The Night Owl Chronicles

Edgar Awards

2012-01-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

The Edgar Awards were announced. It’s one way I locate new mysteries because I find them difficult to find in the children’s and YA sections of bookstores, so I always check them out. Here is a list of the juvenile and YA nominees.

Best Juvenile: Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger (Abrams – Amulet Books); It Happened on a Train by Mac Barnett (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers); Vanished by Sheela Chari (Disney Book Group – Disney Hyperion); Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic Press); The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey (Egmont USA).

Best Young Adult: Shelter by Harlan Coben (Penguin Young Readers Group – G.P. Putnam’s Sons); The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (Penguin Young Readers Group – G.P. Putnam’s Sons); The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall (Random House Children’s Books – Knopf BFYR); The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines (Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group – Roaring Creek Press); Kill You Last by Todd Strasser (Egmont USA)

Very exciting list! Some of the books I have heard of, but many are new to me. My reading list just grew. I'll never catch up.

2012 Resolutions

2012-01-10T06:22:00.001-08:00

I love making resolutions. So, what are my resolutions for this year? There aren’t any. That’s right, no resolutions. No list. No diet or daily page count quota. No daily exercise routine. Nada, nothing, zip. This year I am playing it fast and loose. Go with the flow. Carpe diem! And I’m very excited about it. I’m too motivated. I’m a doer anyway. I need less structure, says the Virgo. So, this year: no lists, no agenda, no crazy stuff. (Which honestly kinda gives me hives.) We will see how long I last.

Mystery Fridays

2012-01-06T06:35:00.000-08:00

I love mysteries. Love, love, love them. Whenever I’m in a bookstore I head over to the mystery section to see what’s new in the mystery section. For a while I was reading tons of cozy mysteries like the coffee house mysteries, teashop mysteries, yoga mysteries, bookshop mysteries, paranormal mysteries, and the list continues. I even attempted to read a knitting mystery and a cat mystery, but alas I had reached my limit of cozy killers and quaint locals. I often dive into the British mystery writers like P. D. James, Christopher Fowler, and Charles Finch with their nice tightly plotted traditional detection stories with buttoned-up or slightly disheveled protagonists. Like many, I too have been swept up into the Nordic mystery craze with Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbo, Camilla Lackberg.

There are too many mysteries to continue mentioning. Though I did just finish reading one of my favorites, Alan Bradley’s latest Flavia de Luce mysteries and loved it.

My next reads are Tana French, The Likeness (I’m falling behind with her novels.) Jussi Alder-Olsen, The Keeper of Lost Causes (Go Denmark!), and also I thought I would try Louise Penny’s Still Life. (I enjoyed Kathy Reich’s mysteries when she sets the novel in Canada, so I figured I would like Penny’s Canadian series.

I need to see what’s happening with mystery in YA. Though, sadly, it’s pretty slim pickings.

In the mood for magic

2012-01-04T05:53:00.001-08:00

I’ve always wanted to do Nanowrimo, but I’m never at a point where I am ready to start a new project at the beginning of November, for some reason my projects always finish up near the end of the year. This makes for an exhausted November and December. But, it also makes for a fresh start in January. It’s time to start something new. Now, it’s time to sift through my many strange ideas. Part of me wants to dive into my next Ravenworld mystery, but I think I will put that on the backburner for now. I think I will wait until I get my critiques back from the first one and finish it up before beginning the next one. I think I’m in the mood for magic. The one thing about my Ravenworld mystery is that there is no magic in it, even though it is a fantasy novel. And I also think I will write an adult novel, gulp. And there might me a mystery in there somewhere. But that’s all I’m saying right now. Magic and mystery, the possibilities are endless.

Good riddance 2011!

2012-01-02T07:19:00.001-08:00

I’m not going to miss 2011 one bit. Okay, it wasn’t a bad year. In fact it was a pretty good one, just not a terribly relaxing or fun year. I wrote and edited an entire novel, The Icarus Project, which is not such a shabby accomplishment. Then I edited and practically rewrote another novel, Murder in Ravenworld. No one would ever accuse me of slacking off in the writing department. Plus, I had the great experience of going to the Highlights whole novel workshop, which prodded me to finish Murder in Ravenworld, so it was a great growth year. But, I’m ready to turn the page. I must admit I am a bit of a New Year junkie. I love fresh starts, love resolutions and I love the momentum of new projects and new goals. So, the big goal for 2012 is blogging. Seriously, this time I mean it! No, really. Really.

So bring on 2012!

Good News for Carnival

2011-06-04T03:57:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to make one of the library lists that go out every year and I just got the news that I made one! I'm so excited.

The Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA) YA Top Forty (or so) Committee has selected CARNIVAL OF LOST SOULS to be apart of their annual list of the best selections for young adults. The books were featured at a workshop in April with over 200 librarians in attendance, and will be highlighted in their print publication Learning and Media.

http://pslayatopten.wikispaces.com/

Time Flies

2011-04-20T09:38:00.001-07:00

It's been so long since I posted. Shame! Anyway I'm doing really well with the Mammoth Expedition. Almost done the first draft...almost. Now I just have the final push.

Also, I'm headed to the Highlights Whole Novel Workshop in two weeks!

I'm so excited. I'll post more about it soon.

L

Head down

2011-02-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

I’ve always wanted to do NANOWRIMO but the timing was never right. I was always in the middle of a revision, or I had just finished a project, but never was I prepared to jump into writing a novel in November. Well, it’s not November and I have a little more than a month, but the final destination is the same: I have to write my novel in six months and have it ready to turn over to my editor in July.

So, my head has been down and I've been writing like a dog. I've gotten a lot done. 30k. Not bad. Basically, I write 1.5k per day, rain or shine. It's going well, but this week I'm taking off the page count deadlines to go back an plot some ideas out. Better to fix issues now then later. Right.

More later.

New Year’s Resolutions!

2011-01-05T05:50:00.000-08:00

I love making New Year’s resolutions. It’s a fresh start and a great motivator, and this year I definitely need to get motivated and get moving, especially with a new novel on the horizon. This year is all about work! But that’s a good thing.

1) Write, edit, and submit The Mammoth Expedition!

2) Blog regularly

3) Finish editing Murder in Ravenworld

4) Submit MinR to Highlights Whole Novel workshop

5) Read…I hit 78 novels last year, so I must surpass or match

6) Attend lots of conferences! Many good MD SCBWI conferences coming up.

Okay, I will also be watching lots of movies and tv and relaxing too. I’m not that big of a work-a-holic!

New Year and a New Novel!

2011-01-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

It’s a new year and I have an exciting new novel to write! After much waiting and anticipating and wondering what my next novel would be, I finally have the go ahead from my publisher on the second novel in my 2-book contract. Unfortunately there will not be another Handcuff Kid novel, sadly. I’ll miss Jack and the Professor and Mildred. Plus, I had a great proposal for the second novel, but alas, you don’t always get what you want in life and publishing, so I’m hoping that this new project will be even better.

After submitting many fun and weird proposals, because you know my ideas always trend toward strange, slightly odd fantasy novels, my editor picked a proposal called, The Mammoth Expedition. Here’s a brief description:

Twelve-year-old Piper’s dream is to travel the world and work on real expeditions with her paleontologist professor parents instead of spending her days wandering the halls of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. When her dad finally gets funding to travel to a dig site researching the potential discovery of woolly mammoths, she and her parents set out on her dream arctic expedition. But the dream expedition doesn’t go smoothly, especially when a mysterious winged creature is found buried in the ice.

I’ll post more about the novel and the progress in the days to come.

Now I have to finish the entire novel in six months. Gulp. No problem, right.

Interview with Abrams/Amulet Editor Maggie Lehrman

2010-10-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here is an interview I did with my fabulous editor, Maggie Lehrman. Enjoy!

1) What do you like most about The Carnival of Lost Souls?

When I first read The Carnival of Lost Souls, I was struck by the spooky atmosphere of the forest of the dead. As soon as Jack sees the fog and trees and how the carriage is decorated and the clothes people wear, you know that this is a place where you shouldn’t let your guard down. Anything could come out of those trees! Also, I love “backstage” stories, so the descriptions of Jack’s performances have me riveted. Laura does a great job both describing what the show would look like to the dead audience, and also conveying Jack’s anxiety and the steps he goes through to combat it. That’s more than one favorite thing, but there’s lots to like!

2) There seems to be so much of fantasy on the shelves for middle grade readers. Is the fantasy genre still popular and what does a writer need to do to stand out?

Yes, fantasy is still very popular. I don’t think it’s ever going to out of style — it’s been a bedrock of children’s literature since it was first defined as a genre. The most successful or interesting fantasy authors are finding new ways to get into it, whether it’s a new setting, or a different type of magic, or a character that readers haven’t seen yet. And great writing is the foundation of any successful book, and always the first thing we look for (and the first thing readers respond to).

3) What is your dream manuscript? Anything you would like to see more of?

This is a tough question! It’s really hard to tell before reading, because a great-sounding pitch can be dismal in execution, and an ordinary pitch can shine with the right writer. I can say I’d like a steampunk Veronica Mars or something like that, but what’s really exciting is being surprised. I know people hate these vague answers, but the books we end up signing up cover such a wide range it’s hard to narrow down.

4) Do you have any past or current projects that you are working on that you would like to mention so we can get an idea of some of the books you enjoy?

Well, in addition to Carnival, this fall there’s Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes, Lisa Greenwald’s second book. It’s a really fun tween story about friendship and Valentine’s Day and fortune cookies and snow. And in the spring there’s Amy Ignatow’s second Popularity Papers book, The Long-Distance Dispatch. Lydia moves to England for six months and the girls have to keep in touch via their trusty notebook. There’s also One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin and debut graphic novel Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge, and much more — I already feel bad about leaving some out, so I’ll just stop now at four.

Thanks!

Book Club Giveaway

2010-10-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

Over at the Y2k10 site we are having a huge Book Club Giveaway of our books! Check it out and spread the word.

Book Club Giveaway

Launch Post

2010-10-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

The Carnival of Lost Souls, A Handcuff Kid Novel is finally out there.

I'm very excited that the book is officially available, even though Amazon was shipping it two weeks early. October 1st was the real launch day, so I'm glad it's official.

Here is a little about the book:

The Carnival of Lost Souls is the story about Jack, a charismatic delinquent, a foster kid who never seems to feel at home anywhere. His one constant in life is his love of magic and his hero Harry Houdini. Jack is placed with an eccentric professor and finally feels at home, until the professor sells him to an evil magician, the Amazing Mussini, into the land of the dead. Jack must travel with Mussini through the Forest of the Dead where he performs some of Houdini’s famed tricks in Mussini’s traveling magic show. If Jack stays in the Forest long enough, he’ll die himself. To find his way home, he’ll have the help of kids stolen just like Jack—and his wits, nothing more.

I was inspired to write the story after I read an autobiography about Harry Houdini and was inspired by how hard he worked to create magic tricks. Magic is often portrayed as easy and effortless, literally magic, and I loved the idea that magic was man made and tough.

Magic is hard work! Thanks everyone for the kindness and support!

Baltimore Book Festival

2010-09-30T05:55:00.001-07:00

The festival was last weekend and I only, shamefully, attended the Friday night panel of Zombies vs. Unicorns. The anthology filled with short stories about zombies and unicorns is out, and I couldn’t miss seeing so many great authors in one place at the panel. I will say that it was a mercilessly hot night for September. (Sweat streaming down back, sticky hair on neck hot.) Also, beware the crab and avocado “tacos”. I don’t know what I was thinking to eat one of those evil “tacos”, which actually resembled a squashed cheesy burrito and not a taco, with a pale green-colored filling, which should have been a red flag. I’m assuming the color came from the avocado. But unfortunately I will forever associate the Baltimore Book Festival with throwing my guts up at around 3:00 in the morning due to the evil green “taco”. But I digress, back to the panel. So, basically it was a debate between the two teams:

Team Unicorn

Holly Black, Kathleen Duey, and Diana Peterfreund

Team Zombie

Carrie Ryan, Justine Larbalestier, and Scott Westerfeld

Right off the bat it was apparent that Team Unicorn came to win. After a brief opening statement and good argument from Scott Westerfeld for Team Zombie that was very convincing, Team Unicorn took over. They started a little slow, but once Holly Black spoke in defense of unicorns and why they are all around cooler, stronger and magical, she had the audience on her side. The zombie apocalypse just didn’t get any traction with the crowd. It was all about the killer unicorns, which IMHO is a little unnerving. All the talk of impaling zombies with the horn was enlightening, who knew that docile magical beasts could be so bloodthirsty.

All in all it was a fun and funny presentation. Plus, Holly Black is utterly adorable.

What am I reading at the Night Owl…

2010-09-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

I recently read a great middle grade book called MISTY GORDON AND THE MYSTERY OF THE GHOST PIRATES. I knew when I saw this novel that it would be the book for me, and I wasn’t mistaken.

First, the cover is fantastic. I love the artwork, the colors, and the promise of magic, mystery, and oh, yes, pirates!

Here’s the book’s premise from amazon: Things in the New England town of Ashcrumb are getting weird. Or just weirder. Misty Gordon, whose antique-dealing parents drive a van that says “D.E.A.D.” on the side (for “Deceased’s Estate and Antique Dealer”), is accustomed to weird.

One day, when accompanying her father to the estate of a recently departed clairvoyant, Misty discovers a notebook and a pair of eyeglasses that enable her to see ghosts! And solve mysteries. With the help of her new powers and her best friend, Yoshi, Misty learns that her hometown was settled not by respectable colonists but by pirates! And the ghosts of the pirates are returning to reclaim a dangerous, powerful treasure they lost centuries ago. Who will find it first, Misty or the pirates?”

Sounds good, doesn’t it. I loved this book right away when Misty’s dad drives up in his van with D.E.A.D. on the side and the store’s motto is, “We buy the bucket as soon as you kick it.” Hilarious. I love the setting of the town of Ashcroft and the quirky characters that inhabit it. The book also has a great map illustrating the town and chapter head illustrations, which adds to the mysterious mood of the story. Abrams makes gorgeous books. Plus, I’m a sucker for maps. The voice is fun and light, but also original and funny. The story feels fresh and not contrived like so many books about magic.

I highly recommend this book for a fun fall weekend afternoon and if you are in the mood for pirates!

Why mystery?

2010-09-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Why mystery? When I was a kid I spent a lot of time in the woods. Don’t get me wrong, no one would ever mistake me for a nature girl, but I always found my way into the mini suburban forest behind my house, propped up against the trunk of a tree reading a book. And those books were often Nancy Drew mysteries. I think many girls secretly dream of being a girl detective. The stories are nostalgic and yet Nancy is an independent girl, diving headfirst into her role as sleuth. She actively pursues leads to whatever mystery is presented and then strangely always ends up getting caught and tied up in a basement or a shed or the trunk of a car, but most importantly, she always manages to get out of trouble and nab the bad guy.

Mostly though, mysteries are the best form of escapism for me. I love the thrill of solving the crime alongside the detective. In a mystery the reader gets to be an active part of the story. It gives us something to do besides just watch.

When I started writing my mystery, I was a little disappointed to discover that as the writer I would not get to be the detective. I was too busy hiding the killer’s tracks; you see, the writer is privy to the crime and is really more of an accomplice.

Not really the girl detective, but close enough.

Welcome to the Night Owl!

2010-09-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Night Owl Chronicles is a blog about a mysterious bookshop. Why is it mysterious? Well, for starters The Night Owl is only open at night, which is probably not the wisest of business decisions, because most respectable people are curled up and tucked in their beds, sleeping. Then again, The Night Owl doesn’t cater to respectable people. So, what else makes The Night Owl mysterious? Well, the stories, of course. It’s a bookshop, so stories are the bread and butter, the sticky lifeblood. And if you are looking for slightly strange and dangerously unusual fare, mostly mysterious, then come on in to The Night Owl. Oh, and there’s also something weird going on in the basement, but that’s a secret.

Laura