For today's Follow Friday, we'd like to introduce you to Bookalicious, a book blog that focuses on reviews of YA and middle grade literature.  Hosted by Pam, a true friend of books and authors, the site provides a wealth of reviews, a great blog, and author interviews.  Pam is Hickabee's resident book blogger and an active member of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association. 

Katy and I had the pleasure of meeting Pam and several other bloggers at the recent Northern California Book Bloggers Social.  It's always great to meet people who love YA books like we do, and Pam has probably read more YA books in the last year than most people will read in their lifetime.  Pam knows YA, but more importantly, she enthusiastically shares her knowledge with others.  She's a huge supporter of books and authors, going out of her way to actively promote books she cares about.  I'm in awe at the number of books she reads and reviews!

If you want to know about the latest YA releases, Bookalicious is the place to be!  Check out the website and chat with Pam on Twitter.

From Goodreads:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

From me:

If you're a fan of YA books then you've probably heard of DIVERGENT. The blogosphere has been buzzing about this dystopian for some time.

Part of the buzz comes from the comparisons that are being made to THE HUNGER GAMES. Having read DIVERGENT, I can understand why. It is like THG in all of the best ways. It's a dystopian that takes place in a complex, dark and fascinating world. It features a strong female protagonist who can K some A. And the plot moves at a pulse-pounding, relentless pace. Beyond that, DIVERGENT stands on its own very nimble and daring feet.

Other favorite aspects:

There's a terrific love story that features into the plot more substantially than I had anticipated. Being a romantic, I was happily surprised.

And I feel compelled to praise Roth's prose in particular. I didn't expect it to be poor, but I also didn't expect it to be stellar, either. And stellar it is. More than once I found myself turning pages just to read the WRITING. There are beautiful, beautiful words and ideas in this book. I almost felt like I should be reading with a highlighter. Seriously. It's written that. good.

This one's earning a spot on the shelf for sure.

In summary: READ IT. I can just about guarantee you'll love it.

And check out what the rest of the Bookanistas are reading:

• Shelli Johannes-Wells gives us THE ROYAL TREATMENT
• Elana Johnson hosts a blog tour stop for 101 SUCCESS SECRETS FOR GIFTED KIDS with a giveaway
• Shannon Messenger adores THE DAY BEFORE plus a giveaway
• Carolina Valdez Miller is passionate about POSSESSION and gives away an ARC
• Beth Revis shares some SOLSTICE cover love
• Lisa and Laura Roecker and Stasia Ward Kehoe marvel over MOONGLASS
• Megan Miranda and Veronica Rossi delve into DIVERGENT
• Shana Silver shows her desire for DEMONGLASS
• Carrie Harris is PUTTING MAKEUP ON DEAD PEOPLE
• Sarah Frances Hardy wants to be just LIKE MANDARIN

Forgive me.  I am going to gloat.  Not gloat exactly.  More like celebrate one of those moments where writing leads you to something really cool that you never expected.  And for me one of those moments involved discovering both HOURGLASS and it's lovely author Myra McEntire.

It started in November 2010, on a trip that I never even knew enough to dream of back when I was plugging away on the initial draft of my manuscript.  I got to travel to New York to meet my agent (agent!) and publisher (publisher!) at Egmont.  This was a thrill in and of itself, but while at the Egmont offices, Elizabeth Law got out a bag (it says Egmont!) and helped me select some new ARCs to take home with me.  In the midst of gobbling up Bree Despain's follow up to THE DARK DIVINE and Allen Zadoff's second book, I stumbled upon a a gorgeous book called HOURGLASS.


I started reading it on the plane ride home.  And I was hooked.

When I got home, I looked up Myra McEntire online, and discovered an author who was approachable, kind and gracious.  We exchanged a few tweets as I finished her novel, and by the end, I couldn't decide who I liked more, HOURGLASS or Myra.* 


Here's the summary from Amazon:

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

I've been dying to talk about HOURGLASS, and finally can now that it's coming out next month.  It starts with a paranormal feel, but quickly veers in an unexpected and welcome direction.  HOURGLASS is part paranormal, part science fiction, part time travel, and part contemporary romance with a wicked sense of humor. Emerson is a kick ass heroine (literally and figuratively) who is also emotionally vulnerable, still recovering from a severe depression following her parents' death.  At first, I wasn't sure if Em was crazy or if crazy things were really happening to her, but then Micheal comes along and helps Emerson figure out what's really going on. I loved that the reader doesn't have too wait long to find out.  Did I mention that Michael also happens to be majorly hot?  He. Is.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might also know that while I think that Michael is a fine love interest for Emerson, I am crazy for another character in the book, Kaleb.  Kaleb is so well drawn, with humor, emotional depth and just the right amount of bad boy tendencies, that I fell in love with him from almost the moment he appeared on the page.  This is one of those books where the characters feel so alive, you miss them when the book is over.

There is time travel and  related problems with the space-time continuum.  I love that Emerson must face the past in more ways than one, adding a layer of meaning to the story.  HOURGLASS resolves its central conflict, but leaves you thinking, contemplating what the changes in the past might mean for the characters' futures.  Thank goodness there's a sequel in the works.  And, if we're lucky, more Kaleb!

* Seriously, Myra might be one of the nicest people you'll ever encounter in social media. You can follow her blog or
touch base with her on Twitter



Finally, don't forget to enter the PREP YOUR PAGES contest.  We want to read your sample pages!

Thank you, everyone, for your enthusiasm and interest in our Prep Your Pages contest.  We are all looking forward to reading the pages of the contest winners!  So we have decided to increase our enjoyment by critiquing 15 pages each, with one winner's entry being read by all four of us.

Remember, comment on or tweet about (@yamuses and/or #prepyourpages) any post until the 14th of May to be entered (multiple times).  And all new followers are entered, as well!

At writing conferences, the keynote speakers are like rock stars.  They are greeted with thunderous applause.  They attract crowds.  People fawn.  Or is that just me?  (I once thoroughly embarrassed myself by begging to shake Bruce Coville’s hand in an elevator.  I may have drooled.)

This year’s 40^th Anniversary of the SCBWI Summer Conference will host a surplus of rock stars.  Laurie Halse Anderson, as Donna mentioned yesterday.  John Green.  Libba Bray.  (excuse me, I'm drooling again).

But despite the fact that I now write for young adults and revere these authors with fangirlish lunacy, I am equally enthralled to have the opportunity to hear the author of one of my favorite books of all time.

My fifth grade teacher started reading THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH out loud to us after lunch on a Thursday.  Friday, after school, I emptied my piggy bank and walked down to the local independent bookstore to buy my own copy.  And read it.  Twice.  Before school resumed on Monday.

Norton Juster tells the story of Milo, a boy bored with school, with his toys, with his life.  He “regarded the process of seeking knowledge as the greatest waste of time of all.”  Lucky for Milo (and generations of readers), a mysterious box arrives in Milo’s room.  And inside is a tollbooth that allows Milo into a land of adventure, every aspect of which delights in the acquisition of knowledge.  If only the inhabitants could admit that all forms of knowledge are equally important.  And that becomes Milo’s quest – to reconcile the monarch of words with the wizard of numbers.  Along the way, he befriends a Watchdog named Tock, a Humbug, and a Spelling Bee.  He visits the Island of Conclusions (which he jumps to unwittingly) and the Point of View (where he gets some perspective), watches a symphony paint the sunset and brings sound back to a silent valley.

I love Juster’s story and his memorable, multi-dimensional characters.  But what I love most about THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH are the words.  Juster plays with them, with their meaning, with familiar phrases and concepts.  And he introduces new words that have stuck with me for many years.  Do you know what a dodecahedron is?  I do.  Solely because of this book.

So rather than gush on (at the risk of a little drool), I will leave you with a taste of Juster’s work, and hope that it delights you as much as it does me. 

Milo is introduced to King Azaz the Unabridged, ruler of Dictionopolis, and invited to a huge banquet at the palace. 

“If you please,” said Milo, “my name is Milo and this is Tock.  Thank you very much for inviting us to your banquet, and I think your palace is beautiful.”

            “Exquisite,” corrected the duke.

            “Lovely,” counseled the minister.

            “Handsome,” recommended the count.

            “Pretty” hinted the earl.

            “Charming” submitted the undersecretary.

            “SILENCE,” suggested the king. “Now, young man, what can you do to entertain us? Sing songs?  Tell stories?  Compose sonnets?  Juggle plates?  Do tumbling tricks?  Which is it?”

            “I can’t do any of those things,” admitted Milo.

            “What an ordinary little boy,” commented the king. “Why, my cabinet members can do all sorts of things.  The duke her can make mountains out of molehills.  The minister splits hairs.  The count makes hay while the sun shines.  The earl leaves no stone unturned.  And the undersecretary, “he finished ominously, “hangs by a thread.  Can’t you do anything at all?”

And remember, if you need any help with your words, there is still time to enter our Prep Your Pages contest!  Comment on or tweet any post this week and you will be entered to get ten pages of your WIP critiqued by one (or all) of the YA Muses.

Summer is a great time for writer's conferences and the YA Muses have just made plans to ALL be in attendance at the SCBWI conference in LA in August. We're giddy with the excitement of being together and thrilled with the lineup of speakers and events. This month, in preparation for any and all writing conferences, our topics will be all designed around helping polish up that manuscript for that one-time shot.

One of the reasons I was so excited to see the line up of speakers for SCBWI is the fact author Laurie Halse Anderson will be presenting a keynote on Sunday, August 7th. Laurie's National Award Book finalist, SPEAK, is one of the reasons I now write YA books. As a former elementary teacher, I'd read lots of children's books, mostly picture books. I'm also an avid adult reader, but had never read much YA. When I read SPEAK, I fell in love with the voice and instantly connected with main character, Melinda. Although Laurie has continued to write many amazing, award-winning books after SPEAK, it is still one of my favorites and one I will re-read one more time this summer before eagerly listening to her speak in August.

From the author's website:

Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won’t talk to her, and people she doesn’t even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that’s not safe. Because there’s something she’s trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.

And, if you are planning on preparing for that summer conference, don't forget our PREP YOUR PAGES CONTEST! Enter to win a special YA Muses critique of your manuscript to polish it up for that special conference presentation.