Kirsten Hubbard: YA Author + Travel Writer

WANDERLOVE locations #10: Punta Gorda

2012-03-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Punta Gorda, Belize

by kirsten hubbard

Low-key, almost sleepy Punta Gordais the southernmost town in Belize of any substantial size – which, in Belizeanterms, isn't saying much. It's Bria and Rowan's first stop in Belize, after astormy motorboat ride from Guatemala.

ten years: a menagerie of dorkiness

2012-03-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago today, I kissed a boy after a party my freshman year of college. Five years later, he proposed to me. A year after that, I married him -- on a certain Belizean island I couldn't get out of my head, one we visited on our very first backpacking trip together in 2004. And now, it's been another four years since our wedding; but more importantly, ten years exactly since that first kiss.

I think the following will illustrate exactly why it's worked out so long.

We have several games we play when we're traveling and bored. Yeah, travel can be boring -- usually, when you're waiting an hour for food at a comedor or soda or cafe, or for a bus that's on Central America time, like we were in Costa Rica below. In this game, we alternate naming animals. Then we each have to make a face like the animal. It is incredibly, incredibly dorky but also hilarious.

as opposed to two-toed

actually this was one specific freaky little howler we caught peering inside our window at us in nicaragua

Needless to say, I think he won.

WANDERLOVE locations #9: Livingston

2012-03-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Livingston, Guatemala

photo by kirsten hubbard

Livingston is a village onGuatemala's Atlantic coast, with a backdrop of dense rainforest. It's acultural melting pot, and the gateway to the Caribbean Sea. It's also where reluctanttravel partners Bria and Rowan truly start getting to know each other.

photo by kirsten hubbard

WANDERLOVE locations #8: Rio Dulce

2012-03-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Rio Dulce, Guatemala

photo by kirsten hubbard

Rio Dulce is both a town inGuatemala, and a river (it translates to "sweet river") that opens onto the Caribbean. Dense rainforest towers from either side.

WANDERLOVE locations #7: Guatemala City

2012-03-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Guatemala City, Guatemala

photo by guate360

Teeming, often chaotic Guatemala City is the largest cityin Central America, and one of the most dangerous, although most crime isn't targetedtoward foreigners. For travelers, it's "a necessary waystation", asStarling calls it, when heading cross-country (or flying in).

WANDERLOVE locations #6: Chicken buses

2012-02-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Chicken buses

by kirsten hubbard

"Chicken bus" is anickname for public transportation in Central America. They're usually retiredAmerican school buses, painted riotous colors, and are hands-down the cheapestway to get around Central America. Of course, there are some sacrifices…

WANDERLOVE locations #5: Santa Lucia

2012-02-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Santa Lucia, Guatemala

by kirsten hubbard

In Wanderlove, Santa Lucia is a tinyvillage on the shores of Lake Atitlan. In reality, it's based on another tinyvillage called Santa Cruz. There's not much there, other than a series ofhumble homes staggered up the hillside – and a lively backpacker hostel, whereBria was invited for dinner.

by kirsten hubbard

WANDERLOVE in nicaragua

2012-02-25T15:10:00.002-08:00

With Wanderlove in Las Penitas, Nicaragua, two days ago. This is the first day we've had down time & semi-reliable internet access on a computer (as opposed to my phone), so more pics soonest!

hanging with bria!

he promised he'd read it

nicaragua beach dog ain't a bad life

WANDERLOVE locations #4: Panajachel

2012-02-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Panajachel, Guatemala

photo by kirsten hubbard

Panajachel is a village on LakeAtitlan. It's a bit touristy, but stunningly beautiful, especially down by thelakeshore.

WANDERLOVE locations #3: Lake Atitlan

2012-02-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

photo by kirsten hubbard

Lake Atitlan is a lake in theGuatemalan highlands, surrounded by volcanoes. Bria first glimpses it from hertour group's shuttle van, "like a shock of blue light."

photo by kirsten hubbard

backPACKing

2012-02-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

we leave for nicaragua tomorrow! via one night in atlanta. behold: the “packing” part of backpacking. I’m always utterly organized at first. by the end of the trip, my backpack devolves into a sack of crumpled laundry and trinkets I don’t need.

WANDERLOVE locations #2: Chichicastenango

2012-02-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Chichicastenango, Guatemala

photo by kirsten hubbard

Guatemala's twice-weekly ChichicastenangoMayan market is the largest of its kind. It's also where Bria meets Rowan forthe first time.

photo by kirsten hubbard

finished copies of WANDERLOVE!

2012-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

YOU GUYS. I received my finished copies of Wanderlove last night. They're so beautiful I can't even -- I mean, look!

yep, that's a teeny tiny Bria and Rowan on the spine!

And the drawings! The drawings! The ARC & eARC versions can't even compare. Truly, they reproduced so beautifully. I can't wait for you to see them.

Beware those jungle beasties!

Also: Like Mandarin paperbacks. Cute AND affordable!

Now, off to go happy dance some more. note: I do have two eyes despite what is depicted here

can you picture me doing this?

2012-02-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

apparently it is part of the plan. if I don't chicken out, there will be VIDEO.
unless this happens again:

it's not travel if there isn't a little terror involved... right?

WANDERLOVE locations #1: Antigua Guatemala

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Antigua Guatemala

photo by Guate360.com

Antigua Guatemala ("ancientGuatemala") is a colonial city and one of Central America's most populardestinations. Its pastel buildings and cobblestone streets attract a prettyeven mix of tourists and backpackers. Soon after she arrives in Antigua, Bria wonders if she's chosen the wrong half.

WANDERLOVE places & tumblr launch!

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

As you probably know by now, Wanderlove is set in Central America. But not just in one location -- in over a dozen! Wanderlove settings range from bustling capital cities to dense rainforest to tiny Mayan villages to idyllic Caribbean islands, and each is special in its own way.

Most exist in real life; all are based on real life. I'm so excited to share these amazing places with you in the novel -- and on my brand new Wanderlove-themed Tumblr site.

www.wanderlove.com

The site is all about favorite places: in Wanderlove and beyond, my places and YOUR places. That's right. I want you to participate!

From the submit page:

wanderlove is about celebrating our favorite places, and experiencing each other's. take a photo, or find a photo (one you’ve taken yourself & have the rights to) of your favorite place. it could be a place you’ve traveled to, long ago or recently; a special spot in your neighborhood, city or town; or even in your house or backyard. be as creative as you want. include a few sentences about why the place is special to you – why you *get* it, why it sticks in your heart. thank you!

You can also submit via email at wanderbooks (at) gmail (dot) com.

If you participate, make sure you include your name and email address (don't worry, I won't publish the latter).

Here's why. Everyone who submits an image and response between now and March 5th (the day I get back from Central America) will be entered to win one of three signed, annotated and butterfly-doodled hardcovers of Wanderlove. They'll be super-special, even if you've already pre-ordered the book (and I so so so hope you have)! The giveaway will be open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

(I'll host another HUGE giveaway March 13th, here and YA Highway -- with prizes including Wanderlove art prints, bookmarks, and bracelets just like Rowan's.)

As for me? I'll be featuring all the destinations in Wanderlove, (mostly) with photos I took myself over the years. I'll cross-post my personal Wanderlove places posts here as well as Tumblr, so you can follow along on Bria's journey in either spot.

You can also ask me questions about Wanderlove, backpacking, or writing, and I'll do my best to answer them on the site -- or in video form from Central America, where I'm heading next week.

Follow! Reblog! Join in! And enjoy :)

publishers weekly loved WANDERLOVE!

2012-02-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

WANDERLOVE

Wanderlove
Kirsten Hubbard. Delacorte, $17.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-385-73937-5
Hubbard’s second novel, following Like Mandarin, is rich with the unexpected joys and tribulations of new experiences. When 18-year-old Bria Sandoval is dumped, her art school plans fall through, and her two best friends renege on their summer travel plans, Bria signs up for a “Global Vagabond” tour in Central America. Upon arriving in Guatemala, she is disappointed by the tame, touristy group, and when a handsome stranger named Rowan and his half-sister, Starling, invite her to travel with them, she jumps at the opportunity. From Guatemala, Rowan and Bria make their way to a Belizean island where they stay in hostels, get on each other’s nerves, and skirt conversations about their pasts: both are angry at themselves and focused on changing themselves. The sincerity of Bria’s narration is balanced by a healthy dose of sarcasm, and her journaling and delicate, skillful pencil drawings contribute to the novel’s strong sense of place. Bria’s charged relationship with Rowan and the vast emotional and physical territory Hubbard covers make for an evocative and romantic read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michelle Andelman, Regal Literary. (Mar.)

WANDERLOVE launch party! hooray!

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

Check it out: the flyer for WANDERLOVE's launch party and book signing! It's on Saturday, March 17th at 2pm at the Yellow Book Road bookstore in San Diego's Liberty Station. (that's a really long sentence.)

If you live in Southern California, you should consider coming. If you live in San Diego, you're TOTALLY coming, right? I mean, giant butterflies! Giveaways! Cookies or cupcakes! (we haven't decided). The chance to ask me questions, such as what kind of jungle beasties have you uncovered in hostel beds? And of course, to purchase a freshly signed copy of Wanderlove.

SO hope to see you there!!

Central America, I have missed you

2012-01-29T13:52:00.000-08:00

GUESS WHAT.
I'm heading to Nicaragua and Costa Rica in three weeks!

last time I was in Nicaragua I had long hair

I'll spent two weeks there, revisiting some of my favorite places in Nicaragua, and onto some new ones, in Costa Rica as well -- including, if all stars align, the Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast.

The sloth sanctuary will be like a pilgrimage for me. Because in nine trips to Central America -- this'll be my tenth, wow -- I've never seen a sloth, outside the zoo. And they're my favorites! I've long held the belief Googling baby sloth photo helps cure every heart sickness, and I can't imagine what holding a real, live baby sloth (do I get to hold them? please say yes) will do for my emotional state. There might be spontaneous cartwheels. And I don't even know how to do a cartwheel.

Anyway, we're backpacking, as almost always. I'm not on the budget I was on in my early twenties, when I backpacked with jars of peanut butter and sometimes shared a single bed with two girlfriends. But when I travel, I still prefer hostels and guesthouses; staying in town near all the action, in places populated with kindred spirits. Resorts -- while obviously fantastic in their own way -- are for vacations. (Or for reviewing under my travel writerly persona.)

Anyway, I'm doing the flashpacker thing, and I hope to film a couple vlogs from the road to share with you guys. (Some should have sloths in them.) Which reminds me:

Have any backpacking questions for me, or Central America questions, or Wanderlove questions? I'll do my best to answer them, here or in video form! Leave them in the comments, or email them to me at kirstenhubbard (at) gmail (dot) com.

i am

2012-01-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

going to hang with these guys

next month.

...

more when I stop SONIC SQUEEING!!!!

censorship is scary stuff

2012-01-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

because internet censorship is wrong.

and Wikipedia is right.

(more on YA Highway.)

Piracy's a really thorny topic for me. When it's my own books, I admit, I react to it emotionally. I think it's mostly because I'm a midlist author, and sales numbers are so, so important -- to the extent that they actually have an effect on whether or not I can sell more books to my publisher. The "bottom line" is one of those things authors hint at but don't talk about much, but I can tell you, it's very true.

While I'd never download a book myself, I'm not innocent in the piracy debate. Nope. (I mean, I was a college freshman during Kazaa's heyday!) And really, I know that everyone who illegally downloads my books wouldn't necessarily buy them otherwise -- download numbers don't directly translate to lost sales, for any author. I know that the money to buy books is scarce for many readers. I know some people think there's a kind of parallel in libraries -- which I adore, use and hugely support (though there is a difference; for every library book, a book was bought. Not the story with pirated ebooks, especially with books not out yet). And of course, a big part of me is thrilled readers are reading my books, no matter how they get their hands on them.

But -- since I strive for honesty with you guys -- it's true that a bigger part of me is upset by illegal downloading. Not in a ragey way, but a sadface way. Because all I want to do in the whole wide world is write more books for you guys.

HOWEVER.

SOPA and PIPA can kiss my author ass.

WANDERLOVE comes out in two months!

2012-01-13T11:34:00.001-08:00

that's all. EEK!

win a signed ARC of WANDERLOVE!

2012-01-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Wanderlove's first ARC giveaway is live on Goodreads! If you win, I'll sign it, include a bookmark and even draw one of Bria's butterflies for you. Good luck :)

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wanderlove

by Kirsten Hubbard

Giveaway ends March 02, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

that text on the back of the book

2012-01-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was having a conversation on somebody's Goodreads status (those are always colorful!) about book summaries: the text on the back or inner sleeve of a book. I've seen them called book blurbs, but that gets confusing, since cover quotes from other authors are called blurbs too. So I call them summaries, or flap copy.

From what I've seen, who gets to write summaries these varies by publisher. In our conversation, Hannah Moskowitz mentioned she hasn't written any of hers; Sarah Rees Brennan says she's written some, but had zero say in others. I was fortunate; for both Like Mandarin and Wanderlove, I wrote my summaries -- mostly.

It's a little confusing, actually. The summaries you see on Goodreads and Amazon were written by me. For Like Mandarin, though, sometimes the text is tweaked slightly -- I think "Badlands" was autocorrected as capitalized somewhere along the line, and occasionally it appears that way (which drives me bananas; I fix it when I can).

However, the summaries on the actual books were changed somewhat by my publisher. Like Mandarin was changed more than Wanderlove. I'm not gonna lie, I like my versions better, but as with book covers, you just gotta sit back, fold your hands, and think of ~~England~~ Central America. I'm honestly grateful I had significant input. In fact, Like Mandarin's summary contains a good deal of text straight from my query. I thought I'd include each version of my books' summaries below, in case the evolution interests you.

Like Mandarin, query version:

In the wind-battered town of Washokey, Wyoming, fourteen-year-old Grace Carpenter longs to stand out. But Grace rejects her mother's beauty pageant ideals and the superficial obsessions of her classmates. True beauty is seventeen-year-old Mandarin Ramey—the town slut.

Grace would give anything to be like Mandarin: self-assured, shameless, and utterly carefree. She doesn't realize Mandarin is searching for somebody, too. When a teacher unites the misfits for a history project, they forge an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town's animal-head trophies, and constantly searching for someplace magic.

Grace plays along when Mandarin coaxes her into a pact to run away together. She believes it's all part of the game. But for Mandarin, it's real. As Grace learns the truth about the volatile older girl, she finds even Mandarin's unique beauty can't compensate for the emotional turmoil underneath. And even the closest friendships can't withstand betrayal.

Like Mandarin, on Goodreads/Amazon (my own updated version):

It's hard finding beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming, but 14-year-old Grace Carpenter knows it's not her mother's pageant obsessions, or the cowboy dances adored by her small-town classmates. True beauty is wild girl Mandarin Ramey: 17, shameless and utterly carefree. Grace would give anything to be like Mandarin.

When they're united for a project, they form an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town's animal-head trophies, and searching for someplace magic. Grace plays along when Mandarin suggests they run away together. Blame it on the crazy-making wildwinds plaguing their badlands town.

Because all too soon, Grace discovers Mandarin's unique beauty hides a girl who's troubled, broken, and even dangerous. And no matter how hard Grace fights to keep the magic, no friendship can withstand betrayal.

Like Mandarin, on the book jacket (my publisher's version):

It's hard to find beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming. Fourteen-year-old Grace Carpenter sure knows there's nothing beautiful about her mother's pageant obsessions, or about the cowboy dances or pickup trucks adored by her small-town classmates. True beauty is wild girl Mandarin Ramey: seventeen, shameless and utterly carefree. Grace would give anything to be like Mandarin.

When these girls, so utterly different from one another, are united for a school project, they embark on an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town's animal-head trophies, and searching for someplace magic. When Mandarin suggests that they make a pact to run away, Grace goes along with the idea on a whim. Maybe it's the wildwinds that plague their badlands town that make her say yes.

After a while, however, Grace has second thoughts. It turns out that Mandarin's unique beauty hides a girl who's troubled -- even dangerous. And no matter how hard Grace fights to keep their friendship alive, even the strongest relationships can't withstand betrayal.

Wanderlove on Goodreads/Amazon (obviously I didn't query this one):

It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Wanderlove on the book jacket:

It all begins with one question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

Eighteen-year-old Bria Sandoval isn't, but she wants to be. In a quest to assert her independence, recommit herself to her neglected art, and enjoy some no-strings-attached hookups, Bria signs on for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-discovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and diving instructor, and Starling, his outspoken humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they have in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan has found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she wants to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry into this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.

top 5 anticipated books 0f 2012

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today's blog carnival post: Top 5 Anticipated Books of 2012. I'm going be truthful here. Because it's pretty obvious my most anticipated book of 2012 is...

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard (yay!)
This book is packed with so much I love about writing, travel, art, and life in general. I can't WAIT for you all to read it!

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
I loved Finnikin of the Rock, so so much, and I can't wait for Froi of the Exiles. Froi is a fascinating secondary character in Finnikin -- a rare character I completely despised at one point (if you've read it, you'll know what point), but ended up caring about. That's a tricky feat to accomplish, but then, Melina Marchetta is a genius.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
Totally cannot wait.

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
Kristin Cashore's books are so enjoyable and creative, and Bitterblue was a compelling character even in the small bit in Graceling where we met her. I look forward to her driving her own story.

(I'm realizing these are all companion books. Yay companion books!)

Instead of picking one more, I'm going to pick a jillion. I have a several friends debuting in 2012 and their books sound great: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock, If I Lie by Cory Jackson, M.I.L.A 2.0 by Debra Driza, and Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger, among others. I'm excited for my friend Gretchen McNeil's Ten, Veronica Roth's Insurgent, Kody Keplinger's A Midsummer's Nightmare, Jessi Kirby's In Honor, Tessa Gratton's The Blood Keeper, Elana Johnson & Michelle Hodkin's sequels, Susanne Winnacker's The Other Life, Catherine Knutsson's Shadows Cast by Stars and Trish Doller's Something Like Normal. And so many others I'm forgetting!

Other Best of '11 Participants:

top 5 recommended books of 2011

2011-12-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today I am supposed to write about my Top 5 Recommended Books of 2011, but it's Christmas Eve as I write this and people are calling to me, so if I don't get back to this post due to familial chaos (you know the type), instead I am going to give you a picture of a baby sloth.

For more ~~sloth photos~~ recommended books, check out the blogs of Best of '11 Participants with better time management skills:

top 5 books of 2011

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today's blog carnival post: top 5 books of 2011 (not counting Like Mandarin, of course!) I did less reading in 2011 than I usually do, but some of what I did read blew me away.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Many of you know setting is a huge love of mine, in real life, my books, and other author's books. The gloomy, sea-battered island in The Scorpio Races is absolutely a character in its own right -- and I haven't even mentioned the beautiful, bloodthirsty horses yet.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Some books aren't as good as everyone says they are, and others are. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone most definitely is. A glittering, gorgeous book.

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
So unlike anything out there in YA, seeped in a unique kind of darkness. Loved it.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
I will fight to the front of the line for anything Stephanie Perkins writes. I adored Anna and I adore Lola equally, with the added bonus of it being set in a city I love: San Francisco.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman
I read this on a plane to New York City, where I was heading for BEA and to be part of an event with Gayle Forman herself (though I never had the chance to meet her!). I had tears streaming down my face, and I'm pretty sure I was in the middle seat with no place to hide. I enjoyed If I Stay, but I loved Where She Went.

What books did you love this year?

Other Best of '11 Participants:

top 5 YA characters of 2011 (ish)

2011-12-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today's blog carnival post: Top 5 YA Characters. For some reason, this category is giving me grief.

Luckily, I know my number one answer, hands down:

Evanjalin
Finnikin of the Rock, Melina Marchetta
Evanjalin kicks ass. Not in a Katniss or Katsa sense -- she uses her intellect, not her fists. Yet, she's willing to die for her convictions, and her compassion. I would like to be as good as Evanjalin.

I have the urge to list Melina Marchetta's non-2011 achingly multi-dimensional characters, like Jonah Griggs, and Taylor Markham, and Francesca Spinelli, but I must think outside the pages of MM's fantastic novels.

Ruby
Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
You're not supposed to like Ruby, the darkly charismatic big sister in Imaginary Girls. You have no idea what she'll do next, to what lengths she'll go to get what she wants. But just as she draws all the townspeople, I was entirely intrigued by her.

Karou
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Laini Taylor is a genius. With Karou, she's written one of the most creative characters in YA, period. Karou's secrets seem endless from page one; and yet, instead of distancing the reader, we care about Karou immediately -- which makes every event in the book hit super hard.

Mostly non-2011 Honorable Mentions, because this category is still killing me: Marcus from When You Reach Me (okay fine, that's MG), the monster in A Monster Calls (fine, that's MG too), Daisy from How I Live Now, Four from Divergent, The Pricker Boy from The Pricker Boy (shudder), the dog from The Knife of Never Letting Go, obviously I'm being flexible here, so I'll stop now while I'm ahead.

What characters are most memorable for you? (2011 or otherwise?)

Other Best of '11 Participants:

top 5 albums to write to of 2011

2011-12-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in an end-of-the-year blog carnival organized by my friend and fellow YA Highwayer, Sarah Enni. First up: Top 5 Favorite Albums to Write To. (music and writing, my favorite!)

As some of you guys know, I compose playlists for every book I write, and I play them each time I sit down to write. However, when I'm brainstorming a new book, pushing through a tough scene, writing blog posts or travel content, there are a few albums I keep going back to.

Bon Iver by Bon Iver (2011)
From start to finish, a perfect album. For Emma, Forever Ago is fantastic but this one's a masterpiece.

(the album's first single, still my fave)

Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene (2010)
Broken Social Scene is incredibly diverse (probably because there are so many members), and so is this album. Some of it's sweet, some of it's powerful, all of it is terrific.

(this is totally rowan & bria's song, by the way)

High Violet by The National (2010)
Still pretty much my favorite album ever, though The National's Boxer is brilliant too. But I've played High Violet so many times I've almost memorized it, which makes it good writing music – it fills me with every type of emotion without distracting me.

(while "slow show" is my fave song period, this is my fave on the album. I've also found this song makes people fall in love with the national. I mean, LISTEN to it.)

Hurry Up We're Dreaming by M83 (2011)
I'm including this because I've been listening to it a ton lately. M83's Saturdays = Youth is another album I listen to constantly. The band is dreamy and eclectic, but sometimes gut-kickingly powerful.

(I'm just sharing the song, this is all I can find, am not secret secret circle fan lol)

Ambient indie rock/dream pop by various bands
When I'm pushing through a tough scene, or at the mostly-reading stage of revising, I listen to tons of Explosions in the Sky, The Album Leaf, Boards of Canada and Sigur Ros. It's mostly non-vocal (or in Sigur Ros's case, in Icelandic).

(sooo pretttyyy)

What music gets YOU writing?

Other Best of '11 Participants:

WANDERLOVE fun (& bowie)

2011-12-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

Attention readers/writers/authors/bloggers/travelers/baby sloth aficionados: interested in participating in a bit of Wanderlove promo? It's easy, but pretty cool, I think, and I hope it will evolve into something really special. If this sounds fun, email me at kirstenhubbad (at) gmail (dot) com. I'll email everyone back in the next couple days. <3

bonus: my all-time favorite holiday-related thing:

breaking news about WANDERLOVE's cover

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Wanderlove's original cover looked like this:

However, the actual cover will now look like this:

If you loved the purple (which is a Central American patterned fabric), never fear -- it'll still be on the spine. Something like this, but cropped so it's just the spine. Also, with Andi's blurb.

What do you think? (I pretty much love them all.)

poof!

2011-11-29T09:58:00.001-08:00

My latest YA Highway post, "Why Authors Disappear", is up today. Some really interesting discussion in the comments! Including note from me, underscoring that I am SO not asking for author pity -- not at all. Though empathy, perhaps. It's just my take on some misunderstandings I've observed, based on conversations I've had with other authors. Respecting my readers (aspiring authors in particular) isn't just about being omnipresent online, I don't think; it's also about being honest.

And in all honesty, I am presently wearing a pair of gray yoga pants and a furry brown aviator hat, and it appears I have started biting my nails again. Also, a white load has been sitting in the dryer for three days now, but it is 75 degrees outside, so I will probably sunbathe instead of fold.

bunnies

2011-11-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

This is fun! Fleur from NYhop, who designed the jackalope dress I wore for Like Mandarin's launch party, had me model a couple bunny shirts for her shop on Etsy.

1. baby cottontail

2. brush rabbit loves clover

She's an incredible artist, a sweet person, and you should all purchase an adorable bunny shirt immediately.

(Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow, American friends!)

want WANDERLOVE bookmarks?

2011-11-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

I just ordered approximately one jillion Wanderlove bookmarks! They'll arrive in a few days, and I'm already amped to disperse them throughout THE WHOLE WORLD just like Bria's butterflies (see below)...

(that side* just sort of vanishes into the background, doesn't it?)

If you're a book blogger -- from any country! -- I'll happily send you a pack of signed bookmarks for giveaways, etc. when I get them. I'll also include some signed Like Mandarin bookmarks. And because I adore book bloggers, I'll draw you a butterfly on a personalized bookmark of your own.

Just email me your address at kirstenhubbard (at) gmail.

If you're not a book blogger, no worries! I'll be holding some giveaways soon -- hopefully with ARCs, and definitely with signed/doodled bookmarks and authentic Guatemalan bracelets, just like a certain travel boy wears in Wanderlove :)

ALSO: I'll be launching a site in a month or two all about our favorite places -- as a character says in Wanderlove, "The places you get, girl. The places that stick in your heart." They can be as diverse as a far-flung travel spot, a beloved neighborhood haunt, or a special nook in your apartment. More details soon.

*which reminds me, turns out the final hardcover won't have the purple border to the left, as pictured on the bookmark. it'll still be on the spine, though.

WANDERLOVE is out in four months

2011-11-14T08:44:00.001-08:00

...as of yesterday, in fact. I am planning some Very Cool Things, despite feeling as if Like Mandarin came out last week. (It didn't?) (Where did the last 8 months go??)

Anyway. I am super excited to share Wanderlove with you. SOON.*

*March 13th, 2012.

any excuse to dress up

2011-10-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I celebrated mine Saturday night at a street festival put on by San Diego's LGBT Community Center, which included some absolutely fantastic costumes. My favorite:

Included: me being post-apocalyptic, a la Mad Max's Thunderdome. I hoped to be a post-apocalytpic medusa, but I failed on the headdress (I wanted it to be mohawk-shaped, and apparently mohawk-shaped things are beyond my costuming capacity). So I wore a single snake earring as a shout-out.

and the winners are...

2011-10-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

WINNERS

(as selected by random.org)

Shatter Me (signed!): Farah M.J. Elmajdoub

The Scorpio Races: Samantha Mabry

How to Save a Life: Alison Bogy

I'll be emailing the winners shortly, and holding a new giveaway early this week (I mean to today, but time scampered away from me)

Thanks for entering, everyone!

a city for a week

2011-10-13T13:13:00.001-07:00

One of the most incredible things about Burning Man is its fleetingness. It's a city built in one of the world's most inhospitable environments -- for just one week. Once the cleanup crews are finished, nothing is left, not even the tiniest scraps. Check out this just-released time lapse video of Black Rock City in 2011. It gives me chills.

getting political

2011-10-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Just a note to invite you to check out my post on YA Highway today. It's about politics in (and outside) of YA, and the ethics & responsibilities of "getting political" as an author or artist. It's already generating some interesting discussion in the comments.

Giveaway winners tomorrow -- and hopefully, a new giveaway! Have you entered?

are grace and mandarin gay?

2011-10-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

(Caution: some Like Mandarin spoilers below. Nothing too egregious, but if you haven't read the book yet and would rather be a blank slate, you might want to save this for later.)

LGBTA YA literature is incredibly important, for kids (and adults!) both gay and straight to read. I'm so glad it's been getting more attention, and I can't wait to make my own contribution to the genre.

But have I already? Are Grace and Mandarin gay?

It's a simple question, but the answer's a lot more complicated.

Outwardly, Like Mandarin is a book about a younger girl who idolizes an older girl, so much that she would give anything to BE her. But as Grace and Mandarin's relationship develops, the dynamic between them changes, as do their feelings for one another. There's love there, surely. But what kind?

Ever since I wrote version one of Like Mandarin, millions of years ago (ok, 5), I was most fascinated by the gray areas. The questioning, uncertain places amid the usual trio of Gay, Straight, Bi. I went into it knowing Grace's relationship with, and feelings for, Mandarin Ramey would be ambiguous (and vice versa). Their friendship would be undeniably intense. . . and open to interpretation.

To be honest, I expected a whole lot more people to ask me about it. (My editor did, directly, during our first phone call. It was kind of awesome.)

I've had a couple reviews refer to it. Several claim they were wondering as they read, but decided by the end Grace and Mandarin's friendship was platonic, nothing but a "girl crush" or idolization. Others felt it remained up in the air throughout. Most, however, didn't mention the grays – though in several scenes, the platonic state of the girls' friendship is deliberately made questionable. The charge is definite, and very much intentional.

I've always been intrigued by the ambiguities and intensities of female friendships, probably stemming from my own teenage experiences. My girlfriends and I were always pushing the envelope: holding hands as we walked between classes, cuddling, flirting, pretending to make out in junior high, making out for real in high school. Over time, some of us figured out we were queer, others of us didn't. But I'm not sure it was clear for any of us back then.

Emma Straub wrote about this topic in The Paris Review at the beginning of the year, relating it to the dynamic between Angela and Rayanne in the amazing '90s TV series, My So-Called Life.

"All teenage girls are at least half-lesbian, always admiring their friends’ still-shifting bodies, their superior wardrobes, their make-up application expertise, their better luck with the opposite sex. Teenage girls curl up together like newborn puppies ... They aren’t hitting on each other, not precisely, though they are in a constant state of arousal that borders on the insane. No other love is like the love of a teenage girl, all passion and fire and endless devotion—at least for a week."

I think she nails it: both my high school friendships, and Grace and Mandarin's relationship in Like Mandarin. Which leads, I suppose, to another question: are Grace and Mandarin gay, and they just don't know it yet?

The answer is -- and I hope this doesn't sound strange, or like a cop out -- I don't know.

Some kids are lucky to have figured out their sexualities at age fourteen, or at seventeen, but I'd hazard a guess many others haven't. I hadn't. And that reflects my intention in writing Like Mandarin – that there's nothing to explain, or that I can explain. The ambiguities are deliberate, and your prediction is based on the same story as mine.

When you create characters as an author, even when you craft them and care about them and know them deeply and thoroughly, you can't know everything about them -- particularly, what happens beyond the final page of their book. I don't know what happens to Mandarin and Grace after the end of Like Mandarin. I think about it, sometimes, and hope ferociously for the best for them. But that means I also don't know what girls, and women, they become.

Although, I admit it was very, very important to me – spoiler! -- that Grace didn't end up with a boy in Like Mandarin, even when the set-up suggested she might. Though she didn't end up with a girl, either. Which leads to one last question.

Is Like Mandarin really a YA novel without a romance?

Yes. No. Depends on how you interpret it. But it's definitely a love story.

take my ARCs! mega giveaway #1

2011-10-06T05:02:00.000-07:00

I HAVE SO MANY ARCs! And so little time. Most are fall books from BEA, ALA, and Comic-Con. Well, it's fall now, and some of these babies are out, or almost out. Yikes! As a result, I need to give away some of my ARCs away asap. I'm reviewing them, too, since spreading the word is what ARCs are for. First up...

Three books, three winners! To enter, fill out the form after my reviews. You must:
1) be from the US or Canada (sorry)
2) be a follower of this blog, and
3) promise to review the book(s) you win on Goodreads, Amazon, or your blog. Or B&N.com. Or on a sandwich board at #occupywallstreet. Wherever. Somewhere! No need to review positively, of course -- be honest.
Also, 4) I'll add an entry if you tweet or blog.

The Scorpio Races
Maggie Stiefvater
(October 18th, Scholastic)

The Scorpio Races is one of the most unique YA novels I've had the chance to read, and I loved it. It's about colorful, ferocious faery horses who live in the sea and roam one particular island when it storms. Then, they can be captured -- if you're willing to risk your life. Brave men ride the horses on the beach during the yearly Scorpio Races, at which people always die. It's the way of life on the moody, windswept island, home to a people who don't easily break from tradition, even tradition stained with centuries of blood. It's also about an island boy and an island girl, and how the races influence their past, present and future. Longer review here.

Shatter Me (signed!)
Tahereh Mafi
(November 15th, HarperCollins)

Shatter Me is going to be one of those polarizing YA novels, which I find exciting, because I love that kind of conversation. It's about Juliette, a teenage girl cursed (gifted?) with the power of deadly touch. The storyworld's dystopian government has kept her locked away for nearly a year -- but now, they have a use for her in mind. Rarely have I read a book so packed with emotion. Everything in Shatter Me is dialed up to eleven, twelve, 264. Often (especially in the beginning), it can be too much; and I say this mainly because at other times, Tahereh's prose is breathtakingly gorgeous, some of the most striking I've seen in YA. I found myself wishing for less in certain places so those beautifully crafted moments could shine. I also wanted to see more growth in Juliette, and more autonomy by the end. However, the romance in Shatter Me is hot hot hot -- seriously, can this girl ever write a love scene -- and while some reviewers seemed to be disappointed by the change in tune toward the end of the book, it excited me for the sequel. I look forward to watching Tahereh's career, and writing, soar.

How to Save a Life
Sara Zarr
(October 18th, 2011)

Whenever anyone is seeking a great example of distinct voices in a two-narrator book, I'll steer them toward Sara Zarr's How to Save a Life. The story is about Mandy, a pregnant teen who hopes to give up her baby to the mother of Jill, another teen. The girls are dissimilar in upbringing, personality and even intellect, and Sara does a fantastic job crafting two unique voices. In fact, I found the publisher's use of different fonts in the ARC distracting and unnecessary; I always knew which narrator was speaking. Anyway, this a quiet, aching story told though Sara Zarr's trademark lovely, yet spare, prose. The ending was a little too neat, but I was glad she chose to leave a certain plotline unsettled.

*Whenever I glimpse the title of this book, or the cover, or sometimes even just Sarah Zarr's name, the song by The Fray immediately starts playing in my head. Sometimes I won't even notice for a few minutes. It would be okay if I were much of a The Fray fan. But. Oh well.

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rest in peace, steve jobs

2011-10-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

My family's first computer was a Mac. I wrote my first novel on ClarisWorks at age 12, along with many, many stories. When I was 14, disaster struck! In a fit of techno-stunted spring cleaning, my dad "accidentally" wiped the entire computer, along with all my stories.

I was utterly devastated.

But then. . . I discovered there was something unexpectedly compelling about my familiar computer, suddenly empty, like a brand new sketchbook prime with possibility. So instead of giving up, I revisited that old gray keyboard with passion and rage. I kept writing, and writing, and writing, and I never, ever stopped.

Now, I'm a published author, writing books for teens on a MacBook Air that feels like home. That old, first Mac might still be around, probably in the labyrinth of my parents' garage; maybe those stories, and that first novel of mine, still exist somewhere inside of it. And even if it's long gone, that computer -- the conduit for so much of my early creativity -- will always be a part of me, as silly as it sounds.

Like so many of you, Steve Jobs and his products helped me become the person I am today. Again and always, I thank you, Steve.



when Cindy Pon asked me on a (piercing) date...

2011-10-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

...how could I say no?

Cindy went first, with a barbell in her cartilage. She smiled the whole time, I swear. Didn't even make a face. No pic of the end result, but it was super cute.

I opted for second piercings in both my earlobes, with barbells instead of studs. I look like I'm enjoying that GIANT NEEDLE a little too much, but that was just before my momentary OMG PAIN face.

The result!

We went to Enigma in Pacific Beach, which we couldn't recommend more. Neither could Yelp. It's also where I had my nose pierced. You guys totally think I'm addicted to this, don't you. If it helps, I have zero tattoos. (...yet?)

come see me!

2011-09-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, I've failed at blogging again. I have several unfinished posts in my drafts, if that helps, with tempting titles like "giveaway!" and "are grace and mandarin gay?" The former, I need to post pronto because I have tons of ARCs about ready to release, and I'm not a fan of giving away ARCs once a book is out. The latter, well, you'll see.

Anyway, it's just about October, which is fantastic, because fall is my favorite. I'll be at three author events this month, so if you're anywhere in Southern California, come see me!

The Orange County Children's Book Festival
Sunday, October 2nd at 12pm
This Sunday! I'll be speaking on the Keeping it Real in YA panel on the Teen Stage, along with Jessi Kirby (Moonglass), Andrew Smith (The Marbury Lens) and Lindsey Leavitt (Sean Griswold's Head). We'll be signing books afterward. So will tons of other authors. Bonus: the entire event is free!

Mysterious Galaxy
Wednesday, October 19th at 7pm
I'll be signing with Elana Johnson (Possession), Jessi Kirby (Moonglass), and Corey Whaley (Where Things Come Back).

Barnes & Noble Oceanside
Thursday, October 20 at 7pm
I'll be signing with Elana, Jessi and Corey again. Fun!

burning man: still amazing

2011-09-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

I should have blogged about burning man five days ago, when I still had one dusty boot in the desert. Even then, it was starting to fade into dreamstuff; but now, it feels just so astoundingly far away -- even though just one week ago, I was still there, stuck partway through a 9-hour exodus, watching dozens of kites flicker and dip over the playa at sunset. So, in lieu of a more organized post like last year's, here's a random scattering of thoughts and photos. Hopefully they'll paint a bit of the abstract yet impossibly dazzling masterpiece black rock city represents: one even those who've attended for years can never fully explain.

my friends losing their burner virginity at the gate: dust angels!

the temple. there are no words.

the floor of the temple's center tower, a place for introspection. so peaceful. mechanical instruments chimed from above. thousands of people write on the temple's walls during the week, many paying respects or leaving messages for lost loved ones. the temple burns on the last night, a solemn contrast to the party atmosphere of the man's burn the night before.

view from the temple, looking across the inner playa toward the man and black rock city.

two friends and I attempting jungle gymnastics during a sunset dust storm.

view of black rock city -- a teeny, tiny fraction of it. a weeklong tent city of 50,000+ people escapes concept, even when you're in the midst of it.

the playa is a perfect place to frolic.

BRC's hundreds of theme camps range from free bacon camps to body painting camps to where's waldo camps to adults-only camps to funhouse maze camps, like this one. in black rock city, you can only use money for ice and coffee at center camp; everything else is gifted. not bartered -- gifted.

at center camp, a circus-sized tent filled with scores and scores of the most bohemian types I have ever seen, and dude, I'm a backpacker. there are acrobats and jugglers and singers and speakers and people lounging on pillows all over the ground, and it's the very best spot in black rock city for relaxing -- or napping.

LOVE. the playa is scattered with the wildest dreams of many, many artists. they create it, transport it, and erect it -- not for profit; simply for the awe and joy of thousands.

I didn't get photos of my two favorite pieces of art, so I am borrowing other people's.

charon, a zoetropic artwork by peter hudson, absolutely blew my mind into smithereens. it was a three-story wheel with three-dimensional rowing skeletons that spun when people pulled cables. a strobe light magicked them to life. bells clanged eerily, and the illusion of water shone on the desert floor.

mandatory video.

el pulpo mecanico was actually an art car -- one of hundreds roaming the playa at five miles an hour, ranging from cupcakes to giant scorpions to multi-story party ships. this one was a steampunk octopus that spit fire from every tentacle.

mandatory video.

snack food glory hole, where I attended my very first metafilter meetup! and yes, I totally took on the hole. my surprise snack was a smushed starburst, watermelon, pop rocks and citric acid... I was one of the lucky ones.

some of the art installations are fully functional, like this movie theater in the deep playa -- almost three miles from the city. amazing.

K block! bikes are a way of life at burning man, and there's no better way to experience the farthest out of the far-out art.

beautiful.

that is, my friends, a 300 foot pier. that played the sounds of the ocean. with hammocks underneath. and ship-shaped art cars that docked at the end of it for improptu dance parties. and fishing poles, for people-fishing. it was one of the most wonderful things I've ever seen.

by the end of the week, many people burn their art.

stepping over the trash fence at the end of the world.

beyond black rock.

all decked out for burn night.

the burn of the man also defies explanation. tens of thousands of spectators in lights and costumes, hundreds of art cars parked around the perimeter, hundreds of fire dancers, fireworks that go on and on and on until you can hardly stand it, filling the sky and spilling out of the man himself, and then everyone cheering, dancing and pressing in as the man bursts into flame and collapses.

the burn. (nicolas cage not included.)

wearing white on temple burn night.


exodus: nine hours (last year it took six) in a line of cars, mostly parked, to escape the city and head to reno for the night. I reread How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff as I waited, and in that atmosphere -- stuck with nothing but apples, parmesan cheese from a shaker and gifted watermelon to eat -- it was even heavier and more lingering than the first time I read it.

When people ask me about burning man, I tell them I can't explain it unless they have at least fifteen minutes for me to ramble, because there's simply no nutshell version. These photos and notes represent only a few vignettes of an event impossibly vast in scope and diversity. It's also a major pain in the ass to plan for, shop for, and to get to, and it takes at least a week to recover from -- even more last year, when the dust totally wrecked my throat. It's not cheap because of all the crap you need, from respirators to tickets to shade structures, and yes, it includes way too many porta potties and far too few showers. There are multitudes of toddlers in princess dresses, but also many, many naked old men. The days can be scorching and the nights can be frigid. Not a blade of grass grows in the black rock desert; it's as close to another planet as you can get to on this earth.

And it's the best place in the world wide world.
I so hope you'll make it some time.

two wonderful things

2011-08-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

1) This Wanderlove review by my good friend, agent sib, fellow mefite, co-YA Highwayer, and brilliant author (whew!) Phoebe North, whose opinion I respect tremendously.

"Like Mandarin was immediately deeply resonant through both its beautiful prose and high emotional intensity. Wanderlove, on the other hand, fooled me into thinking it was another creature: more commercial, simpler, with a snappier plot but, perhaps, lower emotional stakes.

I was so wrong..."

2) This fan-made Wanderlove book trailer, which came up in my Google Alerts. IT'S AMAZING.

The clock's counting down til I'm off the grid, but I'll try to post again before I vanish next week!

ready, set, ignite! )'(

2011-08-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

I arrive in Black Rock City in just one week. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.
This is why. And this, And this, and all of these.
And this:

I can't wait.
)'(

in which I freak out about people reading WANDERLOVE

2011-08-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

* yes I did spell my own book title wrong in the original title of this post

AUGH!!!

I could have written this a week or two ago, but mostly I've been staring at Goodreads in a daze. Because people are reading Wanderlove. Like, lots of people! Whoa. Wow. Basically, I had no idea my publisher was going to release Wanderlove on NetGalley -- e-ARCS are a new thing with Random House Kids, and Like Mandarin ARCs were released in a limited lot of hard copies. That's what I expected with Wanderlove, too.

But to my surprise, early this month there was a mini explosion of buzz on Twitter: Wanderlove was available for reviewers! In a magical, illustrations-included, electrotastic version! All of a sudden, I was faced with Sophomore Novel Review Terror months before I expected it. But holy hyenas, you guys. The reviewer response has been AMAZING so far. Stuff like

I LOVED Wanderlove. LOVED. *

and

Beautiful. Entrancing. Masterfully crafted. *

and

i got to the ending, realized i had FIVE pages left, and started to cry because i didn't want it to end. *

and

oh. my. GOD. guys, you ALL need to seriously get your hands on this book! like, no, really. i loved it so, so, so much i'm probably going to reread it about five times before it's released, because that's just how much i loved it. *

Seriously, these reviews are like bright shiny stars. I love Bria and Rowan so much, and want readers to fall in love with them -- each of them alone, and the two of them together -- with my whole heart. That it's happening makes my head spin round. In a happy way. Okay, strange metaphor. But also, in perfect neurotic author form, I've been nervous, too. This nervousness has resulted in many, many involuntary conversations with myself in my head. They usually go like this:

-- It's so early! This buzz is too early! Everyone's going to forget about Wanderlove in six months!
(Shh, Kirsten, it's okay. Just bide your time. In a few months, you can bust out with all those awesome giveaway ideas you have, like Rowan's bracelets and signed art prints, and start hyping like a hyperactive monkey. Or whatever.)

-- Everybody who reads it now won't want to buy it!
(Quiet. If they love it, they'll want a hard copy. Especially because the drawings look so much better in print! And these are mostly book bloggers, who aren't just readers, but exponential readers -- they are the best kind of love-spreaders.)

-- It's going so well! Which makes me happy but also scared!
(You're going to be scared no matter what, so just enjoy the happy.)

-- The ART! They love the ART!
(The ART! They love the ART!)

-- But what about Like Mandarin?
(If they love Wanderlove, they will find it.)

It's nice that Kirsten number two has neurotic Kirsten number one's back. I try my best to listen to her.

In other news, I'm about to venture off into the wildest sort of wilderness in a week -- more about that later -- but when I return, I am going to hold HORDES of ARC giveaways. And get some Wanderlove bookmarks printed and slip one inside each book :)

getting POSSESSed at comic-con

2011-08-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

When my friend, author Gretchen McNeil, sent me a few temporary tattoos to help promote her YA debut, POSSESS, I knew the perfect place to rock them. That guy in the red coat is totally jealous, by the way.

Join Gretchen's Get POSSESSed scavenger hunt!

recently...

2011-08-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

I guest posted on Ivy Reads for Ivy's 21st birthday, talking about how age 21 was a hugely pivotal year that led me where I am today. Also Ivy made this awesome graphic:

I was interviewed about Wanderlove on Random House's Random Acts of Reading site. Included: never posted before Wanderlove art! (Backpackers!)

~and~

I blogged about music and writing inspiration on YA Highway. Weigh in!

More soon. PROMISE.

W&Z

2011-07-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to share the announcement of Kristin Halbrook's book deal with Harper for WILL & ZOE! Kristin is my close friend, critique partner and YA Highway co-founder, and I was lucky enough to beta read Will & Zoe early on. It's a beautiful heartbreaker of a book, and I know you'll love it. To celebrate, she's giving away five books -- including a signed copy of Like Mandarin. Go enter! And Kristin, congratulations!

at last, my WANDERLOVE secret

2011-07-21T04:02:00.000-07:00

It's really strange knowing something HUGE (to me, at least!) about a crazy close-to-my-heart, public project, and keeping it a secret. In this case, I've been sitting on Wanderlove's Secret Element for a year and a half. I checked. I've been waiting on ARCs, but yesterday I got a surprise in the mail...

...and so it's time, at long last, to share what the heck I've been hinting at all this time.

I think I'll start by showing you my beautiful, beautiful book jacket right away. (Minus Andi Buchanan's lovely blurb.) I want you to click on it to make it huge. Then I want you to read the text on the right, all the way to the bottom.

"Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry to this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text."

Drawings!!

That's my secret.

An explanation. I first wrote Wanderlove a few years ago, right before I overhauled Like Mandarin. I queried it, but it wasn't ready; it had some problems, including Melodrama and Too Many Flashbacks and other things I have since killed dead. Once Like Mandarin sold in a 2-book deal, I turned back to Wanderlove and magicked it into an infinitely better book. The basic plot and travel itinerary is the same, but the prose, backstory, voice and tense are entirely different. One facet of Bria's history in particular, I coaxed to the surface: her journey to resdiscover her art.

You see, before the events in Wanderlove, 18-year-old Bria always thought she'd become an artist. She drew like crazy her whole life. But because of several developments -- mainly, a rotten relationship with a competitive artist -- she lets her art slip and slip, until it sits there, aching, just out of reach.

I get it. Because I always thought I'd be an artist, too.

Several bits in Wanderlove are semi-autobiographical -- teeny interactions in places Bria and Rowan visit, for example, or things they see -- but the art part, that's real. That's borrowed straight from my heart. Even as my career as travel writer and author started to take off, it's always skewered me that I mostly quit drawing, for a host of reasons. None as good as Bria's. But in the end, it's the same: the longer you don't draw (or do any sort of art), the harder it is to pick up a pencil.

Anyway, the whole time I overhauled Wanderlove, I harbored this tiny hope, one I didn't share with anybody. Somehow, this hope sparked the courage to sign up for classes at a respected art school. I started drawing again. And then, almost 1.5 years ago exactly, I emailed my agent to explain to her the changes I was making in Wanderlove. I suggested it could include humorous travel lists, Bria's journal entries. . . and possibly, Bria's sketches.

Note, I didn't say who'd actually draw them. I was careful to keep my ego out of it. But then my amazing, brilliant, potentially psychic agent wrote back:

As for Bria's sketches, you'll do them yourself, Kirsten? I ask b/c I think I remember seeing on Facebook, or your blog, that you are also a bit of an artist?

So that's how it all began. I drew a bunch of sample art; my agent submitted it with my overhauled manuscript, and to my utter joy, my publisher said yes. Delacorte has been gloriously on board the whole time.

That's how Wanderlove became not just this:

But also this:

as well as this:

I can't wait for you to read it :)
(it's available for pre-order now!)

let's hear it for the geeks!

2011-07-20T09:53:00.001-07:00

Comic-Con starts today!

As usual, I'm going. (Not today, but several times this weekend.) There are some fantastic YA panels this year featuring some of my author friends & acquaintances, which I plan to attend. Although this will be my fourth CC, I've never been to a single panel, despite my better intentions. Oh, I've been tempted, but when you experience walking alongside a line FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES -- not waiting in it, walking alongside it! -- it kind of turns you off from the whole panel thing.

(Speaking of queues, I just reread this brilliant related anecdote on Metafilter.)

Also, I'm not really a fangirl of anything in particular. (Except YA.) I just adore the environment of anything goes. Whatever your genre-esque pop culture passion, however obscure, you're represented. So mainly I meander with a friend or two, stare at stuff, get overwhelmed, go lay on my back in Petco park, imbibe a bit at a nearby happy hour, go back to the con, stare some more. My very favorite event is the dance party after the Masquerade Saturday night, which my sister and I affectionately call the Geek Rave.

I always mean to dress up, but I can never get my act together in time. Also all my costuming efforts of late have been more of the combat boots and respirators and petticoats persuasion. But we'll see. Either way, I'll make sure to share some pics next week!

I write the hot parts first

2011-07-13T04:47:00.000-07:00

Many writers write chronologically. Right? They start from page one and march onward. I'm not saying they don't skim the hard parts, but in general, whether they outline or not, they start at the beginning and end at the end. Maybe they know about the hot parts, the important parts (oh geez, I am so not going to be able to use "climax" in this blog post), but they force themselves to write those scenes when they get there, not before.

I understand that. I totally do.

I, too, start at the beginning. And I always intend to write chronologically. However, in all the novels I've written or partially written, I only get a few chapters in before I'm like, MUST WRITE SCENE FROM CHAPTER NINETEEN!!!

Maybe that happens to everyone? From what I've heard, chronowriter types glean excitement from writing toward those exciting scenes. They hoard them as rewards for getting that far. But it doesn't work for me. I try to write Chapter Four after Chapter Three, but all I can think about is THAT SCENE IN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN AUGHHH

Oftentimes, that scene is a Hot Scene.

Yep. That's right. No shame.

I'm a total subscriber to the Whatever Works For You! school of writing, and so, I've learned to make allowances for my time travel urges. When I'm excited about a certain scene, I let myself write it. No matter whether it's in Chapter Five or Chapter Twenty-Five, if I can picture it perfectly, if I'm amped to write it, why wait?

Well, I guess there are valid reasons. The main fear I've heard about writers jumping ahead is that they'll never want to write the filler. Which is fair. However, I've found setting the bar high early on heightens all the rest, and that rereading my favorite scenes charges other scenes. When I'm in a rough patch, I can forge ahead and reread that awesomely sexy scene in the storm, and fall back in love with my book.

Also, if I don't write the rest, then YOU'LL never get to read Chapter Nineteen. And that would be a whole lot of hotness gone to waste.

book ghosts

2011-07-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

I just made the mistake of opening an old manuscript, one I wrote about half of -- 40k -- hit a mental block, then shelved temporarily, which turned out to be indefinitely. All that happened about two years ago, right after Like Mandarin sold. I might have come back to it more quickly, if it weren't for 1) overhauling Wanderlove, 2) Like Mandarin edits, and 3) the Sudden and Explosive proliferation of its genre -- apocalyptic, with dystopian elements.

I got scared, and started what became my third book, in an entirely different genre. Meanwhile, in the year that followed, a bajillion other apocalyptic/dystopian books sold. So, yeah. I hadn't missed the boat after all. Though now I really have.

I am a big fan of revisiting those ideas that never leave you. As many of you know, both Like Mandarin and Wanderlove were books I wrote, shelved, then rewrote for the much better a couple years later. But in the case of this book, my timing was off, especially the timing of my pause. In the couple years it'd take to finish and publish, there'll be even more genre fatigue. I know that. But it still sucks.

Discarding ideas is always tough. Discarding books you've brainstormed or outlined, maybe written a few chapters of, is harder. But a half-book? With the rest outlined in detail? Those characters existed. They haunt me. I think of them and actually feel sick to my stomach. Like I betrayed them somehow.

As Bria from Wanderlove would say, cue melodramatic music.

Not all of it is gone forever. I've borrowed certain elements of it for my fourth book, scenes and settings, which would be the sequel to my third (I apologize for speaking in mysteries! this publishing thing is a sneaky business). But every time I do, it feels a little bit like stealing.

Have any of you ever shelved a book that haunts you? Do you think you'll ever go back to it?

ALA + the south: take two

2011-06-30T04:01:00.000-07:00

Today, pics from ALA. More over at YA Highway -- check them out!

me rereading the last chapter of Maggie Stiefvater's amazing The Scorpio Races, hoping the freakish mardi gras monster head doesn't turn around and stare at me

alongside a whole bunch of awesome: Courtney Moulton (Angelfire), Carolina Valdez Miller, Shannon Messenger, and Veronica Roth (Divergent)

stolen from Jay Asher (13 Reasons Why, The Future of Us), who is hilarious

at the random house cocktail party. beside me are the lovely Tessa Gratton (Blood Magic) and Carrie Ryan (Forest of Hands and Teeth and sequels), who is decidedly less blurry in real life

that, my friends, is my fabulous Delacorte editor, Michelle Poploff. also check out the necklace Random House made me!

with Sarah Enni and Kate Hart, two of my YA Highway compadres at the YA Highway/Stacked Books meetup

with the delightful author/San Diegan Shannon Messenger

with the wonderful book blogger Kari Olson

with my team Michelle Andelman agent sisters Elana Johnson and Kate Hart

with Kelly Jensen, librarians and Stacked Books maven

on the New Orleans trolley with Kate and her supercool husband Josh

my husband, who is such a trooper and a talented ARC-carrier

late night before an early flight: Jessica Martinez (Virtuosity), Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer), Elana Johnson (Possession), Shannon Messenger, Carolina Valdez Miller, me, and Jessi Kirby (Moonglass)

ALA + the south: take one

2011-06-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

I'M BACK!

My trip was awesome. I flew into New Orleans last weekend, spent a week road tripping with my husband through Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina, then zipped back to New Orleans for ALA, which was the greatest adventure of the whole trip. In a solitary career like this one, there are few highs like attending a vast celebration of books -- packed with book-lovers, most who've made books their careers, and authors. Authors! So many authors, and writers, some old friends, many new friends.

First, a few pics from the road trip. Tomorrow, pics from ALA (plus more on YA Highway). Hooray!

museumed out in new orleans on the hottest day ever.

hiking in the louisiana swamp. some local guy told me a professor from mexico had just gotten lost out there for four days and had to drink his own urine. I asked the ranger and he said it was true. sucks for that guy.

my husband took this. I was standing at the foot of the stairs RACCOON WHISPERING. it was AMAZING.

my very first visit to waffle house! the cook was so excited, he gave me free pie.

my husband is named bryson. enough said.

hiking in the smokies, north carolina

forest flowers!

asheville NC, the only city to join the ranks of Places I Could Live in a long while. had some of the best Mexican food of my life here -- and I live in San Diego! -- as well as dessert with the lovely Stephanie Perkins.

my WANDERLOVE cover revealed!

2011-06-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd have some time before I revealed my WANDERLOVE cover, but that sneaky Amazon decided otherwise. So, here it is!

I talk about it a bit over on YA Highway, along with the book's SECRETS, which I'll reveal to you soon. When you get a sec, I'd love it if you'd add Wanderlove to Goodreads!

hello from the wyoming badlands

2011-06-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

thank you

2011-06-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

I want to thank everyone who commented, tweeted, blogged, and emailed me (I'll get back to you soon!) about my extremely honest and scary post Monday.

When I began typing Sunday night, I didn't know for sure what my post would turn into. (also, thank goodness for scheduling posts ahead, otherwise I might have chickened out Monday morning.) I didn't plan to expose my heart like that, but apparently my heart had a plan of its own. That's terribly cheesy. Anyway, it reminds me of this quote from Like Mandarin, during one of Grace's early conversations with Mandarin:

I brought my fingers to my lips. The story had burst out on its own, as if it had been churning in my throat all this time. Maybe that was what happened when you had nobody to talk to. Thoughts and memories kept piling up, and when you finally had an outlet, they all came flooding out, like the river when they opened the sluice gates into the canal. Whoosh.

Except it wasn't that I never spoke about it -- I'm lucky to have supportive family and friends, although even with them, I found myself trying to save face. I'd just never written about it, except for the blog post I mentioned that I never published. Everything I wrote Sunday night, I'd thought a million times, contemplated and worded, even, for the post that never came. And so, when I finally began typing, it was easy.

Again, thank you so much everyone, for your support and similar stories. Here are some baby animal photos I've been hoarding during my hiatus, all for you:

In other news, I'm heading to Wyoming tomorrow evening -- small-town Wyoming! the trophies, the badlands! -- just for the weekend, for a mini family reunion in memory of a recently passed Wyomingite aunt. It'll be my first visit to Wyoming since Like Mandarin was published, and I was fearing it a bit. It'll be emotional no matter what, for many reasons. But now, so much more than before, I'm excited to glimpse all these places again. Maybe it's silly that a single blog post can help set you free, but in this case, it did.

an extemely honest and scary post.

2011-06-06T04:02:00.000-07:00

A week or two before Like Mandarin came out, I transferred my blog from www.kirstenhubbard.com to kirstenhubbard.blogspot.com, so I could use my domain for my main website. Blogger transferred my follower number and widget just fine. However, it broke the links on the other end. Overnight, my blog traffic was reduced to less than 5% of what it had been.

That would suck at any time, especially since I've had this blog for years and built up a pretty decent following. But it happened at what was already a difficult time for me; though what should have been a ~*glorious*~ time.

First, I was already exhausted from promoting my book prior to its release, which happens to all authors. For me, because apparently my creativity stores are extra finite, it also meant not writing or revising for a couple months. Which bummed me out, to say the least -- since most of you are similarly afflicted with this crazy midnight disease, you'll understand. Promo season also meant filling this blog with a much more (necessarily) superficial type of post. Not that I've ever been monumentally heavy with this blog of mine, but my personal posts tapered off, and everything became promo. When the follower chop happened, it made it all the harder to pick things back up.

All that sucked, sure. But here's what really got me. (I'm super nervous about sharing this, so bear with me.)

A couple months ago, I wrote a really honest blog post about how hard (excruciating) (devastating) it's been to debut as a midlist author -- not by choice, it's never by choice, but because it's where the Big Guys decided the book should be placed. Never mind how big my deal was, my solid early reviews, my blurb from a Printz-winner -- or what matters most, how good the book is. It's a numbers game, and miles outside my limited reach, in that faraway place where the power lies, it was decided my beloved book would not be given much of a push, and would not be stocked at Barnes & Noble bookstores. Among other things.

I never posted it. I was too afraid.

And to be honest, I still don't feel brave enough to rehash all the details. It's been a three-month battle, deciding whether to be open about all this in internet-land, or whether to put on a brave face and pretend everything's peachy. Would coming clean help my career? Or would it hurt it? It just felt so... embarrassing. Like you guys would look down on me and my book. Which might be ridiculous, but I couldn't shake the feeling. Ultimately, I sort of sputtered out and chose the latter by default, though I did reach out to some wonderful authors who were/had been in similar boats, and of course my YA Highway co-bloggers, who have been amazingly supportive.

But, you guys...it KILLED me.

It still kills me. I mean, we know this industry is filled with setbacks. But this has been different than query rejections, or editor rejections. It's a far crueler feeling. It's thinking you have finally landed the dream you've worked so hard for, for years, feeling high for months and months, and right before the dream is realized, sorry girl, we didn't mean it, this is what we really meant.

Part of the reason I've kept quiet stems from this deep fear many authors have about coming across as ungrateful. Ungrateful to my hardworking editor, who is wonderful and obviously had no say in this; to my publisher, who bought both Like Mandarin and my sophomore novel Wanderlove, along with its Top Secret elements; to all those incredible writers, authors and bloggers who helped promote my book; and to you guys, especially to those of you still working your asses off to sell. All I can say is, I promise, I'm not ungrateful. I'm SO grateful. I'm honored and amazed my book is published. It's surreal and beautiful and magical. Knowing so many libraries and indies stock my book, seeing great reviews, receiving emails about my book's impact -- it's all as humbling as ever.

But knowing my book wasn't given a full chance to soar in this all-important first quarter -- even if it wasn't because of its content or quality, but because of its genre (contemporary), my author status (debut), the economy (brutal), and publishing climate (insanely competitive) -- it hurts. In a way I've never experienced.

Truly. I can't even name all these emotions.

Before this becomes too much of a pity party, know that I do still feel super confident in my writing, and the future of my career. I am crazy in love with Wanderlove, which will be out in 9 months. My pseudo-hiatus from internet world finally gave me the chance to dive headlong into revising my third book, which is entirely different (and deliciously effed up! take that, WSJ). Both are more commercial than Like Mandarin. I feel great when I think about all that. And though it's been three months, it's only been three months -- word of mouth could still give Like Mandarin a burst, especially after Wanderlove comes out.

And yet -- understandably, I hope -- I always feel a little bit like crying when I think about Grace and Mandarin and Taffeta and Momma and Davey Miller and Remy Ramey and the decapitated jackalope head and all my other friends.

So why am I sharing all this, after three months?

First, because it has been so, so helpful to me when other authors are candid about their struggles. I blogged about this for Adventures in Children's Publishing a couple months back -- how you can throw a stone and hit a blog angst-swapping about writing or querying (which is awesome!), but once you've sold, suddenly there's this shared terror about looking ungrateful, like a complainer, and so we all keep the rough stuff private.

But even more -- because keeping it mostly secret has prevented me from engaging in the writing community the way I used to, and the way I want to.

So I decided to write this post, which I'm still not entire sure I'm going to publish, even as I type these final few lines. But if I do, I hope I do -- I mean it as a kickstart to myself, a coming-clean, a new launch for my blog and my writer self. I want to be excited to open this little blogger window again, and I want to blog about what I'm passionate about, the issues and my writing and the industry, and to write posts that make people think. And even if only 5% of my onetime followers* still visit my blog -- well, I'll try my best to deliver better content to that small bouquet of you. I love this community so much, and I feel like I have so much to share and give.

Because I try to be forgiving with myself, I'm okay that I gave myself time to mourn. I think we all deserve that -- permission to kick some walls and eat too much cookie dough and spend way too much time on our stomachs talking to our dogs. But now, for me, it's time to look forward again. I'm ready! And I'm really, really excited about it.

*P.S. if you were a onetime follower, I will love you forever if you unfollow then refollow. Thanks! xo

bookanistas: RIVAL by sara bennett wealer and MOONGLASS by Jessi Kirby

2011-05-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

This week, I'm giving a nod to two contemporary debuts by friends of mine, Jessi Kirby and Sara Bennett Wealer.

RIVAL by Sara Bennett Wealer

Brooke and Kathryn used to be best friends . . . until the night when Brooke ruthlessly turned on Kathryn in front of everyone. Suddenly Kathryn was an outcast and Brooke was Queen B. Now, as they prepare to face off one last time, each girl must come to terms with the fact that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had.

As with Like Mandarin, Rival is about a unequal power balance between two girls -- former friends, in this case, but also musical rivals. The dynamics of Brooke and Kathryn's friendship, falling-out, and rivalry is honest and spot-on. I couldn't help thinking about my own high school "frenemies", where hurt feelings and misunderstandings were often magnified through the lens of our histories. A great book.

MOONGLASS by Jessi Kirby

Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love -- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface. While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing -- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death -- stays buried forever.

I r eviewed Moonglass at length on YA Highway recently, but I wanted to shout it out again. Last Saturday, I had the chance to attend Jessi Kirby's launch party ON THE BEACH FROM THE BOOK. What a trip! Launch party WIN. I didn't get the chance to search for beach glass, but I thought about it. Truly, a lovely book.

help write now!

2011-05-04T00:02:00.000-07:00

Just want to make sure you guys know about the incredible Help Write Now auction to benefit the south's storm victims!

The Help Write Now auction starts today (Wednesday, May 4th). Launched by my friend, agent sister and YA Highway co-blogger Kate Hart, this auction is CRAZY SWEET. Items available for bidding range from signed ARCs and books by NYT-bestselling authors, query and manuscript critiques, swag, crafts, video chats, the chance to name characters in authors' books, and more! Definitely something for everyone. I'll be giving away a signed & annotated hardcover of Like Mandarin and a couple surprise ARCs, plus query + first page critiques to my top five bidders.

Bid high, bid often, and help those in need!

road trip wednesday: books as music

2011-04-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

On YA Highway, we hold a weekly Road Trip Wednesday, where we ask a writing/reading question and all the contributors answer on our personal blogs. If you want to participate on your own blog, just post the link in the comments section of YAH and we'll check it out!

This week's topic:
If your WIP were music, what song(s) would it be?

It's been way too long since I participated in Road Trip Wednesday! But I can't resist musical posts. I've posted plenty about Like Mandarin's playlists, so this time I'll concentrate on Wanderlove (spring 2012!) and my spooky WIP.

WANDERLOVE

"Let Go" by Frou Frou
drink up, baby doll
mmm, are you in or are you out
leave your things behind
'cause it's all going off without you
excuse me, too busy you're writing your tragedy
these mishaps
you bubble wrap
when you've no idea what you're like

"World Sick" by Broken Social Scene
we got a minefield of crippled affection
all for the borrowed mirror connection
that's why I'm leaving this spoken detention
I'm a romance addict so that I can confess that...
I get world sick every time I take a stand
well, I get world sick, my love is for my man

TOP-SECRET WIP

"Paradise Circus" by Massive Attack
it's unfortunate that when we feel a storm,
we can roll ourselves over 'cause we're uncomfortable
oh well the devil makes us sin
but we like it when we're spinning, in his grin.

"Siren's Song" by Bat for Lashes
are you my family?
can I stay with you a while?
can I stop off in your bed tonight?
I could make you smile...
til the siren comes calling, calling
it's driving me evil, evil.
I was a heartbreaker, I loved you
the same way I do.
I've got so much wickedness and sin.

girls who kick ass and girls who don't

2011-04-18T12:05:00.001-07:00

Just posted on YA Highway -- What Makes a Strong Female Character Strong? Check it out! I'd love for you all to weigh in.

bookanistas: FAMILY by micol ostow (+ GIVEAWAY!)

2011-04-14T05:02:00.000-07:00

After a month-long hiatus, I'm back with a Bookanistas post: Micol Ostow's April 26th release, Family. Oh my goodness. WHAT a cover. It totally follows you around the room, doesn't it?
(p.s. I'm giving it away! read on...)

i have always been broken.
i could have. died.
and maybe it would have been better if i had.

It is a day like any other when seventeen-year-old Melinda Jensen hits the road for San Francisco, leaving behind her fractured home life and a constant assault on her self-esteem. Henry is the handsome, charismatic man who comes upon her, collapsed on a park bench, and offers love, a bright new consciousness, and—best of all—a family. One that will embrace her and give her love. Because family is what Mel has never really had. And this new family, Henry’s family, shares everything. They share the chores, their bodies, and their beliefs. And if Mel truly wants to belong, she will share in everything they do. No matter what the family does, or how far they go.

Told in episodic verse, family is a fictionalized exploration of cult dynamics, loosely based on the Manson Family murders of 1969. It is an unflinching look at people who are born broken, and the lengths they’ll go to to make themselves “whole” again.
(I obtained an ARC of Family at ALA Midwinter.)

I've always been fascinated with cults. And communes. The Manson family and its murders fits right into that. And so, as I began Micol Ostow's harrowing Family, I was already very familiar with the events the book is based on. It's not a direct fictionalization -- a number of details are changed, from names and certain personality traits to the occupations of the victims. But it borrows upon the story's most chilling yet mesmerizing facets. I was chilled. I was mesmerized. Often, simultaneously.

Family is written in verse; all lowercase, I believe, with the exception of Henry's name. Henry is the Charles Manson character in the book, who broken, abused Mel believes is her (and the world's) messiah. I understood Mel's draw to Henry and the commune, but I was most interested in Mel's relationship with Shelly and Leila, two other girls in the "family". On that note, I did wish for more story -- I think it was the fault of the verse format, which requires a level of vignette and brevity. But overall, Micol's book is beautiful, frightening and unforgettable. Also, it made me think of this song the entire time I was reading it.

I'm giving away my ARC of Family! To enter...

1) follow this blog
2) comment :) make sure your email address is accessible!

US/Canada only, please.
I'll pick a winner on Tuesday, April 19th.

quick update + stellar LM reviews

2011-04-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in FOREVER. Wow. Geez. Those Inspiration posts? They were set to drip weeks ago. I so owe you guys a post with more updates. Mostly, I've been working like crazy on my third book, overhauling it and readying it for betas next week. Writing has been a sweet relief after debut explosion -- it had been months. Seriously. My hands were shaking.

More soon. For now, here are excerpts from a couple incredible reviews of Like Mandarin. (The reviews in full have a lot of spoilers.)

"Hubbard uses beautifully evocative language, and the details of the badlands setting are perfectly realized. Even minor characters are complex and believable, but most compelling are Grace and Mandarin. The portrayal of the complexities and tensions of friendships between teenaged girls is spot on, as is the depiction of Grace's growing realization of female sexual power through her obsession with being like Mandarin. This excellent novel is a must for high school collections."

~School Library Journal

"With a flair for metaphors and character description, Hubbard's writing exposes the deep emotions and conflicts that have rippled through most of Grace and Mandarin's lives. These small-town girls could be found anywhere."

~VOYA

:)

LIKE MANDARIN inspiration #8: the canal

2011-04-04T05:02:00.000-07:00

In honor of Like Mandarin's release on March 8th, I've been sharing some of my Like Mandarin inspiration every Monday -- a song from my playlist, a quote from the book, and a photo from my most recent trip to Wyoming, Like Mandarin's setting.

like mandarin inspiration #8

the canal

In Washokey, Wyoming, where Like Mandarin is set, irrigation canals run all through town, connecting to the Big Horn River. After falling in one as a kid, Grace is sort of scared of them -- until late one night, when Mandarin takes her swimming.

song:
"Playground Love" by Air

I think I first heard this song in the film The Virgin Suicides, which is similar in tone to Like Mandarin. The song is just so Mandarin to me, sensual and mysterious.

LIKE MANDARIN inspiration #7: pageants

2011-03-28T05:02:00.000-07:00

like mandarin inspiration #7

beauty pageants

Grace's mother used to enter her in child beauty pageants -- until Grace wrecked her chances at stardom by mooning the crowd at age six. Now, Grace's talented little sister Taffeta has taken the reins, along with most of Momma's attention.

song:

"Con Te Partiro" by Andrea Bocelli

Taffeta has a stunning voice, and is poised to rock the pageant world by singing Italian opera. "Con Te Partiro" is the song she sings. I can imagine Taffeta's voice singing it just as much as I can Bocelli's.

winners! winners! winners!

2011-03-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

You guys.

When you come up with grassroots promo ideas, especially as a debut author, especially as a debut contemporary author without a huge PR machine behind you, you never know if they'll work out, if people will participate... or if your efforts will end up sorta pathetic. But because of all of your awesome awesomeness, in the last two weeks my Like Mandarin celebration was a HUGE success. I so loved reading all your I Would Give Anything to Be Like posts and comments. They were brilliant and diverse and poignant and totally amazing. Thank you so, so much.

This week, I'll share my own #IWantToBeLike experiences. But for now, it's time to give out some prizes!

Because there were so many participants, I've decided to give out not two, but THREE unique signed, annotated and doodled-in Like Mandarin hardcovers! They will be filled with jackalopes... and SECRETS.

My Like Mandarin winners are...

Rebecca B
beck nicholas
Lindsay

I'm also giving out Like Mandarin swag packs to a commenter from every author guest post. They contain signed postcards, signed bookmarks, and magnets (with jackalopes!).

Winners of Like Mandarin swag packs:

from Sara Bennett-Wealer's post:
emmarose1

from Michelle Hodkin's post:
Carrie

from Kody Keplinger's post:
Annie McElfresh

from Laura Roecker's post:
Jennie Englund

From Lisa Roecker's post:
Bethany Elizabeth

from Lindsey Leavitt's post:
Ashelynn Sanford

from Elana Johnson's post:
Mary Campbell

from Lisa Schroeder's post:
Heidi

from Mindi Scott's post:
jpetroroy

from Denise Jaden's post:
Kaitlin Bartlett

from Beth Revis's post:
Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books)

from my announcement post:
Maiawa

Some of you have emails easily accessible, others of you don't. I'll try my best to find you -- but if you find this first, please email me your mailing address at kirstenhubbard (at)gmail(dot)com.

Again, thank you so much! New giveaways coming soon... :)

author Mindi Scott would have given anything to be like...

2011-03-19T05:20:00.000-07:00

Today's "I would have given anything" guest post is by author Mindi Scott, whose YA debut novel, Freefall, was released by Simon Pulse in October 2010.

When I was thirteen, I would have given anything to be like Winona Ryder.

Well, actually, I felt that I already was a lot like her. We both have October birthdays. We had similar dark hair and fair skin. Her eyes are brown; mine are hazel. (Close enough, right?) People even told me that Charlotte Flax, the character she played in Mermaids, reminded them of me.Winona was living my dream. She was a popular young actor, and I’d convinced myself that all I wanted in life was to be doing what she was doing. The fact that she’d dated and been dumped by Christian Slater, the guy I was certain that I was going to marry (as soon as I turned eighteen, ran away to L.A., and met him on the set of my first movie, of course) made me determined to succeed with him where she had failed. I wasn't even jealous of her!

My bizarre fascination with wanting to be Winona ended right around the time that I got my first boyfriend. It was a chain reaction type of thing. First I lost interest in Christian Slater, then in acting, and then in Winona.

I think it all worked out, though. I am truly terrible at acting and never could have made a career of it. And these two people—the girl I wanted to be and the guy I wanted to marry—both went on to get into some pretty serious trouble with the law. Meanwhile I’m just writing books and living with my husband and cats. :-)

Thank you, Mindi!

Remember, everyone who comments on an "I would have given anything" author post is entered to win:

a daily swag pack (with signed Like Mandarin postcards, bookmarks, magnets, and signed swag from other authors)
a copy of Like Mandarin-- signed, annotated AND doodled in! -- given away on Monday, March 21st. Plus swag. Every day you comment counts as another entry for the book!

author Lisa Schroeder would have given anything to be like...

2011-03-18T05:02:00.000-07:00

Today's "I would have given anything" guest post is by Lisa Schroeder, YA author of Chasing Brooklyn, Far From You, I Heart You, You Haunt Me, and the forthcoming The Day Before (June 2011), all from Simon Pulse. She's also co-founder of The Contemps.

I would have given anything to be like Barbara Cooper in the sitcom "One Day at a Time."

I loved this TV show. LOVED it! It featured a divorced mom and her two daughters, and I finally found a family on TV that looked somewhat like mine (except I had a brother instead of a sister).

Barbara (played by Valerie Bertinelli) was beautiful. I can honestly remember watching every episode and thinking to myself, she is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. And not only did she have the looks, but she was SO funny! I never felt comfortable in my skin as a teen. I hated my bumpy nose and my (what I thought were) big thighs. And I so desperately wanted to be funny and witty and yet, every time I talked, I felt like the wrong thing came out of my life.

Every time I watched, I imagined for thirty minutes what it would be like to be her. And then I'd turn off the TV and go back to doing the best I could at being me. Those people seemed so real to me, that I don't think I really considered the fact that what came out of their mouths was a script. That they were funny because a writer made them funny!

Interestingly enough, I still find myself wishing that I were funnier sometimes. That I could write funny characters, even. What is it that they say? That we always seem to want what we don't have? I don't want to want what I don't have. I want to be glad for and appreciate what I do have. I believe we all have gifts we've been given, and maybe my books don't make people laugh out loud, but I've been told that they touch people, and even make them cry sometimes. Yeah, Barbara Cooper was an amazing girl, but I'm pretty sure she couldn't do that.

Thank you, Lisa!

Remember, everyone who comments on an "I would have given anything" author post is entered to win:

a daily swag pack (with signed Like Mandarin postcards, bookmarks, magnets, and signed swag from other authors)
a copy of Like Mandarin-- signed, annotated AND doodled in! -- given away on Monday, March 21st. Plus swag. Every day you comment counts as another entry for the book!

author Elana Johnson would have given anything to be like...

2011-03-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

Today's "I would have given anything" guest post is by Elana Johnson, author of Possession (Simon Pulse, May 2011). Her post is hosted over at her blog. Check it out!

Remember, everyone who comments on an "I would have given anything" author post (today, on Elana's blog) is entered to win:

a daily swag pack (with signed Like Mandarin postcards, bookmarks, magnets, and signed swag from other authors)
a copy of Like Mandarin-- signed, annotated AND doodled in! -- given away on Monday, March 21st. Plus swag. Every day you comment counts as another entry for the book!

ALSO: a giant and special thanks to Elana Johnson for her other amazing and humbling Like Mandarin posts this week:

Elana, you are a brilliant writer and priceless friend. #IWantToBeLike you.

epic launch party pics post!

2011-03-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

At last, photos from my western-themed Like Mandarin launch party Saturday! Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by. And to everyone else, next time! :)

my amazing mother- and sister-in-laws made these.

like mandarin cake!

me and my infamous jackalope dress with my twin sister danielle.

the yellow book road selling books!

me braving the microphone. I talked about the book & read the prologue.

have you ever seen such an attractive crowd?

writers shannon messenger, nikki katz and jessi kirby

me, signing

friends lining up for signing


look at these fantastic "i like mandarin" sashes! totally made my day <3 that's nikki katz, andrea ortega and lisa cannon.

san diego/so cal YA writers! jessi kirby, debra driza, cindy pon, andrea ortega, me, gretchen mcneil, nikki katz, shannon messenger and lisa cannon. also, neon jackalopes. what a great group!


bookanistas jessi kirby, gretchen mcneil, me and shannon messenger.

Bonus pic: my own little Like Mandarin celebration that evening -- a cartilage piercing. :)

ouch!

author Lindsey Leavitt would have given anything to be like...

2011-03-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today's "I would have given anything" guest post is by Lindsey Leavitt, the author of middle-grade books Princess for Hire and Princess for Hire 2: The Royal Treatment from Disney-Hyperion. Her first YA novel, Sean Griswold's Head, was published by Bloomsbury on March 1st, 2011.

I would have given anything to be like my little sister, Rachel.

Who is eight years younger than me.

So yes, when I was a teenager, Rachel was in elementary school. But that girl OWNED her elementary school.She always had multiple valentines. She was the best athlete in every sport she tried. She not only had a million friends, but she was everyone's best friend. Rachel managed to reach the pinnacle of popularity and still be a kind and caring girl.

Now, high school was fun for me. I wasn't super popular, I didn't get all the boys, but I was involved, happy, and busy. I had to try, though, and I never quite got it *right*. My little sister, however, made it all seem so effortless. That's what made me jealous. I'd see Rachel skip off to school, her hair twisted in janky butterfly clips, and almost stop her to redo her hair. But what do you know it, the next day every girl in her class was wearing butterfly clips.

She was a trendsetter, an innovator, and I never understood how she made that happen. I still don't. There is a joyful magnetism to my sister, and sometimes I feel like a space heater next to her glowing sun. But there's nothing toxic in her appeal. I love her. So much. And I would still give anything to be more like her :)

Thanks, Lindsey!

Remember, everyone who comments on an "I would have given anything" author post is entered to win:

a daily swag pack (with signed Like Mandarin postcards, bookmarks, magnets, and signed swag from other authors)
a copy of Like Mandarin-- signed, annotated AND doodled in! -- given away on Monday, March 21st. Plus swag. Every day you comment counts as another entry for the book!

I'm on Random Buzzers this week!

2011-03-14T10:18:00.001-07:00

I'm answering questions about writing and Like Mandarin on Random Buzzers all week! Come stop by and join in -- it's a fantastic community of 62,000 passionate readers :)

authors Lisa and Laura Roecker would have given anything to be like...

2011-03-14T06:02:00.000-07:00

Today's "I would have given anything" guest post is by Lisa and Laura Roecker, authors of The Liar Society, published by Sourcebooks on Marhc 1st. Their post is featured on their blog. Check it out!

Remember, everyone who comments on an "I would have given anything" author post (today, on Lisa and Laura's blog) is entered to win:

a daily swag pack (with signed Like Mandarin postcards, bookmarks, magnets, and signed swag from other authors)
a copy of Like Mandarin-- signed, annotated AND doodled in! -- given away on Monday, March 21st. Plus swag. Every day you comment counts as another entry for the book!

author Kody Keplinger would have given anything to be like...

2011-03-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Today's "I would have given anything" guest post is by Kody Keplinger, author of The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend). Her second book (title TBA) will be published in fall 2011. Her post is hosted over at her blog. Check it out!

Remember, everyone who comments on an "I would have given anything" author post (today, on Kody's blog) is entered to win:

a daily swag pack (with signed Like Mandarin postcards, bookmarks, magnets, and signed swag from other authors)
a copy of Like Mandarin-- signed, annotated AND doodled in! -- given away on Monday, March 21st. Plus swag. Every day you comment counts as another entry for the book!

author Michelle Hodkin would have given anything to be like...

2011-03-11T05:02:00.000-08:00

Today's "I would have given anything" guest post is by the lovely Michelle Hodkin, author of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (fall 2011).

When I was in high school, I was her:

But I would have given anything to be like her.

Or her.

Or her.

Or her.

Or her.

Or her.
Did those girls exist at my religious Jewish day school? Some yes, some no. There were wild girls. There were sexy girls. There were beautiful girls. And there were perfect girls.

I would have given anything to be any one of them. To have straight hair. To be popular. To have the best style. To have the cool friends. To have an Audrey Hepburn body and a Julia Roberts smile. To have the courage to get pierced and be drawn on with needles and ink. To have the confidence to wear wild clothes and dye my hair a crazy color.

Instead, I was just me. A loner by necessity, not by choice. Quietly rebellious, hopelessly insecure. Fiercely loyal friend to the few genuine ones I did have. And fervently passionate about the issues that mattered to me. With a Marilyn Monroe body, and a less than perfect smile. With brown eyes, brown hair, and only two piercings - one in each ear.

Ten years later, I have more close friends than I can count, and I love seeing them—but I relish my time alone. I am now openly rebellious, but still hopelessly insecure. I am as loyal and passionate as ever. I still don't have any additional piercings or tattoos. My smile still isn't perfect, and my body isn't either.

And now, I'm okay with it.

Thanks, Michelle!

Remember, everyone who comments on an "I would have given anything" author post is entered to win:

a daily swag pack (with signed Like Mandarin postcards, bookmarks, magnets, and signed swag from other authors)
a copy of Like Mandarin-- signed, annotated AND doodled in! -- given away on Monday, March 21st. Plus swag. Every day you comment counts as another entry for the book!

author Beth Revis would have given anything to be like...

2011-03-10T04:02:00.000-08:00

Today's "I would have given anything" guest post is by Beth Revis, author of the New York Times bestseller Across the Universe. Her post is hosted over at her blog. Check it out!

Remember, everyone who comments on an "I would have given anything" author post (today, on Beth's blog) is entered to win:

a daily swag pack (with signed Like Mandarin postcards, bookmarks, magnets, and signed swag from other authors)
a copy of Like Mandarin-- signed, annotated AND doodled in! -- given away on Monday, March 21st. Plus swag. Every day you comment counts as another entry for the book!

More info on this tour!

author Denise Jaden would have given anything to be like...

2011-03-10T03:40:00.000-08:00

Today's "I would have given anything" guest post is by Denise Jaden, author of Losing Faith. Her post is hosted over at her blog. Check it out!

Remember, everyone who comments on an "I would have given anything" author post (today, on Denise's blog) is entered to win:

a daily swag pack (with signed Like Mandarin postcards, bookmarks, magnets, and signed swag from other authors)
a copy of Like Mandarin-- signed, annotated AND doodled in! -- given away on Monday, March 21st. Plus swag. Every day you comment counts as another entry for the book!

I would have given anything: LIKE MANDARIN celebration!

2011-03-09T06:02:00.000-08:00

In honor of Like Mandarin's release yesterday, I'm launching a Like Mandarin guest blog celebration!

In Like Mandarin, 14-year-old Grace Carpenter would give anything to be like 17-year-old Mandarin Ramey -- the bold, carefree wild girl of their small Wyoming town. Amazingly, almost everyone I've spoken to experienced that sort of longing as a teen -- a longing to be like someone else. A friend, a sister, a celebrity, an acquaintance, a cousin, a teacher or, as in Grace's case, a girl you thought had no idea you existed.

I know I did.

And so did the young adult authors I asked to participate -- like Beth Revis, Elana Johnson, Lisa Schroeder, Daisy Whitney, Denise Jaden, Lindsey Leavitt, Lisa and Laura Roecker, Mindi Scott, Kody Keplinger and Michelle Hodkin. Their posts are diverse, heartfelt, and in sometimes, totally unexpected! All are great fun to read. Some authors I'll host here, others will participate on their own blogs (I'll tell you where).

I want you to participate, too.

In several different ways -- and I have some great giveaways to encourage it! All are open internationally :)

Everyone who comments on an "I would have given anything" author post will be entered to win:

a swag pack (with signed Like Mandarin postcards, bookmarks, magnets, and signed swag from other authors) every day they comment. So, I'll give away a new swag pack to one of the commenters on each author post.
a copy of Like Mandarin -- signed, annotated AND doodled in! -- given away on Monday, March 21st. Plus swag.

Every day you comment counts as another entry for the book!

Also, everyone who follows the prompt on their own blog (either through today's Road Trip Wednesday on YA Highway, or any time before Friday, March 18th) will be entered to win:

a copy of Like Mandarin-- also signed, annotated and doodled in! Plus swag.

I'll also send anyone (US or Canada only, please) who follows the prompt a signed Like Mandarin postcard, if they want :) Just email me at KirstenHubbard(at)gmail(dot)com with a link to your post and your mailing address.

Make sure your email address is linked in your profile, or included in your comments! You don't have to follow me, YA Highway or the other authors to participate, though I'd love it if you did :)

the first chapter of LIKE MANDARIN!

2011-03-08T00:02:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it...
Like Mandarin is out today.
(Order a copy from IndieBound or Amazon (right now, just $11!) or Barnes & Noble or Borders and I will love you forever and ever and ever and ever!)

Need a little more persuasion?

Here's the first chapter of Like Mandarin.

(p.s. there is a prologue before it, where 6-year-old Grace throws her last beauty pageant and sees Mandarin for the first time.)

ALSO: there is a huge, amazingly personal, make-me-cry-with-gratitude Like Mandarin giveaway over at YA Highway that you should definitely enter.

I owe you guys a long, heartfelt post. But in lieu of that, for now: Thank you. All of you. And at last, I am allowed to say it...

I am an author :)

vlog + LIKE MANDARIN inspiration #6: the big horn river

2011-03-07T05:02:00.000-08:00

Today, my final vlog is hosted at I Like These Books, where I talk about Like Mandarin inspiration -- including the Wyoming badlands. Also, mandarin oranges.
An interview at Icey Books
And another writing related interview at Paper Hangover
Like Mandarin is also featured on the YAlitchat site :)

Like Mandarin debuts... tomorrow!! Every Monday, I've been sharing some of my Like Mandarin inspiration -- a song from my playlist, a quote from the book, and a photo from my most recent trip to Wyoming, Like Mandarin's setting.

like mandarin inspiration #6

the big horn river

The Big Horn River runs alongside Washokey, Wyoming, where Like Mandarin is set. All the canals that irrigate the town's crops and livestock are sourced from its waters, like arteries from a heart.

song:
"Shadowlands" by Ryan Adams

This song is Mandarin in her very darkest places.

or else

2011-03-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

this is one of the best things I've ever seen.

from Kate Hart's amazingly comprehensive YA Mafia roundup on YA Highway. If you haven't already, go check it out!

...or ELSE.

LIKE MANDARIN launch party reminder

2011-03-06T05:24:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder if you're in the San Diego area, my launch party is next Saturday, March 12th. Come one, come all! And behold my launch party party dress, which is pretty much the coolest thing ever. Especially if you've read Like Mandarin. Which everybody can, in just two days!

my website is up!

2011-03-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

www.kirstenhubbard.com

I can't wait til you read the books and can recognize all the objects :)

pardon the dust

2011-03-04T08:47:00.000-08:00

Way off in server-land, www.kirstenhubbard.com is being churned into my brand new website! It's been long in the works, and it's so vibrant and personal and unique, I can't wait for you guys to see it. That'll take about 24-48 hours, unfortunately (that's what the phone rep said), so there'll be an error screen there for a while.

My blog, which you have obviously found if you are reading this, is now at kirstenhubbard.blogspot.com. If you link to me (thank you!!) you'll probably want to update that, unless it doesn't matter that you're linking to my site.

If you follow, you're good. You're still following :)

bookanistas: my fellow march debuts

2011-03-03T04:02:00.000-08:00

If 2011 debuts are my graduation year, March 2011 debuts are like... okay, for some reason this analogy is killing me, but you get what I mean. The authors of these books and I will always remember March 2011 as our month, our year -- the month and year we first became published authors. Along with Like Mandarin, keep an eye out for...

THE LIAR SOCIETY
Lisa and Laura Roecker
March 1st

I adored Kate, and her suspense-filled exploration
of the ghosts and lies of Pemberly Brown. We're giving
away an ARC of The Liar Society on YA Highway!
(also, we totally went pink.)

CLARITY
by Kim Harrington
March 1st

Clarity rocks! She's a kickass heroine not afraid to
speak her mind, whose wits are just as much a
crime-fighting tool as her psychic abilities.

ILLEGAL
by Bettina Restrepo
March 8th

A girl crosses the border illegally from Mexico into
Texas to find her father. Haven't had the chance to
read it, but looking forward to it.

BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY
by Ruta Sepetys
March 22nd

A very important book about an often overlooked
chapter in history. Gripping and poignant.
Read my full review here.

WITHER
by Lauren DeStefano
March 22

Despite some world-building concerns, the rich tone
of this book definitely stayed with me.
Read my full review here.

the serendipity of setting

2011-03-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, I'm sort of obsessed with setting. When I'm dreaming up a book, sometimes setting comes even before characters or premise! Today, I wrote a piece called "The Serendipity of Setting" for Figment, one of the most awesomely cutting-edge writing/reading sites out there. I talk about how my travels help inspire setting, but also how you can travel closer to home if you don't have the ability to jump on a plane. And a whole lot of other stuff I hope inspires.

I'd also love to hear where YOUR stories are set. Let me know in the comments!

my LIKE MANDARIN book trailer!

2011-03-01T01:12:00.000-08:00

Like Mandarin is out in just one week! With perfect timing, the exclusive premiere of Like Mandarin's book trailer is hosted today at Stacked Books, an awesome site run by some of my favorite people: librarians. Thanks to Kelly Jensen for helping us out even with such short notice!

Like Mandarin book trailer

Here's a little story behind it.

I always wanted a book trailer. But as a contemporary debut, I knew I'd be responsible for putting one together or paying for one. Because I knew I wanted a great one, I put it off. And then time flew, and eventually I figured it was one of those things that just wasn't going to happen.

But then my wonderful, fantastic, incredible agency, Regal Literary, offered to create one for me. To which I said, "hell yeah!"

The result couldn't possibly be more special. All images are mine, with the exception of a few by my mother, taken on our road trip to Wyoming in mid 2009 -- a trip that might seem even more poignant after you read Like Mandarin. The gorgeous, gorgeous music is Amanda McPherson's rendition of Youth Group's "Daisychains" (one of the songs from my Like Mandarin playlist!), recorded just for this trailer. The trailer itself was edited by Michael Strong from my agency, with input from my agent Michelle Andelman. The text is by me. In every way, this video is a group effort, and it captures the mood of Like Mandarin exactly.

Can't wait to hear what you think!

Other great stuff:

an absolute STUNNER of a review of Like Mandarin from Bibliophile Brouhaha. Like, a make-me-cry-in-the-best-way review. Like, a work of art all in itself: "Like Mandarin is a beautiful debut, an exquisitely written book about the people, places and emotions that hold us down, and the ones that urge us forward." The rest. Just, wow.

a bunch of crazy stuff I did as a teen over at Bewitched Bookworm. (also: teen Kirsten pics!) May or not include calling my junior high principal a name she may or may not have deserved...

vlogs + LIKE MANDARIN inspiration #5: cottonwoods

2011-02-28T05:02:00.000-08:00

First: another Like Mandarin vlog was featured this weekend on There's a Book, where I discussed chicken buses, travel companions, and... burning man. Check it out!

Second: Today, my fourth interview vlog is featured on Bibliophile Brouhaha! It includes wildwinds (real ones), an excerpt of Like Mandarin, and what you've all been wondering -- how exactly did I end up spending the night in a Slovenian jail cell?

Just one week til Like Mandarin's debut! Wow. Geez. Okay. So: every Monday I'm sharing some of my Like Mandarin inspiration -- a song from my playlist, a quote from the book, and a photo from my most recent trip to Wyoming, Like Mandarin's setting.

like mandarin inspiration #5

cottonwoods

Cottonwood trees are everywhere in Big Horn County, where Like Mandarin is set. Every spring, they fill the air with a snowstorm of downy seeds. Grace never thinks much about the yearly cotton storm -- until Mandarin shows her the magic.

song:

"Skinny Love" by Bon Iver

I adore Bon Iver, and I adore this song. It's the good times in Like Mandarin: Grace and Mandarin swimming in the canal, running through the pasture, breaking into the grocery store to liberate the hunting trophies, dancing in the cotton.