Judith’s Comments (group member since Jun 23, 2010)

Judith’s comments from the Q&A with Judith Graves group.

Can't believe how many fangtastic authors we have lined up for the Crossroads tour this year! I created a list of their books so you could check them out, although some need NO introduction, like....Rachel Vincent, Jeri Smith-Ready, Angie Frazier, Shannon Delany, etc.

Follow the tour on Twitter for more deets: @TheCrossroadsBT

Here's the Goodreads list: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/13...

I'll be speaking on a panel next month for the Writers Guild of Alberta annual conference. Topic is - what makes YA, YA? And what's the difference between YA and MG?

Anyone care to contribute to the discussion? Post here and I'll read your responses at the panel.

I'm thrilled to announce a wicked cool event set for this October. 16 YA paranormal authors, 16 blogs, 16 days. Ah...sweet diabolical sixteen. :)

This Halloween, meet us at THE CROSSROADS: http://judithgraves.com/events/the-cr...

Participating authors:

Judith Graves
Joy Preble
Kitty Keswick
Shannon Delany
Lucienne Diver
Karen Kincy
Angie Frazier
Amanda Ashby
Jeri Smith-Ready
Tonya Hurley
Rosemary Clement-Moore
Amy Brecount White
Linda Joy Singleton
Stacey Kade
Jordan Deen
Jackie Kessler

Here's where we can discuss the tour, the scavenger hunt clues and just hang out!

Hey Kim, thanks for those additional titles. I just finished Sisters Red and - wow - loved it. I'll have to check out your book...congrats!

lol...good thing, too, because if you guys started talking beach / sun / sand...I'd have died of envy. ;)

Ohhh....very cool. The contest would do amazingly well...cause I'd enter a million times...lol...

LA is pretty happening, eh? Might have to plan a trip next year.

Nice additions, or should I say, editions. ;) I'll add them to our "bookshelf" of paranormal goodies. I totally agree on Paranormalcy - read an e-book from BEA...my first e-adventure and I LOVED it.

Also pillaged from BEA - an ARC of Hold Me Closer Necromancer by Lish McBride - very clever and funny...creepy too.

I can't wait to read Linger by Maggie Stiefvater - I will definitely check out her other titles, thanks for sharing them!

Anne - I never thought of adding a pick me up - will have to remember that for next time. ;)

Aly - I had Eryn's story arc pretty much set from the early plotting days and decided to break it up into three books. Kind of following the Star Wars / 3 act play method...lol...1st book, introduces characters / conflict - 2nd book, character(s) go dark side - 3rd book, big decisions must be made and consequences faced. However UMS had a slow start and my editor requested some of the things from bk 2 to be brought into UMS for more kick. So bk 2 and 3 have changed a bit more than I expected. The publisher was interested in all three, with an option to see anything else I write before I send it elsewhere.

That's a very smart idea. I'm a singer/songwriter as well as fiction author - I do something similar - I have one of those old mini-cassette recorder thingies and I keep it in my purse. I'm often humming melodies into it. I also leave myself voice mail messages so I don't forget tunes...lol...you gotta use what works.

I know....it's so hard to keep track of all the great titles coming down the pipe. It's a marvy time to be a reader. ;)

Great titles there, Aly - doesn't have to be newbie authors - in fact, I'm secretly trying to prove that there were Twilights out there before Twilight was cool. ;)

Please include the link - we wanna know!

I guess we should add these to the group in the book listy section. I'll get on that.

lol....thanks Aly. ;) More is on the way...well, as soon as the YAedge 1k-a-day challenge starts. (That's a cool writing contest/motivator if anyone is interested: http://yaedge.blogspot.com/2010/06/al...)

Hmmm....what if you write super small and fill up a bulletin board with stickie notes? Then you can shuffle them around and see what order of events will have the most impact. Just don't spread them out over the floor - I've done this - and then my 2 labs tore through the room - plot line chaos!

Hey Heather - 13 to Life is going to be yummy. I'm still waiting for my copy, but I've read the first chapter and am enjoying Shannon's launch online. She's got some great contests this month. Check out #WerewolfJune and #Shannon_Delany on Twitter. ;)

I agree 2010's YA titles rock my paranorm socks off...lol...

Great additions to the list, Anne. Thanks! Glad you enjoyed Shade. I did too. I even went out and purchased some of Jeri's adult fiction. ;)

Sounds like you've got the writing bug, Anne - or curse, I should say. ;) That's pretty much how UMS started. I was reading a lot of folklore / mythology texts....I started to wonder, "What if?", and began scrawling away on paper.

I recommend investing in a few coil note books. One for plot ideas: jot down the main plotline, add some twists. Write in point form and see where the story logically flows. Get another notebook for cool dialogue or phrases / words you might use someday. And you're on your way...

Here are a few great paranorm titles from my coolio writer buds at the Class of 2k10:

The YA world is filled with great paranormal fiction - there's more than Twilight out there. Got recommendations? Share your finds here.

Got any questions about Under My Skin (Leap Books, 2010), Second Skin (Leap Books, 2011) or Skin of My Teeth (Leap Books, 2012)? Fire away.