A word to the wise: if your milk has the consistency of yogurt, don’t try to make tea with it. Even if it still tastes okay, the bottom of your mug will develop a fascinating gritty texture. Which is exactly what you want to surprise you when you drink half a mug at once right before bed. I know I do.

Time Devoted to Reading

I had the concentration of a tumbleweed and got beat up by a hail storm, and I STILL managed to read for 2 hours.

My Goals

Three books read out of 6, baby! That’s 1023 pages!

Books Read
Today I finished Rip Tide, which was EXCELLENT. This one is a sequel to Dark Life, (which I read and loved a few years ago), and the characters, conflicts and tone have all matured since then. While the first one felt a lot like a pioneer narrative, man against a single threat (which makes sense as the characters are undersea pioneers…) this one connects into a wider world with power imbalances a spear gun can’t necessarily solve.

There’s a very interesting running theme of who the bad guys are not being a simple question, and at one point this even implicates the main character.

Also there was a gladiatorial crocodile-human match. And sunscreen application as an art form. So you know I’m all over that.

Well, Wednesday’s scores would not qualify me for the Olympic reading team. I managed all of 35 pages before my brain said NOPE THIS IS TOO TAXING and instructed me to refresh facebook instead. All evening.

Time Devoted To Reading

Well, technically 4 hours, but in the same way that you spend the whole day technically “studying in the library” and later you don’t know what happened, but you don’t have any notes and your tumblr queue is exceptionally well curated. Probably about 20 minutes actual time reading.

My Goals

I have now read a total of 744 pages. And in a fit of hubris, I added another book to my total goal, so now I have read 2.01 books of my goal 6.

Books Read

On the PLUS SIDE, the book I started reading is really awesome.

MG Science Fiction undersea adventures feat. devil squid, dangerous government agents, kidnappers, awkward romance (the best kind), sharks, submarines and mysterious murders. You know, the usual basic EXCELLENT.

I was going to write this last night and then I went to bed early and stared glassily at the ceiling for an hour. Excellent.

Time devoted to reading

This was probably about 3 hours. For reasons involving the shocking number of cookies I ate yesterday, I was easily distracted. But I managed to wrestle my focus back to my book and finish, triumphant!

My goals
I am now at 2 books read of my 5 book goal.

(With today’s reading being 316 pages, I’ve read a total of 709 pages.)

Books read
This time I read Prophecy, about a girl known as the Demon-Killer in a land very much like ancient Korea. Except for the demons, of course.

I’d say this one is very much on the edge between middle grade and YA. Romance isn’t as big of an issue, for example. The writing is a bit clunky, so if you’re an English major, fair warning , this one may not be for you. The setting, though, is lovely, and always feels believably like Asia, not Europe with more dumplings.

It turns out that May 13-19 is Children’s Book Week, so my choice of books is not only excellent, it’s also appropriate. Whew, I’m woozy with tiredness and listening to Carly Rae Jepson to keep myself awake, but I know if I don’t recap now, it’ll never happen. ONWARDS INTO THE RECAP.

This gif has nothing to do with anything, I just love it.

Time Devoted to Reading

Which is to say– did I get my school work done? YES I DID. Kinda.

I didn’t complete it so much as accept that I had failed to complete and was just dragging out the failure longer. The only thing left to do was turn in an incomplete paper so I didn’t get an incomplete course. And I feel pretty worthless about that. BUT, academic failure notwithstanding, I’m free now. Oh freedom, I don’t have any idea how to deal with you any more, and you look so good.

I read for about two hours this evening, while folding myself into progressively more absurd shapes on the couch. It was glorious.

My Goals

Read five books by the end of the readathon: 1/5 complete. A total of 393 pages.

Books Read

Stolen Magic, by Stephanie Burgis. Book three in the Kat, Incorrigible series, and hopefully not the last!

I love this series, and I think this is the best book yet. If you’re looking for a wonderful middle grade fantasy, may I point you to this one featuring clever, stubborn heroines, a loyal family that is always there for each other, and regency-era peril involving social drama and smugglers?

I have the brain of a custard right now, so I’m not going to write a full review for this one. That comes later. Right now I’m just going to say that I really appreciated all the little touches in this one which don’t come up when you describe the plot, but which affect the reading so much, like Kat starting to realize how hard her brother’s life must have been for years when he was thrown into boarding school and Oxford as a poor old boy. And how Kat is strongly powered, but it’s not her innate magical power which saves the day, it’s her quick wit, her courage, and her loyalty to her family which pulls her through. And Kat’s FEELS about her mother, sisters and stepmama, which ring so true.

Being 13 is a horrible age, but it’s also an age where you start to see your future looming on the horizeon. And Kat’s future is going to be so bright. I want to go along with her for it.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

This is my first time participating in Bout of Books, but how better to celebrate my re-entry into the reading world than a week-long read-a-thon? THERE IS NO BETTER WAY. Thank you. You are correct.

Time Devoted to Reading

Well, you see, I can’t start reading until I’m finished with my (late) school work. I’m TRYING, but my brain is just so mushed. So I will devote ALL my time, once I have time again. Hopefully my time will begin Monday morning, but I can’t, with a good conscience, promise anything at all. Possibly I’ll be staggering to the close of an essay on Friday evening, and only be able to read then.

*shudders in horror*

My Goals

5 books read would make me VERY happy. Both because I would get to read 5 books, and because I would, as mentioned above, be done with my school work early in the week. OH BLESSED DAY COME QUICKLY.

ETA: Oh, let’s try 6 books. Life’s nothing without a little hubris!

Books to Read

• Prophecy, by Ellen Oh
• The Spy Princess, by Sherwood Smith
• Stolen Magic, by Stephanie Burgis
• In The Forests of The Night, by Kersten Hamilton
• The Princess Curse, by Merrie Haskell
• Rip Tide, by Kat Falls 

Updates

I’ll be posting individual blog posts, because I’m just that way, but I’ll link them back to here.

Monday, Day 1

Tuesday, Day 2

Wednesday, Day 3

Thursday, Day 4

Let’s pretend my time management skills aren’t spectacularly obvious to everyone, and just go through the list. In no particular order, THE BEST BOOKS I READ IN 2012.

Girl of Fire and Thorns, Rae Carson

I mentioned this in another blog post, when I wrote a full review for Scape. Elisa is chosen by God, but she sure can’t see where he’s leading her. Right now she’s been married of to the king of another kingdom, the marriage is being kept a secret and literally everyone hates her, and horrifying wizards from the north are attacking.

That makes Elisa sound whiny. I can’t emphasize enough how much Elisa is NOT whiny. She is intelligent, (so intelligent), loyal, cunning, (so cunning), and struggling very believably. I loved this book. If you are interested in an intelligent heroine, a thoughtful treatment of religion as a cultural force and a personal motivator, wartime intrigue/tactics, and/or the ending to a love triangle you never saw coming, you should read it! Also note: Crown Of Embers, by Rae Carson. The sequel, where Elisa becomes queen and no one is trustworthy. DAMN GIRL YOU GO GIRL. 

The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas

Pickpocket accidentally steals a high muck-a-muck wizard’s magic focus. OOPS. But instead of being sent to prison, the wizard takes him on as a servant? Nope, pickpocket’s gonna learn to be a wizard. And he’s gonna blow up stuff and make friends with dangerous sword girls along the way. If you are interested in clever awesome thieves making good, stubborn people succeeding despite everyone’s expectations, and/or happy endings bought at a cost, you should read it!

The Wizard Test, by Hilari Bell

I think my initial review to this one was something along the lines of “why do I even try to write, I’ll never do anything like this”. My friends talked me out of that hole, but I continue to be impressed by this book. It’s so SMALL, and it talks about so many THINGS. (Loyalty, belonging, betraying people to keep them safe, who owns the land, respect for foreigners, what you do when people lie to you, friendship, etc etc etc.) I don’t care what you like, you should go out and read about Dayven, who’s found out he has the powers of a wizard, the people he despises most in the world. (And while you’re at it, read everything else by Hilari Bell.)

Flora Segunda, by Ysabeau Wilce

Being the Magical Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog. That is the actual subtitle of the book, you guys. It rather gives you an idea of the voice, which is dense enough I almost gave up. And then it clicked and I spent the next 200 pages biting my nails over Flora, her side-kick Val, and their very real danger of being eaten. It’s set in an alternate history fantasy California, with Spanish, Latin (and by that I mean Roman/Italian), English and Aztec elements all jumbled together in a very believable creole.

If you like representations of militaries which include both bad people AND good people, crazy insane believable worldbuilding which I can’t even build a metaphor for, a tone similar to boys-adventures of the last century with all their tropes subverted, magical beings which want to eat you, a story which develops more levels as it sits in the back of your head, and/or a magical house with seven thousand rooms where the corridors don’t dependably lead in the same direction twice, you should read it! This was a Norton Nominee and it deserves it.

Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi

Juliette has been locked up by the Reestablishment because she accidentally killed a person. She can kill with a touch. She’s a monster, inhuman. She hasn’t seen another human being in 264 days. And a young man has just been shoved into her cell. (Side note: no one ever hire me to write trailer voiceovers, I am the most cliche.)

Like Flora Segunda, this is another heavily voiced book, and I do love it for that. But I love it more for its incredibly thoughtful construction. It uses a lot of tropes we’ve seen before, but in a way which feels like they’ve been considered before use, not picked from the quick-use toolbox. So there is a totalitarian government, but it’s not just one end of the political spectrum run amok. Instead, it’s modelled on actual fascist states. Juliette is a born weapon, but she’s not a born warrior. She’s a gentle soul who hates violence and is horrified by what she can do. And there isn’t just steamy romance, there is romance that is LITERALLY steamy because it takes place in a hot shower.

If you like dystopian futures which simultaneously make you glad for what you’re eating and sniffly over the beauty of a desolate winter scene, snarky sexy boys who the MC isn’t interested in so you can make sassy remarks at them with a clear conscience, angsty shower scenes, killer girls who just want to read all the time, and/or fashion as a plot point, you should read it.

Barrayar, by Lois McMaster Bujold

At Christmas time I decided to take a break from the YA fiction and read some SF intended for adults. EXCELLENT DECISION, self. This book features Revolution! Romance! Incredibly kick-ass women! Incredibly kick-ass men! Peril! Babies! A culture caught between feudal systems and the future! I want to be Cordelia when I grow up! (I will not spoil you for what she’s holding in that bag on the cover, but oh my word Cordelia is so awesome.)

If you like SF with a strong dose of historical groundwork, feeling conflicted over whether that family retainer is actually someone you should be cheering for or someone who should be shot, happily married couples who remain awesomely married, spectacularly competent people being competent when mistakes mean you die, augh I hate leadership why those poor babies, and/or foreign ladies showing everyone how very, very wrong they were to underestimate her, you should read this book. (Note, this was the year I became a Lois McMaster Bujold fangirl. I have yet to read anything by her which didn’t restore my soul in vital happy ways.)

The King Of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner

 Auuuugh I can’t say anything because I’ll SPOIL you but omg omg omg THINGS HAPPEN in this book, THINGS HAPPEN. Eugenides is the King, and everyone hates him, and he hates being king, and you wonder if he’s lost his edge, and then THINGS HAPPEN. Forget GoT, if you want political intrigue played by masters I direct you to this book. I adore reading about competent people, (see above, Barrayar) and you don’t get much more competent than Eugenides and Irene.

On the one hand, I’m kicking myself for having waited so long to read this book, it’s been out for years. On the other, I’m patting myself on the back for it, because now I’ve read her entire back list and I just have to wait for probably another five years. Thankfully, I brought this book with me to Asia, where I had limited books, where I read it about five times, and I can assure you it gets even better every time. I kept reading it, discovering new things, and making incoherent sounds in the evening.

If you like competent people dancing circles around political intrigue (omg there is a scene where this LITERALLY HAPPENS), the most touching romance between terrifying people you’ve ever seen, a thoughtful treatment of polytheistic religion, and/or a reminder how happy you are to live in a society ruled by law where we do not practice torture, read this. (Bonus round, I also recommend The Queen Of Attolia and A Conspiracy of Kings. This is one of the rare series based in a historical period where more plot elements become clear if you read scholarly work about the time periods. I read ACoK and it was fabulous, and then I researched a paper about slavery in Greece and it got even MORE phenomenal. I am SUCH A FAN.)

Ordinary Magic, by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway

In a world where everyone has magic, being without it makes you a menace. Magic won’t work properly around you. You’re bad luck. Abby has just found out that she’s an “ord,” (from “ordinary”), and has gone from a normal girl to an outcast. Her family rallies around her, but the community is rejecting them to the point of trying to tip-off illegal slave traders. Faced with the fact that they can’t keep her safe, her family sends her to a royal academy which teaches Ords how to survive in a dangerous world. And being ordinary isn’t going to stop Abby from facing down carnivorous goblins, slave traders, and more.

If you like school stories, awesome supportive families, a nuanced moral situation where things are clearly right and wrong, but not necessarily black and white, and/or societies full of magic in the vein of Diana Wynne Jones, you should read it. Go order it in at your library! If it isn’t there, request it! I want the sequel so MUCH! (Ahem.)

The Mark Of Athena, by Rick Riordan

Look, if you like other things Rick Riordan writes, you’ll like this. Haven’t read Rick Riordan before? Well, do you like learning to understand your heritage, even the problematic parts? Supporting your friends to the edge of beyond? Peril? Happy reunions which last about five minutes before EVERYTHING BLOWS UP? Roman mythology come to life in hilarious full colour? Then you should read this.

Unspoken, by Sarah Rees Brennan

Kami Glass has had an imaginary friend all her life. Most people think she’s weird and possibly insane, and that includes her. But she’s dealing pretty well with the voice in her head. She’s not talking to him where other people can see, she’s doing her best not to believe he’s real, etc. Unfortunately, a big wrench was just thrown into her coping mechanisms in the form of Jared Lynburn, just back moved to town, who happens to be her imaginary friend. And to further complicate things, someone is killing small animals in the woods, and looks to be upgrading to killing people any minute now.

I read this book in over a weekend when I was really missing my best friends (most of my friendships are long distance), and it kinda stitched me back together. The friendships in this book are brilliantly depicted. (I am in no way an impartial recommender, in other words.) Also, everybody seems to hate the ending, but I got to it and was delighted. It was just fit so well in the story! And it was so COZY, like White Cat and Crime and Punishment! (Clearly I am a disturbed human being, in other words.) But with that said… if you have ANY interest in fictional friendships, humour, gothic adventures, dangerous family histories, endings which make people scream nooooooooo, and/or heart-twisting romance, you should read it!

What is Clarion? Clarion is a competative-entrance, six-week residential workshop for writers of science fiction and fantasy. Because the fates are kind, there are TWO Clarions, West and East. Because the fates are also unkind, they are both on the west coast of the US. Thanks, Fates.

So uh, why should you care about this workshop? Why am I telling you to apply for it? Because this workshop is amazing. I got to go and I wish wish wish I could go back.

You spend six weeks focusing on nothing except writing. Your cleaning is done for you. Your cooking is done for you. (Though it might be best not to be too picky.) Your loved ones are kept far away. You still have to shower yourself.

You spend every morning in critique session, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of particular stories, you spend your afternoons and evenings reading and writing, and you spend your free time hanging out with writers. Including the six instructors of the workshop– did I mention the instructors? For Clarion East, the instructors are Andy Dunca, Nalo Hopkinson, Cory Doctorow, Robert Crais, Karen Joy Fowler and Kelly Link. For Clarion West, the Instructors are Elizabeth Hand, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Margo Lanagan, Samuel R. Delany and Ellen Datlow.

Look at that instructor list for a moment. Consider that these people are going to read your work and critique it. Consider when else in your life Cory Doctorow is going to read and critique your work. Very good. Now apply.

Apply to Clarion East (in San Diego) here. Deadline for application is March 1st.

Apply to Clarion West here. Deadline for application is March 1st.

My recaps of my experience with Clarion are here. It’s cool! Go read them! There are pictures…

I am hardly the first person to tell you to Apply To Clarion. In fact, this post is getting dangerously close to the application deadlines, because I am awesome at time management, and you’ve already heard the positive points a hundred times. But because this post is so late, I get to see everyone respond to other people’s posts, and because of that I will use this space to address some concerns about the workshop I see raised. Mwahahahaha.

Concern #1: But… Money.

Yes. Money. Clarion is not cheap. To apply is $65, ($50 if you get your application in before Feb 15th) and if you get in it costs $4,957. This includes six weeks of room, board, and cleaning services, and six of the top authors in your field coming to listen to you– but still, five grand.

Now before you panic and give up, there are scholarships! There are scholarships for writers of colour, for people from Michigan, and people who are financially strapped. The scholarship I received paid for my ticket there and a hotel so I could get over jet lag. THANK YOU CLARION BOARD.

The biggest single concern people have raised on the internet is that the expense proves that this experience is only for trust fund babies.

There may have been some independently wealthy attendees in the past, but no one in my year got there ‘easily’, for sure. I got a scholarship, as mentioned, and then I took out a line of credit at the bank and quit my job. (Side note: telling your boss that you can quit because you got into a competitive entrance workshop which got 200 applicants and only takes 18 people– BEST FEELING.)

This workshop isn’t for rich people. This workshop is for crazy people. Was it a wise decision to spend all those dollars on writing? Nooooo. Do I regret it? Not at all.

Concern #2: But… Time.

Yes. Six weeks. Some people just cannot get the time off work, particularly with the job market being what it is in the states, and I’m sorry. However, I encourage you to think creatively about your job, this workshop, and if you really, really want to go.

People have quit their jobs to come here. No big loss for me, because I was working a 1-dollar-above-minimum-wage job where they promised to hold a position for me if I wanted it. But other people have given up academic teaching positions, for example.

People have come directly from graduation of MFA programs.

People have attended while 6 months pregnant.

People have used two years’ worth of banked vacation.

People have blackmailed co-workers into covering for them while they’re gone.

Wait. No. Probably not the last one. (Maybe.)

I stress again, this workshop is for crazy people. If you really want to go, you can nearly always find a way. Don’t give up too soon!

Concern #3: But… Distance!

This is the one where I am not terribly sympathetic. I flew seven thousand miles to get there, and crossed an international border. I had a classmate from England, and two classmates who came from Australia. If you are in the middle of the US and you say you can’t get to California, I’m going to think that perhaps you aren’t trying very very hard.

Wait.

That was mean.

Distance does deal into concern 1, money. Travel does cost hours filling customer orders, and sometimes all of your money went into making out that cashier’s cheque to UCSD Regents.

First thing to think about is that there are alternate ways to get to California. I flew, but that was because I was literally crossing the continent. You can bus, or take the train, or road trip. People have been driven by family members. I think one guy even rode the rales to get to Michigan, where the workshop was at the time.

Another thing to think about is that if you are far enough down the financial death pit that you can’t afford to get to the west coast, you are probably in line for some scholarship money, so consider that.

And final point: if you get into Clarion, and you get scholarship money, and you still can’t pay for your transportation: comment on this post and I will pay for your bus ticket to the west coast. I am 100% sincere.

Concern #4: But I don’t like the profs, what can they teach me?

I have two points in answer to that question.

Point A: Your teachers can teach you a hell of a lot. You know whose work I didn’t know and didn’t like before I got to Clarion? Kij Johnson. (Note: Spar is maybe not the best intro to Kij’s work if you are coming directly from Middle Grade fiction.) She won the Novella Nebula this year, and she’s a damn classy lady. Clarion Instructors expose you to styles of writing which may be nothing like your own, and you may not even want to emulate, but that doesn’t mean you won’t learn HEADACHE INDUCING AMOUNTS from them.

Point B: This workshop is to teach you how to be a professional, i.e. to Make Money at Writing. I have heard remarkable amounts of hand-wringing on the internet because Clarion includes commercial authors. Sometimes this means you will be taught by Romance Writers, or people who’ve done Media Tie-Ins, or even (oh the horror) YA authors.

Guys, whether or not you like her prose style, if Stephanie Meyer is giving a seminar on how to make money, I just think it makes a great deal of sense to ATTEND THE SEMINAR. You don’t have to follow her path, but knowledge is power. (Power corrupts. Study hard, be evil.)

(And if you’re saying that Clarion is too expensive for you and ALSO that it has “low-quality” teachers– and that you know they are low quality because they’re hugely commercial successes, please stop and look at that sentence. People do not become NYT bestsellers because they just “got lucky”.)

So, is Clarion for you? I don’t know. Maybe a workshop environment isn’t one that works for you, maybe you’re not at a point in your career where it would be useful to you, maybe you have serious life obligations which mean you can’t swing the time or travel or money. Many people have not gone to Clarion and have gone on to have successful careers. (I refer you to above, Neil Gaiman.) But if you’ve read through what I said about the workshop and it sounds cool, I really really encourage you to apply. Apply to both.

Why?

Because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing that I wish I could repeat, and I want you to go so I can live vicariously through you.

Apply to Clarion East (in San Diego) here. Deadline for application is March 1st.

Apply to Clarion West here. Deadline for application is March 1st.

My awesome exciting quote-filled recaps of my experience with Clarion are here.

Click on any of the covers for a professional blurb, or look under the covers for me explaining why I’m excited. Hehehehe I’m so excited.

 Star Wars: Scoundrels, by Timothy Zahn.

Heist in space featuring Han Solo, Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca. If Talon Kardde was there I’d be so happy it would probably be illegal. Which would be appropriate, but wrong, so I’m pretty sure he doesn’t show up. (January 1st, by LucasBooks)

Shades of Earth, by Beth Revis

It’s the culmination of the series! There are BAT CREATURES. That’s about all I know. Lies, deception, death? It’s in space? I’m in. (January 15th by Razorbill)

Unravel Me, by Tahereh Mafi

I’m having a very hard time describing this book, because my feelings are very strong. TAHEREH MAFI, AMIRITE. THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE SAFE BUT SAFETY IS FOR OTHER PEOPLE. KENJI GETS SHIRTLESS. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. (Febuary 15th by HarperCollins)

Frost Burned, by Patricia Briggs

New Mercy Thompson book! Honestly, I’d buy it on that alone, but checking out the blurb it also promises that Adam disappears and Mercy goes to the vampires for help. *Sparkly ecstatic jazz hands* (March 5th by Orbit Books)

When We Wake, by Karen Healey

It’s a retelling of sleeping beauty in Australia in the future by Karen Healey! WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW NOTHING THAT’S WHAT FORK OVER YOUR MONEY IMMEDIATELY. (March 5th by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Midnight Blue-Light Special, by Seanan McGuire

The auditors are coming to town. HAIL. (March 5th, by DAW)

Poison, by Bridget Zinn

She’s armed with deadly poisons, a too-cute pig, and a mission to kill her former best friend, the monarch. This one was on my most anticipated LAST year, and then it got pushed back I need it I need it now now now! (March 12th 2013 by Disney Hyperion)

Clockwork Princess, by Cassandra Clare

It’s the culmination of the series! Magnus is in it! Clockwork creatures! SECRETS REVEALED! @cassieclare has said that there is a family tree that won’t make sense if you haven’t read the book so I’m guessing she breaks the love triangle! People are going to die and I’m afraid! I can’t stop using exclamation marks! (March 19th, by Margaret K. McElderberry Books)

Queen Victoria’s Book Of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.

Honestly, I do I have to explain? Just look at the title. It has a Valente story in it. And Elizabeth Bear, and Delia Sherman. *blinks at you* Do I have to explain further? No? Good. I approve of your pre-ordering it. (March 19, by Tor)

School Spirits, by Rachel Hawkins

Undercover teen monster hunter eager to prove herself investigates hauntings and makes friends. It’s written by Rachel “Lady” Hawkins. Exactly. (May 14th, by Disney Hyperion)

Defy The Dark, edited by Sandra Mitchell.

So, this anthology ran a contest to get the last story slot. I was going to apply. Obviously, I didn’t, because I did not write in 2012, but I read the short story excerpts from the others and they looked LOVELY. And I love SRB short stories with a burning passion, so I’d honestly probably be there just for that. (June, by HarperTeen)

Battle Magic, by Tamora Pierce

She’s been hinting at what’s happened in this story for two books now (nothing good), and I am scared and excited to see the story. Evvy, Rosethorn and Briar in Gyongxi, which is about to be invaded by the emperor. And if I’m not greatly mistaken, this side of the world is based in Asia, which HUZZAH. I don’t always love what Tamora Pierce does, but when I do I LOVE it. Here’s hoping this is one of the favourites. (October 1st, by Scholastic Press)

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. Whew.

Hahahah I’m posting this on a Wednesday so this is like my very first W.O.W. Ah-hah.

March is going to be a hard month.

For those of you who don’t live in my corner of the internet, have some details. Participators in the DAC pledge to (attempt to) read 12 Young Adult or Middle Grade books by debut authors– this is the first book published in the MG or YA markets by these authors. And then participants pledge to review said books on Goodreads, Tumblr, Youtube, Amazon, a personal blog or any other venue that is open to the public. The idea is that you expose yourself to new authors you might not see otherwise, and you also tell other people about the books.

In the past I’ve read a lot of duds, but I’ve also come across some of my absolute favourite authors through this challenge. So, hoping that I come across more favourites, here is my shortlist of 12 books I will attempt to read!

• These Broken Stars, by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner.
• Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, by April Genevieve Tucholke
• Control, by Lydia Kang
• Starglass, by Phoebe North
• Level 2, by Lenore Appelhans
• Transparent, by Natalie Whipple
• The Nightmare Affair, by Mindee Arnett
• All that Glows, by Ryan Graudin
• Poison, by Bridget Zinn
• Prophecy, by Ellen Oh
• The Key & The Flame, by Claire M. Carterer
• Rump: The True Story Of Rumplestiltskin, by Liesl Shurtliff

(I reserve the right to change to other debuts if they are easier to find, and/or to not complete this challenge due to life, lack of funds, lack of library resources, etc.)

Without further ado, the grand list of things I learned about writing in 2012, set down here for the sake of my memory and perhaps for your enjoyment. (These are all personal notes, they may or may not work for you, ifiwms, ymmv, etc.)

• From The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, and Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan: Be honest. Be honest enough you can make a person cry on the bus or in the kitchen because you are writing a true thing.
• From traveling in Asia: Remember the difference between being a visitor to a culture and being a native, in terms of subversion, ability to critique and how you rebel. Don’t write another culture as though they are visitors to it, who can’t judge or rebel.
• From writing a textbook: I write too slow and too painful to write what I don’t like. Unless I am being paid by the hour, it’s not worth it. Love your work or go play minecraft.
• From the reading I did over Christmas, where I devoured 15 books in ten days: Characters are what make stories live in your memory and make you love them. Characters should shape your story, not your Big Idea shape your characters. And I need a group of main characters if not an ensemble cast.
• From Rae Carson, who is an aethist and a humanist and manages to write the most graceful portraits of people of faith in fantasy that I have read in a long, long, LONG time: Grace. Be graceful. Be gracious. Remember people you don’t agree with are human too.
• From Blues music: Mean it. Maybe not when writing the first draft, but at some point in the writing or editing process, you’ve got to mean it, love.
• From a Fortune magazine interview with Cassandra Clare and her dad about the business of writing: There is a difference between a strategy and a goal. Know the difference. Learn it. Love it. Live it.
• From minecraft: If you can’t put in the time mining and enjoy the grind (at least a little) perhaps you should not play this game. There are other games. Perhaps knitting?
• From many instances with social justice bloggers culminating in a thread where everyone tore intoJohn Green for not being sufficiently everything in The Fault In Our Stars: A.) Judging your worth by what people think of your work is a path with madness at the end. B.) Don’t judge social justice by tumblr. C.) People will hate you for representing or not representing what they see as the real world. At the end of the day, maybe just strive to live with yourself.
• From reading torture scenes that now play behind my eyes when I am tired: You have have to live in your own head. Don’t push yourself past your comfort zone just because you want to impress people or you think you “should”. Examine your “should” before you follow it.
• From my dad, talking about music performance: People go to art for the experience it gives them. Reading is a performance, an experience. What experience are you delivering? Why? What if what you want to express is different from what people are telling you they see?
• From a fabulous bookstore in Malaysia: North America both is and is not the centre of the world. The reach of Western publishers is extensive! Malaysia has some of the best bookstores I’ve ever been in. But all the books were about an american life, or a european-influenced fantasy world. Even just thinking of the english-speaking world, there are are lots of people around the globe who do not have an American OR European experience of life. Be conscious of that.
• From reading ARCs, and browsing in dealer’s rooms at cons: Beginnings matter. Seriously, if I don’t know you personally, my life is too short to go further than two pages if you haven’t hooked me already. This applies both on a quality level and on an establishing your audience level. As a voracious reader, I know what I want and what kind of reader I am. When I start browsing a book. I’m looking for you to tell me that you’re looking for me as a reader. If you can’t grab me within two paragraphs, I assume you don’t want me. Some books I can tell within two sentences that I’m not your type. And that’s fine, there’s a lot of books out there. But this also applies as a reader. NO PRESSURE.
• From Lois McMaster Bujold, and Diana Wynne Jones and Sarah Rees Brennan: Middles matter. Sometimes I can’t read an entire book in one sitting, and you have to hook me again when I get back. But even if my audience does read everything in one sitting, if I leave all of my emotional moments in the first and last chapter, what is the rest of it? Setup?
• From E. Lily Yu’s fabulous short story The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees, and from short stories by my clarion classmates which still haunt me: Endings matter. Endings will leave the strongest aftertaste. Endings are probably what is going to stick in a reader’s mind. So are you ending the story at the the place where it just stops, or are you ENDING it with a glorious final piece of the story? The moment that just feels right, though goodness knows I don’t now how they do it?
• From a Readercon Panel talking about magic in cities: What is the difference between magic in a city or a rural setting? Architecture influences what stories we tell and how we live. You navigate a city like a Shared World. There are secondary cities and primary cities. So when you are using a real place, USE it! Make the city a character too. Everyone has a different Toronto. You write a love letter. Or a rage letter. But you have the subjectivity of a lover.
• From another Readercon Panel featuring Veronica Schanoes: ”You are always existing at the same time as other poets. They live in your head.”
• From yet another Readercon Panel: A good portion of SF is about dyktic (dyadic) paradox. Who am I? Who are you? Am I you?
• From Elizabeth Bear: There are three responses you do not want from your readers when they finish a book. 1) I don’t care about these people. 2) I don’t care about this story. 3) f*** you.
• From a dinner at Readercon where we talked about magic a lot: What is your magic system like? Is it friendly, wild, trickster, bound by rules, bound by blood, something you can meet face to face or a firestorm? Magic says what you value. Is magic it learned or innate? From your family or your rebellious friend? Old or new? Established in society or used to overthrow power? Is it from home or is it come from away?
• From a panel on crime in Fantasy at Worldcon: You can tell a lot about a society by what they consider a crime A crime is a crime because it hurts someone. So you have to know how it hurts.
• From listening to people tell jokes while I traveled: People tell jokes about things that have an element of truth in them. They either believe that you believe it, or they believe it themselves. This can be incredibly revealing. “If you tell enough half-truths you can build the whole thing.”– Madi Smith