It's time to catch up with the Class of 2k10 again, proving that there is life after the debut year!

Michele Corriel's picture book, WEIRD ROCKS, will be out from Mountain Press in the spring of 2013.

Bonnie J. Doerr spent February in Key West, Florida, researching book 3 in her environmental mystery/adventure series (working title BUSTED) for an expected 2013 release. Her previous book, STAKEOUT, was short-listed for the 2012 Green Earth Award.



Janet Fox's third YA novel, set in 1925 New York and featuring romance, gangsters, and ghosts, will be out early in 2013. Janet is currently at work on two new YA's and a middle grade novel. FAITHFUL (Penguin, 2010) is in its 3rd printing and FORGIVEN (2011) is gathering momentum. You can find her on Twitter: @janetsfox.


Judith Graves is celebrating the launch of the next book in the SKINNED series, SECOND SKIN, as well as having a steampunk short story published in SPIRITED: 13 HAUNTING TALES, along with fellow 2k10 authors, Shannon Delany and Kitty Keswick, and also featuring authors such as Maria V. Snyder and Candace Havens. Proceeds from SPIRITED go to 826 National, a literacy-based charity.


Jennifer R. Hubbard saw her second novel, TRY NOT TO BREATHE (Viking/Penguin), launch in January. It is the story of a boy recovering from a suicide attempt, and his friendship with a girl who attempts to contact her late father through psychics. You can find her on Twitter: @JennRHubbard


Denise Jaden’s debut novel, LOSING FAITH (Simon Pulse 2010), has gone into its second printing. Her next YA contemporary novel, NEVER ENOUGH (Simon Pulse 2012), is out this July and has been getting some wonderful advance praise. C.K. Kelly Martin, author of I KNOW IT’S OVER, says: “A poignant, important book, NEVER ENOUGH tackles self-esteem and body image issues while always remaining true to its three-dimensional characters. ... a cliché-free zone filled with hurt, heart, and personal strength. Jaden's tender sympathy for her characters and dedication to honest storytelling shine through every page.”


Irene Latham's new middle grade novel DON'T FEED THE BOY will be released in October. It chronicles the adventures of a boy who lives at the zoo as he befriends the mysterious Bird Girl, and together they struggle to find their own places in the world. Irene is busy this spring with events at schools and book groups for LEAVING GEE'S BEND, and she's excited to be writing poems for Scholastic's STORYWORKS and SCOPE magazines. Meanwhile, she's teaching her middle son to drive: Exciting AND scary! You can find her on Twitter: @irene_latham

Shari Maurer (author of CHANGE OF HEART, WestSide, 2010) welcomes visitors to her new group blog, Got Teen Fiction?: Got inspiration? We do! Plus a whole lot more! Writing tips, contests, giveaways and author interviews! Join teen authors Selene Castrovilla, Karen DelleCava, Joe Lunievicz & Shari Maurer in the fun!



ONE MOMENT, the second book by Kristina McBride, author of THE TENSION OF OPPOSITES, will be released on June 26, 2012. Check it out here.


It's great catching up, and we hope our followers are having a wonderful 2012!

Judith Graves is thrilled to announce she has a steampunk ghosthunter story coming out in SPIRITED: 13 Haunting Tales, an anthology published by Leap Books and featuring a chilling talent pool. And she's not alone! Shannon Delany and Kitty Keswick also have killer stories in SPIRITED, as well as Maria V. Snyder, Candace Havens, and more!

SPIRITED will be released in ebook form this October 31st and print in March 2012. Proceeds go to a literacy-based charity.

The full press release is here: http://judithgraves.com/2011/10/15/spirited-final-cover-and-press-release/

There are 13 chances to win an ARC if you put your ghosthunting skills to work and follow the clues posted on the Leap Books blog: http://leapbks.blogspot.com/ and on Twitter: @Spirited13

Life doesn't end after the debut year, as the Class of 2k10 discovered when comparing notes on their latest experiences:

Michele Corriel's first picture book, Weird Rocks (Mountain Press), will be released in Fall 2012. She's currently working on several projects with her agent Mark McVeigh at the McVeigh Agency.


Leah Cypess's Nightspell was released in June, and has been nominated for the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults list.



Bonnie Doerr was surprised and pleased to learn that Island Sting was the 2011 recipient of the EPIC eBook Award for children’s literature. Stakeout, the sequel to Island Sting, was released in summer of 2011. Stakeout is hailed as a fun read and important contribution to children’s lit­­-- especially by sea turtle conservationists throughout the world. Recently—when she’s not gardening or preserving the bounty—Bonnie has been busy speaking about writing and sharing Island Sting’s teacher guide at conferences in addition to working on the next of her ecological mystery/adventure series.


The first YA book by Janet S. Fox, Faithful, is still selling very well; her second, Forgiven, is a Junior Library Guild selection and has garnered great reviews. She's under contract for a third YA (Moll, Speak/Penguin, 2013) with an option for a fourth. Janet is also at work on a middle grade fantasy.

Rhonda Hayter can be seen reading from The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams at the West Hollywood Book Fair on October 2nd and will be excitedly meeting thousands of Girl Scouts at the LA Convention Center during GIRLTOPIA on October 29th.
Rhonda Hayter

The Reinvention of Edison Thomas by Jacqueline Houtman was selected for the Tofte/Wright Award for Children's Literature by the Council for Wisconsin Writers. Theater for Young Audiences of Sheboygan, Wisconsin is adapting and staging the World Premiere of The Reinvention of Edison Thomas.

Jennifer R. Hubbard saw her first novel, The Secret Year, selected as a 2011 Quick Pick by YALSA. Her second novel, Try Not to Breathe, will be released by Viking in January 2012. It is the story of a boy recovering from a suicide attempt, and his friendship with a girl who’s visiting psychics to try to reach her dead father.


Denise Jaden's Losing Faith has recently gone into its second printing with Simon & Schuster. Her next YA contemporary, Never Enough, is expected out in July 2012.

                  

Kitty Keswick has a novel called Furry & Freaked due out soon. She is also renovating a historic building (1860's) into an Independent Bookstore and Coffeehouse (the picture on the right, above). It's a bit of a lengthy process and is taking a wee bit longer than she'd planned! Kitty is also trying her hand at writing Middle Grade fiction.

In May of 2011, the paperback of Kristina McBride's The Tension of Opposites was released. New York Times bestselling author of Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher, considers the read, "Tense! The constant push and pull of friendship, pain, love, and jealousy is beautifully drawn. A definite must read." McBride's next novel, One Moment, will be released in June of 2012.

Mara Purnhagen has seen the release of three more YA novels and two novellas since her first book, Tagged, was published by Harlequin Teen in March 2010. She is currently working on a new YA series. More info can be found at www.marapurnhagen.com.

Class of 2k10er Jacqueline J. Houtman, author of The Reinvention of Edison Thomas, will be a guest on the Larry Meiller Show on June 7 from 11:00 to 11:45. Producer Judith Siers-Poisson will be guest hosting. Jacqueline and UW Assistant Professor Wendy Machalicek will be talking about books and autism.

It's on the Ideas Network of Wisconsin Public Radio. Listen live and call in! Or find it in the archives afterwards.

Today's guest post is by author Janet Fox. How is this process like, or unlike, your own?

Jennifer Hubbard and I are cross-posting on the subjects of voice and plot. I found it so interesting to read her post, because we do have different approaches. I usually don’t have my novels well-plotted before I begin writing; all of my stories start from voice. I hear a sentence or two in my head, and it will be the voice of the character, and often I have no idea what kind of story she is trying to tell me.

That’s when I need to take some pondering time. I’ll write snatches that may (or may not) become scenes; I’ll write the names of other characters and their relationships to the protagonist; I’ll sound out her chief desire; I’ll uncover the antagonist. I spend hours on walks sorting out what I think may be happening and why. I’ll often dream ideas that become important. Finally I’ll sit down and start writing, organically, with the voice of my main character firmly in hand.

This means that my plots are a mess, and my revisions extensive and nasty. And that first-drafting for me is a time-consuming and painful process. But I’ve learned the hard way: if I try to mash out a detailed plot before my story is ready, it falls flat. (For the same reason, I don’t discuss or describe my work in any kind of detail until I have a complete first draft; I don’t bring unfinished first drafts to critique.)

Once I have a messy first draft I can go back and pick through the scenes and find what works and what doesn’t and what’s missing. And at that point I may need to resharpen the voice. What tends to happen as I work is that I start out with a strong character voice, and while I’m crafting scenes the voice disintegrates until it’s my own voice telling the story. In my second draft, I work to be cognizant of the nuances of my main character’s voice again, hearing her tell the story, just as she did when it all began.

I love the fact that there is no one right way to approach crafting voice and plot, that Jenn and I know what works best for each of us.

   


Janet Fox is the author of the young adult historical novel Faithful (Speak/Penguin 2010), and the companion YA Forgiven (2011). Her blog address is www.kidswriterjfox.blogspot.com.

In October, while in Minneapolis for kidlitcon 2010, I did an interview for Write On Radio on KFAI, along with 2K10 classmates Swati Avasthi, Michele Corriel, and Janet Fox. We talked about the ups and downs of our debut year and the benefits of being a member of the Class of 2K10.

Here's the link to the MP3 file of the interview, which aired Tuesday night. It's up for two weeks. We are in the second half of the hour. (The first half hour is very interesting, too.)

The Class of 2k10 thanks you for joining us on the journey of our debut year. We hope you've had as much fun as we have!

However, this is not good-bye. We'll continue to post news here from time to time.

Meanwhile, please welcome our successors, the Class of 2k11, to their debut year. Even as the year turns, fresh new novels keep coming!

Have a truly great year.

The Greenwillow catalog went live today, so I finally get to share the cover of NIGHTSPELL, Mistwood’s companion novel! Isn't it gorgeous?




And here's the tentative description:

A stand-alone companion novel to the much-acclaimed MISTWOOD.  When Darri rides into Ghostland, a country where the living walk with the dead, she has only one goal: to rescue her younger sister Callie, who was sent to Ghostland as a hostage four years ago.  But Callie has changed in those four years, and now has secrets of her own.  In her quest to save her sister from herself, Darri will be forced to outmaneuver a handsome ghost prince, an ancient sorcerer, and a manipulative tribal warrior (who happens to be her brother).  When Darri discovers the source of the spell that has kept the dead in Ghostland chained to this earth, she faces a decision that will force her to reexamine beliefs she has never before questioned - and lead her into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the very balance of power between the living and the dead.

Nightspell will be published on May 31, 2011.

Here is an interview with my fabulous editor Maggie Lehrman. Enjoy!

1) What do you like most about The Carnival of Lost Souls?

When I first read The Carnival of Lost Souls, I was struck by the spooky atmosphere of the forest of the dead. As soon as Jack sees the fog and trees and how the carriage is decorated and the clothes people wear, you know that this is a place where you shouldn’t let your guard down. Anything could come out of those trees! Also, I love “backstage” stories, so the descriptions of Jack’s performances have me riveted. Laura does a great job both describing what the show would look like to the dead audience, and also conveying Jack’s anxiety and the steps he goes through to combat it. That’s more than one favorite thing, but there’s lots to like!

2) There seems to be so much of fantasy on the shelves for middle grade readers. Is the fantasy genre still popular and what does a writer need to do to stand out?

Yes, fantasy is still very popular. I don’t think it’s ever going to out of style — it’s been a bedrock of children’s literature since it was first defined as a genre. The most successful or interesting fantasy authors are finding new ways to get into it, whether it’s a new setting, or a different type of magic, or a character that readers haven’t seen yet. And great writing is the foundation of any successful book, and always the first thing we look for (and the first thing readers respond to).

3) What is your dream manuscript? Anything you would like to see more of?

This is a tough question! It’s really hard to tell before reading, because a great-sounding pitch can be dismal in execution, and an ordinary pitch can shine with the right writer. I can say I’d like a steampunk Veronica Mars or something like that, but what’s really exciting is being surprised. I know people hate these vague answers, but the books we end up signing up cover such a wide range it’s hard to narrow down.

4) Do you have any past or current projects that you are working on that you would like to mention so we can get an idea of some of the books you enjoy?

Well, in addition to Carnival, this fall there’s Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes, Lisa Greenwald’s second book. It’s a really fun tween story about friendship and Valentine’s Day and fortune cookies and snow. And in the spring there’s Amy Ignatow’s second Popularity Papers book, The Long-Distance Dispatch. Lydia moves to England for six months and the girls have to keep in touch via their trusty notebook. There’s also One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin and debut graphic novel Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge, and much more — I already feel bad about leaving some out, so I’ll just stop now at four.

Thanks, Maggie
Laura

 

We're so happy to congratulate our classmate DENISE JADEN on the publication of her debut YA, LOSING FAITH.  Denise's writing has appeared in Mississippi Crow Magazine, The Greensilk Journal, where her story LOCKED AWAY won an Editor's Choice Award, and the Tidepool Fiction Ezine.  Her novels have received various awards through Romance Writers of America.  And now (drum roll please) ....her first novel for teens, LOSING FAITH has just been released from Simon Pulse/Simon and Schuster!  

Denise lives just outside of Vancouver with her husband and seven-year old son. 

Congratulations Denise, on the publication of LOSING FAITH.  We know you're very busy and have tons of upcoming appearances so we're happy you could take a little time to talk about your book.

Interestingly, you were a Polynesian dancer before becoming a writer. Those are two very different forms of artistic expression. Do you find any parallels between them?

I find that engaging in any kind of creative outlet really helps keep me balanced. I get grumpy and irritable if I'm not creating something for days on end.  I like that dancing is a bit more physical, and I still do spend a fair amount of time at that, but I also love the new expressions and inner-workings of my brain that I find through writing. 

LOSING FAITH concerns the death of a sibling.  Do you think your readers who may have experienced a similar situation will find your book helpful?  
I think all people grieve differently and Brie's journey likely won't be the same as anyone else's. But I do hope a reader could follow Brie's journey and see that it's okay to take your own route.  It's okay to disengage for a while if you need to, or to focus on something else, or to just cry your eyes out if that's what you need to get through it.  

What books did you love when you were a teenager and what drew you to writing in the Young Adult genre? 

I didn't love books as a teenager, in fact, I did everythign I could to avoid them!  Of course that has changed, and now some of my favorite authors are Sarra Manning and Laurie Halse Anderson.  

When I first began, I attempted writing a novel for the mainstream adult genre. My protagonist was a thirty-year old man.  But when I sent it to critique partners, many of them came back to me telling me it felt like a teen novel to them. I should have just taken the hint then, but it took me a little longer to pen my first YA novel and realize how right that felt. 

Any plans to take your protagonist Brie's journey further? 

This November, during NaNoWriMo (www.nanowrimo.org) I plan to write a companion novel to LOSING FAITH. It is still untitled, but this book will be telling more of Tessa's story.  I hope to have Brie and Alis make a few appearances throughout though. 

Okay now.  You've clearly kept in fantastic shape. How on earth do you home-school your child, as you do, and find time to work out regularly, and write and promote your book too!?  What's your secret?  Tell us everything!

Multi-tasking LOL. Actually, I would say that most of the time, I don't do any of it justice, but I'm just not willing to let go in any one area.  I homeschool first thing in the morning (if I don't, I forget!) then, head to the gym.  Our gym has a wonderful play area that my son loves. It gives us a break from each other, which is sometimes needed after homeschool.  At the gym, I read and critique writing from my critique partners between sets.  Then, back at home we have what is called "creative time".  It used to be nap time, then it was quiet time, but I figure since I'm using that time for writing—creating something—my son should too.  Sometimes he builds something out of Lego, or draws, or paints, but it's an hour just for quiet working.  

Other than that very loose schedule, I have no secrets. But if you have any, PLEASE pass them along. 

Well congratulations on everything Denise. And best of luck to you and LOSING FAITH.