Art Meets Young Adult Literature

Art Meets Young Adult Literature

It's an understatement to say that literature shaped me as a person. I was reading Dr. Seuss to my classmates before they even knew their alphabet. I swooned and grew up with the sisters from Sweet Valley High. I even remember replacing my normal prayers with, "Are you there God, it's me, Jolene." Not everyone shares my joy for children, middle grade, and young adult literature (which is fine), but I can't contain my glee when I see an event inspired by it.

So there I was, tweeting, when out of nowhere, Kathleen Rushall posts something about an art show in Los Angeles. I always check out art shows because I like them and because my best friend is a fantastic artist who loves them even more. So I clicked.

Imagine my urges to scream exciting words from a mountain top when I spied what the art show was really about. (Warning, if you're like me and are easily excitable you may want to sit down before you look any lower on the page).

Yep. An art exhibit devoted solely to children's literature and young adult lit. I've died and gone to heaven. Gallery 1988 will be hosting this exhibit February 2nd through February 23rd. You can spy more upcoming exhibits on their Tumblr. You can also check out their official website here.

Have you guys ever seen something like this before? Hear of any other great literature inspired events? Let me know in the comments below! 

See you there!

In the mail... Flat Out Love by Jessica Park

In the mail...

Friday I was delighted to come home from work to find a package waiting for me on the doorstop. It was from Kristen Jett. She'd recently read "Flat Out Love" by Jessica Park and completely loved it.

In fact, she loved it so much that she immediately bought me a copy, sent it to my house, and informed me that though she just finished this book, she was considering reading it again right away.

Needless to say, I'm beyond excited. I recently finished "Easy" by Tammara Webber. It's an NA (new adult) novel dealing with some pretty heavy issues. It's a book I wouldn't normally read based off of the description. But I read it. It was amazing. Engaging. Informative. 

I was wondering how in the world I would be able to read something after it. It's always a terrible feeling when you've read an incredible book, only to be followed up by something mediocre. It's a letdown. But something tells me that I wont be disappointed with "Flat Out Love."

Thank you so much for the book Kristen!!!

Have you guys read this? Did you like it? What other NA novels would you recommend?

YA Books- From the Page to the Big Screen

I posted yesterday at YA Stands about some fantastic YA books turned movies coming out in 2013. Check it out and let me know which ones you're most excited for! I'd love to hear from you.

Also, Isaac Marion is a babe. That is all.

Read my article at YA Stands (it's a lovely site full of YA goodness from people cooler than me.)

Happy reading,

642 Things to Write About

Now that the holidays are over, things are getting a little less hectic and little more back to the normal doldrums of life. I'm still working at a demolition company, doing their payroll and human resources. I'm still blogging my behind off at the websites that I'm passionate about: Pen and Muse, YA Stands, Brazen Reads, and even a few more.

Sometimes I feel like I've blogged so much, I'm not sure what else I have to say about writing. I'm sure that any blogger that contributes to than one site feels the same way. Imagine my excitement when I opened a gift from one of my roommates, the talented photographer Chris Hacker, to find he'd gotten me a book titled, "642 Things To Write About."

This book is awesome! It's filled with random writing prompts, or even conversation starters you could ask at a party over dinner. So, from now on I'll still be blogging about writing tips and book reviews, but I'll also be using this book for warm ups and so that you can get to know me a little better. After all, what good is a friendship if you don't know anything about the other person?

What about you? Do you have any awesome writing prompts books that you use? Do you prefer your writing blogs to stay strictly business?

Happy New Year's Eve!

Happy New Years!

We made it through 2012. We survived two Ends of the World, bath salts, and Honey Boo Boo. Damn. We are resilient. And since silver and gold glitter always make me thing of New Years, here you go.

And here.

Now that glitter is out of the way, here are my New Year's resolutions.

New Year's resolutions:

1. I will read more. Last year I read around 70 books. Then again I did join Goodreads late, so this number could be higher. Either way, whatever number of books I read, I will always think I need to read more.

2. I will do more things that make me happy. I am a slave sometimes to technology. I need to shut down more and focus on friends and family. That said, I need to clarify something in #3.

3. Don't neglect my social media. I know #2 mentioned shutting down my electronic devices more, but I can still do that and get even more blogging/tweeting done. It just means that I can't waste hours on Pinterest looking at glitter gifs or reading TMZ.

4. Lose weight. 2012 was the first time I'd ever had a normal desk job after working previously in my life as a retail slave, camp counselor, waitress, hostess, and misc. office bitch. This means more sitting for me which means that I'm not as trim as I used to be. I need to get out more!

5. Spend more time with my family. My brother and mother both live in Colorado and we see each other 1 to 3 times a year or less. Even my family that lives nearby, sometimes I can go weeks without talking to them because I'm busy. No. This isn't right. I need to be there. I can't live without my family.

6. Help more writers. I remember how lost I was when I first started writing. I needed help. I didn't have anyone. I'm here writers. I'm here for you.

7. Write more. I'm not just talking about blogging because between all of my blogs and blogs I contribute to Pen & Muse, Brazen Reads, YA Stands, Let's Get Nerdy, Thursday Night Book Club, Season Qs Academy, my secret poetry blog that shall remained mysterious, and the blog I'm trying to get off the ground 365 Days of Kindness, I actually do write a lot. But I'm talking about actually writing my WIPS and giving them the love and devotion that they deserve. Write more. This should actually be my number one.

8. Stop hating e-readers. Meh. Actually. Scratch that one. I love to hate them.

9. Read more than just YA. YA is my passion but it's also important for me, with running Pen & Muse, that I'm well versed in all genres. 

10. Go to more conferences for writing and reading. I'm still afraid of flying but I don't let it stop me.

11. Pay off my credit cards.

I'm trying to think of more but those are the biggest ones. I hope I can do at least some of these and make it happen. 

What about you? What are your New Year's resolutions?  Did you meet your goals from last year? I'd love to know in the comments below! 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas you filthy animals!

A lot of people have different holiday traditions. For my family, we have an entire Christmas program where we do crafts, put on a talent show, drink champagne, eat like kings, and listen to The Night Before Christmas recited from memory by a 91-year-old close family friend. My fiance's family spends the evening listening to 70's and 80's hair metal bands and talking about sports. This year I'll be with them. And don't worry, I have my Ratt 8-tracks at the ready.

Here's to hoping you have a very Merry Christmas! 

And that you somehow ended up on the nice list this year.

Merry Christmas!

Jolene

My Next Big Thing: Bump in the Night

My Next Big Thing

I’ve been invited by the lovely Lauren Spieller to participate in My Next Best Thing! That said, I'm pumped to talk about my novel Bump in the Night.

1. What is the working title of your book?

Bump in the Night

2. Where did the idea for your book come from?

I've always been a huge fan of the macabre and of monsters. There's always been shows like Supernatural, etc where there are lots of men hunting down the things that go bump in the night... but where are the girls?! That's where the idea came from. That and years of reading Goosebumps.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Bump in the Night is a YA urban fantasy novel with strong elements of horror.

4. What actors would you chose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I would love to see this on a big screen! This was actually pretty tough, but here's what I have:

Samantha- Ass-kicking, fearless protagonist
Troian Bellisario

Deacon- Love interest / Sheriff's son
Logan Lerman

Tyler- Deacon's best friend
David Henrie

Marcheline- Sam's best friend

Aimee Teegarden

Victoria- Sam's Mom

Reese Witherspoon

Eliza- Sam's Grandmother and Mentor

Maggie Smith

5. What is a one sentence synopsis of your manuscript?

16-year-old Samantha fights monsters as a Guardian of the Day, while trying to live her life as normal as possible and investigate her Grandmother's disappearance.

6. Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?

Agency. 

7. How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Bump in the Night was started in 2011 and finished during May 2012. I've been editing it ever since.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within the genre?

Bump in the Night is probably a cross between Spookygirl by Jill Baguchinsky and Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. I love both of these novels so so much! Also, Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs holds some similarities.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My love for writing strong female protagonists and my obsession with horror stories/monsters.

10.  What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

I think there is something for everyone in Bump in the Night. There's a love story. A mystery. Monsters and fighting. There are normal growing pains. Loss. I love my story. But then again, don't all writers? I just hope someday, other people might love it too.

Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my novel! I'm passing the torch onto one of my favorite writerly people, and one of the best writers I know: Haylee Qualls.

If you have any questions about Bump in the Night, don't hesitate to ask!