Author Interview: Lauren Mechling

I'm ringing in the new year with an interview with the fabulous and funny Lauren Mechling, coauthor of the 10th Grade Social Climber books and author of Dream Girl and Dream Life, which will be released on January 12, 2010. (You can see my review of Dream Girl here and my review of Dream Life here. The author photo to the left comes from laurenmechling.com)
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Claire, the main character of the Dream books, is half-French, and both Dream Girl and Dream Life are peppered with French phrases. (I particularly enjoyed Claire’s “JE DORS, DONC JE SUIS” [I sleep, therefore I am] sleep mask in Dream Life.) Do you speak French, or was a little research necessary to include French in the books?

I sort of speak French, but I hadn't studied French since high school and I had to bone up for this series. I took classes at the French Institute in New York, where I was lucky enough to become friends with a half-French couple (Kansas-born man, Paris-born woman). It turned out they were going to be living in Paris the following summer. They let me stay in their spare bedroom in exchange for a couple of macaroons and my promising to stay out of their hair. Which was the easiest promise to keep: I spent every day wandering around the city, notebook in hand (bottle of Orangina in other hand).

What kind of research did the Dream books require?

In addition to my hard August in Paris? Hmm. . . .I did a little research on the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, where Claire's grandmother Kiki lives. In addition to spending a few afternoons in the lobby, observing the hotel denizens from a very comfortable couch, I was given a special tour by the hotel's publicity team and regaled with stories about the debauchery that used to go on there. I also read a few books about Brooke Astor and New York society in the heyday of the 1960s and learned about all the playboys and playgirls who ruked the roost. I also had a lunch with a girl who grew up in the NYU faculty housing to find out what it was like to be a kid surrounded by professors, and I used the Internet to research a lot of random tidbits about pockets of the city that Claire gets to play around in.

Describe your writing in three words.

Juicy merry prankstery.

I noticed that you coauthored your first three novels, the 10th Grade Social Climber books. How is coauthoring different from writing a book on your own?

It's easier to write with somebody (but most writers feel the opposite--depends if you mind having your sentences rewritten). The way Laura and I write together is we edit each other as we go along, so you don't find yourself worrying if the page you wrote isn't in the queens English. You have a permanent sounding board/personal trainer/editor.

There are many references to ducks in both Dream books, such as a moment in Dream Life when Claire narrates, “I could feel myself making my oh-so-attractive confused duck expression--a house specialty.” How do you feel about ducks? (Given that this blog is called Bookduck, I have to ask.)

I love ducks. I call my friends "duck" and in the spring I love to watch actual ducks waddle about at the Brooklyn botanic garden (yes, we have ducks in Brooklyn!). We should all aspire to be more duck-like. They're very self-assured, yet family-focused creatures. They also have nice lips.

What was your favorite book when you were a teen?

I loved whatever I was currently reading--I wasn't the most critical reader. That's the best thing about being a teenage reader: you can bounce around among all sorts of books, and it's easy to get pulled into whatever world you're visiting. I remember loving the (hilarious!) Adrian Mole books, (the not at all hilarious) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and "literary" writers like Junot Diaz and Grace Paley and Mona Simpson.

What’s next for you in writing? (I.e., will we see more of Claire?)

I would love to write another Claire book but am not under contract to do so. For now I'm actually working on a very exciting secret project that will be unveiled this spring. Hint that isn't very helpful: it's on the cusp of YA and not YA. And it involves a bestselling vampire writer.

What’s one of your favorite books you’ve read this year that you think teen readers would enjoy? (It can be any genre, any marketing age group.)

I really loved Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall and The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller, both due out later this year. I also adored Lorrie Moore's A Gate At The Stairs, which is sort of YA (the narrator is in college), and I finally got around to reading Gone With the Wind, which is totally juicy and, come to think of it, would make an awesome YA revival.

And my final question is for you: Why do YOU love ducks?

I love ducks because they're the cutest darn things AND they quack. When they're on the water they look calm on the surface, but their feet are busy at work underwater. Also, my first initial looks like one. If my name were Beth or Brittany, it's quite likely that I would like bunnies more than ducks, because it only takes a few extra lines to make a capital "B" look like a bunny. And that's not shallow at all.
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Thanks for stopping by, Lauren!

You can find out more about Lauren and her writing on her website.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year full of Happy Reading,

Book Review: Dream Life by Lauren Mechling

Release Date: January 12, 2010
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher

Other books in the series: Dream Girl (July 2008)

Summary:
Claire Voyante's first semester at Henry Hudson High School was eventful, to say the least. As she heads into her second semester, things are calming down a bit. But Claire has a few secrets that are getting harder to keep. Her biggest secret of all? The onyx and ivory cameo necklace her grandmother gave her for her 15th birthday. Ever since she started wearing it, her dreams have been coming to her in black and white and turning out to be oddly prophetic.
Becca's been hanging out with her old prep school friends and never seems to have time for Claire anymore. And soon, Claire discovers why - there's a secret group of society girls with a mysterious identity. And, turns out, a mysterious enemy who's out to get them. The second she sniffs out trouble, Claire jumps on the case. But is it someone close to Claire who's in danger again - or could it be Claire herself whose life is at stake? (From laurenmechling.com)
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At the close of Dream Girl, the first installment in Claire Voyante's story, Claire solved a mystery, saved her best friend Becca's family from almost certain death, and fell for Andy, Becca's handsome older brother. Now Becca is too busy hanging out with her old private school friends to spend time with Claire, and Andy--who is busy too--is pulling away.

The prophetic black and white dreams, however, won't leave Claire alone, and they're as strange and unclear as ever. Here's a particularly entertaining (and non-spoilery) example:

Everyone at the party had on the coolest costumes. Which might explain why my dance partner wasn't Andy--or even a guy for that matter. It was a gray kangaroo, with a margarita in one paw and my oven-mitted hand in the other (I was dressed up as Julia Child). Mr. Kangaroo dipped me with the finesse nobody dressed like a minor league baseball mascot has any right to possess.

What's a girl to make of that?

As for Claire's shrinking social life, the reader doesn't have to worry long. Becca lets Claire in on the reason she's been so busy within the first seventy pages: Becca's involved in a secret society that goes back to eighteenth century New York. The society's mission? Helping the city out through activities like "'planting community gardens or repainting the youth wing at hospitals.'" In addition to that, there is a rival club trying to out their existence and thwart their philanthropic plans. Detective Claire is on the case again!

The atmosphere of Dream Life is as light and fun as that of Dream Girl, but the secret society business adds an extra air of excitement and mystery. The plot dashes and strolls and ends speedily but satisfyingly. The helpful aims of the secret society may sound boring, but the missions contain plenty of danger and cloak and dagger action.

Just as in Dream Girl, however, the best part of Dream Life is the cast of characters. Claire and her family are as adorably quirky as ever, and the new characters are just as strong.

Moreover, magic cameos and over the top teenage secret societies may be unrealistic, but much of Dream Life is written realistically. Claire and Andy's romance doesn't go perfectly: there are misunderstandings, secrets, insecurities, and busy schedules. (Although this doesn't mean there can't be a happy ending.) The people around Claire have secrets, too, and Claire is forced to some hard realizations by the end of the novel.

Dream Life is sophisticated and fun. Anyone who's read Dream Girl owes it themselves to see Claire's story continue to unfold, and while enough of Dream Girl is recapped for Dream Life to be read as a standalone novel, I enjoyed reading the books in order. I suspect I wouldn't have enjoyed Dream Life as much if I weren't already acquainted with the characters. Also, so much happens and the clues fit together so interestingly that Dream Life is definitely going in my rereading pile. If you like mystery, fashion, and laughter, I recommend adding this one to your To Be Read list.

The Book Trailer:

Dream Life by Lauren Mechling -- Trailer from Richie Williams on Vimeo.

New Moon in a Minute

(via bookshelvesofdoom)


Haha! Excuse me while I finish laughing.

Okay.

I finally got to see New Moon a couple weeks ago, and I thought it was actually a pretty good movie, but this is still funny. I was concerned when I noticed that one of my friends put their facebook status as "Sitting through New Moon is like driving a tractor in low gear though a sullen sea of lard. Hard, miserable, and pushing to the point of where you want to chew off your own head to to be done with it." But again, it's really not that bad.

Sometimes I use tape on my Post-It notes just to make sure they really do stick to things.

The following is a spoof of the TV show The Office called The Church Office--and I think it's hilarious. It was put together by a few members and staff members of my home church and was shown last Sunday before the service started. (What can I say? We have a sense of humor.)

Enjoy!

And just for clarification, Liz is Clyde's daughter--in case you saw the last name and came to different (and more awkward) conclusions :)

Sisters Red contest hosted by Jackson Pearce

Jackson Pearce is the author of a super awesome book called As You Wish, and her next book--Sisters Red--comes out June 3, 2010. The June release date is the bad news. The good news, however, is that she is having a simple Youtube subscriber contest and one lucky winner will receive ARCs of both Sisters Red and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (a new one by John Green and David Levithan), as well as a mystery prize! I'll let her explain:



Did you hear that part about how the prizes won't be given away unless she reaches 1600 Youtube subscribers by the end of the month? As of this post, she's just seven subscribers short. But you can change that and get an entry into a great contest. Now go enter! (But only if you want to.)

'Twas the Night Before Christmas--Library Style

I know it's after Christmas, but this popped up in my work e-mail last week at the library, and it's too cute not to share:

'Twas the Night Before Christmas - Library Style by Lisë Chlebanowski (with help from Clement Clarke Moore)

'Twas the night before Christmas, not a book to be found
Not a textbook, a paperback or tome, spiral bound.
The stockings were hung from the chimney with care
In hopes that the Librarian soon would be there.

The children were gathered, bored silly in their beds
For no books could be found out loud to be read!
There were toys and games and puzzles and maps
But nothing to read - might as well take a nap!

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter!
We sprang from our beds to see what was the matter
Then, what we saw - what was that? Rats?
No! A miniature bookcart led by eight tiny cats.

With a gorgeous driver, by the name of Marian,
I knew in a moment it must be the Librarian!
Faster than speed reading, the cats flew with perfect aim
And Marian whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

Now Gatsby! Now Holden! Now Lorax & Grinch!
On Rhett! On Scarlett! On Atticus & Finch!
The cats echoed their names to one and to all.
They flew to the roof and they flew to the wall!

And then, from the roof I heard tiny paws
The prancing and preening of kitty cat claws
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney Marian came with a bound.

She was dressed in her work clothes, from her head to her foot
The bundle of books she carried was covered in soot,
She had come straight from the library where books are free.

To patrons with cards it's a book potpourri!

A wink of her eye and a twist of her head,
She distributed books and left nothing unread!

She spoke not a word, but went straight to her work,
And filled all the stockings; She was more than a clerk!

Then she sprang to her bookcart, to her team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard her exclaim, as she drove out of sight,
"Season's Readings to all, and to all a good-night."

Book Review: Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling

Release Date: July 22, 2008
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320

Book Source: My local library.

Summary:
Claire Voyante has been having strange visions ever since she can remember. But the similarity between her name and her talents is purely coincidental. The name is French, and unlike the psychics on TV, she can't solve crimes or talk to the dead. Whenever Claire follows her hunches, she comes up empty - or ends up in pretty awkward situations. But that all changes on Claire's 15th birthday, when her grandmother, Kiki-former socialite, fashion icon, and permanent fixture at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel - gives her something a little more extraordinary than one of her old cocktail dresses: a strange black-and-white onyx cameo on a gold chain. It's not long before Claire's world becomes a whole lot clearer. And a whole lot more dangerous. (From laurenmechling.com)
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Lauren Mechling's Dream Girl is quirky, intriguing, and adorable. Claire Voyante, the main character and charming first-person narrator, does well on a standardized test and accidentally gains admission into Hudson, an institution she describes as, "a nerd school on the Lower East Side known for its competitive math and science departments, nationally ranked chess club, and recurring asbestos problem."

She doesn't want to leave her old school--which is more laid back and certainly more interesting than Hudson--but Hudson is free, Farmhouse is not, and Claire's parents are "cash strapped." Claire's feelings for Hudson don't improve when the school sends a letter prior to the first day of school:

"Attention, incoming students," it read. "Our new metal detector system is highly sensitive. All students are advised to keep jewelry, hair accessories, and orthodontic contraptions to a minimum."

Lovely.

Claire goes to Hudson for the first day of her sophomore year, but not before receiving a black and white cameo necklace as a birthday gift from her grandmother and having the first of many strange black and white dreams. Hudson turns out to be as awful as it sounds, but becomes more bearable when Claire makes a new friend, Becca Shuttleworth, who happens to have a handsome older brother, Andy, and a wealthy family. It isn't long before Claire's dreams begin pointing her toward clues that spell danger for Becca and her family, and Claire--an avid reader and watcher of murder mysteries and detective stories--is on the case.

Full of mystery, danger, romance, and normal high school moments, the plot rotates between fast-paced and mildly interesting and really speeds up at the end. The fantastic elements of the novel are minor and scattered, and it's easy to forget that Dream Girl is a contemporary fantasy as well as a mystery. Dream Girl is the first in a series and feels like an introductory novel, but not in a bad way: the cameo slowly becomes a part of Claire's life as the characters are introduced and the world of the novel (which is fascinating, by the way) is set up.

Along the way the reader gets to spend time with Mechling's delightful cast of characters, who are stronger and more sparkling than the plot. I enjoyed getting to know Claire's lovably odd family, and--small parts or starring roles--all the characters are entertaining and well-developed.

Dream Girl also possesses a definite sense of setting and place, with the story's principal setting in New York City. I don't know how someone who actually knows NYC would feel, but I found the descriptions of NYC interesting and lovingly executed; the city is enmeshed in the story.

Moreover, magic cameo or not, Mechling is adept at making the novel feel like real life: Claire has parents who actually get to be involved in their daughter's life as well as the story, a wacky brother, and *le gasp* homework! Claire isn't with her friends 24/7 because they all have lives, and as a result people have secrets and Claire doesn't know everything about her new friend within two days of meeting her.

As far as PG-13 elements go, Dream Girl is refreshingly clean. The swear words that make their way into the book serve a purpose, and there aren't any words that can't be heard in most high school hallways or on prime time television.

Dream Girl is a feel-good book and I can honestly say I've never read anything like it. Claire Voyante is a character worth rooting for, and while I wasn't always glued to the pages I was always interested in the story. I recommend Dream Girl to anyone who enjoys fashion (with characters like the Shuttleworths a few forays into NYC's high society hangouts are a given), mysteries, and laughing. I'm excited to see what adventures await Claire in Dream Life (January 2010), the sequel to Dream Girl.

Musical Monday (23)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

A massive snow storm hit the Midwest over Christmas weekend, cancelling family celebrations and church services for days--I still have two grandparents to visit and many aunts, uncles, and cousins to see. Christmas may be over on the calendar, but it's not over for me, and that means I'm posting one more Christmas song. And I'm making it a cheesy one.

This week's song features House of Heroes covering Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You". I've been wanting to post it all month but only just found a Youtube version with clear audio a few days ago. It's bouncy and fun and I hope you enjoy it!

Wishing you an even Merrier Monday than last week,

An Award!

Myrna Foster of Night Writer gave out some awards this weekend, and she passed on The Silver Lining Award to me. (Thank you, Myrna! You're nice.)

The Silver Lining Award is for blogs that help people find the Silver Lining on icky days. I am now supposed to pass the award to five blogs that help me find the silver lining, so here I go:

1. Laini Taylor at Grow Wings
I may not comment much, but every time I stop by this blog I see fantastic pictures and writing, and I usually smile.

2. Steph at Natural/Artificial
I can't be in a bad mood when I'm reading about her houseful of [fictional] boyfriends and authorial escapades.

3. Anna Maria Horner
Beautiful pictures, projects, and stories about family--I just can't be sad.

4. Eli at The Tainted Poet
Good book reviews. Enough said.

5. Maggie Stiefvater at The World According to Maggie
A hilarious and sometimes dark and twisty silver lining, but a silver lining nonetheless.

Hoping you're well,

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Release Date: December 1, 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 576

Book Source: Bought

Summary:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
(From beautifulcreaturesthebook.com)
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Opening Beautiful Creatures is like setting out on an adventure, and like most adventures it begins someplace boring--in this case the first day of school in fictional Gatlin, South Carolina, a small town that Ethan Wate, the main character and first person narrator of Beautiful Creatures describes as "the epicenter of the middle of nowhere." Luckily, Gatlin is anything but boring for readers: bursting with atmosphere and good humor, this book is a vacation. The descriptions of this old Southern town are beautiful and utterly satisfying. Take the description of Gatlin's library:

It was a two-story venerable Victorian, old and weathered with peeling white paint and decades worth of vines sleeping along the doors and windows. It smelled like aging wood and creosote, plastic book covers, and old paper. Old paper, which my mom used to say was the smell of time itself.

If it's not like being there, it makes one want to be there.

Gatlin possesses more small town charms than its architecture, however, and one of them is a small town attitude:

In Gatlin, the first day of school never really changes. The teachers, who all knew you from church, decided if you were stupid or smart by the time you were in kindergarten. I was smart because my parents were professors. Link [Ethan's friend] was stupid, because he crunched up the pages of the Good Book during Scripture Chase, and threw up once during the Christmas pageant.

Ethan Wate's narration is nothing if not humorous, and Ethan's got great voice. I enjoyed listening to him tell his story.

When I first picked up Beautiful Creatures I wasn't so sure about the male narrator although now I wouldn't have it any other way. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl flip the gender roles of YA paranormal romance successfully, and they change more than the standard female narrator. The mysterious, powerful new person in town is not a handsome boy, but a beautiful girl--Lena Duchannes. The result is a believable, enjoyable romance that unfolds in a realistic teenage timeline.

Beyond the romance lies magic, a sprawling plot, and a large cast of characters. One of my favorites is Amma, Ethan's housekeeper/cook/surrogate mother and tarot card reader extraordinaire. Ethan describes Amma's superstitious ways:

Sometimes I'd find one of her homemade charms in my sock drawer or hanging above the door of my father's study. I had only asked what they were for once. My dad teased Amma whenever he found one, but I noticed that he never took any of them down. "Better safe than sorry." I guess he meant safe from Amma, who could make you plenty sorry.

Amma is one fierce lady.

As far as the plot goes, Garcia and Stohl are fearless and Beautiful Creatures is unashamedly fantastical. Many unexplained events occur in the novel: disbelief must be suspended, and it's not hard. At 576 pages, Beautiful Creatures is a gorgeous but long read, and I alternated between page flipping suspense and boredom, after which I'd come back to the book and zoom through the pages until I became bored again, rinse and repeat. There's so much in the novel that it's definitely going in my rereading pile.

On the negative side, the school scenes in Beautiful Creatures verge on stereotypical, and there are a few trite and painful high school moments and typical high school characters, among them the caricatured popular clique. Also, the storytelling is confusing at times--the authors let readers put things together for themselves, and not just sweeping things--little story events where the sentence doesn't lay out all that happened. Being trusted was nice but left me feeling like I missed something more than once.

Beautiful Creatures is a fun, involved read with a quick ending and a cliffhanger that left me wishing for a time machine so I could read the sequel NOW. It's a skillfully told tale about a boy, a girl, their families, a curse, and discovering one's capacity for both love and destruction. I recommend reading it, and trying an excerpt before making the decision to borrow or buy.

The book trailer:

Find out more at somelovesarecursed.com

Musical Monday (22)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

I am now on Christmas Break, and it is lovely! I hope you're all enjoying any time you have off, too.

This week's song is "Love Came Down at Christmas" by Jars of Clay, a band you may remember from last week's "Hibernation Day". I chose it because it beautifully articulates what Christmas is all about, and Christmas is on Friday! (You may have heard this song before, but I can guarantee you haven't heard it like this...unless, you know, you've heard this exact arrangement before.)

The words come from a poem written by Christina Rossetti (a name I really hope you associate with the poem "Goblin Market", which she wrote. If you haven't read it yet, get on it. Also, there's a luscious story based on it in Laini Taylor's Lips Touch which was a National Book Award finalist...I haven't gotten around to editing that review yet. But I recommend reading both it and the poem).

Enjoy!



Wishing you a Merry Monday and a joyful holiday season whatever you celebrate,

PS: Barring catastrophic events and freak baking accidents, there will be a review posted today. Yay!

In My Mailbox (1)

In My Mailbox invites book bloggers to share which books they found in their mailbox (bought, borrowed, received) each week. It is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. This is my first week participating :)
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For Review:

Dream Life by Lauren Mechling

Claire Voyante's first semester at Henry Hudson High School was eventful, to say the least. As she heads into her second semester, things are calming down a bit. But Claire has a few secrets that are getting harder to keep. Her biggest secret of all? The onyx and ivory cameo necklace her grandmother gave her for her 15th birthday. Ever since she started wearing it, her dreams have been coming to her in black and white and turning out to be oddly prophetic.

Becca’s been hanging out with her old prep school friends and never seems to have time for Claire anymore. And soon, Claire discovers why—there’s a secret group of society girls with a mysterious identity. And, turns out, a mysterious enemy who’s out to get them. The second she sniffs out trouble, Claire jumps on the case. But is it someone close to Claire who’s in danger again—or could it be Claire herself whose life is at stake? (From Amazon.com)

Borrowed:

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

New to town, Beatrice is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish? (From Amazon.com)
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What's in your mailbox?

Musical Monday (21)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

Finals Week has arrived! *deep breath* There is much studying to do, and I still have a few paintings to wrap up--and I believe I can make it all happen. I promise there will be actual book reviews instead of weekly songs posted on Bookduck soon, after the end-of-semester flurry of studying and activities is over. And how 'bout you? Are you all busy too?

This week's songs are "Silent Night" by Sixpence None the Richer with guest Dan Haseltine from Jars of Clay and--because I can't listen to just one Leigh Nash and Dan Haseltine duet--"Hibernation Day" by Jars of Clay featuring Leigh Nash from Sixpence None the Richer.

Enjoy!





Wishing you a Mnemonic Monday (Get it? It's finals week and mnemonic devices help people remember what they study. Ha ha. It's a groaner, I know.),

Musical Monday (20)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

Finals Week is next week, and there's a lot to be done before the semester is over. (SIX paintings are included in the a lot. I think I may take up residence in the Fine Arts Center--there's plenty of space for a sleeping bag in the painting classroom. Also, at times like this the Art Department starts to feel like Project Runway. But that's a mildly funny post for another time.)

This week's songs are "The Grey Man" by Copeland because their music is excellent for things like excessive painting and paper writing (hard rock and screaming is too distracting) and "Sleigh Ride" by Relient K. I once mentioned that I really really like Relient K, and I also really really like most versions of "Sleigh Ride". I'm crazy about this song. The RK version is a bit different from what the Boston Pops plays but still keeps the basic characteristics of the song that most people know and love.

Enjoy!



"The Grey Man" by Copeland from One Small Instrument Pictures on Vimeo.

Relient K "Sleigh Ride" from Gotee Records on Vimeo.

Wishing you a Marvelous Monday (I'm tired, and is anyone really sad about having more than one Marvelous Monday?),

Musical Monday (19)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

I've been giving trumpet lessons to a sixth grader this fall and it's a blast. (I play the trumpet. In case your coffee hasn't kicked in yet and you didn't get that.) At the end of every lesson I ask my student if there's anything he wants to play, and he usually shakes his head no. The week of Halloween, however, he looked at me and said "Jingle Bells." So we played "Jingle Bells" unseasonably early and liked it, even though playing Christmas music early always brings a little guilt and fear that someone is going to be annoyed.

Now that Thanksgiving is over (and yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent) I've decided that it's officially okay to listen to Christmas music until my ears fall off in protest. (It's probably going to take awhile.)

In light of that decision there are two songs this week: "Poison and Wine" by The Civil Wars and "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" by Gayla Peevey--a classic that always gives me a grin. The Civil Wars were featured on Musical Monday (3) in August, and I was excited to hear this single show up on a recent episode of Grey's Anatomy. They sound great. (And if you like what you hear, The Civil Wars are offering a free download of their live album on their website. I recommend it.)

Enjoy!



Wishing you a Mini Monday (cute and manageable like small vehicles and tiny dogs),

Dear NaNoWriMo,

I haven't been speaking to you since Wednesday, and that's because we're through. We had a good run--30,005 words, a whole thousand more than last year. Alas, there was just too much crazy in my November to write 50,000 words with you this year.

And rather than auditioning ideas with you all weekend when I wasn't buried in my homework, I decided to walk away from my laptop, enjoy Thanksgiving with my family, and act like I'm on a holiday break. I enjoyed it.

We had some good times too, NaNo. You forced me to sit down and find the time and discipline to write down those ideas floating around my imagination, and then you brought me even more ideas. Those were beautiful times, and I'll always love you for that.

I don't know if we'll see each other next year, but I look forward to at least another thousand words if we do.

With love and best wishes,

PS: Good luck to all you Wrimos who are still writing! You can do it, and there's one heck of a standing ovation waiting beyond the finish line. Go you.

Musical Monday (18)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

This week's song is "The Outsiders" from the album The Outsiders by NEEDTOBREATHE , a band that's been a favorite of mine for a few years now.

Enjoy!



Wishing you a Monumental Monday (I'm running out of positive "M" words),

Musical Monday (17)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

This week's song is "Out of Control" by Capital Lights from their album This Is An Outrage! Why? Because I decided that today's song needs to be something super peppy and catchy, and Capital Lights is about as energetic and catchy as it gets.

Enjoy!



Wishing you a Merry Monday (Because it already looks like Christmas at the mall even though Thanksgiving hasn't happened yet),

Happy release date, Lauren!

From author Lauren Mechling's blog (Lauren Mechling - the blog):

"Today is a special day. Yes, it's MacKenzie Phillips's birthday. But I'm talking about the fact that it's the release day of the Dream Girl paperback! If you have a yen for a funny story starring a half-French girl detective, or know of late-middle/early-high school girls who might, you're in luck . . . ."

Two Exciting Things About Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I've been waiting very impatiently for this book. I also know that a lot of other readers are way excited to read it.

So here are two pieces of fantastic news:

1. Beautiful Creatures is already listed as in stock on Amazon.com and is also available for online purchase at Barnes & Noble's website. The book's release date is December 1, 2009. It's early November right now.

2. There is a super awesome Beautiful Creatures ARC and swag contest going on at beautifulcreaturesthebook.com. The rules? One point for every comment left at the Beautiful Creatures website and one point for every link you post to the contest by November 15th. Unlimited entries, four winners.

Release Date: December 1, 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 576

Summary:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
(From beautifulcreaturesthebook.com)

Find out more at somelovesarecursed.com
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Musical Monday (16)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

It's the Monday of the second week of NaNoWriMo, and there are bits and pieces of my story that I am absolutely in love with. (Yay!) There are parts of it, however, that I am not so in love with. (Boo.) I started out with a story that I liked, but as I wrote I realized that it needed to change . . . a lot. So I changed it. And now I'm wondering what happens next--especially what happens at the end. Because I've been thinking about the end my NaNo novel a lot lately, and also because it just played on the radio and got stuck in my head, this week's song is "Beautiful Ending" by BarlowGirl from their new album Love and War. Enjoy!

Video link


And I don't know about you, but NaNo aside life has been super busy over the past few weeks. I've been reading, but not doing much reviewing. I'll try to change that this week.

Wishing you a Magnificent Monday,

Musical Monday (15)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

Today is the second day of NaNoWriMo, and I don't know about my fellow wrimos, but I ran into some problems yesterday and I've already had to send in a llama to make things happen, so today's song is happy and cheesy with an even cheesier music video: "We've Only Just Begun" by Run Kid Run from their album This is Who We Are. Listening to it always gives me a smile--enjoy!



Wishing you a Marvelous Monday,

Author Interview: Stephanie Perkins

November is National Novel Writing Month (often shortened to NaNoWriMo), an event that challenges people to write 175 pages (50,000 words) in 30 days. When I heard about it last year I thought, "That's nuts. These people are nuts. I have to sign up." And then I wondered, "Is anyone ever successful?"


The answer to that question is yes! And to celebrate all the possibilities NaNoWriMo brings and get a few NaNoWriMo tips, I decided to interview a successful WriMo writer.

Today I have the pleasure of posting an interview with author Stephanie Perkins, who graciously answered my NaNoWriMo questions via e-mail. Stephanie has two NaNoWriMo novels under her belt and her first book, Anna and the Boy Masterpiece, will be released by Dutton in Fall 2010. ___________________________________________

Do you make detailed plans before plunging into NaNoWriMo?

Oh goodness, no. This is, without a doubt, the biggest and most common mistake among participants. There's often a misconception that NaNo is about writing a book in a month. I mean, National Novel Writing Month. It's there in the title! But that's really not what it's about. It's about creating a first, very very rough draft that you can eventually — with a lot of hard work — turn into a novel. Many participants believe they have one month to write a BOOK. A good one. One that they can sell, that people will want to read. So they do all sorts of outlining and research before beginning, sometimes months in advance! But the problem with this is that the more you know about your story beforehand, the more pressure you put on yourself to write something GOOD. And few people (I'm certainly not one of them) can write a GOOD book in a month. So what happens? The participant starts the novel, realizes that the words coming out aren't nearly as beautiful and perfect as the idea they had in their head and in their notes, and they become frustrated and discouraged. It becomes impossible to move forward. And if you aren't moving forward during NaNo, it's over.

The founder of NaNoWriMo, Chris Baty, recommends only one week of preparation in his fantastic book No Plot? No Problem!. Solid advice. It gets the gears in your brain turning, but it's not nearly enough time to turn your idea into something perfect, and therefore, unattainable.

Was writer’s block a problem for you during NaNoWriMo? If so, how did you overcome it?

Yeah, a little bit. I'm a slow writer, so not having the time to think my story through is both liberating and frustrating. I hit road blocks frequently. This was where Chris Baty's book came in handy again. He talks a lot about how to keep the story moving forward, even when you have no idea what's supposed to happen next. Anything from freewriting (this is what I do most frequently, my NaNo drafts of Anna and Lola have horrifyingly long passages of nonsense), to interviewing your characters, to introducing random llamas into a scene just to see how your characters react or to give them something to talk about.

Again, this has a lot to do with distancing yourself from that notion that NaNo is about creating a capital-N Novel, rather than what NaNo works best at, which is pushing you to create as many ideas as possible within a one month span. Who cares if all of the ideas are good? One or two WILL be, and that's where you begin writing/revising in December, with the ideas that worked.

So . . . just barrel through it. Write anything. Seriously. Anything. Word count is still word count!

Do you have any must-have objects with you while you write?

Ritual was more important for me the first year. I had a green plastic flower ring that a friend had given me, and I wore it whenever I sat down. It was a nice reminder of the support I had behind me. (My family and friends have always been tremendously supportive. I am lucky.) Now that I'm used to sitting for long periods of time and big writing pushes, I only keep around the necessities — laptop, research books, notes, coffee, tea, and gum.

And OF COURSE coffee, tea, and gum are necessities!

Describe your NaNoWriMo experience in three words.

Life-changing month. (Oh man. That sounds so unbelievably corny, but it's true.)

What, in your opinion, is the best reason to participate in NaNoWriMo?

NaNo is fantastic for people like me who have a difficult time writing first drafts. It forces you to spit one out, quick and dirty. And then you get to move on to the better stages — beefing up the story, cleaning and tweaking it, and making the language sparkle! If it weren't for NaNoWriMo, I would not be in the position that I am today. I doubt that I'd even have a complete first draft by now.

Publishing a book involves a lot of revising. Is NaNoWriMo in your plans this year, or will you have your hands full working on Anna and Second Novel?

Yes, I'm participating! It's true my hands are full — I'm still shaping Lola and the Boy Next Door (formerly known as Second Novel) into a working draft, and Anna and the Boy Masterpiece will probably hit the line editing stage smack in the middle of November — but absolutely, I'm doing it. NaNo changed my life. It brought me Anna (and her delicious boy), and I will be eternally grateful for that. I'm positively giddy to star this year's project. Something NEW. What a relief!

Any tips, tricks, or words of NaNo wisdom that you’d like to share?

I learned two important things last year. First of all, I did the Bad Thing — worked on a project that I had a lot of preconceived ideas and notions about — and it was dreadful. Seriously, do NOT do this to yourself. I spent the entire month agonizing at how awful it was, whereas my first year (when I had no idea what my story was), I was just happy for the high word count! So this year, I'm starting with a significantly blanker slate.

The second important thing I learned was to nail down the tense early on. I never picked one last November. Never. I wrote some of Lola in first, some in third, some in present, some in past. (I told you my NaNo drafts are terrible!) I didn't think it would be a big deal in revisions, but it turned into a HUGE ordeal. I had more salvageable ideas in that draft than I realized, so when I moved them into my REAL novel, it required several weeks of painstaking revisions to get them all into the same voice. I won't make that mistake again! So bite the bullet and pick a tense within the first few days. Even if you decide on a different tense for your next draft, it'll still make the transition easier.

Not that you would be as silly as me and not pick a tense. I mean, really. What was I thinking?

Thanks for the fab interview! . . . . GOOD LUCK! And if you or any of your blog readers are looking for a NaNoWriMo cheering squad, I love having writing buddies. You can add me here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/230633

— Steph
_______________________________________

Actually *looking down at my shoes* choosing a tense was a problem for me last year. Thanks for the awesome advice, Steph!

You can read more about Stephanie's NaNoWriMo experience HERE, and I strongly recommend visiting her enormously entertaining blog HERE.

NaNo-ly yours,

November is National Novel Writing Month!

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, is an annual event that challenges participants to write a 175 page (or 50,000 word) novel in one month. NaNoWriMo is more about the fun and the making-it-happen than it is about writing a perfect work of fiction: the only thing that matters is that WriMo writers finish. It's an invitation to take that dream of writing a novel and make it real.

When I heard about it last October I thought the whole thing was crazy--and I wanted to do it. I told some friends, and my then friend and dorm neighbor/now friend and roommate Kayla decided to attempt NaNoWriMo with me.

October 31st rolled around, and we dressed up in our Halloween costumes and signed a contract that entitled us to mock each other if we did not meet the 50,000 word goal.

Me and Kayla all dressed up and NaNo-naive. I'm the cat; she's the iPod ad.

We went about our Halloween festivities all optimistic and giggly. And then November came. I started excitedly writing my novel and promptly ran into a wall. I'd decided to write a story that I'd been outlining and turning over in my mind for about two years--and I liked that story. I did not, however, like any of the words I was pounding out, and I felt like I was letting my story down.

That was a great costume idea. So great I'm posting another picture of it.

And Blogger is doing that thing again where it stops letting me press "enter" and put space between my paragraphs, so the text is about to become very cramped--sorry!)

And then I got slammed with boatloads of homework and gave up trying to write daily. In order to meet the deadline, Wrimo Writers need to type approximately 1,667 words per day. Many days I didn't attempt writing any words because it had become so daunting.

With Thanksgiving Break, however, came freetime, and I decided to give my novel my all. At this point, though, I was so behind that I needed to type almost all day every day of break, and I decided that I could find better ways to spend my precious days off. I gave up at 29,000 words.

Kayla got busy and never started her novel, and since neither of us finished, there was no mocking.

Kayla's friends from a university in another town. They dressed up as Jack and Karen from Will and Grace. They're more fun than my NaNo sob story, so it's okay if you've stopped reading that and are just looking at the pictures.

It's been nearly a year since I signed my first NaNoWriMo contract, and I'm doing it all over again this Halloween--and this time I'm determined to have fun and make those 50,000 words happen.

I may not have finished last year's WriMo challenge, but I learned a lot in the attempt. For one, since NaNoWriMo novels are not meant to be perfect and polished as they are being written, it really doesn't take that long to write 1,667 words per day. Forty-five minutes to an hour tops. Knowing this makes the scheduling factor less intimidating, and I feel more sure of being able to make time for NaNoWriMo.

I am also planning less and writing from new ideas that I brainstormed yesterday--new ideas means less pressure to write something "good", and if I should ever return to my old idea, I discovered many useful things about it.

Aww, look! It's Jack and Karen again.

I'm excited to do NaNoWriMo again, and I see it as win-win whether I finish it or not. I've wanted to write a book--not necessarily as a career--ever since I was five years old and made one with crayons about my cat, and NaNoWriMo is a great opportunity to do that. Without that deadline and all those other crazy WriMo writers it's too easy to say I'm too busy right now; I'll finish a rough draft Someday. (A day which has a habit of never coming around.)

And if I fail again? I'm sure I will have learned many new things in the process.

In celebration of NaNoWriMo and all the possibilities it brings, I interviewed Stephanie Perkins, a successful NaNoWriMo writer whose first novel, Anna and the Boy Masterpiece, will be released by Dutton in Fall 2010. This is Bookduck's--and my--first author interview, and it will be posted tomorrow. Come visit for some NaNo chat and handy NaNo tips!

NaNoWriMo-ly yours,

Musical Monday (14)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

This week's song is "Invasion" by Eisley from their album Combinations. Their sound is beautiful, their lyrics are often whimsical, and I've been listening to them a lot over the past week while I finished paintings and papers for Midterm deadlines. I picked "Invasion" because this is the last Musical Monday of October, and the song appears to be about an alien invasion, which just fits. Also, the music video is appropriately strange and creepy. Enjoy!


Eisley - Invasion

EISLEY MySpace Video

Wishing you a Memorable (in a good way) Monday,

Dream Girl Giveaway on Lauren Mechling's Blog!

Author Lauren Mechling is giving away a copy of the brand new paperback edition of her novel Dream Girl, and it's pretty:


If you're interested--and if you like books and free things, you probably should be--go HERE, click "The Blog", and go to the "Paperback Writer//Dream Girl Giveaway" post and leave a comment telling Lauren about the best looking paperback book you've ever seen. A winner will be picked on Friday (tomorrow) and the winner will receive the paperback before its official release date. So far there are only 2 entries, so your chances are good! (Although it is a mildly difficult question...I've got to think about it for awhile.)

Off to finish some papers and such,

Musical Monday (13)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

This week's song is "Forget And Not Slow Down" by Relient K from their new album Forget And Not Slow Down--which I've had on repeat for about a week now. I really really like Relient K and I also really really like this album. Relient K is musical about music, meaning that the melodies are dynamic--they go somewhere--and the songs all have great texture and use of instruments. I also dig the lyrics, which are usually thoughtful and contain word play here and there. Enjoy!



Wishing you a Mysterious Monday (It is October, after all),

Book Review: Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani

Release Date: September 1, 2009
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 288Summary:
I'm marooned.

Abandoned.

Left to rot in boarding school . . .

Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world.

Ick.

There's no way Viola's going to survive the year—especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.

Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life.

But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in. (From Amazon.com)
_______________________________________
Viola in Reel Life is a novel that is what it sounds like--plus a little extra. As the summary suggests, Viola goes to boarding school, complains, meets people, learns Important Lessons, and spends a lot of time with her camera. But there is also a ghost, massive amounts of creativity, phenomenal friendships, a wonderful depth of emotion, a lot of laughs--and it just made me happy.

I really enjoyed listening to Viola tell her story--Adriana Trigiani crafted a good-natured, savvy, and funny narrator. Viola makes one hilarious--and true--observation about life after another. On Viola's first night at her new school she says:

I'm sure everybody will be wearing new pajamas tonight. I know I will. My mother got rid of my "Vote for Pedro" T-shirt and cupcake jam pants because they had holes in them. I'll be mad at her until the day I die for that one. This is one thing all mothers have in common. When it comes to boarding school, or sleepaway camp, or a visit with the grand-p's, a girl needs a new wardrobe from the underwear out.

That statement is so true I guffawed and got a strange look from my college roommate.

As for the plot, I enjoyed it: there are a few twists and turns, but nothing that shook my world too drastically--it's predictable in a comfortable, fuzzy slippers sort of way, and I had no serious issues with anything in the writing.

The most striking element of Viola, however, is the close friendship that develops between Viola and her roommates. It's genuine and downright heartwarming. In fact, all of the relationships in the novel are very well-drawn, as are the characters from Viola herself to Trish, the sparkly, enthusisastic resident assistant who lives on Viola's floor.

Viola in Reel Life is a feel-good book; Trigiani tells the story she chose to tell well, and I recommend reading it. I laughed, I said, "Aww," and I closed the book with a satisfied smile.

Book source: My local library.

Musical Monday (12)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

This week's song is "Work" by Jars of Clay from their album Good Monsters. Why? Because I'll be doing a lot of homework this week, as I've been doing most weeks lately. I have a few book reviews in the draft stages, and I'd love to find time to post them soon, but I'm not sure when that will be. And back to the song: I happen to like it, although you are not obligated to :)

Also, you may notice that there is no video in this post; this is because the video I wanted to embed is disabled for embedding. So if you're interested in watching the video/listening to the song, please click here.

Wishing you a Magnificent Monday,

The first snow!!!

It's happening right now. I was squeezing in a little internet time--difficult to do lately--when a friend texted me that it was snowing! So I jammed my hat on my head, grabbed my coat, and went outside pajama pants and all to watch the snow and catch a few flakes on my tongue.

I know there won't be much of it, and it will melt quickly--and I don't even want piles of snow on the ground until after Thanksgiving, thank you very much--but it's still exciting to see the first snowflakes of the season.



Enjoying the little things,

Musical Monday (11)

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be less than marvelous, and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party, just make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

This week's song is "the Fox, the Crow And the Cookie" by mewithoutyou from their album it's all crazy! it's all false! it's all a dream! it's alright. And it needs no other introduction. Enjoy!
*You may want to double click the video and watch it on youtube for the full wide screen effect.

An Award!

I recently received the Great Look Award from Eli at The Tainted Poet's YA Book Review! Thanks Eli! I like your blog's look, too. (I've never received one of these before, and it's kind of fun.)

This award is meant to pat on the back the ones paying particular attention to their blog presentation, and god knows some of them looks awesome! Of course none of them are pretty empty shells, so there's no shame to mention how nice their blogs are!

Here are the rules:

1. Post the award on your blog, with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 5 other blogs that you particularly like. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

The 5 other blogs I particularly like:

1. Eli at The Tainted Poet's YA Book Review

2. Steph Bowe at Hey! Teenager of the Year

3. Cate at Sparrow Review

4. Stephanie at Natural/Artificial

5. Nina at J'adorehappyendings

Book Review: Immortal by Gillian Shields

Release Date: August 4, 2009
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 368
Summary:
Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated than she could have dreamed. Strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave Evie drowning in loneliness.

Evie's only lifeline is Sebastian, a rebellious, mocking, dangerously attractive young man she meets by chance. As Evie's feelings for Sebastian grow with each secret meeting, she starts to fear that he is hiding something about his past. And she is haunted by glimpses of a strange, ghostly girl—a girl who is so eerily like Evie, she could be a sister. Evie is slowly drawn into a tangled web of past and present that she cannot control. And as the extraordinary, elemental forces of Wyldcliffe rise up like the mighty sea, Evie is faced with an astounding truth about Sebastian, and her own incredible fate.

Gillian Shields's electrifying tale will dazzle readers with suspense, mysticism, and romance. (From HarperCollins.com)
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Evie Johnson, the main character and first person narrator of Gillian Shields's Immortal, arrives at the train station near Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Girls on a cold and rainy night and loads her things into a taxi. She tells the taxi driver, "Wyldcliffe, please," and settles in for the ride. When the taxi reaches Wyldcliffe and Evie tells the driver her destination is the school, however, he refuses to take her to "that cursed place". Evie gets out of the cab and ends up wet and unhappy--but the reader ends up hooked.

Immortal is a fun read, in large part because--as with the taxi driver refusing to take Evie to "that cursed place"-- Shields really goes to town with the gothic cliches. Wyldcliffe Abbey is a rambling old building, complete with a lake, ruins, and a grotto on the grounds. The "high mistress" of the school is severe and intimidating. There's also an old necklace, plenty of rain, a beautiful boy, a ghost of sorts, and some dabbling in the occult. To top it off, Evie is a scholarship student, and as such is made to do chores around the school. At this point even Evie notices how much her life is beginning to resemble a novel or a fairytale and says to the other scholarship student:

"Don't you think all this doing-chores stuff is a bit over the top? . . . . You know, like Cinderella, only with about two hundred ugly stepsisters. What else do they expect us to do? Sleep in the cellar?"

While Evie doesn't sleep in the cellar, she does sneak out of Wyldcliffe at night to be with the mysterious Sebastian, who tends to steal the show whenever he shows up, even when he's being annoying. (Which he does a lot.) No matter how entertaining I found him, though, I found his and Evie's fast blooming love a bit hollow.

Steering away from the boy, Immortal weaves two story lines into one plot, one tale belonging to Evie and the other to the journal of Lady Agnes, a teenage girl who lived in the Abbey in the 1880s when it was still a home, not a school. Of the two, I prefered Lady Agnes's narrative; Evie is more of a drama queen, and her narration is frequently redundant.

In putting the two stories together, Shields establishes a definite pattern that, while establishing unity between the two plotlines, also becomes repetitive in an amusing way. The last line of each journal entry by Lady Agnes is echoed in the first line of Evie's next chapter.

Example 1:

[Lady Agnes] There can be no harm, surely, in something so beautiful?

Turn page.

[Evie] Sebastian was beautiful, just as I had remembered.

Example 2:

[Lady Agnes] I have never felt so alive.

Turn page.

[Evie] I had never felt so depressed.

And so on and so forth.

All things considered, Gillian Shields's Immortal is deliciously creepy, gothic, romantic, and mildly addicting--a good, fun read. When I began reading, I thought Immortal was a standalone title, but it's clear from the ending that there is at least one more installment to come--in 2010 according to Shields's page at HarperCollins--and this looks like a series worth getting into.

Book source: My local library.