Writing A Novel: "Innocent" Characters

One of the most surprising and frequent praises I've seen of BAND GEEK is that it's "wholesome" and "not too racy." I certainly don't mind the praise and am glad that parents feel comfortable letting their kids read my work. Truthfully, though, I had fears that my novel would be written off by the YA audience -- no pun intended -- for being too mature in certain parts.

For one thing, my characters talk like teens. And by that, I mean they swear. Josh, in particular, has a bit of a potty mouth and often uses the F-word. He even uses it to address his school's principal at one point. Meanwhile, Melinda curses at her mom during a major argument. Mind you, I don't have them cursing all that much; I felt that if every other word was a swear word, my dialogue would get pretty boring. Still, I didn't want to whitewash my kids' speech. Having them say, "Oh, golly gee, what the heck?" in 2012 just didn't feel realistic in my opinion.

On that note, there is also a big scene that features underage drinking. I don't paint it in a great light, but I don't condemn it, either. Let's just say that some characters handle their liquor better than others. In real life, I'm not a big drinker myself and wouldn't encourage my friends' teenagers to do it. But teens do drink and I wasn't going to pretend that they don't.

As for those other things that teens do, there are no actual sex scenes in BAND GEEK, but there's plenty of talk about it, some graphic makeout scenes and some very naughy band locker room behavior. My characters also say some pretty bawdy things, especially Mel's friend Lana. There is also bullying (both in person and cyber) and some minor violent acts beween students. I mean, my title is REVENGE of a band geek gone bad...

I guess my book is being called "wholesome" because compared to a lot of other YA stories out there, like the GOSSIP GIRL series or the BRENNA BLIXEN trilogy, it is pretty tame. But compared to some of the books that I grew up with, I think it's kind of edgy. Besides, I'm always surprised to see which books get knocked for having "inappropriate" content; the ALICE books, for instance, are often maligned because Alice and her friends have very frank discussions about sex. Yet Alice herself rarely cusses or does anything that out of line. Judy Blume's JUST AS LONG AS WE'RE TOGETHER also has some reviews with complaints about its "racy" content, which I find ridiculous. I LOVE that book, but the 13-year-old girls in that story from 1987 are BABIES compared to today's 13-year-old's who have exposure to so many more things.

I think what perhaps people are reacting to in my story is that there are consequences for the bad behavior and that ultimately, BAND GEEK is a tale of redemption. I don't know if I'd call my work wholesome, but I do think that there are some lessons to be learned from it.

Please read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Writing A Novel: A Major Compliment!

Part of being a writer is learning to endure the roller coaster of emotions that comes with the creative and critiquing process. There are days when I feel really confident about my story ideas and my writing in general. Then there are days where I feel like crap and I doubt my abilities. Sometimes I wonder if I can even be considered to be a "real writer" at all because I feel like such a phony.

But for every bad day and negative critique, there are good ones. Tonight marked one of those times where I was like, "Damn, I'm a writer!"

I was out celebrating a friend's birthday in the city and everyone got to chatting about my novel. There were many questions about how I managed to get it up on Kindle, if it's difficult to self publish, etc. Then, one of my close friends -- who's usually pretty low-key and very honest -- told me, "I finished the book and I really loved it. I don't usually read YA, but I really got into it." She went on to tell me in detail what she enjoyed about the book and then added, "There's this guy in my church who's written several popular YA books -- and I think that yours is as a good as his."

At this point, I was already very flattered, but out of curiosity, I asked for the author's name.

Her: "Oh, he's this old friend of mine, Ned Vizzini."

Me: "STFU! WHAT?????!!!!

I wasn't sure which to be more shocked about: that she knows Ned Vizzini (apparently they grew up in the same Brooklyn neighborhood and their moms are close), that in the 15 or so years that she and I've known each other, she never before mentioned that she's pals with another YA author or that she compared me to Ned-freakin-Vizzini!

You have to understand, I've been a fan of Mr. Vizzini's for a long time. If you haven't read any of his books, which include BE MORE CHILL and IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY, check them out right now. He was also a writer for MTV's TEEN WOLF and FUNNY STORY was turned into a movie a few years ago. In other words, he's pretty effing talented. For her to compare me to him is basically her saying that I'm like one of the best in my field. I don't even think she realized what a big deal he is in the YA world; he just happens to be a YA writer whom she knows.

For the record, I'd never compare myself to Mr. Vizzini -- or Megan McCafferty or Judy Blume, or any of my other YA author idols. These writers' books have endured for years whereas I'm still a work in progress. It's hard for me to see myself as being in their league when I read my own work and recall how I had to rewrite a particular section six or seven times to get it right. I'm sure that these authors have all dealt with that themselves, but they've more than proven themselves in the industry. I haven't ... yet.

Still, if a good friend decides to tell me that I remind her of one of my favorite authors, I'm not going to argue. I'll take it!!!

Please read and review my novel REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Book Recommendations: Books About Gay Teens

First up: my Virtual Book Tour continues, and this time, BAND GEEK is featured at the blog Dream Big ... Read Often. You can read an excerpt of my novel and once again, sign up to win a prize of a free copy of the book, a CD and some handmade music earrings. Go for it -- it only takes a second to click!

Meantime, I'd like to recommend some more Young Adult novels that I think are worth reading. This time, they all have gay, lesbian or transgender protagonists. In the past few years, there have been so many tragic stories about gay teens who were bullied to the point where they killed themselves. Of course, there are many others who haven't made the news, but are also picked on at school or are not accepted at home. You'd think that in 2012 being gay wouldn't be a big deal, but unfortunately, it still is in some circles.

The following LGBT novels tackle some difficult topics, such as what it means to be gay and Christian, or what it means to be a girl trapped in a boy's body. I think that all are books that can help gay teens feel not so alone and can help straight teens understand what their gay friends, siblings and classmates are going through.

The God Box by Alex Sanchez: Sanchez has written several YA novels that star gay teens, but this is my favorite of his. The narrator, Pablo, a.k.a. "Paul" lives the seemingly-perfect life in Texas: he has a steady group of friends, a beautiful and sweet girlfriend and is a devout Christian who's active in his church and school's Bible club. However, his life is turned upside-down when he discovers that he has feelings for his classmate, Manuel, who's out and proud. Paul not only has to come to terms with being gay, but also questions his religious beliefs and his entire identity. This is an LGBT story that digs deeper than a typical "coming out" tale and takes on a rather controversial angle.

Something Like Summer by Jay Bell: A warning before I begin: though this book is YA and has young characters, there are some explicit scenes in this book! I suggest it for older teens, ages 17 and up. Still, while there are some hot sections, the tale is heartfelt and made me cry in parts. The story follows Ben, an out teen who begins a relationship with closeted jock, Tim. The first section shows readers how Ben went after the object of his affection and managed to win Tim's heart. it then goes on to cover the next 10 years or so of their on again/off again relationship. What I liked about this novel was that it wasn't really a coming out story, which is often what YA LGBT books are. Though it did involve on teen accepting his sexuality, the main portion of the novel focused on the characters' love story.

Keeping You A Secret By Julie Anne Peters; This story is similar to The God Box in that the main character, Holland, has a boyfriend and hasn't quite realized that she's gay. She then meets the school's new girl, Cece, who's an out and proud lesbian, and they fall in love. I enjoyed the romance between the girls, but I also liked that the story didn't neatly wrap up every plot. There were some messy scenes that made me want to smack certain characters and cheer for others. It's always a good read for me when characters make me so emotional!

Luna by Julie Anne Peters: In this novel, Peters introduces readers to a main character who's transgender. the story is told from the POV of Regan, whose brother Liam is a female trapped in a male's body. Regan is the only person who knows of "Luna's" secret and she struggles to accept and deal with the fact that her brother identifies himself as her sister. The one thing I wish is that we'd gotten the story from Luna's point of view; perhaps Luna and Regan could've narrated alternating chapters? Still, it's a moving story about love, identity and acceptance.

If you have any favorite LGBT books, feel free to share in the comments! Meantime, please read and review my novel REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Writing For Teen Publications

My next stop on my virtual book tour is at Cindy Vine's blog . Here, I talk about my decision to become a writer of Young Adult Fiction. As Cindy points out, there are dozens of genres that writers can choose from, from mystery to self-help. But I've always felt at home writing for and about teens. I explain why in detail in my entry.

What's interesting is that my love of YA literature extended to my journalism career. My original dream was to write for Seventeen Magazine or Sassy. I adored these publications when I was a kid and respected how they had typical fashion and celebrity pages, but also had serious articles. Seventeen didn't talk down to their audience; they embraced teens and presented many intelligent pieces. As I've said before, the teen years fascinate me because they're such an exciting and turbulent time. However, as a very young adult, I think that my interest came more from the fact that these were the magazines that were currently influencing me.

Though to be fair, I liked their fun pieces, too. I still have an issue of Seventeen that's from July, 1991. I specifically remember where I got it -- at the lodge at Yellowstone National Park. It was raining so we stayed in before dinner and I picked up the magazine in the gift store. It had an article about Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder's upcoming nuptials (talk about being dated!). It also had a quiz, "How much of a daredevil is your guy?" Said quiz was hilarious! A sample question: "What's the most daring thing he's ever done? a) Jump 10 garbage cans with his motorcycle b) take out his parents' car -- without permission c) put tinfoil in the microwave to watch it burn." I took it over and over again, answering for all of my male friends (Sorry Greg and Scott -- neither of you was very daring!) and crushes, and saved the mag as evidence of that fun and memorable rainy day. Of course, 1991 Johnny Depp aced the quiz! My husband, Jon, adds that he actually did take his parents' car without permission and was "somewhat daring" in his youth.

Anyway, when I entered college a couple of years later, I decided that I wanted to write for a teen magazine. I even did a report on Seventeen for one of my journalism classes; we had to dissect a magazine and explain how it was laid out and what made it so successful. Having such a specific goal helped me land an internship at Binghamton's daily newspaper, The Press & Sun Bulletin. Most students who'd applied wanted to cover hard-hitting news -- local elections, police beats, etc. I requested a position with the Features and Lifestyle sections -- and I got it. So for two years, I did everything from review local musical acts to interview local celebrities, and had six sectional cover stories published. I also helped edit their "Teens In The Tier" column, which was a section written for and by teens. It was very similar to Newsday's "Kidsday" section which I wrote for when I was in school, so The Press took advantage of my experience. I learned so much from my time there and appreciate the fact that they treated their student reporters like real staff writers.

I continued to write for teen publications after I graduated from college. The summer between my senior year and my year of grad school, I worked for Scholastic. I'd always associated the company with books, but they actually had a very large educational magazine division and I was assigned a position with the teen magazine Scope. Basically, it was your typical teen magazine -- there were movie reviews, interviews with teen stars ... only each article had an eductional angle. For instance, I interviewed the actor Richard Lee Jackson, who then starred on Saved By The Bell: The New Class (fun fact: His brother, Jonathan Jackson, played GENERAL HOSPITAL's Lucky). When I wrote out the story, though, I had to leave out certain words and place them in a vocabulary bank at the bottom of the page. Readers then had to choose the appropriate word to fill into each blank. Other stories I wrote came with a question and answer section; some came with ideas for reading comprehension essays.

It may sound like a dull way to put together a teen magazine, but it was so much fun and my editor Denise was the best. She trusted me and let me do whatever I wanted. She knew that I was an avid reader so she had me review scores of YA books. I'd sit in Scholastic's surprisingly lush library all day, just reading and taking notes, and looking out the large windows at bustling SoHo. She was also open to some of my more out-there ideas. After we received a letter from a kid in juvie, I suggested that I write an article about life in a juvenile detention center. She was all for it and the kid who wrote to us was all set to be interviewed ... but unfortunately, the center didn't want to be involved in the story. I made dozens of calls and appealed to several juvie halls, but none would bite. Oh, well. I still thought it was great that Denise had so much faith in me.

Once I landed the job at Soap Opera Digest, I put my teen magazine dreams on hold and fully embraced the soap world. However, a few years ago, our parent company had us put out a second magazine for teens called Pixie. I was finally getting to write for a YA publication! I should've been ecstatic, right? Only at this point, I was in my mid-30s and wasn't too thrilled about putting together four pages on Justin Bieber's hair (Yes, this was a real article that I was assigned to write). As Pixie found its voice, though, my editor gave me more freedom to write things other than celebrity puff pieces -- and I turned to my Scholastic and Press experiences for ideas. I composed an instructional piece on making jewelry, ran a regular feature on new bands that were worth checking out and even reviewed YA books. I was all set to do a teen travel feature, but alas, lost my job before I could make that happen. But during that time, I found that I still had a passion for writing for a younger audience.

I no longer have the platforms that I did when I wrote for magazines, but am thrilled to be gaining a new audience on my own. More importantly, I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to follow my passion in two different forms.

Please read and review my Young Adult novel REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD

Book Recommendation: 6 Seconds Of Life

Being a writer is hard enough. Being an indie author is even tougher because we have to market ourselves. We don't have a publishing house behind us to arrange book tours and interviews, etc. And, as I'm learning, many book review blogs ignore indie authors and will only do write-ups on novels that are published the old-fashioned way.

In some ways, I can understand this. It's so easy to publish on Kindle that anyone can do it -- which inevitably means that there will be some terrible indie books out there. Hell, you may even think that BAND GEEK is one of them, but trust me, there's worse!

Anyway, I'm attempting to start a little project called "Project Pay It Forward." What I intend to do is select and read promising-sounding indie YA books. If I think they're must-reads, I'll post reviews on this site and Amazon. This way, I can help give some publicity to those talented authors who've decided to go solo. I may be only one person and I'm a tiny fish in a huge pond, but I'd like to do what I can. I'm hoping that other indie authors will join me and will help pay it forward by reading and reviewing other great indie books. I'm not asking them to necessarily take a look at mine -- though it would be nice!

The first book that I'd like to share with you is called 6 SECONDS OF LIFE and is by Tonya Fitzharris. In short, it's about a suicidal teen who flashes back on her life while jumping off a bridge. Before she takes that fateful last step, a stranger muses that it takes about six seconds until one hits the water ... hence the intriguing title.

This book blew me away. It was honest, raw and you really felt for the narrator, Maura. In a short time, she deals with her parents' marriage crumbling, a shaky relationship with her first boyfriend and a disastrous freshman year at college. All at lot to take in, especially for someone so young. At times, she was very unlikeable and many of her decisions were questionable. However, she was REAL. Though she was flawed, she was ultimately a good person and I rooted for her to finally come to her senses and look to the future. I really wanted her to succeed.

I especially liked the realistic way in which the author portrayed teen relationships and a not-so-great start to college. Personally, my freshman year at Binghamton sucked. In high school I was always told that things would "get better" in college and I longed for those years. When they didn't get better, and in fact got worse, it was hard to deal with. Fitzharris ably conveys how lost one can feel during this time.

My one minor quibble with the book is that there were a few typos and grammatical mistakes ... but that's another issue that indie writers have to deal with: not always having a professional editor on hand unless you want to shell out big bucks. Overall, thought, I was impressed with this story and encourage you to check it out!

Meantime, please read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD, now on sale for only 99 cents!