RIASS stuff:
Giveaway: The Last City by Nina D'Aleo'(open to all)
Book Review: Never After by Dan Elconin'Rating: 
Book Review: Other Brother by Simon French'Rating:
Other bookish stuff:
Alyssa Sheinmel shares her inspiration for'The Stone Girl'Sheinmel discusses her own body issues and how she came to write a book about a girl who doesnt believe she has a real eating disorder. (May be triggering for some readers)
Publishing in 2012 vs 2002. Whats changed?
Lev Grossman on the psychiatric component of picture books'Inevitably, bad feelings develop. Your own unresolved neuroses and secret fears get involved'picture books can be kind of like Rorschach blots that way. You see what you want to see. For example: I'm convinced that the parents in'Harry the Dirty Dog'are secretly evil.
Ebooks: has the content divide replaced the digital divide?'Without broad access to ebooks, the role of public libraries is bound to change significantlyNow, some of these'attempts to reduce 'friction' in the analog circulation model of public libraries are directly in'conflict with the publishers' desire to add friction or deterrents for customers who wish to'access ebook content from libraries. In the end, are we really still a library if we only provide'50% of the available ebook content to our users? How long will it be before public support'wanes for public libraries if we only provide less popular materials?
The famously elusive author Lemony Snicket comments on the murder of his books by Lauren Conrad'While Im not ordinarily up for book murder (unless its in the name of my engagement), Im at least pleased to see that Conrad knows what a book is.
Moira Young gives us her tips for writing strong female heroes'These include keeping the stakes high, ensuring that the character is well-rounded and has depth, ensuring that she remains at the centre of action (dont let her boyfriend solve her problems for her!), and pushing her beyond her comfort zone. Id also add that its important to consider the difference between strong and tough, and to avoid simply writing a female hero as a bloke with boobswere socialised to act in different ways and value different things after all.
John Picacio'talks about the inspiration behind the cover art for Ian McDonalds Be My Enemy'I dont think he saw the abstraction coming either. As is often the case when I work with Lou, my A plus his B often equals a C thats more than the sum, and more than we first imagined.
On literary jukeboxes and reading playlists'Funny, I dont listen to music as I read, but I do listen to music when I write. I have been putting together a playlist to go with my MG, though, and Ive been trying to tempt my app-developer hubbie to put together an app that inserts playlists into ebooks.
Vivien French on young readers who struggle with decoding words and letters'French argues that all children are creative, but its the approach to reading and writing that needs to change if children are to enjoy these activities. Rather than demonising children for struggling with decoding words and letters (and lets face it, English isnt exactly a friendly language for a new reader), a better approach is to empower them by showing them that they have expertise in oral storytelling, and'then to transpose these skills into the written form.
Patty Blout on writing her book'Send, an exploration of online bullying.'I became obsessed with the idea of guilt ' or more specifically, living with that degree of guilt and wondered how a kid who'd done something without understanding the permanence or the reach of his action could endure such guilt.
The right fit: navigating the world of literary agents'This article looks at how building relationships and having some sort of platform can help in improving your hit rate with literary agents, and how its important not just to focus on signing with any agent, but rather with an agent who is right for you: someone with whom youre a good personal and professional mix, and whos going to support you over a career. I interviewed a few agents who made offers on my middle grade manuscript, and to be honest, everyone was lovely and professional to deal with. In the end, though, I went with the one I felt was most passionate about my work, and whose tastes seem to gel with my own. And who doesnt mind that Im ridiculously obsessed with wordplay.
Speaking of wordplay, this naughty person was caught cheating at a Scrabble championship!
Also, in other news, apparently publishing is broken, the book is dead, and other stuff along those lines.
Follow us on Blog Lovin'