Most of you out there have already been hearing all the hype about Laini Taylor's DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS.  Generally, we're against hype.  It inflates hope.  It raises expectations.  It puts some people off.

However, in the Laini Taylor hype department, we're pretty guilty.  We have at least a dozen posts mentioning her, her books have topped our favourite read lists each year they've come out and even Steph penned a love letter.  We've been geeking out on her writing almost since we began blogging.  Hey, everyone has an obsession.

DoGaM completed a trilogy that is unlike anything we've read.  Okay, there are hints of other stories and there are all sorts of familiar flavours, but so much of the writing is distinctly Laini.  And I have to say, she's a writer's writer.  She plays with the rules, with language, and does so with expertise.  Her use of hyperbole alone is nothing short of delightful. 


And each time I finish reading one of her works, I just think: I DON'T EVEN WANT to know how she weaves her magic.  This is one not to be studied, picked apart, sorted, analysed, but a story to be devoured.  It is absolutely delicious.

As a writer, it's incredibly hard to watch movies, TV, read books, etc. without automatically picking them apart.  Writer's are constantly looking under the hood, watching the pistons and the belts fly around and nodding along approvingly.  We know the mechanics of things whether we want to or not--it comes with the job.

But every so often, every once in a blue moon (sweet Ellai!), a story comes along that gives you back the belief in magic.  The sleight of hand makes you wonder.  It swells you up.  And all that's left to do, is let all that inspiration and story and words right back out.  To those willing to listen to you babble like a babble-mouth.  That's me.  I'm babbling.  You're nodding.  You read it.  You know.  Peace Out.

There are a couple Big Book Things happening this week and next. We'll let Auntie MJ explain the first one:

It's #rockthedrop day! Gonna scatter some of my books around NYC if youz wants them.
— Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson) April 17, 2014

If you don't know what #rockthedrop is, THIS IS WHAT IT IS--> http://t.co/x2PJkSxEpG
— Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson) April 17, 2014

Stephen and Matt can take the second:

Pls become a Community Book Giver on next Wednesday's World Book Night. I have signed up. It's simple & important. https://t.co/nofk55irtY
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) April 16, 2014

Still time to be a community book giver on @WorldBookNight. Anyone can take part, giving ANY book they choose. Give! http://t.co/ytv6Zq2z2k
— Matt Haig (@matthaig1) April 15, 2014

Are you participating in either Rock the Drop or World Book Night?



Oh, speaking of books around the world... I was recently on vacation in Italy, and I found their book stores to be fascinating. First of all, there were so many of them! I bumped into book stores inside train stations, on the corner of major plazas, facing beautiful river banks, even outdoors under ancient porticos...

I guess online stores and e-readers haven't taken over everywhere.


I also found the book covers pretty interesting. They were SO different from their American counterparts. There was a lot of photography, and a lot of white. (Sort of evident in the blurry photo.)

Here are a couple YA favorites as examples...

Pretty, no?

Then there are the covers that are sort of different, but sort of the same...



Isn't it interesting how Suzanne Collins' MG series was given a cover that looks so much like the Hunger Games' mockingjay symbol?

Speaking of which, there are some covers that apparently need no translation:



What do you think about foreign edition covers? Do you like them better? Do you collect them? Do you think books should have the same covers everywhere?

Revising a novel is like renovating a house. Doing both at once is... well, it's like living in the most turbulent moment of your story and having it never end. Fun? Yes. And no.  

For me, one of the best moments is writing "The End" after completing a first draft. Everything feels wonderful and perfect and I'm all "woo-hoo-my-story-is-finished-let’s-go-celebrate!" And then reality sets in... oh yeah, it’s a first draft. That means the really hard work is just beginning. Same with buying a house that needs some TLC. You get the shiny new keys, you move in all your personal baggage, you see the amazing potential—and then you realize there are squirrels living in your closet walls and the pipes burst and flood your basement, and the furnace stops working on the day the temperatures drop to negative 15 and...

Yeah, revising. It’s kinda like that.

Once you start to really tear into your manuscript, the novelty fades and you see all its flaws. You fix one problem only to expose another. Your quick two-day project turns into a two-month debacle. Essentially, you see your work for what it really is: a diamond in the rubble. Lots of rubble. Which isn’t so bad. It's actually okay. Because when it’s all said and done—heck, it’s a diamond!

For those who have traveled this territory, you know there is only one option: put on your mask, pick up your chisel, and get to work. I have read through my novel countless times, making big-picture revisions and smaller-scale tweaks. I found that spending four days getting one scene to be exactly where it needs to be is frustrating but ultimately one of the most satisfying aspects of the whole process. 

Three of us here at WHYA are chest deep in revisions right now, and one of us recently finished it. It’s so nice to have company in the trenches--and trusted partners to help guide you through them. 

Anyone else out there working on story renovations? What keeps you motivated on your tough days? What do you think is the most challenging part? And how close are you to unearthing that hidden gem?

Much is being said about Young Adult books being turned into films.  This is not a new formula, and turning books into movies has been the bread and butter of Hollywood for quite some time.  However, film rights for YA books seem to be snatched up quicker than publication. 

Money matters a whole awful lot on the business side of books and film.  There's an immeasurable demand for successful franchises like Harry Potter, Twilight, Divergent and The Hunger Games, and fears for those deals that don't garner as much attention or revenue like Beautiful Creatures or The Mortal Instruments.  There's no formula for success.  No one knows what will be the Next Big Thing.

However, if asking little old me, I'd say the most satisfying YA book to film has been The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  It's beautifully acted, visually realised and the soundtrack is infinite.  That's what I look for in a film, let alone an adaptation.  There is an immeasurable demand from me for films like that. 



art by the enormously talented Simini Blocker

So when Rainbow Rowell tweeted yesterday that her film rights to Eleanor & Park have been sold to DreamWorks, little old me did a crotchety dance.  Like, dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I could not be happier.  I can't think of a book that doesn't represent adolescence any better. 

And then I felt a little twinge of panic.  Eleanor & Park doesn't have a director yet.  Or a cast.  Who would be cast as Eleanor...who will be cast as Park?  Never has a book to film adaptation had such a challenge.  There aren't any famous actors I can think of for either part.  They're going to have to be unknowns--risky for a film company--or the characters are going to have to change in their appearance to fit a famous actor.

It makes me think that perhaps some books shouldn't be made into movies at all.

I think Rainbow realizes these challenges and has thought them over more obsessively than her readers, no doubt.  Not that she has any choice about anything!!  But she's having a go at writing the screenplay.  And happy for whoever the director will be and actors cast to represent the spirit of the book, if not perfectly fitting the physicality of the characters she's created. 

Okay. 

*mopey face*

I think there will be more answers for me after The Fault in our Stars comes out.  Someone clever discovered that John Green is the Next Sure Thing and even Paper Towns has recently been green-lighted with a director and cast.  That's big news.

Whether you love his books or not, the guy is very good at what he does.  And he's genuine about it.  He has this way of making you feel like life is just an inside joke.  That's not something to be hyped, but something to smile knowingly to yourself about. 

And I think it's probably a better formula for the medium of books. 

I hope I'm wrong. 

Prove me wrong! 

What makes a successful book adaptation for you? 

And who would you cast as Eleanor & Park?