A Book and a Chat – Male YA Author Month

MALE YA MONTH (MYM)

November is MALE YA MONTH the results of a challenge made to me by one of my guest following my successful YA Month of shows in January.
Are there enough YA writers and readers of YA literature out there to fill a month of “A Book and a Chat” shows?

I took up the challenge… contacting various YA bloggers to send me a list of some of their favorite male YA authors. The response was overwhelming with nearly every person I contacted agreeing to be on the program. Add to that a sprinkling of Male bloggers and Novembers “A Book and a Chat Month Male YA Month” (MYM) is born.

GUESTS/SHOWS (These will all be for one hour)

Nov 2nd Heidi R. Kling interviews Barry (Storyheart) Eva – Tues 6:30pm EST

Nov 4th Andrew Auseon – Author of “Freak Magnet”, “Funny Little Monkey” etc… – Tues 6:30pm EST

Nov 6th Jay Asher – Author of “Th1rteen R3asons Why” – Sat 11:00am EST

Nov 9th Daniel Waters – Author of “Generation Dead” series – Tues 6:30pm EST

Nov 10th David Macinnis Gill – Author of “Black Hole Sun” and ” Soul Enchilada” – Wed 6:30pm EST

Nov 11th William Kostakis – Author of “Loathing Lola” – Thur 6:30pm EST

Nov 13th R.A.Nelson – Author of “Teach Me”, “Breath My Name” and “Days of Little Texas” – Sat 11:00am EST

Nov 15th Jon Skovron – Author of “Struts & Frets” and “Misfit (2011)” – Mon 6:30pm EST

Nov 16th Barry Lyga – Author of “Fan Boy and Goth Girl”, “Boy Toy”, “Hero Type” etc… – Tues 6:30pm EST

Nov 17th James – Author of “Book Chic” blog – Wed 6:30pm EST

Nov 18th Shaun David Hutchinson – Author of “The Death Day Letter” – Thur 6:30pm EST

Nov 20th Scott Westerfeld – Author of “Uglies”, “Pretties”, “Special”, and “Extras” – Sat 11:00am EST

Nov 23rd Steve Brezenoff – Author of ” The Absolute Value of -1″, “Alley of Shadows” etc… – Tues 6:30pm EST

Nov 24th Alex – Author of “Alex reads books” blog – Wed 6:30pm EST

Nov 25th Estevan Vega – Author of “The Sacred Sin” and “Arson” – Thur 6:30pm EST

Nov 27th Allan Frewin Jones – Author of “The Faerie Path” and “The Warrior Princess” series – Sat 11:00am EST

Nov 30th Alan Gratz – Author of “Something Wicked”, “Something Rotten”, “The Brooklyn Nine” etc… – Tues 6:30pm EST

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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A Book and a Chat “YA Book Banning and Censorship”

Recently the book banners once again crawled out of their pits of nastiness to once again try to remove YA literature from classrooms and libraries. A certain Wesley Scroggins an associate professor of management at Missouri State University, and obviously standing for re-election for some post or other decided that Laurie Halse Anderson’s book “Speak” was “filthy an immoral”, he then classed it as pornography as the book includes two rape scenes, how a person can compare “pornography to rape” I just cannot understand.

Today I had two guests whose work has also suffered from “YA Book banning and censorship”

Ellen Hopkinson whose books include “Crank”, “Burned” and “Fallout” to name a few with a new YA verse book “Perfect” and her first adult verse novel “Triangles” coming out shortly, has been affected by such one person book banning events as happened to Laurie Halse Anderson. She explained how several authors had their books removed from a major book event in Texas, the response was so dramatic from the authors that the event in the end had to be cancelled. Yet she writes about subjects people need to know about, that YA readers welcome to educate them about life and it’s problems.

Ellen during a truly wonderful ninety minute share explained how time and again she is asked to talk about the subjects of her books, how she receives letters from people who have read her book and quit doing meth etc.

My other guest Sarah Ockler was mentioned in the same mindless rant of Wesley Scroggins, her debut book “Twenty Boy Summer” will soon be joined on the book shelves by “Fixing Delilah”. She was shocked at the statement by Mr Scroggins to what basically goes on all the time in schools, and was to be honest some very mild sex, where at least he r characters had condoms.

The show covered many aspects YA Book banning where one persons voice can control hundreds of people who disagree, where people who follow upon these complaints make decisions without even reading the book.

Take for example “The Diary of Anne Frank” a classic novel a standard for reading since even I was at school. One parent at a public school in Virginia made a complaint that “the book includes sexual material and homosexual themes.” And suddenly the 7,600-student school system in rural Virginia can no longer read the book. A person complained about Harry Potter in Texas and now that school nobody can read any science fiction/fantasy, how a school wants Huckelyberry Finn banned, the list goes on and on.

Judy Blume said it right when she stated

“Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won’t have as much censorship because we won’t have as much fear.”

The whole aspect of education, sharing reading, how YA readers self censor and so much other chat from the guests and those listening in the chat room filled the show from end to end with fine discussion and education.

So sit back and listen or download an great show as I discuss “YA Book Banning and Censorship” my two special guests “Ellen Hopkinson” and “Sarah Ockler“.

Barry

Direct link to the show
“A Book and a Chat YA Book Banning and Censorship””

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
“Ellen Hopkinson and Sarah Ockler”

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
“Ellen Hopkinson”

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
“Sarah Ockler”

Don’t Forget November is MALE YA MONTH

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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A Book and a Chat with Steve Berry

 

Eleven million books in print, which have been translated into 37 languages and sold in 50 countries, that is the literary status of “Steve Berry” my guest on today’s “A Book and a Chat”. His novels have earned spots on The New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and BookSense bestseller lists, but it was not always like that.

A practicing attorney (at the time), Steve has been writing since 1990, but it took him 12 years and 85 rejections (over five different editions) to finally sell a manuscript “The Amber Room” to Ballantine Books.

As Steve shared with us, though the first book picked up by a publisher, it was actually the fourth of the eight books he’d written at the time. This was followed by “The Romanov Prophecy” (his book 5) and “The Third Secret” (his book 6). All of which became best sellers. Not that the other books were wasted, as Steve shared, much of his other work has be plagiarized to produce some of his other works. So as Steve stated “Never though any of your work away”.

In 2006 Steve released the first of his Cotton Malone series which with “The Emperor’s Tomb” being released in November will number six, including such thriller classics as “The Templar Legacy”, “The Charlemagne Pursuit “ and “The Paris Vendetta”.

Along with his success Steve Berry has also been able to give back from his experiences from his struggling beginning and rejections to the success he now enjoys in the way of talks and seminars. “History Matters” is part of this is that he and his wife, Elizabeth, founded, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding the preservation of our heritage.

Also along the lines of giving back, Steve told us about an up and coming trip he is making as part of “Operation Thriller”. He is one of five of today’s most celebrated “Thriller Writers” will embark on week-long USO Tour to visit troops stationed in the combat zone in the Persian Gulf. The writers include Dave Morrell, Doug Preston, James Rollins and Andy Harp as well as Steve himself.

While not able to give us too much details about when this trip will happen, we discussed having Steve back on the show to share with us his own trip of adventure as well as how the launch of his new book “The Emperor’s Tomb” has gone.

We also gained a little information about the next book that this wonderful author will be launching in 2011, something that has me scanning the “Constitution of the United States” to see if I can find the lead that has lead to Cotton Malone’s next adventure.

From humble beginnings of working in a pet shop where Steve got “bitten, and stung by every animal you can think of”. To a globe travelling bestselling author Steve Berry is not only a fascinating and entertaining writer, but also a wonderful host to have on a radio show.

So sit back and enjoy an entertaining sixty minutes on a “Book and a Chat with Steve Berry“.

Barry

Direct link to the show
“A Book and a Chat with Steve Berry”

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
Steve Berry”

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
“Steve Berry – The Emperor’s Tomb”

Next Saturday, October 23rd I will be a panelist at…www.writeanglesconference.org http://writeanglesblog.wordpress.com

Don’t Forget November is MALE YA MONTH

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

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A Book and a Chat with Natashya Wilson – Senior editor at Harlequin Teen

 

My guest today on “A Book and a Chat” is not an author, nor a blogger; instead I am very proud to say that Natashya Wilson, senior editors at Harlequin Teen dropped by to chat this morning.

In August 2009, a month ahead of its original planned launch date, Harlequin launched its newest imprint “Harlequin Teen”. With the seismic sales of teen series such as Twilight, and the worldwide growth in the YA market, it was time for Harlequin to join the fast expanding YA market.

Far from being just a watered down version on the senior romance novel, the titles being offered by Harlequin Teen have proved so popular that they now have over one million books in print, with three titles produced in2009 they are set to publish sixteen in 2010.

During a hugely entertaining and enlightening show, Natashya shared with us how the giant oak is growing from the acorn of an idea.

The first two books published “Rachel Vincent’s – My Soul to Take” and “Gena Showalter’s – Intertwined” have lead to not only further books in those series but other “must read” YA novels such as “Julie Kagawa’s The Iron Fey” series (one close to Natashya’s heart) and now the “Marsha Warner’s – Greek” books based on the ABC TV show.

With a YA market set to grow by a whopping 30.6% by 2013, and YA science fiction sales anticipated to reach $861 million, the lure of escaping into a good YA book is undeniable.

Natashya shared with us much of her knowledge and enthusiasm for not just the Harlequin Teen books and authors, but for the whole YA fiction genre, from readers and bloggers to authors themselves. The way the readership crosses age groups, why people are reading more and more YA novels and what might be the next “super sellor”.

The chat ranged cross so many topics there is more than can be listed in this small blog. So sit back and enjoy today’s throughly enjoyable “A Book and a Chat with Natashya Wilson”.

Barry

Direct link to the show
“A Book and a Chat with Natashya Wilson – Senior editor at Harlequin Teen)”

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
“Natashya Wilson”

You can find out more about my guest and their books at:
“Natashya Wilson – Senior editors at Harlequin Teen”

Don’t Forget November is MALE YA MONTH

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

Read Full Post »

Book and a Chat with Denise Jaden

 

It has been a great year for debut YA authors be it the “class of 2k10” or the “tenner’s” and I have really enjoyed chatting to the numerous guests who have appeared on my show during the year. I am already around the blogosphere are news of the “class of 2k11” is appearing and I have several already booked to appear on the program next year.

Today’s “A Book and a Chat” was though I am glad to say another chance to get to know a debut author of 2010, as I chatted with Denise Jaden about herself and her debut, and much anticipated novel “Losing Faith”.

Where as many of the guests on the show seem to have been writing from the time they were able to hold their first colored crayon, Denise only took up writing about seven years ago. Since then she has successfully gone from writing short stories to this her debut novel. Not that her past writings have gone un-admired, having won several awards in recognition for her work.

With a background that runs from mushroom picking and church secretary to her love of Polynesian dancer and fitness training, Denise shared with us some of her interesting and entertaining life. We learned about how the first draft her debut novel, was created in just 21 days during National Novel Writing Month (nanwrimo). Also about some of the other work she has produced as well as what might be planned for this year’s creative “nanwrimo”.

About “Losing Faith”:

When Brie’s sister Faith, dies suddenly, Brie’s world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don’t know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but.

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don’t line up. Brie soon uncovers a
dark and twisted secret about Faith’s final night…a secret that puts her own life in danger.

The show covered many aspects of writing from outlining and character creation to book censorship.

So sit back and enjoy today’s “A Book and a Chat with Denise Jaden”

Barry

Direct link to the show
“A Book and a Chat with Denise Jaden”

or you can download the mp3 file of the show from
“Denise Jaden”

You can find out more about my guest and their book at:
“Denise Jaden – Losing Faith”

Don’t Forget November is MALE YA MONTH

Barry Eva (Storyheart)

My Blogs:

Book Information and Things UK – Across the Pond

Book and a Chat Radio Show Guests – A Book and a Chat

Funny, Weird Or Just Interesting News From Around the World – Laugh I Thought My Trousers Would Never dry

Read Full Post »