Okay, students, we get it. You hate the books you’re assigned to read. No, don’t be polite, tell us how you really feel . I sympathize. I had to read THE PEARL in high school too. Are you all right? You look pale. Let me get you a drink of water. Why, yes, you heard right. They … More I Will Pay Somebody Large Sums of Cash

Back in March, Jodi Meadows, the author of INCARNATE tweeted “Colored pencils should be easier to erase”. Now I know she meant “they should be easier to erase than they are”, because let’s face it, they are unholy hard to erase. But how I read it was “They should be easier to erase than regular … More Colored Pencils Should Be Easier to Erase

Speaking of zeitgeist, something else has been troubling me lately, and this one mostly concerns Contemporary YA rather than dystopian, although with a smattering of Urban Fantasy. Here it is: WHAT IS UP WITH ALL THE DEAD GIRLS? Other pundits have nicely encapsulated the fuckery that is dead girl covers.  Dead girl covers are bad … More Death, Death, So Much Death.

So I’ve been a little absent from the blog for the last few days. I skipped my regular Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday posts. I have a pretty good reason. I’ve been hard at work on a book that is turning into a beast (Bookie and the Beast I might call it) and listening to the … More Sex, Sex, So Much Sex. (Warning R Rated)

I’ve been resisting the pressure to post about The Hunger Games phenomenon, but I can resist no more. I’ve discussed Katniss a couple of times on this blog. She’s a seminal character up there with Harry Potter and a useful tool for examining he idea of heroism, and heroines in particular so I can’t help … More The (A)sexual Politics of the Hunger Games

Don’t get me wrong. The books I refer to below are all great reads. But what the hell is going on with names in YA these days? I’m pretty sure it started in earnest with The Hunger Games – Katniss? Really? Gale (for a boy) and Peeta? Still, there’s something so sincerely whackadoodle about the … More A Modest Proposal to Solve the YA Hero/Heroine Naming Crisis and GIVEAWAY

So I’m in San Francisco, and pretty excited to see the theatrical version of Cory Doctorow’s LITTLE BROTHER, which I’ve sung the praises of here. Being in San Francisco, where I lived from 2001-2004, also makes me think of LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins, which I read a few weeks ago. … More WHERE ARE ALL THE CANADIAN CITY STORIES?

So, okay, that’s Canadian speak for “Why YA”? As some readers may have heard, YA (young adult literature) is a total THING now. Agents are clamoring for it, publishers are knocking each other unconscious for hot properties. It’s a scary scene. So, right now maybe you’re asking yourself what the hell has happened to teenagers … More WHY WHY EH?