Blog Chain - My Happy Place

So we're back on the blog chain!  On the last chain, I asked everyone where they got their inspiration from, and this time, Bonny wants to know where that inspiration is turned into actual words:

Is there a place you like to write that's extra special? Have you carved out a writing niche? Is there a certain time of day (or night) when the words fall into place, and your brain is focused on nothing but writing?



I'm not too picky about where I write, but it's got to be free of distractions.  In the post before mine, the magnificent Michelle showed us pictures of her desk and it was awesome to behold.  But I could never get any work done there.  I need a clean space with nothing on it but my computer.  No books, no pictures, no nothing.  And I even have a special netbook that I use for writing.  It doesn't have any games on it or anything.  Just Word and iTunes.

I prefer to work outside.  There's something about the fresh air that helps me.  But during the summer in Florida it gets to be about a billion degrees.  Even with a fan blowing right on me, I start sweating up a storm and soaking my computer.  So during the summer, I work inside.  I actually wrote the entire first draft of Deathday on a folding table on my patio.

Like Michelle, I used to be a night person, but now I'm a morning guy.  The first thing I do when I get up in the morning (aside from guzzling coffee) is write.  It's when my mind is most uncluttered.  I haven't read emails or taken any phone calls.  It's just me and my strange thoughts.

So what about you?  Where do you do your best work?  Check out the awesome Michelle who answered before this (and if you haven't seen them yet, check out the pictures of her cute-as-buttons children pretending to be dead with my book), and then tomorrow, head on over to Abby's blog and see where her brilliance comes from :)

Books I'm Dying to Read

Hey!  Mondays are made for slacking.  Seriously.  I tried coming up with a good blog post today.  Something controversial and exciting.  Sadly, my brain is mushy from the weekend.  Luckily my parents have gone home and my temporary roommate is moving out, so my quiet life can return to normal.  Except of course for the fact that I've decided to take the AFF course and learn how to skydive for real!  I'm fairly excited about it :)

Anyway, I thought I'd just give you an update on books that I'm dying to read.  Things that have really gotten my interest.  They may be books that are out that I haven't gotten to read yet or books that are soon to be out.

THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff.  Ever since I saw this cover, I've been dying to read it.

THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF -1 by Steve Brezenoff.  Another cover that drew me in.  But more than that, I'm drawn to the broken characters.  And math.  There's math!

FREAK OBSERVER by Blythe Woolston.  This cover is kind of squicky but also really awesome.  The description mentions murdered chickens, theoretical physics, and not a prom dress in sight.  Count me in.

INVINCIBLE SUMMER by Hannah Moskowitz.  I really loved Hannah's first book BREAK, so I'm hugely excited for her next book.  Sadly, we'll have to wait until April '11.  But it's on my list!

THE MARBURY LENS by Andrew Smith.  This one is another badass cover, but it also looks bloody brilliant story wise.

LIVVIE OWEN LIVED HERE by Sarah Dooley.  Arson?  Sounds like a winner to me.  Seriously though, I think this book has the potential to be really sweet AND really awesome.

Last but not least:  KATANA by Cole Gibsen.  Okay, it's not out until spring 2012, but you should put it on your calendar anyway.  I read a draft and it's twenty kinds of awesomeness.  I can't wait to see what kind of magic they pull of in editing.

So, what are some books YOU'RE dying to read?

The YA Trend

So it seems like every day I hear about an author who used to write adult fiction, making their way into YA.  James Patterson has done it, John Grisham just did it, and more seem to be jumping ship every day.

I can't say I blame them.  I try to keep up with adult lit, but let's face it:  It's pretty bland these days.  And I'm not alone being that YA is the one section of publishing not drowning right now (ignore my hyperbole).  

But this raises a curious set of questions:

1.  Should YA authors be perturbed at the influx of authors from other genres?  I think not.  Fresh ideas can't ever hurt.  It does mean that some established authors crowding the dance floor are going to make it more difficult for debut authors to break out, but I think that it just means we have to try harder.  We have to find a way to stand out in a really crowded field.  

2.  Should writers from other genres jump into YA because it's hot right now?  Do you know why I've never written an "adult" story?  Because I don't have any good ones.  If I did, I'd write it.  I think that if you're struggling and you think that YA's where it's at, that's not a good enough reason.  If you have a really amazing YA story, tell it.  

3.  Adults and children are flocking to the originality and awesomeness of YA.  Doesn't that say something about adult lit?  And if so, maybe it's time for a change.  Here's the fun part.  Because the real question is:  is mainstream adult literature too boring to live?  There are some great books out there in the new releases section, so I'm not condemning them, but I think that people are speaking with their dollars.  Where is the adult equivalent of THE HUNGER GAMES?  I think that fresh blood needs to be pumped into adult literature.  I think that instead of authors leaving adult lit, maybe they should just take some cues from YA writers and be more inventive.  

Okay, enough of me talking, I want to hear what you all think.  Is adult lit dying slowly?  Does the influx of authors into YA bother you?  What can we do to make adult books more appealing?

The Rise of Renegade X

The Rise of Renegade X isn't your typical book about teens with superpowers.  Yes, there are teens with superpowers in it, but this ain't Sky High.  Written by fellow Tenner Chelsea Campbell, The Rise of Renegade X blew my socks off.  Let me tell you why.

In the world Chesea created, heroism and villany are genetic.  And on their sixteenth birthdays, heroes receive an H on their thumbprint, while villains receive a V.  Enter Damien Locke.  The story begins with his sixteenth birthday.  He's the son of a famous supervillain and expecting to get his V so that he can get into Vilmore--a supervillain school.  However, instead of a V, Damien's thumbprint rearranges into an X and he learns that his mother--gasp!--had an affair with a superhero.

From that point on, Damien has to prove his villainy all while living with his do-gooding father.

I expected a straightforward story.  One that I'd enjoy.  I mean I enjoyed both DullBoy and Powerless.  What I wasn't expecting was something so hysterical.  I don't think I've ever read a superhero book with such great YA sensibilities.  Damien has a wicked sense of humor.  He has to deal with an ex-girlfriend who cheated on him with his best friend, a crazy girl who knows his secret (and likes to peep him with x-ray glasses) and a superhero family that drives him crazy.  This book was like Superbad meets the X-Men.

This is a great book for teens that doesn't pull any punches.  I hope there's a sequel because I'd love to see more of Damien's world and how he handles having his X.

Go buy it.  You won't be sorry!

My Third Person Voice

So my baby's been out in the world for a week.  I'm not sure what it means.  Most people seem to be able to find it.  Borders seems to carry it more consistently, but I haven't heard of too many problems finding it at BN either.  If your local indie doesn't have it, let them know they should!  Also, I'll be signing some stock at a couple of BN's this week, so if you're in FL and want a signed copy, I'll let you know where they'll be.

But on to other things:

I've been working on a middle grade book.  I tried to write one during NaNo last year.  I finished it but I haven't been able to make it right.  Most of the stories I write are in first person.  I love FP.  It gets me closer to the readers.  I can take them into the narrator's head in ways that third person can't.

However, this particular MG NEEDS to be in third person.  So I've been trying to do that.  Now, when I start a novel in FP, the first thing I have to hear is the narrator's voice.  I can't start until I hear that.  In the case of Ollie, it was irreverent.  In other cases, it's mysterious or cocky.  But in all cases, it's unique.  But my third person voice has always been a stodgy old Brit who sounds like he's narrating something on the history channel.  In other words:  BORING.

I kept writing and deleting, writing and deleting.  My theory is that if I'm bored writing it, you'll be bored reading it.  So last night, I decided to try something.  I created a character.  A peeping Tom, if you will.  Someone who could watch the story unfold but not be part of it. He was a little wicked, and he knew things he wasn't supposed to.

It helped me break out of the boring mode of writing and spruced up my third person voice.

So tell me:  How do YOU do a third person voice?

Updates

It's Monday so I haven't really gotten it together yet.  I'll be better tomorrow and have a really great post for you on something.  Not sure what. :)

I'm extending the SHOW ME YOUR DEATHDAY contest.  There have been so many amazing entries and I want more.  I'm greedy that way.  So we'll go to the end of the month.  And just to sweeten the pot, I'll add another prize if I get the following pictures:

One in front of/on/near a lighthouse.
One with fried chicken (of vegan substitute).
One with someone's grandmother.
One with Dave Matthews (be creative!)
One at the beach.

As for the prize...If I get all five of those pictures, I'll add a $50 gift certificate to Powell's bookstore.  Cool?  Cool.  Now spread the word!

Happy Monday!

Sky Diving Video

Okay, last post about this, I promise.  Anyway, there's not a lot of talking on this, but the gist is that when I got in the plane, I started thinking, "Oh God, oh God, what am I doing?"  My heart was beating so quickly that I thought I was going to pass out.

Then they make you stand on this 4" ledge while the guy you're tandem with holds on.  You stare down and hold onto the straps of your harness.  Then he heaves forward and you fall.  I can't describe the feeling of standing in the door of the plane looking out over all that sky, knowing I was going to be falling downward.  It was completely insane.    Anyway, here's the video.  And there are more pictures below that.



My First Skydive from Shaun Hutchinson on Vimeo.

Operation My Big Fat Butt RESULTS

So I missed posting this on Tuesday because there was something else going on.  I'm not sure what it was, but it had to be something kind of important.

Anyway, I began keeping score at 215 lbs.  My goal was to get down to 175 lbs by June 15.  I promised to donate one book for every pounds lost and 50 books if I made 175. 

My official June 15 weight was:  184 lbs. 

215 - 184 = 31 lbs!

So that's 31 books to be donated.  But I'm not going to short kids books just because I couldn't drop those nine pesky pounds, so I'm going to do 50 books anyway.  Now, here's where I need your help:  Where should I donate them?  I've thought about the local library.  But I'm wondering if there might be places that are more needy.  Not that libraries aren't needy, but is there anywhere that might really have a dire need for books?  Tell me in the comments!

Deathday Letter THE PARTY!

So yesterday was really special and awesome.  I've been getting tons of amazing pictures.  Keep sending your pictures of you (or your children) with the book for a chance to win a Pulse Prize Pack!

The best part of yesterday was the little party my mom and friends put together.  We went to a restaurant in Jupiter.  I nearly got into a fist fight with the valet company.  It was a great chance to chill out with my family and some friends and bask in the release of my first book.  But the best part was when they brought out my cake.

Okay, so I was expecting that someone would get a cake.  I figured it'd be one of those airbrush deals where the top looks like they photocopied an image onto the cake.  And that's what it was supposed to be too.  But the bakers at my local Publix (a grocery store for those not in the south) decided to go above and beyond.  They hand decorated this entire thing.  They went so far above and beyond that I can't even believe it.

And the best part of all:  It was filled with a layer of chocolate pudding.  If you've read the book, you'll get the significance.  If not, read it and you'll understand.

Anyway.  I have the best friends and family ever.  Thank you all for your support :)

Happy Deathday

Almost two years ago, I sat down to write the story of a young boy named Ollie who only had one day to live.  Back then, I was scared of death.  Scared that I wouldn't be able to finish everything I wanted to do in life, scared that friends or family members were going to disappear from my life without giving me the chance to say goodbye.

But The Deathday Letter didn't turn out to be a book about death.  It turned out to be a book affirming life. For me, it became a symbol for how I wanted to live.  Ollie's adventure is, flat out, balls-to-the-wall insanity.  By the end of his day, he accomplishes more that most people do in their entire lives.

That's why I wanted to jump out of a plane.  It wasn't just a publicity stunt.  It wasn't just a 1/3 life crisis.  Standing on a four inch ledge, staring out of a plane, preparing to jump, was the most alive I've ever felt.  My jump instructor told me after that I'd never be able to explain jumping to someone who'd never done it, but I think I can.  In fact, I think I already have.  And if you read the book, I think you'll understand too.

Because Ollie doesn't just die in this book.  And he doesn't just seize the day.  He stares out that open door, through the clouds to the ground below, where life and death are meaningless.  Where all that matters is whether or not you have the courage to jump.  And Ollie jumps.

So today, on Ollie's deathday, on the release of my very first book, I invite everyone out there to jump too. Don't worry about living or dying.  Just take a leap into the unknown and enjoy the ride.  I know I sure have.

If I Had One Day to Live

I'd skydive again.  You guys, it was awesome.  The video is coming.  They were going to give it to me today, but we ran out of time.  So here are my pictures.  And when I get the video I'll do a whole post about my skydiving adventure.  For now I'll just say that it was a brilliant, brilliant, life changing experience.  Just wow.

And keep the entries coming for SHOW ME YOUR DEATHDAY LETTER!

AWESOME CONTEST 2 - SHOW ME YOUR DEATHDAY LETTER

Happy Monday!

So before I announce the second contest, I want to announce the winner of AWESOME CONEST #1:

LAURIE LAMB!  Laurie, email me at shaun@shaundavidhutchinson.com with your address so I can send you your prize.

And I want to thank everyone for entering and just being awesome.  If you haven't seen some of the postcards that were done, go check out Sarah's and Michelle's.  These are just so cool.  I'm floored and awed and inspired by all of you.

Now for AWESOME CONEST #2:

Your job:  Show me your Deathday Letters.

Your prize:  A three-pack of awesome Pulse books.

The Winners:  There will be two winners.  One chosen at random and another chosen for most creative picture.

Here's what you have to do:

Send me a picture of you with your copy of THE DEATHDAY LETTER.  Get creative!  Take pictures at the beach, in a tanning bed, in the dairy aisle of the grocery store, anywhere!  Email them to shaun@shaundavidhutchinson.com  I'll put them up in this awesome gallery.  And that's it!  The winner will be chosen Monday the 21st.

Now get on out there and SHOW ME YOUR DEATHDAY LETTERS!




Hey, and check out this rad interview friend of the blog T.J. did.  I had a really great time with this!

So, Best Day EVER

Hey!  So I'll be announcing the winner of the AWESOME CONTEST #1 on Monday morning and announcing AWESOME CONTEST #2 at the same time, so tune in!

Today was really amazing.  I drove to to Jensen Beach to meet fellow Tenner Christina Diaz Gonzalez, author of THE RED UMBRELLA.  Not only is it an amazing book, but Christina is just a class act.  She's funny and sweet.  I'm a shy person by nature, but seeing her work with people was such a great experience.  She introduced me to the manager of the BN who ordered some of my books so that I could sign them.  It was really just a fun great time.

On the way there, my friend Pam and I stopped at a Books-A-Million just to see if my book was on shelves there yet.  I'd been hearing rumors of it showing up in stores and wanted to see it for myself.  Well, it was there.  I just about peed my pants.  And I definitely scared a couple of patrons.  There were two girls there, and they were staring at me like I was completely insane.  So I handed them the book and told them about it and then ran!  I am a SHY person.

After meeting Christina, we went across the street to the Borders to see if THEY had Deathday Letter in stock.  They had one copy.  Pam was squealing and I was being bashful.  Well there was this totally sweet girl there named Kelsey who was just about as shy as I was.  She asked me if I'd sign the book for her right there so she could go buy it.  When I say that it made my day, you have no idea.  It was the first time I'd signed a book for someone I'd never met, and Kelsey was so cool about it.

It was an all around amazing thing for me.  It was one of those experiences I'll never get to do over and it was perfect.  Kelsey, if you're out there:  I really hope you enjoy the book!  YOU ROCK!

Blog Chain: Using Your Muse

Hey all!  Welcome to another round of the blog chain.  This one is chosen by me :)  Sadly I'm a day behind so this should have been up yesterday, but I dropped the ball.  Anyway.  Here's what I want to know:

From where do you get your inspiration for stories?  Give me the oddest, coolest, things that have inspired you.

I think I've told the story about how Deathday was inspired by my mom's heart trouble a couple of years ago.  But most of my other stuff comes from downright odd places.  For instance, I finished a draft of a story about a boy living in a hospital who may or may not have superpowers.  The inspiration for that came from an episode of Private Practice of all things.  As much as it pains me to admit that I watched even one single episode of that show, had I not, I never would have been inspired to write the story.

A middle grade novel I've been working on was inspired by a problem I was having with my computer.  I was so frustrated working with Photoshop.  I kept making mistakes and I wished that we had an undo button for everything.  Thus the story of Jonah Button was born.  A story about a boy whose destiny it was to be undone.

I've gotten inspiration from words in songs, lines in poems, paintings, bad television, and even dreams...though dreams tend to produce the least workable ideas for me.  But the oddest place I ever got an idea from was a soda can.  It was one of those energy drinks with this alien looking green on it, and I was struck with this idea for a bunch of kids who are all strong out on mental performance enhancing drugs, so much so that odd things begin happening to them.

Not every inspired idea works out, nor should they all, but there's inspiration all around.  The only limitation is how open to it we are.

So, head on over to Abby's blog and see what inspires her brilliance!

Agent Interview - Chris "I Totally Heart Vampires" Richman

My history with Chris Richman, super agent at Upstart Crow Literary, goes back nearly 2 years when he sent me the email that changed my life:

I am Mrs.Rita Rahim, the wife of Mr Ali Rahim both citizens of the

Tunisian.My husband worked with the Chevron in Russia for twenty years

before he died in the year 2003 When my late husband was alive,he deposited

the sum of 7.5 Million POUNDS in a Bank in Europe.

Wait.  That's not the right email.  Anyway, Chris was awesome enough to answer some questions for me.  So here's everything you wanted to know about Chris but were afraid to ask:

Chris, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions.  You're not just an agent, you're my agent.  Tell me about your dream project.

Glad to be here! No matter what happens with the rest of my career—whether I get abducted by aliens or finally hit a growth spurt and make the NBA—nothing will ever change the fact that the second client I ever signed was one Shaun Hutchinson. I’m so excited that your book is finally making its way to the public!

Dream project...that’s definitely a tough question. I like a lot of the projects I represent for different reasons, and I don’t know that there’s one out there that would stand above all others. But I guess if I’m forced to pick, I’d love something like the Harry Potter books. Not just because they’re the most successful books in the history of words and reading, although that helps, but because they’ve got such intrigue, and humor, and wonderful characters, and twists and turns, and tension, and moments of fun and mystery. Not every page, character, or plot line was perfectly executed, but they were much more right than wrong, and they were such fun to read. Plus the huge mounds of money they made helps, too.

You have a background in comedy, having written for The Onion and CollegeHumor.com http://CollegeHumor.com .  Do you think there's an untapped market for really funny books geared toward boys?


I don’t know if the market is untapped, exactly. There are writers out there like Jeff Kinney, M.T. Anderson, Daniel Handler, Adam Rex and many more doing it and doing it well. But that’s more for middle grade. When it comes to teen books for boys, there’s definitely been a self-fulfilling prophecy in which publishers say, “Oh, boys don’t read,” so they don’t publish books for boy readers, and then the boys, well, don’t read.

I’d love to see more funny books getting published for boys, but it’s true that they’re a tough audience to reach. It seems teenage boys would much rather watch funny movies, shows, or videos online than pick up a book. If they ARE still reading into their teens, they’re probably reading books for adults. When I was a teenager, I was reading a lot of James Thurber and Dave Barry, and thought CATCH-22 and A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES were pretty darn funny. Of course, if someone had handed 15 year-old-me a copy of THE DEATHDAY LETTER, I would have loved it.

My hope is that as publishers are willing to take more risks on funny books for boys, more will reach their target audience and the demand will increase. Fingers crossed! 

I know you do a lot of reading for your job, but what are the last three books that were so good you couldn't put them down?

I don’t have the time to read nearly as many adult books as I would like, so I spend most of my time reading either submissions sent my way or recently published middle grade and YA novels. So with that in mind, the last three books I ripped through when I should have been doing other work were Suzanne Collins’ CATCHING FIRE, Marcus Zuzak’s THE BOOK THIEF (I’m currently reading I AM THE MESSENGER and loving it), and Rebecca Stead’s WHEN YOU REACH ME.   

What mistake do you see a lot of writers making?

A lot of beginners send out their work before it’s ready, and don’t take the time to make sure it works on all levels. Trust me, you have to do a lot of writing before you get good at it, so don’t be afraid to experiment and get some things wrong before you figure everything out. 

You're stranded in the mountains with Betty White, Tina Fey pretending to be Sarah Palin, and the cast of GLEE.  What song would you have to perform with the cast of GLEE, and who gets eaten first?

I’m a horrible singer, but I’ve always said if I ever were to do karaoke, it would be to Rusted Root’s Send Me on my Way. Not because it’s the best song ever or anything, but because I find the way the dude sings hilarious, and do a good imitation of his garbled lyrics. I guess the cast of GLEE could do the background mumbles or something although, I have to admit, I’ve never seen the show. So to answer who gets eaten first, I guess whoever is the least talented member of the cast? That way we don’t eat Betty White, who I’m sure won’t taste good, and we can see some terrific improv between Tina Fey and Jane Lynch, two of the funniest women working today.

One of the big new trends is mashing up old literature with paranormal creatures (like ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER).  What classic book would you mash with what creature?  And don't even think about stealing Huckleberry Finn Rises Again...I've totally got dibs. 

I like the Huckleberry Finn idea. It could start when Tom Sawyer fakes his own death and watches the funeral...maybe he actually DOES die and then comes back to life. Let’s talk about this idea some more, okay?

As for mine, it’s a tie between THE GRAPES (AND DRAGONS) OF WRATH, because, let’s face it, although those Tom Joad and company had it rough, it would have been WAY worse with fire-breathing monsters after them, and THE GREAT UNDEAD GATSBY. I know the zombie thing has already been explored, but it’s so damn funny, and I’d love to see the clash between old money, new money, and the money used by the living dead. Maybe Gatsby was a necromancer instead of a bootlegger? Jeez, I don’t want to give away too many of these ideas...they’re solid gold! 

Smurfs or Thundercats?

Thundersmurfs. Coffee or Coffee?

I’ve actually just quit drinking coffee. I’ve also given up telling the truth. 

Tell me the truth: Lady Gaga's a cyborg from the future, right?

You’ll have to read Matt Myklusch’s JACK BLANK AND THE IMAGINE NATION to find out. Stay tuned! Who wins in a fight: Chuck Norris or Samuel L. Jackson?

The only thing Samuel L. Jackson could beat Chuck Norris in is a “using your middle initial” contest. Otherwise, Chuck Norris wins, beards-down. You have 24 hours to live, give me the rated PG highlights.

Man, this is such a tough question. As soon as I got my deathday letter, I’d call all my family and best friends from around the country and get them on flights to come hang out. Then I’d host an epic cookout with games of whiffle ball, my favorite totally-bad-for-you foods (bacon, pizza, french fries, donuts et al), and all my favorite bands I could convince to come and play for what little money I could pay them. It would pass too quickly and I wouldn’t get to see everyone I knew and cared about, but I’d be mostly concerned with having fun and saying goodbye in style.   

Thanks for being a good sport, Chris.  Anything you want to say before you go?  

Yes. Readers of this blog...buy Shaun’s book, read Shaun’s book, and convince others to buy Shaun’s book, too!

A Brief Interlude

I love all the great posts and seeing all the Deathday twitter icons.  You all are the best!

So I'm down to 186 in my fight to lose weight.  That means so far I'm up to 29 books to donate!  Now I have to figure out where to donate them to.  Any ideas?  I'm also 11 pounds off my goal, but I'm still working at it.

I've never been what you call a crusader.  I'm ashamed to admit that I'm fairly uneducated when it comes to the environmental challenges that face us.  I mean, I have my things.  I try to stick to antibiotic free meats and eggs, I try to buy local produce, and I do my best not to waste too much.  But other than that, I'm pretty dumb to all this stuff.

However when I read things or see shows, it scares the crap out of me.  For instance, my best friend got me watching Whale Wars about the Sea Shepherds and their quest to save the whales from the Japanese whaling fleet.  Now, when I first began, I thought they were a bunch of nut jobs.  Most of the world has agreed to a ban on whaling.  Yet the Japanese are allowed to hunt whales for "research purposes."  I thought, "Okay, so like a couple of whales, right?"  No.  Like 900 whales.  And some are even endangered.  They're also allowed to sell the meat.  What kind of research requires 900 dead whales per year?  For real!  Did we learn nothing from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home?  If there are no whales, aliens will kill us.

I'm making jokes about a serious issue.  And it's not just THIS issue.  There are actually people out there who believe that global warming is a hoax.  That we'll have enough oil to last FOREVER.  And that scares me senseless.  If you haven't seen anything about what the Sea Shepherds are doing, you should go take a look.  It'll blow your mind.

Hey!  Tomorrow I'll have an interview with my awesome agent, Chris "I love Glee SO much" Richman of Upstart Crow Literary, so check on back.  And keep being awesome!

Review: HARMONIC FEEDBACK

One of the things I hate most about YA is books that TRY to be authentically teen but come across forced and fake.  The kind where all the teens sound 25.  It's pretty rare, in my opinion, to get a book that feels real and raw and totally authentic.  And I had the pleasure of reading one such book.  Tara Kelly's HARMONIC FEEDBACK blew me away.

It's the story of Drea, a girl with ADHD who might be on the autistic spectrum, who has just moved to a new town with her mother.  Anyone who's ever had to start a new school knows how tough that it, but it's doubly tough for Drea, especially when she speaks her mind and doesn't play the usual games people play.  As she's prepared to go another year without any real friends, her world changes.  Enter purple-haired siren, Naomi, a girl who dances in the rain and lives on the edge.  Drea is shocked when Naomi wants to be her friend, and even more shocked when new guy Justin does too.

This story is heartbreaking and funny and magical.  Tara's writing is so painfully authentic that I hurt when Drea hurt.  Awesome musical references are peppered throughout without being overbearing.  Drea and friends have great taste in music, and that adds another layer to the story.

Crap, I suck at writing reviews.  The truth is that Tara's written one hell of a book here. The autism isn't the focus, but it's important because it shows us who we can be without all the pretty white lies and facades.  I dare you not to be just a little in love with Drea when you're done with this.  I think this is a book that teens will really relate to.

AWESOME CONTEST 1 - 8 Ways to Enter

There are eight day until The Deathday Letter officially comes out so I thought it'd be fun to give you eight way to enter to win a signed copy.

So here's the deal:  If you want to be entered to win, you have to do at least ONE of the following eight things.  You can do more if you want.  Once you've done it, tweet at me (@ShaunieDarko), email me (shaun@shaundavidhutchinson.com), or leave me a comment letting me know what you've done.  Then next Monday I'll pick a winner and announce the SECOND awesome contest.  Easy, right?  Then let's get to it.

1.  Change your twitter icon to a Deathday Letter icon.  Use one of these or make one of your own!

2.  Write a blog post about what YOU would do if you got a deathday letter.

3.  Post a video of you DOING some awesome last day thing. Have you always wanted to sing karaoke? Video yourself doing it and post it.  Next week you'll get to see my video where I jump out of a plane.

4.  Make a Deathday style postcard like one of these and then put it on your website.

  

5.  Tweet about this contest.

6.  Join The Deathday Letter facebook page

7.  Post the Deathday Letter widget on your blog or website.

8.  Pass out some bookmarks at your local library or indie bookstore (email me your address and I'll send them to you).

That's it!  And this copy is clean and new and shiny.  No cat puke.  Promise!

Jellicoe Road

I know I'm not the first person to sing the praises of JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta, but I can't help myself.

If you haven't picked up this book, do yourself a favor and read it without hesitation.  It's the kind of book that makes me want to be a better writer.  It's the kind of book that makes you laugh and breaks your heart and keeps you up all night after you've finished, because you can't get it out of your head.

It's a quiet book.  For the first hundred pages, I wasn't exactly sure what was happening.  There are two stories told side by side.  One story is in the past.  It's the story of five friends brought together by death on the Jellicoe Road.  The other story is the present, told from the perspective of Taylor Markham, a moody, courageous girl leading the Jellicoe School against the Townies and the Cadets in their annual Territory Wars.

But no one paragraph can describe it.  I fell in love with certain sentences, phrases, the simply beauty of Machetta's prose, but you can't full appreciate the book until after.  When you can stand back and see the whole of things.

It's sentimental without being sappy.  It's dramatic without being melodramatic.  It's funny, it's sincere.  It's a lot of things I'll never be able to describe.

I guess what I'm saying here is that you need to go read this book.  It's one of THOSE books.  It's a quiet, important book.  It's the kind of book that exemplifies why YA is so important.

If you've already read it, share your thoughts.  If you haven't, what are some books that YOU think are important that everyone read?

Blog Chain: What's My Motivation?

Hey!  Welcome back to another round of the blog chain.  This is a great one and especially topical for me.  Amanda wants to know:

What do you do to keep yourself motivated when you feel like you're not making any progress in your writing career?


Heck, I almost don't know where to begin.  This past year has been all about my writing career.  My first book is hitting shelves in a matter of days.  But I always worry what if it tanks?  What if I only had one good book in me?  What if, what if, what if?  And the publishing industry is such a slow snail, that even making progress can feel like you're standing still.


But the one thing that keeps me going, that keeps my butt in the chair, is that I love doing it.  Writing is the best medicine for me.  It is its own best reward.  Yes, I want to work toward a point where I can sustain myself on my writing alone.  But I know that's going to take time an patience.  Until then, I simply content myself with the knowledge that I love doing this stuff.  I love the thrill of a new idea.  I love waking up in the middle of the night with a way to fix something in my manuscript.  I love seeing little notes from my agent about a particular line he liked.  


A lesson I'm learning the hard way is that every setback in this business is an opportunity.  Every stall out is a chance to take stock and check out the scenery.  We shouldn't look at it as not making progress, we should look at these times as a chance to catch our breath and soak in the world around us.


Hey!  So if you missed, go check out Michelle's brilliant post and then tomorrow head over to see what fantastic advice Abby has for keeping motivated.

Two Weeks to Go!

We're down to two weeks!  Exciting times.  Exciting indeed.

I don't want to ever sound like I had this terrible life.  In fact, I led a pretty charmed life.  I had a great home, parents who loved me, a good education, and all the chances in the world.  I'm a chronic slacker and underachiever, but that's my own fault.

But when things were tough, books were always my touchstone.  When the world outside was too much for me, I could always pick up Harry Potter or The Hobbit or Beowulf or The Dark is Rising, and escape.  Books were my sanctuary when nothing else worked.  They were safe havens filled with the kind of people I wanted to know and the kind of heroes I wanted to be.  I could retreat for a while into whatever world the author had created, and then find my way back, refreshed, ready to face the world again.

My fondest hope for Deathday is that maybe, just maybe, I can do the same thing for some other kid out there.

So I hope you all had a really stellar memorial day!  Lots of stuff coming up in the next two weeks.

Interview with Chris Richman, Agent Extraordinaire.
A review of the forthcoming THE BOOKS OF ELSEWHERE: THE SHADOWS by Jacqueline West
Two, count them, TWO contests.  There won't be cat puke involved in either.
Getting to watch me sky dive
And, if I can get her to do it, a guest post by my mom.

Probably other things too.  Quite frankly, the mania has crept in and it could get scary around the blog.

Until tomorrow!