Bookanista Review: Scarlet

Someday I'm going to get back to blogging more than just Bookanista reviews, but this is not that week, I'm afraid. MAJOR HOTSAUCE went under the knife recently to fix some issues with his nose, so we've been busy being pathetic together. (I appear to be suffering from sympathy pains!) However, all the patheticness DOES allow a lot of time to read, so I've got some great books to talk about in the next few weeks. Yay!

This week I'd like to talk about another recommendation from my crit buddy Shari, SCARLET by A. C. Gaughen. 

I've always enjoyed Robin McKinley's THE OUTLAWS OF SHERWOOD, so I was excited to read another Robin Hood retelling, especially one that came so highly recommended. And this one has such a wonderful twist! (Though I will always be a little bit in love with Christian Slater's Will Scarlet. Just sayin')

From the book jacket:

Will Scarlet is good at two things: stealing from the rich and keeping secrets - skills that are in high demand in Robin Hood's band of thieves, who protect the people of Nottingham from the evil sheriff. Scarlet's biggest secret of all is one only Robin and his men know...that SHE is posing as a thief; that the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl.

The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in and puts innocent lives at risk, Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. There is real honor among these thieves and so much more - making this a fight worth dying for.

My Thoughts

First of all, I love the idea of Will Scarlet as a woman, and A. C. Gaughen does a marvelous job developing both her character and her reasons for choosing the lifestyle and companions she does. One of the most engaging and successful elements of the book for me was Scarlet's voice; the story is told in first person and very clearly from the perspective of Scarlet. From turns of phrase, to inner thoughts, to vocal cadence, Scarlet comes alive as her own unique, compelling person. I've written in first person myself, and it's NOT easy, but Gaughen makes it look effortless. So much of this story hinges on Scarlet and the different layers of her circumstance and personality, and I loved seeing this world through her eyes.

I found, in many ways, this story to be less romanticized than other versions of Robin Hood I've read and seen, which I actually appreciated. King Richard isn't the noble hero in this version, and Gisbourne is not an amusing caricature of a villian. He's a scary, scary man, and this sense of grittiness made the stakes feel higher and more real. Robin Hood is also very authentic feeling in this version, not so much the perfect hero man. Of course, it's inevitable, this comparison to other Robin Hoods...so the more real/less real, more gritty/less gritty comparisons will depend on which versions of the story each of us is familiar with.

At any rate, I LOVED this book. I loved John and Robin and Much...I loved the setting and the writing and the romance...but most of all I loved Scarlet, whose voice and combination of strength and vulnerability carried the story for me. I just couldn't read fast enough to find out if she would be alright. If she would put her demons to rest. If she would find true love. She's the kind of character you want to spend time with, you root for, you see yourself in (even if you're NOT thieving and throwing knives and whatnot). 

And let me just say, in conclusion, that I really, really hope A. C. Gaughen writes a sequel!! :-)

~~

Check out what the other Bookanistas are raving about this week!

Christine Fonseca  is awed by A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS

Stasia Ward Kehoe shares some scoop on DEAR TEEN ME

Katy Upperman praises PANDEMONIUM

Tracy Banghart thinks SCARLET is spectacular

Gennifer Albin  brings you her Bologna trendwatch

Jessica Love sings for NEVERSINK – with giveaway!

Shelli Johannes-Wells interviews LACRIMOSA author Christine Fonseca

Making Connections & Italy

A little less than two weeks ago, MAJOR HOTSAUCE and I returned from a semi-impromptu trip to Torino, Italy.

 View of Torino from the basilica di Superga

We went to visit my friend Michelle, her husband, and their three-week old son (ie the cutest baby EVAR!). We had a wonderful time...we ended up staying with Michelle's parents outside of the city and driving into town each day. It was a unique experience for us in Italy (which is where we spent our honeymoon) ...rather than being tourists (or a student studying abroad - in my experience, I didn't experience much of the "real" Italy), we got an authentic Italian experience, with the music, the food, the language, the markets, the walking along the river in Turin...(in MAJOR HOTSAUCE'S case, the grappa distillery tour and visit to the salami maker with Michelle's Dad...)

It was fantastic. Absolutely wonderful.

It's funny to think how things work out in life. Michelle and I met in grad school, in Oxford. She's bilingual (English/Italian) and we formed a bond over a love of publishing...and our type-A personalities. :-) Every week we'd meet at a little cafe in Oxford on Cowley Road and drink coffee and eat these little, personal pizzas (the only good pizza I had the entire time I was in England) and we'd talk about school and books and traveling and the differences between the States and Europe, and, okay, boys. ;-) 

Ah, the good old days...

After we finished school, we went our separate ways...Michelle back to Turin, and me to D.C. But we kept in touch. And a few years later, Michelle emailed me about a job. She was working as an editor for an English-language hairstyling magazine, and they were looking for someone to write an article or two per issue. I jumped at the chance, and ended up writing articles for the magazine for two years.

I guess you could say I got my first paid writing job as a result of networking.

In college, people like to throw that word around. Networking. The whole "it's not what you know but who you know" thing. But I've always found that networking doesn't work as well for networking's sake. I've been to "networking" cocktail parties in DC...and they felt more like meat markets or job interviews than real opportunities to make connections. Not to mention I've never gotten a job from an experience like that, and certainly never a lasting friendship.

But, years later, Debbie, a friend I'd made on the job while in D.C., hooked me up with her friend Mandy, also a writer, and we've been email friends and crit partners ever since...all this happening long after Debbie and I had both left DC. It just goes to show that the best networking isn't about having an agenda. Strike up a conversation with someone who shares your interests...or ask someone where they're from and what they like...you never know what kind of connections you'll make. My mom has tons of stories of meeting people on airplanes and on trips...even in restaurants. And some of the craziest things have happened as a result. (Simon Carrington of The King's Singers directing a concert for her, for one.)

In my experience, the kind of networking that yields the highest rewards is the kind that doesn't FEEL like networking. It's just a couple of people talking about what they love, with no alterior motives or agendas.

Michelle and I were students together, and then coworkers (well, technically she was my boss ;-)). And now we're the kind of friends who take transatlantic flights to visit one another. You never know what will come from making a connection, from starting a conversation.

In the publishing industry, people like to tell you it's not who you know, that it's all about writing an awesome freaking book. And that's true, for the most part. If your manuscript isn't ready, it doesn't matter how many connections you have to agents and editors or other authors. BUT...it IS a subjective business. And even if you DO write an awesome freaking book, you still need to get it into the right hands. Going to conferences, chatting with people, joining Twitter...not to network but to make friends, share your love of books or knitting or fire-breathing dragons or whatever...putting yourself out there, you're bound to make connections. Those connections might not sell your book or get you an agent, but they could. Or they might lead to you making an awesome friend, or finding a an amazing critique group, or meeting the love of your life.

You just never know, and therein lies the fun. :-)

 Superga :-)

The villa I want to buy someday, ala "Under the Tuscan Sun" ;-)

PS. Feeling so nostalgic for grad school and all my grad school friends now. Just a warning...if you go to school overseas, chances are you'll make friends who also live overseas...and who are therefore who are very far away!! ::waves to Michelle, Heloise, Helen, and all the folks from Brookes.:: Miss you guys!

COVER LOVE!!!

Alright, I am so, so excited about this post. My writer pal Corrine Jackson is letting me help spread the word about her debut novel, IF I LIE, which comes out on August 28, 2012. And not just "the word"...but the cover too! Squee!!

I met Corrine last February when I was in San Francisco for a writer's conference. We'd "met" online and had bonded over our mutual love for Christian Slater and cheesy 90s movies, so we decided to meet for real. And proceeded to have one of the best conversations about writing and publishing and life that I've ever had. It was fantastic. Corrine is the real deal...super smart, talented, and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. She even invited me to lunch with her Bookanista gals, who were fabulous themselves!

Since then, Corrine and I have kept in touch, and she's been a wonderful writing/pub resource, cheerleader, and provider of awesome videos (check out her YA Rebels gig!)

Wait...were you waiting to see her cover? You mean you didn't want to read about how we know each other and how cool she is? You want to hear about her BOOK?

Oh, alright. ;-)

I GUESS

I could shut up

And get to the good stuff...

Corrine Jackson's debut, IF I LIE, comes out on AUGUST 28, 2012 from Simon Pulse.

And THIS is what it's about:

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.

Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.

Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

Sounds AMAZING, right? When Corrine first told me about this book, MAJOR HOTSAUCE was deployed in Iraq, so I was particularly interested to hear how she was approaching a situation I had so much personal experience with...and listening to her talk about it, I couldn't WAIT to read it. Still can't!! (Hurry up August!)

And now that I've seen the cover, I'm even MORE excited!

What's that? YOU want to see the cover too? You don't want ME to have all the fun? 

Oh, all right....

Wait for it....

Is this getting annoying yet? ;-)

TA-DA!!!

Isn't it GORGEOUS?? I love the physical tension between the girl and the boy, and the blurred edges, with that one bright splash of color in the title. LOVE IT! Plus, I don't know if this is intentional or not, but I find the fact that the guy pictured on the cover does NOT have a military haircut VERY intriguing..... 

To read more about this awesome book, and the awesome Corrine Jackson, click here to visit her website. You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook!

Happy Veterans Day

I am very happy that I live in a time when designating one specific day to honor our military doesn't feel SO necessary... On any random day, MAJOR HOTSAUCE can go out to lunch during work and find that someone has paid for his meal, often anonymously. He's frequently thanked for his service by strangers who see him in uniform or folks he strikes up conversations with in stores or when out with friends. Many businesses have military discounts, and on all three of his deployments his units were sent packages from students and various other organizations across the country. It gives me the warm fuzzies to know that strangers treat soldiers with so much consideration and support.

But Veterans Day is still important, because it definitely wasn't always this way. There are the stories about Vietnam vets being jeered at (or worse) when they arrived home from war. Soldiers in WWI and WWII who, because of their color or religious beliefs, were not recognized properly for their accomplishments on the battlefield. 

Every military service member, both active and former, deserves to be honored and appreciated. And those who lost their lives in defense of our country deserve to be remembered. Today and every day.

Being an Army wife is tough sometimes, but I have so much respect for MAJOR HOTSAUCE and his compatriots. Theirs is not an easy lifestyle, and too often it requires terrible sacrifice. But this country wouldn't be the same - or as safe - without our brave men and women in uniform.

Thank you to all active and former servicemen and women for everything you do and the sacrifices you've made to support and defend this country.

And to my sister in law, whose husband is currently deployed, lots of love and hugs to you. He'll be home soon!

Okay, and just for fun...there's nothing like a man(??) in uniform. ;-)

Scrabble is a really good sport. ;-)

(Koko is meant to be a "wounded" veteran - she wouldn't wear the uniform)

Okay, so yeah. Now you all know MAJOR HOTSAUCE and I have, on several occasions, dressed up our dogs in his old uniforms. So. There's that.

And now a picture of MAJOR HOTSAUCE in uniform. Cuz, you know, HE'S the actual veteran. ;-)

Photo: David Trozzo

Happy Veterans Day, y'all.

:-)

Yay SCBWI!

Over the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to attend a couple of really awesome SCBWI events. First, the SCBWI Carolinas fall conference.

I heard the tenacious, talented Beth Revis speak about not giving up, revision, determination...and that first, INCREDIBLE chapter of her novel, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (the rest of it is damn good too!).

Carrie Ryan was also there - and was also super nice! (Her books have such fantastic titles - I totally have title envy!)

I got to spend some quality time with a new crit partner, Maggie, and meet some truly wonderful writer folks. It is always surprising and gratifying to me how friendly the industry professionals who attend these events are...they're so generous with their advice and time. There's a sense of community, comraderie...the only other place I've felt that is on Twitter, and it's even better in person. :-)

The other event I attended was a writer's schmooze in Asheville, where I had the great pleasure of hearing Stephanie Perkins speak. She's the author of two of my very favorite books: ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS and the newly released LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR, and is an incredibly thoughtful, interesting person. And yes, I was a TOTAL fangirl and arrived with several copies of LOLA for her to sign (and okay, drove 2.5 hours to see her. Which was SOOO worth it, by the way!) :-)

What struck me about both events was that it was nearly impossible to tell who was aspiring, who was successful...who had a book deal, or a book published, or a manuscript written, by their attitudes. EVERYONE was kind and friendly and supportive. There was no line between pubbed and unpubbed or big deal, modest deal. Everyone who attended these events - at least all the folks I talked to - were just genuinely excited about writing, about the community... and, in the case of last weekend, the GORGEOUS weather and general awesomeness of Asheville. 

I love, love, LOVE the YA lit community. I've said this before and I'm SURE I'll say it again...but it's the best professional community I've ever belonged to, and I am thankful for every single writer, agent, editor, librarian, and bookseller who's a part of it.

And everyone who's made ME feel a part of it.

**  I am also VERY thankful to Stephanie and her husband Jarrod for introducing me to the deliciously chocolatey wonders of Asheville. Soooooo yummy! (MAJOR HOTSAUCE was also very grateful, when I arrived home with a piece of amazing chocolate cake just for him.) ;-)