1.) A fabulous GUEST POST with the wonderful author, Karen Schreck
2.) A flipping sweet GIVEAWAY for a copy of her latest YA novel, While He Was Away**
**NOTE: If you haven't heard of this one, be sure to add it to your TBR lists-- because it was freaking amazing!!
So first thing is first-- here is my guest post with Karen Schreck, where she talks about her love for YA and why it rocks her world! :)
YA is hot.
As in steamy, sultry, blazing, scathing, illuminating, fiery, incendiary, spicy, enlightening, searing, scorching. A wildfire. A prairie burn. An inferno of characters, settings, plots. A refiner’s fire that draws out pure gold.
YA can also be cold.
As in chill, bitter, harsh, blustery, caustic, shivery, biting, hard-edged, cool. A frigid wind that dips below zero. A blizzardy drift of ideas and images. One snowflake never like the next. And once all hell freezes over, than YA can be the sharp-edged ax that breaks through the ice of your soul. YA lit—good YA lit—is never, ever lukewarm. Not in terms of content—the fearless stories told, the layers of meaning revealed.
Not in terms of character—these people live on the pages, and like most adolescents (or the adolescent in all of us, who lives on and on and on) their motivation frequently cuts to the quick: they are desperately trying to figure out just who in God’s name they are.
And YA lit is never, ever lukewarm or tepid in terms of voice—which is so driven by character, setting, and plot, and which defines each YA novel—that distinct, one-of-a-kind voice that speaks a book into existence, that prods and goads and compels a writer—me—to tell the story. This is just a little bit of why YA rocks my world—why I love writing and reading books for teens. Or, supposedly for teens, since most street smart and literary savvy adults worth their salt know that Young Adult Fiction is among the best literature out and about today.
As in steamy, sultry, blazing, scathing, illuminating, fiery, incendiary, spicy, enlightening, searing, scorching. A wildfire. A prairie burn. An inferno of characters, settings, plots. A refiner’s fire that draws out pure gold.
YA can also be cold.
As in chill, bitter, harsh, blustery, caustic, shivery, biting, hard-edged, cool. A frigid wind that dips below zero. A blizzardy drift of ideas and images. One snowflake never like the next. And once all hell freezes over, than YA can be the sharp-edged ax that breaks through the ice of your soul. YA lit—good YA lit—is never, ever lukewarm. Not in terms of content—the fearless stories told, the layers of meaning revealed.
Not in terms of character—these people live on the pages, and like most adolescents (or the adolescent in all of us, who lives on and on and on) their motivation frequently cuts to the quick: they are desperately trying to figure out just who in God’s name they are.
And YA lit is never, ever lukewarm or tepid in terms of voice—which is so driven by character, setting, and plot, and which defines each YA novel—that distinct, one-of-a-kind voice that speaks a book into existence, that prods and goads and compels a writer—me—to tell the story. This is just a little bit of why YA rocks my world—why I love writing and reading books for teens. Or, supposedly for teens, since most street smart and literary savvy adults worth their salt know that Young Adult Fiction is among the best literature out and about today.
And let me tell you guys, not only does Karen love YA, but she is incredibly talented at writing it too! You probably know I'm not exactly easy to please sometimes when it comes to my books, but I absolutely adored While He Was Away. And it definitely had a lot to do with "the voice" of Karen's main character Penna, and everything that she goes through to discover who she is. Seriously, it was an amazing read and I highly recommend it.
So without further ado, it is....
~Giveaway Time!~
OK so as part of the Tour, I'm hosting an awesome giveaway sponsored by Sourcebooks Fire for a copy of Karen's newest YA novel, While He Was Away. It is a perfect pick for your summer reading lists! You can also click on the cover image for more details from Goodreads :)
Just fill out the Rafflecopter Form below to be entered for a chance to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck and happy reading everyone!!
