I Was Here Seattle Tour Stop and Interview with Gayle Forman

 Gayle Forman's new book I Was Here is set partially in nearby Tacoma. To celebrate the launch, she has been having friends and fellow authors meet up with her. Tonight Nina LaCour and Deb Caletti joined her for a conversation at University Bookstore in a very rainy Seattle, WA. They talked about their writing process and how do they revise. They also talked about how they name their characters and how they feel about setting. A general theme of the night was friendship as they reflected on their writing experience and lives in general. The night felt like overhearing a conversation of friends and was very much enjoyed by me.
Earlier that night, I had the opportunity to briefly talk with Gayle and ask her a few questions.
S: Why did you decide to write contemporary with many other genres in YA?
Gayle said that it is the world that she lives in and it is where she can explore many of the questions that she is drawn to.
S: What are some of your recommended reads? 
She recommended Deb Caletti's The Last Forever, Nina LaCour's The Disenchantment,
Jandy Nelson's I'll Give You the Sun, Jacqueline Woodsen's Brown Girl Dreaming, and Coe Booth's Tyrell Series.
S: What is the best writing advice that you have received?
"Hard Writing makes easy reading."
S:What inspired or influenced you to grapple with suicide?
Gayle said that she was inspired by an article that she wrote about suicide; which, introduced her to Suzy Gonzales, who didn't seem like someone that would commit suicide from many of the people surrounding her. Gayle wanted to deal with being on the receiving end of a timed suicide note from someone that you love and that you find incredibly gifted and amazing. Over the writing process, she found that it was more about survival and loving life as she explored Cody's character and revised the book..
S: What are your upcoming books?
 Gayle said she is currently working on three books, which has recently become more so between two books. She likes switching, because it makes the writing seem more fresh and exciting.  

Thank you to University Bookstore for hosting; Penguin Randomhouse for organizing the interview and the tour;  Gayle Forman, Nina LaCour, Deb Caletti; and you for reading this.

Stay by Deb Caletti

Source: Publisher

Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.
Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....
The chapters alternate between Clara, when she was with Christian and at the present. Clara is a smart girl, even with what happened with Christian and I could tell that she deeply cared about him and wishes him the best in his future, but wanted a fresh start. I felt every single emotion that Clara was dealing with and more. She has confusion, frustration, and uncertainty about what had happened. Finn was such a sweet boy and I wanted to hug him for all of his understanding and general awesomeness through out the book. Her relationship with Finn felt more natural then the one with Christian from her memories, which served as a great contrast in the books. It is full of so many emotions and Caletti captured all of them amazingly. The plot was stunning and powerful and I just adored this story. I have actually been to most of the places in the book, so I could picture Seattle and Deception Point amazingly by my memories and the description. I think that Caletti tackled a difficult issue with a lot of grace and elegance, while still capture the horror that people face both during and after a relationship. It was believable and complex. I can't wait for more from Deb Caletti and recommend this to fans of Sarah Dessen and Ellen Hopkins.

Waiting on Wednesday (44)

Title: The Six Rules of Maybe

Author: Deb Caletti
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Date: March 16, 2010

Scarlett Hughes is overly involved in the lives of everyone around her, and exceptionally interested in the habits of her neighbors. But Scarlett is thrust solidly into her own life when her sister, Juliet, returns home from school—pregnant and surprisingly married to a sweet, handsome man whom she seems to have no interest in, but who is hopelessly in love with her. Forced to take a look inward for the first time, Scarlett discovers the necessity of dreams, as well as the necessity of facing reality and speaking the truth.

I love Deb Caletti, so I am excited for this book and want to read it so much.

Contest...

I am giving away a copy of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld and The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti.
Here is the info for them(from Amazon):
Tally Youngblood lives in a futuristic society that acculturates its citizens to believe that they are ugly until age 16 when they'll undergo an operation that will change them into pleasure-seeking "pretties." Anticipating this happy transformation, Tally meets Shay, another female ugly, who shares her enjoyment of hoverboarding and risky pranks. But Shay also disdains the false values and programmed conformity of the society and urges Tally to defect with her to the Smoke, a distant settlement of simple-living conscientious objectors. Tally declines, yet when Shay is found missing by the authorities, Tally is coerced by the cruel Dr. Cable to find her and her compatriots–or remain forever "ugly." Tally's adventuresome spirit helps her locate Shay and the Smoke. It also attracts the eye of David, the aptly named youthful rebel leader to whose attentions Tally warms. However, she knows she is living a lie, for she is a spy who wears an eye-activated locator pendant that threatens to blow the rebels' cover. Ethical concerns will provide a good source of discussion as honesty, justice, and free will are all oppressed in this well-conceived dystopia. Characterization, which flirts so openly with the importance of teen self-concept, is strong, and although lengthy, the novel is highly readable with a convincing plot that incorporates futuristic technologies and a disturbing commentary on our current public policies. Fortunately, the cliff-hanger ending promises a sequel.

After Quinn’s mother makes a list of attributes that she thinks Quinn and her younger sister should seek out in guys, Quinn comments, “We’re not stupid.” Her love-worn mother replies: “You can be smart and not know. And you can know and not care.” Then Quinn’s boyfriend dumps her, and she is surprised by how hurt she is, despite her ambivalence about him. As Quinn tries to sort out her tumultuous feelings, she embarks on a road trip with karmic intentions: by returning objects that her father stole from his former wives and girlfriends, she hopes that her own luck will change. Along the way, Quinn finds a new romance, lots of fabulous kisses, and a 10-foot Big Boy mascot statue, which all add to the story’s fun. Interwoven with Quinn’s story are vignettes with women who share their experiences with her and deliver lessons about men: “If a guy seems to need saving, call the Coast Guard.” Sporadic strong language might offend some younger readers; otherwise, this is a sure hit with both Caletti’s and Sarah Dessen’s legions of fans.