend Predictions ~ Wherein I Kidnap Other Bloggers’ Opinions Too

Predicting trends is a marvellously interesting thing to do. In fact, it’s so stinkin’ fun that I’ve snabbled together a bunch of incredible bloggers to predict 2016’s trends with me. We are all smart and wise. Obviously our predictions are going to be excellent and perfect and wise.

I did this last year as well! And we all (helpfully) predicted — ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THINGS. I told you it was fun.

Also gargantuan thank you to all these bloggers who participated! And they all have fabulous blogs which I 100% recommend stalking. I am just sayin’.

A I N E @ W R I T I N G O N A V I N T A G E T Y P E W R I T E R

blog // tumblr

I THINK that the new trend will be epic fantasy. I HOPE that the new trend will be killer robots. Or, possibly, dragons. Don’t get me wrong, I think YA needs more epic fantasy, and I’m looking forward to the epic fantasy novels I know are coming out. But YA also needs more killer robots. And dragons. But, then, everything needs more dragons.

And, gosh, where do I start with books I’m looking forward too? I’m practically frothing at the mouth to get to Marissa Meyer’s yet-untitlted series about super heroes and super villains, as well as A Study in Charlotte and The Reader. Also Lady Midnight. And Glass Sword. I want them ALL.

A L E X A N D R A @ T W I R L I N G P A G E S

blog // twitter

There are SO MANY books I’m excited to be released in the upcoming year! What I’ve specifically noticed in trends is TIME TRAVEL. In January, we already have the highly anticipated PASSENGER (by Alexandra Bracken) and THE LOVE THAT SPLIT THE WORLD (by Emily Henry). (I’ve read both and they’re spectacular!) Before this year (or last year, now), the only time travel book i read was A WRINKLE IN TIME and that was waaaaaaay long ago. I also see quite a bit of pirate-related books and some historical fiction mixed with fantasy? On the top of my head, I can already name PASSENGER (mentioned above), BLACKHEARTS (by Nicole Castroman), and THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE (by heidi heilig). I suppose some of these could also be considered historical fiction mixed with fantasy, but in addition, there’s THE CROWN’S GAME (by Evelyn Skye) that everyone’s been talking about, and maybe MY LADY JANE (by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows). I think 2016 will be an interesting year in trends! I’m excited to read all of the books mentioned, despite some similar elements.

Z O E @ S T O R I E S O N S T A G E

blog // twitter

After the success of books such as All the Bright Places, Made You Up, Challenger Deep, and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, I think the books released in 2016 will feature heavily on diversity. With the popularity of these books, combined with the We Need Diverse Books campaign, a lot of authors will be inspired to diversify their books.

Books I’m Looking Forward To:

The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
Map of Fates by Maggie Hall

B I E K E @ I S T Y R I A B O O K B L O G

blog // twitter

2015 was a great year for contemporary and fantasy, but contemporary really stood out because of the sheer amount of diverse books that released. I think I’ve read a book with just about every letter from LGBTQIA in it in some way, which is all kinds of awesome of course. But if I had to predict which genre will be biggest in 2016, I have to say YA Fantasy, even though there are a ton of contemporary books releasing that I’m so excited for. But when I look at my ARC pile and the books on my waiting-for-list, Fantasy is the clear winner.

There are a ton of YA Fantasy books releasing and all of them are pretty different. There are a couple that mix fantasy with science fiction and historical fiction, all of them sounding awesome. So if I had to choose the ones I’m excited for, outside the obvious choices of Queen Schwab’s books, I’d say Nevernight by Jay Kristoff because HI IT’S JAY FREAKING KRISTOFF OKAY. And of course Truthwitch by Susan Dennard because it was compared to Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is all kinds of awesome. So there. Here’s hoping I haven’t jinxed the success of YA Fantasy this year.

M I S H M A @ C H A S I N G F A E R Y T A L E S

blog // twitter

I personally think that 2016 is going to be a year of pirates, sea travels and ships – and I mean the literal ones. I am saying this mostly based on the 2016 releases we know of so far, which consisted of a strikingly noticeable number of books which contains the trope. While Truthwitch, The Girl From Everywhere, Passenger, Unhooked and Blackhearts not only are examples for this new trend, they also proudly display ships of various kinds on their covers, and their blurbs hint sea travels. Plus, anyone who peeked into the first two chapters of A Gathering of Shadows would also know that the book is undeniably Lila’s story – an aspiring pirate in the first book – and the story actually starts with pirates.

I also have a feeling that 2016 is a year for more diversity in the ethnicity side, which is amazing! While 2015 opened the way to a lot of books about mental health, a lot of 2016 releases are ethnically diverse. The Star Touched Queen is an Indian fantasy, The Crown’s Game takes place in Russia, Rebel of the Sands has a Middle Eastern touch and then we have an Aladdin retelling, The Forbidden Wish and sequel wise we have The Rose and the Dagger — a book based on Persian culture. To me, this trend is glorious, especially since most of them are fantasy books. YAY FOR DIVERSE FANTASY!!!

Oh and 2016 anticipated reads….Probably the one I am dying to read the most is This Savage Song because Victoria Schwab is my favourite author and everything she writes is marvellous. Also The Star Touched Queen, because that book is a dream come true for a South Asian like me.

L E X I E @ T H E H O N E S T B O O K C L U B

blog // twitter

Fantasy can never really go away enough to warrant a “comeback” title, but I’m awarding it one anyway. Here, fantasy! *crowns* Welcome back! In my heavily biased opinion, 2015 has been a fantastic year (pun absolutely intended), and 2016 is looking to be even more so. The series we’ve started in 2015 should produce amazing sequels. My most anticipated book right now is Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven King. On top of that, we’re looking at some very promising new series. There’s Truthwitch by Susan Dennard, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, and about one billion more. My anticipated-releases list is so long, it could become a book in its own right. In Cait’s own words – HUZZAH!

Fantasy is expanding, too. With a rise in retellings, which Cait has so accurately predicted last year, we’ve seen authors embrace and explore other cultures, too. Arabic legends, in The Wrath and the Dawn, A Thousand Nights. Chinese folklore, in Soundless. And next year with Kiersten White’s Conquerors Saga joining the fray, we finally get to marry fantasy with something other than the run-of-the-mill western cultural stamp. It’s going to be a beautiful ceremony, too. I’m excited for Culturally Diverse Fantasy. And I’m praying for lots and lots of research beforehand. Also, I’m willing to mortgage my soul to whoever makes à-la-Illuminae books with unique formatting a proper trend.

E M I L Y @ L O O N Y L I T E R A T E

blog // twitter

In 2016 I think we’re going to be seeing a lot of our good friends fantasy and contemporary. This year also seems to be the year of epic premises, like with Passenger, This Savage Song and The Girl From Everywhere. Luckily we can also expect to see lots more diversity, both with authors and their characters (I’m particularly excited for Enter Title Here, featuring protagonist Reshma Kapoor) about a girl who finds a literary agent and gets a book deal.

Retellings seem to have died off a bit, interestingly enough, and most fantasies seem to be original. Everyone is screaming about Truthwitch and I have to admit, even as a contemporary fan I’m intrigued. SPEAKING of contemporaries, this year’s contemps have more interesting premises than I’m used to seeing, like The Loose Ends List, featuring a “death with dignity” family cruise. You’ve also got books like The Square Root of Summer, featuring magical realism (which, looking at my 2016-releases shelf on Goodreads) is also something we’ll be seeing more of. I must say, it makes a nice change from “girl meets mysterious boy and falls in love. Also she probably has a terminal disease.”

I’m really excited for Shiny Broken Pieces (Tiny Pretty Things #2) and ACOMAF this year.

S H A N N O N @ I T S T A R T S A T M I D N I G H T

blog // twitter

So, 2016. I predict that there are going to be a LOT of new books. Not specific enough? Fine, fine. Fantasy is a big deal. The hyped books of the first half of the year are almost exclusively fantasy (Truthwitch, I’m looking at you especially), and even the books that are starting to get some buzz for the fall are fantasy (The Reader, Caraval, A Shadow Bright and Burning,and Ever the Hunted pop into mind as ones I am particularly excited about.) Bonus points if it is a re-telling, ala Heartless or Unhooked.

Also certain to be huge again this year, especially on the contemporary side, is diverse books. That’s obviously a win. There are a lot of books dealing with really tough issues again: Gender fluidity in The Symptoms of Being Human, a character’s trans experience in If I Was Your Girl, and autism in On the Edge of Gone. Obviously there will always be room to grow when it comes to diversity, but over the past two years the strides were great, and I only see them becoming greater this year!

As for what I am looking forward to the most? I mentioned a few fantasies up above, but um, look, I am terrible at deciding on books. I want them all. How can I choose? It’s like Sophie’s Choice. Gah. I will tell you that I have read three books so far that I will throw at literally anyone: The Love that Split the World, Nora & Kettle, and The Girl From Everywhere.

C A I T @ P A P E R F U R Y

And last but not least, here is the Papery Furious opinion of your bloggish host! Although I feel like everyone has covered my predictions too. I’m going yell, quite firmly and fiercely, fantasy is on the rise! HUZZAH. It’s my favourite genre so I’m intensely partial to this oncoming trend.

And what pleases me more is that the fantasy all seems to be coming from an intensely diverse angle. I am so happy I could eat a planet. A WHOLE PLANET. Rebel of the Sands has a Middle East vibe, and The Crown’s Game is Russian, while The Rose and the Dagger is Persian.

I’m also monstrously pleased that (while it’s toned down a little after 2015) retellings are still happening! With The Forbidden Wish (Aladdin), Nora And Kettle (Peter Pan), Heartless (Alice in Wonderland), Stealing Snow (Snow White), Bright Smoke, Cold Fire (Romeo and Juliet) and Never Ever (Peter Pan) all coming to our clammy, eagerly awaiting paws.

Are your TBRs groaning under the weight of all these anticipated delicious novels?!

We’re not even sorry. Not even a little.

I know it was quite a massively long post but, we’re just all too PASSIONATE ABOUT BOOKS okay?! And someone remind me to do more collaborative posts like this in the future because it. is. fun.

what genres and trends do you think will be big in YA during 2016?!? totally add in your opinions in the comments and let us know what you think of our predictions. are we way off or magnanimously wise? and are you anticipating any of these books? LET US KNOW.

It’s time we unpacked our magical powers and predicted the bookish future.

ALSO. I asked everyone to volunteer their opinions independently, so it’s super exciting to see how many of us had the same thoughts!

give some follow love! ➸ Blog | Twitter | Instagram

give some follow love! ➸ Blog | Instagram | Twitter

give some follow love! ➸ Blog | Twitter | Youtube

give some follow love! ➸ Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

give some follow love! ➸ Twitter | Blog | Instagram

give some follow love! ➸ Blog | Twitter | Instagram

your turn to chime in! what predictions do you have for 2019?! genres or patterns or topics?? and do you agree with our predictions?

You know what we never talk about enough around here? BOOKS, OBVIOUSLY.

* I mean I’m waiting for the apocalypse. But whatever.

ALRIGHT LET’S DIVE INTO THE Q&A!

1. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE GENRES TO READ AND WHY?

2. WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS?

3. WHICH GENRES DO YOU PREFER TO WRITE AND WHY?

4. WHAT PARTICULARLY ASPECTS OF WRITING DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH, AS AN AUTISTIC AUTHOR?

5. AS AN AUTISTIC READER, DO YOU HAVE SPECIFIC TRIGGERS OR EXTREME DISLIKES THAT YOU TRY TO AVOID WHEN YOU CHOOSE BOOKS?

6. DO YOU FEEL THAT FINDING NT (NEUROTYPICAL) CHARACTERS IN BOOKS THAT YOU CAN RELATE TO IS HARD?

7. DO YOU FEEL THAT WRITING FROM AN AUTISTIC PERSPECTIVE WILL MAKE YOUR OWN NOVELS DIFFICULT FOR MOST PEOPLE TO CONNECT WITH?

8. HOW DO YOU PREPARE TO WRITE? WHAT’S THE ENVIRONMENT YOU NEED TO BE PRODUCTIVE?

9. ARE YOU PURSING TRADITIONAL OR SELF-PUBLISHING, AND WHAT ARE YOUR REASONS?

10. WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT BEING AN AUTISTIC WRITER AND READER?

I’m so so SO excited to be doing a collab discussion today over the amazingly geeky story of Eliza And Her Monsters!

Okay so collab posts are AWESOME and I need to do more of them.

have you read Eliza And Her Monsters?!? are you planning to? do you like books with illustrations? and do you have a secret, or just different, identity online? do you think internet-friends are as important as in-the-flesh-friends?? can you live with just one, or do you need both? LET’S CHAT!!

(And don’t forget to go follow Mish’s blog!!)

(And also…I actually have another collab post coming tomorrow…it shall be very very VERY different to anything I’ve ever done on Paper Fury. SO BE CURIOUS AND PREPARED.)

What genres and topics in YA are going to be on the rise in 2017???

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

An enormous thank you to these wonderful blogger contributors!

so what do YOU think, small pineapples?? do you agree with our predictions? what genres (and topics!) do you think are going to be big in 2017?? see any patterns? and feel free to help explode everyone’s TBRs by telling us some books you’re super excited about!

What to expect from today’s glorious post?

An enormous thank you to Hardie Grant for this opportunity!

MICHAEL GRANT’S WRITING PROCESS

guest post

So, all that said, this is how I do it:

And that exhausts my store of wisdom. Just remember: this is how I do it. Maybe it works for you, maybe not. There’s always still the goat thing to try.

REVIEW OF THE AWESOME FRONT LINES

GIVEAWAY? HUZZAH GIVEAWAY!

do you like WWII books?! tell me your favourite one!! and if it was 1944 would YOU have enlisted or waited for possible conscription??? (also have you/will you read Front Lines?) LET’S CHAT.

A I N E @ W R I T I N G O N A V I N T A G E T Y P E W R I T E R

A L E X A N D R A @ T W I R L I N G P A G E S

Z O E @ S T O R I E S O N S T A G E

B I E K E @ I S T Y R I A B O O K B L O G

M I S H M A @ C H A S I N G F A E R Y T A L E S

L E X I E @ T H E H O N E S T B O O K C L U B

E M I L Y @ L O O N Y L I T E R A T E

S H A N N O N @ I T S T A R T S A T M I D N I G H T

C A I T @ P A P E R F U R Y

Are your TBRs groaning under the weight of all these anticipated delicious novels?!

what genres and trends do you think will be big in YA during 2016?!? totally add in your opinions in the comments and let us know what you think of our predictions. are we way off or magnanimously wise? and are you anticipating any of these books? LET US KNOW.

Looking For Something?

Follow via Email

Find Me On Social Media!

Archives

Categories

GRAB MY BUTTON

**You know what we never talk about enough around here? BOOKS, OBVIOUSLY.**