Literary Loves

Literary loves

I’m not a bonnets and buggies kind of girl. So if it were up to me, no prairie western or Amish romance would ever become a best seller. And forget about horror stories, they’d be full of fluffy bunnies.

Today, with a little help from The Princess Bride, by William Goldman, I’m going to list some of my literary loves.

1) Villains you love to hate. Who didn’t cheer as Inigo Montoya finally faces the evil Count Rugen?

“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die!”

2) Courtesy between enemies.  Inigo Montoya got all the good lines. Here he prepares to fight the mysterious Man in Black:

“You seem a decent fellow, I’d hate to kill you.”

“You seem a decent fellow, I’d hate to die.”

3) Great dialogue. The Princess Bride was full of great dialogue. This piece occurred between Vizzini, the man who abducted Buttercup, and the Man and Black who is trying to save her.

“One more step and I cut her throat.”

“Then we are at an impasse.”

“Apparently so, since I’m no match for your strength, and you’re no match for my brains.”

“You’re that smart eh?”

“Ever hear of Plato? Aristotle, Socrates?”

“Yes.”

“Morons.

4) A good love triangle.

5) A tragic death that makes me cry.

6) A loyal dog. My husband made me watch Old Yeller after hearing this lyric from Confederate Railroad:

“She never cried when old yeller died and I ain’t gonna cry when she’s gone.”

7) A noble sacrifice.

8) A touch of humor.  Princess Bride is still one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. This  exchange occurred between two of the villains.

“Tyrone, you know how much I love watching you work, but I’ve got my country’s 500th anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder and Guilder to frame for it; I’m swamped.”

“Get some rest. If you haven’t got your health, then you haven’t got anything.”

9) Spunky Heroines. She’s got a sword and knows how to use it!  

10) A complex hero with a troubled past.  

11) Tight prose. No Michener for me!

12) Unexpected plot twists.

13) A knockout ending. 

14) Unusual settings.

What are some of your literary loves?

Family Fiction Magazine 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards

Family Fiction Magazine announced the results of their 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards in their May-June 2011 issue. There are some wonderful authors, books, and movies in this years results. Congrats to everyone who made the list.

And a HUGE congratulations goes out to the young adult authors who made the list, especially our own Melanie Dickerson and Jill Williamson. Melanie came in fourth on the favorite young adult authors list. Jill came in fourth on the favorite speculative fiction authors list. And both Melanie and Jill’s novels made the best book trailer list with The Healer’s Apprentice trailer coming in second and the To Darkness Fled book trailer taking fifth. (Click on the book titles to watch each trailer on YouTube.)

Three of the Family Fiction categories are listed below. Note the other YA authors that are on the lists: Jenny B. Jones, Melanie Carlson, Bryan Davis, Robert Liparulo, Ted Dekker, and Donita K. Paul. If you haven’t read books by these authors, you must check them out. Ask your local library or bookstore if they carry these authors, find them online, or look through Novel Teen’s reviews to see what we had to say. And you can always click on any book cover on our blog to be linked to the novel on Amazon.com.

Thanks to all of you who voted for this year’s awards. And if you haven’t looked into Family Fiction Magazine, we highly recommend it. It’s totally free and is a great source for fiction for the whole family. Check out their website: http://www.familyfiction.com/magazines/

Young Adult Fiction Author
1. Jenny B. Jones
2. Melody Carlson
3. Bryan Davis
4. Melanie Dickerson
5. Robert Liparulo

Speculative Fiction Author
1. Ted Dekker
2. Tim LaHaye & Craig Craig Parshall
3. Bryan Davis
4. Jill Williamson
5. Donita K. Paul

Book Trailer of the Year
1. Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury
2. The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
3. Immanuel’s Veins by Ted Dekker
4. Lydia’s Charm by Wanda Brunstetter
5. To Darkness Fled by Jill Williamson

Novel Teen News in the World of Young Adult Books

It’s an exciting time to be an author of teen books. The world of publishing is changing, the world of teen literature is changing, and let’s face it. We are having to change too. What do I mean?

I believe teen books have expanded to become such a HUGE market many authors are scrambling to keep up on many levels. First, we are learning more and more about E-publishing both where book sales are concerned but also purchasing things like Kindles, Nooks, IPads … all so we can keep up with the times.

And the change doesn’t end there. Because the market is growing at, what I would call an amazing rate, books with teenagers as main characters are becoming ever increasingly complex. (Which I LOVE, by the way!) Have you noticed Hollywood’s blockbuster movies coming out recently?

HAVE YOU NOTICED HOW OFTEN THEY ARE BASED ON YOUNG ADULT NOVELS?

When the sale of my Halfling Series was announced in Publisher’s Marketplace, my agent was contacted by multiple film scouts who were interested in reading book one to see how it would be as a movie. No longer does a book have to hit NYT bestseller status for Hollywood to take an interest! That tells me the YA lit market is growing, growing, growing and also powerful, powerful, powerful.

I’ve been hearing talk of a new YA subgenre … New Adult (at least I think it may be called this) would target older teens and early twentys. Kewl! I like this idea!

At the beginning of the year I did a post about writers as trailblazers. Two of our own Novelteen authors are blazing trails right now! Jill Williamson who just released the final book in the Blood of Kings Trilogy won the Christy Award for book one and Melanie Dickerson is a finalist in the National Readers Choice Awards in TWO categories. The Healer’s Apprentice was nominated in both INSPY and Best First Book.

Trailblazers! Finally, I really believe this explosion is going to open a door for lots of great authors. Another exciting trend is the number of TEENAGE authors who are getting publishing contracts! As I said, its an exciting time to be a teen book writer.

Let me know your comments and thoughts about all of this, and keep reading … and writing! Your day might be right around the corner!

Heather Burch

Author of Halflings available from Zondervan February 2012

A Look Back. A Look Forward.

 Hi Novelteeners! Heather here.

2010 was a great year for Novelteen. We expanded from an awesome review site to a place where you can chat with some of your favorite clean teen fiction authors. Mid year we relaunched, added Team Novelteen, and a flurry of cool authors including two published teen authors. Add to that a Christy Award for our own Jill Williamson, some great book launches from various Novelteen authors, and what can you say? 2010 was a terrific year. But…

As good as it was, I believe 2011 will be better. There’s an expectancy inside my soul that says this will be the year for clean teen fiction to become a driving force in the market.

Sooooo, what’s that mean?

Well, there are plenty of books out there that push the boundaries. Sometimes pushing boundaries can be a good thing. Sometimes. But not when it leads to behavior that could be potentially harmful. ‘Nough said.

I work with teens. I’ve always worked with teens. And in spending time with them I’ve discovered something unique and interesting. Teens don’t always want to read about the kind of things they are confronted with everyday. There’s plenty of that out there in real life and Hollywood-world. Sometimes, not unlike us uncool grown-ups, they want to escape. Maybe to a simpler world. Maybe to a more dangerous one, but just maybe to a place where girls aren’t promiscuous and underage drinking isn’t acceptable.

I think a niche has been created that could easily grow into a driving force in young adult fiction. And that niche is what Novelteen is all about. I said all that to say this…

Young Adult fiction is getting ready to experience yet another growth explosion. I believe it with my whole being and can feel the rumblings in the market. Get ready for it. Clean teen fiction is about to expand. I believe we are going to see more teen authors hitting the book shelves. I believe great sagas  and multi-book series’ for teens–you know, the ones that follow exciting storylines with characters that keep popping up–will be making their way to the bestseller lists. There will be a new buzz. It’s already beginning! Excited? I am. I’m ready and it’s time. So, hang on! We’re in for an exciting ride in 2011!

Congrats to Jacob Parker–Moonbeam Award finalist!

Click on the logo to read the full contest results.

Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards is designed to honor the year’s best children’s books, authors and illustrators in North America. Teen author Jacob Parker’s Kestrel’s Midnight Song won a bronze medal this year! Congrats, Jacob!

We at Novel Teen are so excited and proud of Jacob. If you haven’t had a chance to pick up Kestrel’s Midnight Song, click on the cover to check it out on Amazon.com. To read our full book review, click here. But here is just a taste of what people are saying about this awesome fantasy novel.

“Kestrel’s Midnight Song is a solid addition to the fantasy genre. Jacob Parker writes an imaginative tale, filled with adventure, mystery, and unique characters. The storylines intertwine and keep the reader turning the pages, desperate to see how it will all work out. I can’t wait to read the sequel.” —Jill Williamson, award winning author of By Darkness Hid

Click on the cover to read more reviews on Amazon.com.

“Because of his youth and the genre, people will no doubt compare J.R. Parker to Christopher Paolini. I don’t claim to be a prophet, but I think Parker very well could be better. Kestrel’s Midnight Song is a wonderful first novel. Parker’s language is quite stunning without being wordy. And his opening hook is terrific. Marauders, stolen children, haunting mystery, and ever-present danger make this a book worth reading.” —Wayne Thomas Batson, bestselling author of The Door Within Trilogy, Isle of Swords, Isle of Fire, and Curse of the Spider King

“Jacob Parker delivers mystery [and] suspense… in his debut novel Kestrel’s Midnight Song. The characters are fresh, the birds abound, and the fate of a land rests with a traveling shepherd boy. This is… fantasy at its best!” —Scott Appleton, author of Swords of the Six