AWP 2014 Day One

Hey! It has been a while. I am still really busy with school, but I had an amazing day at AWP. First I went around and got information on MFA program in Creative Writing and/or Publishing. There are definitely a lot of schools that I want to go too, which makes the process even more difficult. So, if you are reading this and have a MFA, let me know where you went and if you would recommend it. 

Next I went to a panel on  Commercial Literary Fiction (Not an Oxymoron): The Place of Craft in Writing and Teaching Children's and Young Adult Literature. It had Micol Ostow moderating with Stephanie Kuehnert, Nova Ren Suma, Sara Zarr, and Laurel Snyder. It was a great panel on how being commercial doesn't mean that it is not Literary. That they like to push boundaries and challenge themselves into becoming better writers with each book. 
Here is Sara and I. 
Nova and I took amazing selfies together and this is the best one. 
After that I wandered around the bookfair more and collected more brochures. Then I went to a panel on  I’m Just Not That Into You: Unsympathetic Characters in Fiction. I found this panel to be very illuminating on character development and it presented a lot of great points.
Irina Reyn,  Hannah Tinti,  Lynne Sharon Schwartz,  Maud Newton, Erin Harris, Richard Nash, and Katie Crouch presented the panel. I found this whole thing to be very interesting. Next, I just hung around, since I was worried about the next panel filling up. I actually didn't enjoy the last panel. So, I am not even going to mention it. It honestly wasn't what I expected with the title and description. 
Next I went to the Seattle Public Library, because  E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, Adele Griffin, and  Robin Wasserman were presenting their new and upcoming novels and also read from their juvenile attempts on fiction. It made me laugh so much and helped me not feel as embarrassed about the stories that I wrote when I was younger. They also talked about their journey into publication.Afterwards, I got books signed.

Here is Robin Wasserman and I.

Here is Sarah Mlynowski and I.

Here is E. Lockhart and I.

Here is Adele Griffin and I.

 I hope you enjoyed this recap of my Day One. I will try to make one for Day Two. Now I have to go write an essay for Ethics.


 

An Interview with Sara Zarr

Sara Zarr is the author of Story of a Girl, Sweethearts, and Once was Lost. Story of Girl was a 2007 National Book Award finalist. Sweethearts was a 2008 Cybil Award Finalist. All three books are brilliant and you should check them out. Sara lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband.

1. What do you find hard about writing about faith? Did growing up in religious family help you shape Once was Lost and Samara?
My own experience with faith definitely shaped the book. Without it, I doubt I would have written this particular story. The hardest part was figuring out how to be specific enough about Sam's faith to keep it feeling real, but not so specific or overloaded that it would be off-putting to people who don't have that kind of faith experience. I wanted to find that balance so it would be a book for all my usual readers as well as maybe draw in some readers who are interested in the faith aspects.

2. You have been doing vlogs during your tour. What do you like and dislike about being on tour? Also, what inspired you to do vlogs?
Favorite things about being on tour: meeting fans and potential fans, seeing parts of the country I never would have seen otherwise, and room service breakfast. Least favorite parts: planes, trains, and automobiles, packing, and hotel insomnia. The vlogs are fun for me---they're a totally different creative outlet from writing, and give me a chance to attempt comedy (something I don't do in my books) and offer my blog readers a change of pace and the chance to see a different side of me. I've always had a fantasy about going to film school, so the vlogs are a way to appease my inner director.

3. You make such wonder realistic characters. What advice do you have to aspiring writers? What were your inspirations for you to start writing?
My advice to aspiring writers is to write! There's a huge difference between sitting around thinking about being a writer or thinking about a story you'd like to write and writing it. Once you start putting things into words, it's very likely you'll freak out and think it's terrible. That's totally normal so don't let it stop you. I even know some New York Times bestselling authors who freak out and think their writing is terrible when they first start something new. So you push through. If you can find one or two friends who are also writing or interested in writing, that's good, too. You can exchange work and give each other helpful feedback. Emphasis on the "helpful"! I was inspired to write by all the incredible books I read growing up, from Frog and Toad and Ramona to the books of Robert Cormier and ME Kerr.

4. What are your favorite books that you read this year?
Oooh, tough one. WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead is very special and reminded me so much of my childhood. And, I finally read E. Lockhart's THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS, which I thought was brilliant.

5. What do you like to do, when you aren't doing your author duties?
Lazy things. Like spending too much time online, shopping, going out to lunch with friends, and watching movies. I'm a slug!

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

Rating:
Characters: 17/20
Plot: 18/20
Originality: 20/20
Writing: 19/20
Recommendation: 18/20
Overall: 92/100 or A
Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it wan't hard for her to believe in the idea of a perfect family. Sam has be doubting God for a while. Her mom is in rehab after a DUI and her father seems to care more about his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tradegy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already worn thread of faith holding her together begins to slowly unravel.
Once was Lost was an amazing book. Sam is a very relatable character and her probelms are also fairly unique. I think that everyone has a crisis of faith at sometime. The ending is a bit predictable, but at the same time makes you wonder what happened. The plot has a ton of ups and downs, but it is interesting for the whole time. Zarr creates a book that leaves you with the questions of your faith and what it means to you. I don't think that this book would appeal as much to someone that isn't religious. I recommend this book to any teenager that is growing up and making decision about themself.

Once was Lost by Sara Zarr Contest

I love Sara Zarr's books. They are amazing. I have a second copy of Once was Lost. It is my favorite book of hers, which was really hard to decide. Anyways here is what it is about:

Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already-worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel. In her third novel, acclaimed author Sara Zarr examines the coexistence of affliction and hope, and what happens when everything you thought you believed---about God, about your family, about yourself---is transformed.

To enter, answer this question: What event could happen to spin your life out of control?

1. New or Current follower. +5
2. Re-post it in any social network or blog. +3 each
3. +1 for each referral and +1 on being referred.
This Contest is open till September 21st at midnight. International is okay, just indicate it, because only two of the prizes can go to international winners.