The Joy of Random Roadblocks

Those of you who know me are aware that the state of Mississippi and I don't always get along. But sometimes, on the road out of my bay-side neighborhood, I run into random roadblocks that make me smile.

Like this turtle. 

It was determined to stay put, until we moved it. It hissed and tried to bite, oblivious to the perils of sitting on the yellow line on a Friday afternoon.

Then the other day (on this same road; it's pretty long and narrow), I got stuck because there was a house in the middle of the road.

I know, it's sort of a trailer. But it's someone's idea of a house. This Dutch girl is fascinated. We were late for things both times, but it was well worth the surprise. 

The storyteller in me loves this stuff. I imagine someone's having a cup of coffee on that porch right now, watching the turtle cross the road. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

What's Your Favorite Book Trailer?

I'm getting interested in book trailers now, mostly because I'm thinking I should probably make one for mine. As a reader, they're not really my cuppa tea as they say. I pretty much judge a book by its cover and jacket description.

It's hard to take a book's content and pour it into a trailer format, without losing the magic of letting the reader use their imagination.

I found a bunch of book trailers at Bookriot, but have yet to pick a favorite. I guess I'm still getting used to the idea of a trailer for a book.

How 'bout you? Any book trailers to share?

Summing Up: Edgar Nominees for Best YA

Now that I've read all the Edgar nominees for Best YA, I'll give you my thoughts on the category. I started this blog a few years ago not to post pictures of my cats (even if they are cute) but to start keeping track of mysteries in the YA and MG departments of my book stores.

To refresh, here is the list of Edgar nominees for Best YA:

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)


In case you're interested in my thoughts on individual books, click on the links above...


To get to the point: mystery is alive and well in YA--how exciting, huh? In previous years, I would often find a fantasy or literary novel among the nominees, one that really wasn't a mystery at all. Sure, the book was good, and there was a mysterious element. But not a mystery. So what makes a YA a mystery in my book? I usually ask: if this book was written for adults, would it be classified as a mystery?


All of this year's Edgar nominees for Best YA are a solid yes as an answer to that question this year, which makes me very happy. Other than The Name of the Star, there were no supernatural elements, vampires, etc. present--and Johnson's book was such a strong whodunit, the ghost element was really secondary. 

Prediction of who'll win: To be honest, I could flip a coin--the nominees are that strong this year. It's anybody's guess; I certainly thought all of these were well-written YA mysteries. But since I don't want to wuss out, I would predict that it'll be Harlan Coben's Shelter.

We'll have to wait until April 26 to find out...

YA Edgar Nominee Review: The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall

My last read for the Edgar nominees for best YA is The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall. This one was darker than the others at the opening: we're sitting in the court room with Hope while her brother Jeremy is on trial for murder. Not your light YA fare.

Against her better judgement, Hope testifies to their rough childhood so Jeremy, who no longer speaks, can be declared insane. In dark and clipped prose--my favorite--we learn that their mother is an unfit one, and an alcoholic too. But Hope (as her name implies) doesn't give up, and keeps looking for evidence to clear her brother's name. We delve deep into family history, small-town scandals, so the only way this mystery will be solved is by opening every can of worms.

This story was gripping, and the author didn't pull any punches when it came to the stakes. The resolution was a bit over-staged, but why not--I was right there as Hope revealed the killer. My only gripe was with the at times heavy religious message and quoting of scripture, particularly toward the end. It made the resolution very moralizing, and took away from the great grit this mystery has. Still, solid plotting, and a good murder mystery.

Verdict: a good mystery, could appeal to both boys and girls. Some religious overtones.

Mystery Quotient: 5 out of 5. Plotting a bit on the stretchy side, but done with heart.

Where Your Readers Are

I went to see The Hunger Games movie when it came out this past Friday--but don't worry, I won't review it. Other people will do that a-plenty. It was good. Let's move on.

What I really wanted to share was not the actual movie watching experience, but my wait in line for tickets. We went early, my tween posse and I, hair in braids and super-excited. I was fully expecting to find a crowd of t(w)eens and parents, since the book is YA and all.

Guess again.

Cool observation #1: The majority of people in the theater were adults, male and female in equal amounts. We outnumbered the under-18 crowd, big time... Now remember, this is a YA.

Cool observation #2: Every single person in line that I talked to had read the book. One man my dad's age confessed he read the first book, then went back the next day to buy the other two.

Cool observation #3: There was a 9 a.m. showing just for the local school kids. Teachers are tying reading into movies--what a smart way to get everyone's nose in a book.

Coolest moment? Having a crowd of thirty-or-so people of all ages talk about a YA book. Not about the movie, but about the book. Your readers are at the movie theater. Pretty cool, huh?

Good Song, Cool Scooters

Hey Writers! Join Me At The Zoo...

In case you missed this the first time around and are looking for something to do this weekend...

Join the flash fiction challenge! All you have to do is write a story with the zoo as a setting. That's it.

Your story can be science fiction (alien monkeys!), romance (monkeys in love!), mystery (who killed the monkey?)--you get the idea. Have fun with it.

Find out more here. It's like a fictional field trip, without the poop smell.