Happy Monday! Congratulations to the winners of my 100 Follower Giveaway:

$25 Amazon Gift Card - Nickie Anderson

Starters, signed by Lissa Price - Katy Upperman

Finn Flanagan and the Fledglings - Sara Biren

 

 

Thanks to all of you who follow Unavoidable Awkwardness. The best part about blogging in this YA writing community is meeting so many awesome people who love words and books and young people. Now I start the countdown for my 200 Follower Giveaway!

 

I'm thrilled to be a part of Deana Barnhart's Gearing Up to Get an Agent (GUTGAA) this week. Please stop by and check out the amazing entries. There are so many titles I wish I could go buy at the book store today!

 

Coming soon, I'll be reviewing The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke. I'm also planning a blog series on what music can teach us about great writing. Be sure to stop back by over the next month to check it out.

 

Music for today:  Hold On by Alabama Shakes

It's time for Road Trip Wednesday! Boy, have I missed you guys! I hope now that summer is over I'll keep a better blogging schedule. Today's question is:

What word processing program do you use to write your manuscript, and can you share one handy trick you've learned in that program that has helped you while you write?

Today I'm mostly looking forward to read everyone else's tricks, and to see if some of you can sway me over to Scrivener once and for all. I write in Microsoft Word. It's not very manuscript friendly, but it's what I have, and what I'm used to. I doubt it counts as a trick, but my favorite function is the search. When I realize I'm using unnecessary words too much, I can search and cut them all out pretty quickly. My main offenders are "so" and "just." I also search when my characters go overboard with their habits. Um, roll your eyes much, MC?

On a side note, I met many of my writer-blogger family members here on YA Highway, and I finally crossed the 100-follower mark last week. I'm having a giveaway to celebrate, and to say thank you to all of you! If you'd like a chance at a $25 Amazon gift card, a signed copy of Starters by Lissa Price, or a copy of Finn Flanagan and the Fledglings by Kip Taylor, please scroll down to Monday's post or click here to enter!

Music for today: Madness by Muse

Hi everyone! To celebrate breaking the 100-follower mark, I'm holding my first Giveaway! The top prize is a $25 Amazon gift card, and I'm also picking winners for a signed copy of Starters by Lissa Price (nabbed at the SCBWI conference in Los Angeles) and a copy of Kip Taylor's Finn Flanagan and the Fledglings.

You must follow the blog to enter, and you'll get extra entries for following me on Twitter and tweeting about the giveaway. The sign-ups begin today, and the winners will be picked on Monday, September 17. Thank you all so much for joining me in the Awkwardness! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hello to all of my new followers! Thank you so much for joining in the Awkwardness. I am thrilled to have finally topped the 100 mark. Please stop back by on Monday, when I'll start sign-ups for my first ever give-away to celebrate! The top prize will be a $25 Amazon gift card. I also have a signed copy of Starters by Lissa Price to give away, and my critique partner Kip Taylor's book Finn Flanagan and the Fledglings.

If you're here looking for my GUTGAA post, click here. For my general "about me" page, click here. And now for today's post, my Southern Book Bloggers ARC tour review of Ten by Gretchen McNeil, scheduled to release on September 18th.

The summary, adapted from Goodreads:

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

The review:

First, I think the cover for Ten is amazing. How could you walk by that cover and not pick it up? Once I dove in, I got exactly what I expected. I haven't read much teen horror, but this book reminded me of a classic teen scream pic, like I Know What You Did Last Summer.

I accepted the set-up to get the players on the island and cut them off from the outside, and the premise for the mystery unfolded quickly. The supporting cast started dropping like flies just as fast. I enjoyed MC Meg as the quiet, loyal friend, and I cheered for her as she survived the killings and unraveled the clues. But I would have liked to see all of the side characters more thoroughly developed; after the first murder, the shock and emotional connection wore off.

The conclusion was not realistic, but it was still satisfying. If you're looking for something with a Stephen King-for-teens quality, Ten is the book for you.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Music for today:
Time is Running Out by Muse

Today begins the meet-and-greet for Gearing Up to Get an Agent (GUTGAA), a blogfest hosted by Deana Barnhart. Thanks for organizing all of this, Deana!

 

If this is your first visit, welcome to Unavoidable Awkwardness! I fell hard for middle grades and young adult lit when my sixth-grade students started recommending books to me over ten years ago. I blog about books and writing.  Here are the answers to Deana's meet-and-greet questions:

 

-Where do you write?

I have a writing desk in my bedroom, but sometimes I take field trips to Panera or Starbucks.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

I have a printed copy of chapters on top of a piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil and covered in clear tape. (A trial run for my son's school book covers.)

-Favorite time to write?

When the creative juices hit me. Usually I write in the morning, though.

-Drink of choice while writing?

Coffee. Or Tea. Or anything with caffeine.

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

I need music! Sometimes I'll be writing, and I'll just stop without realizing why. It will take me a few minutes to realize that Pandora wants to know if I'm still listening. I'm an alt rock fan, and my Muse, Death Cab, and White Stripes stations are all sound the same these days.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

It always starts with the characters for me. But this concept came from me thinking about alternative histories, and how people are basically the same, despite how different their cultural influences are.

-What's your most valuable writing tip?

Don't give up! Keep Writing!

Thank you so much for stopping by! I can't wait to meet you.

Music for today: I Can Tell That We Are Going to be Friends by The White Stripes

Happy Launch Day to Finn Flanagan and the Fledglings, the first book in The HALO Series by Kip Taylor! I am thrilled to be reviewing it today. Kip is my critique partner, and she has given me so much support this past year. She is truly an awesome person, and I am honored to call her my friend. I am so excited to see Finn finally sitting on my bookshelf.

The summary:
When fifteen-year-old Finn Flanagan is murdered by a mugger, it may be the end of his life, but it's just the beginning of his existence. Finn arrives at HALO school, joining six other teens as fledgling angels-in-training. Reunited with his best friend and falling for a beautiful former model, Finn can get used to the perks at HALO. But not all of the fledglings are ready to give up life on earth. When one fledgling tries to go back, he's captured by a demon. To unite the group and fulfill their destiny, Finn must lead the remaining fledglings to demon territory before their training is complete.  If they fail, it's not only their futures, but all of humanity that's at stake.

The review:
Finn Flanagan has fantastic, immersive world-building, a wide cast of lovable characters, and a fresh, present voice that I loved from the moment I read the first chapter. Even with all the angel stories in YA, Kip brings a unique twist to the trope in the middle grades / lower-YA category.

I connected with the Finn immediately, but I also really enjoyed the group dynamic. Nash, the reluctant fledgling, was another favorite. Taylor balances the large cast well, and leaves the reader hungry to find out more about them in the following books.

I would recommend The HALO Series to fans of Harry Potter and the Percy Jackson series.

5 out of 5 stars!

Check out kiptaylorbooks.com learn more about the awesome Kip Taylor and the series.
Finn Flanagan and the Fledglings is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and for Kindle.

You've spent months writing a novel. You've revised it, cherished it, dreamed about it, hated it, formatted it, and fallen in love all over again. You're ready to send it out to your first readers. And it's like cutting out a little piece of your soul, knowing it will come back chopped to little bits. Like Andy in Pretty in Pink, you know you'll have to sew it back together again using bits of old and new versions, until you have something shiny and beautiful and unique.

But what do you do when your betas and critique partners disagree?

My current manuscript has been through many revisions. I felt that it was close to being really, truly done. Recently, though, I won several critiques through contests. Each comment has been different, but some have been specifically the opposite advice. In an earlier draft, I had this line. I really liked it. It felt like it summed up what the book was about in the first page, without being too obvious. One of my first readers took the time to say, "I love this line!" Another one said cut it. I decided to leave it in, and it has survived through a few revisions. In my sit down with an editor at the SCBWI conference, she said cut it. Two more contest critiques came in last night, and guess what? They both took the time to compliment that line. (Though they both had plenty of other suggestions for things to ax!)

And that was just one line. I've had the exact same thing happen with entire scenes. This month I've learned how subjective personal taste can be. Ultimately, I just have to go with my gut about what advice I want to take. I also have to keep my head up and stay confident (or at least pretend to be) that this story is on the verge of being that shiny, beautiful, unique thing, and that it will one day find a home.

Music for today: Bandages by Hot Hot Heat