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fushigi yuugi forever

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Elena Gilbert: Dear Diary, today will be different. It has to be. I will smile, and it will be believable. My smile will say, “I’m fine, thank you. Yes, I feel much better.” I will no longer be the sad little girl that lost her parents. I will start fresh, be someone new. It’s the only way I’ll make it through.
- Vampire Diaries, “Pilot”, 1.1

now showing

Receiving an ARC of Lisa Mantchev‘s Eyes Like Stars was more of a gift than just a mere prize.

The writing is rich and textured, the world of the Theatre filled with memorable characters both new and known.

Beatrice Shakespeare Smith lives in the Theatre but she isn’t a Player like Ophelia, or even someone with a legitimate stage job like Mrs. Edith, the Wardrobe Mistress. Who Bertie is and what she can do is at the heart of the story with the story.

I spent my senior year in high school on the technical theatre team so many aspects of this young adult novel resonated with me. Ultimately, though, I love how the author uses language to fill my head with the wonders of the Theatre as seen through Bertie’s eyes.

When the Theatre Manager turned to exchange a long look with his colleague, the medallion took their every unspoken word and transformed them into rustling leaves. Within seconds, the office was a forest primeval, oak-aged secrets reaching their arms from floor to ceiling like a family tree.

The Stage Manager wove poison ivy words through the vision. “Don’t tell her.”

The above is from Chapter 8, but you can read Chapter 1 for free on the Théâtre Illuminata website.

I will warn you that Eyes Like Stars is Act I of the Théâtre Illuminata series, so while Bertie does achieve some resolution, there are still mysteries to be solved. Fortunately, Act II premiers in May 2010.

Title: Eyes Like Stars
Author: Lisa Mantchev
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends.
Pages: 356
Genre: YA, fantasy
ISBN-10: 0312380968
ISBN-13: 978-0312380960

divine misfortune

From The Automatic Detective to A Nameless Witch, each ofA. Lee Martinez‘s books has unique characters, settings, and plots. There is no series, no shared universe. Each book stands alone.

Which means you can read them in any order you want to.

As much as I like following a set of beloved characters around a comfortably known world, it’s nice to have the option to pick up a book by an author I enjoy and not know who I’m going to meet or where we are going to go.

While not specifically categorized as YA (young adult), all of Alex’s novels have a bit of science fiction or fantasy spin to them, which I think appeals to people who enjoy reading YA novels.

His characters resonate as real people, whether they work night shift at the local food mart or happens to be a kobald in charge of keeping an evil wizard’s castle clean.

I appreciate Alex’s imagination and the diversity of his writing.

And I look forward to seeing what divine misfortunes Phil and Terry get into with their lucky god of good fortune.

glass houses – morganville vampires #1

I’m fortunate in that I live in the same metroplex as Rachel, and get to see her on a regular basis. She is a sweet, generous person who is able to turn out novels on (what seem to me) insane deadlines.

There are currently seven Morganville Vampire books out, with #8 Kiss of Death due on April 27 of this year, and #9 due on November 3 of this same year. See what I mean about those insane deadlines?

I appreciate Rachel for being an inspiration and a reality check of what it takes to be a writer. As her website says, Rachel Caine is probably writing.

A fun bonus is Janet Cadsawan’s Morganville Vampires jewelry, including Eve’s pendant that is featured on the cover of the seventh book, Fade Out.

author appreciation week

As a reader and fellow Heidi, I’m excited about participating in Heidi R. Kling‘s wonderful idea of Author Appreciation Week.

For this inaugural week, authors who are appreciated will be those who write YA or MG (Middle Grade).

While that does limit the field a tad, there are still a huge number of fabulous people to mention. Especially with new YA titles appearing monthly. Think also of some of the classics of your youth that are YA or MG titles, released before the publishing industry even had the classifications – such as Alice in Wonderland.

Please visit Heidi’s Author Appreciation Week page for more details on how to participate and spread the word.

Let the appreciation begin!

Marissa Flores: In appreciation for the way you helped us get out of the turboshaft and the way you helped us not be scared, we want to present to you this commemorative plaque.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Disaster”, 5.5

• Resistance – Defining the Enemy
• Combating Resistance – Turning Pro
• Beyond Resistance – Higher Realm

collecting happiness

Each book contains topics, usually no more than a page or two. I rarely mark up my books, but I found myself underlining and bracketing off passages about every 7-10 pages.

The most significant passage for me was on page 30:

Resistance also told me I shouldn’t seek to instruct, or put myself forward as a purveyor of wisdom; that this was vain, egotistical, possible even corrupt, and that it would work harm to me in the end. That scared me. It made a lot of sense.

What finally convinced me to go ahead was simply that I was so unhappy not going ahead. I was developing symptoms. As soon as I sat down and began, I was okay.

So in order to overcome my personal Resistance, I created this website.

What will you do when you overcome your Resistance?

Title: The War of Art
Author: Steven Pressfield
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 192
Genre: non-fiction, self-help
ISBN 978-0446691437

how was your day?

Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the four main characters. Each character has a distinctive voice, dream and agenda. Some meet each other right away, while you have to wait for the noose to tighten to see how some of the others end up saving and destroying each others’ lives.

The fabulous Moxyland website has more info about the book, the soundtrack, the toy (mine is on the way!), an excerpt, reviews, and a link to Lauren’s blog

I was fortunate to meet Lauren at WorldCon in Montreal a few weeks ago, and she is a very cool person. So cool, that she is having a contest where your story could end up in her next book.

For a fresh setting in a corperati-run future, I highly recommend Moxyland. You’ll thank me later, kids.

Title: Moxyland
Author: Lauren Beukes
Publisher: Jacana in South Africa, worldwide via HarperCollins’ Angry Robot
Pages: 308 [Angry Robot version]
Genre: science fiction, cyberpunk
ISBN 978-0-00-732389-0

Flipping though it, I find myself looking at poems; lines of copy that sometimes barely fill a page, and other times ebb and flow like the tide. I don’t read a lot of poetry, but this format draws me into Anke’s world. Still unsure if I want to read an entire novel written in verse, I randomly read 164:

his chair

I stare hard at Yaicha
during breakfast.

She’s good with makeup
really good
from being in plays and musicals.

I stare at the smudge
purpling black
on her jaw,
barely buried under makeup.

Okay.
She isn’t
good at it
just because of plays.

Something about those words, put together just that way, touched me. I wanted to remember them. I tucked the book under my arm and headed for the checkout line.

I found out Yaicha is Anke’s sister, who along with their brother Darren, took the physical and sexual abuse of their father. He left Anke alone, which saved her from bruises and birth control pills, but maked her feel unworthy of even his sick attention. She was as unimportant as furniture.

Joining the volleyball team changed Anke. From stumbling to striding, from weak to strong, from passive to assertive. Unable to get help from any family member, Anke finally took a stand, with violent and joyous results.

Bob Mayer says if you take the protagonist from the first chapter and put them in the climax of the novel, they would fail. Regardless of the plot, a character should grow into something more than what they were, someone who can face that climax and win over that foe.

Anke has that character arc, and it’s an amazing journey to share.

Title: Because I Am Furniture
Author: Thalia Chaltas
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 352
Genre: YA, real world
ISBN 978-0-670-06298-0

Which is why I really enjoyed reading this book, “What Every Body Is Saying”, written by Joe Navarro and Marvin Karlins, Ph.D.

It’s nine chapters cover the unconscious and uncontrolled physical reactions the limbic brain dictates in response to various stimuli. Joe is very clear you can’t assume someone is lying because they exhibit a certain behavior, but you are now aware they are uncomfortable about something that just happened. The book is an easy read, with lots of real life examples from Joe’s career.

usotsuki (liar)

And here’s a real life example from my life:

While I was working on my laptop one afternoon, I noticed my boyfriend, who was reading a new edition of what I knew was one of his all-time favorite books, hold his hand to his face. A few minutes later, his hand dropped by his side and stayed there. I asked him if there was something at the beginning of the book, an intro or commentary. He said yes, and went into detail about how he disagreed with some of it, and other parts of it made him think about issues in his own life. But it was short; he soon got past it and into the actual story.

From page 41 of the book “What Every Body Is Saying”:

For our purposes, any touching of the face, head, neck, shoulder, arm, hand, or leg in response to a negative stimulus (e.g., a difficult question, an embarrassing situation, or stress as a result of something heard, seen, or thought) is a pacifying behavior. These stroking behaviors don’t help us to solve problems; rather they help us to remain calm while we do. In other words, they sooth us. Men prefer to touch their faces. Women prefer to touch their necks, clothing, jewelry, arms, and hair.

Interesting, isn’t it?

How much more would people relate to your characters if they had realistic behaviors like this?

And how much better could you interact with others, if you had insight into how they were feeling?

Title: What Every Body Is Saying
Author: Joe Navarro and Marvin Karlins, Ph.D
Publisher: Collins
Pages: 234, +bibliography, +index
Genre: non-fiction, self-help
ISBN 978-0-06-143829-5