Stacey & Stephanie

We are young adult writers and fearless adventurers. Wearers of hats, eaters of croissants, and friends for life. Come hang out with us!

[staceyandstephanie]

Sherri L. Smith, Stacey, Cecil Castelluci, and Eliot Schrefer at the Silverlake Wine Arts District for #AWP

[bookrookreviews]

A note to all authors, who are thinking of hiring beta readers -

Dear Author:

Okay. So I didn’t like your book.

I realize that this may sting, considering we were friends and you kindly invited me to beta read ONE draft of your book.

(One being the operative word here.)

I realize that you are very proud of your book, and feel like you did a lot of research. I absolutely agree that you are very good at doing text-based research, and I don’t deny that you likely did a lot of it for this book.

However, the fact remains that I don’t think you did enough vetting of the cultural aspects of your book – my culture. If I understand correctly, I am the only real-life person you asked to read and vet your book, despite my repeated offers to connect you to actual historians/experts in the field, and those experts actually agreeing to read it. You didn’t follow up.

So while I may have been positive about the draft that I read of your book, by no means did I think that your draft should equate to a finished product. All in all, I think that the end product does a substantial disservice to my culture. You’re not going to change my mind about this.

However, instead of handling my relatively tame criticisms gracefully, you simply can’t let it go.

Rather than focus on the fact that I am a VERY small minority in a majority pool that has given you five stars reviews and trade stars, you have gone out of your way to name drop my name as proof that your book was vetted, and have sent me creepy emails claiming that you have “evidence” that I loved your book once.

You have contacted strangers about me, telling them that we were friends and I loved your book. You’ve allegedly proven it by sharing personal information about my loved ones and me. 

You’ve followed up that charming breach of personal security and trust, by subsequently telling those strangers that you were going to send your publisher after me for allegedly bashing you.

(Considering that I’ve never publicly named you, minus a small note on Goodreads shelf that no one will likely ever see, they are going to go after me for…?)

Even now – even after being told by your publisher, agent and who knows however many people to leave me alone, you won’t stop. I’m still receiving strange hits on my blog related to you and your book, and I can only imagine that you are continuing to talk about me, and my refusal to like your book.

I’m only going to say this one more time: I have not publicly named or shamed you at any point, despite people encouraging me to do so. I have been told that it’s my responsibility to name you, so people know about your behavior and know not to work with you, lest you do this to them as well. 

But I’m not interested in doing so. As much as I feel anger and betrayal at your behavior, I’m also not going to sink to your level. I have a job, a life, and other books and authors to support, whom I know won’t behave like this. I’d like to just move on and pretend I never knew you or your book. 

Believe it or not, you are not that important to me, as I seem to be to you. 

With that in mind, as a nod to our former friendship: please, go focus on something else. Please go focus on the positive publicity you’re receiving. Go write another book. Go make friends. I also say this with all sincerity and kindness: Please go see someone. This type of behavior is not healthy for anyone.

While I would like to hope that this is the end of it, there is a caveat. 

Please understand if you continue to refuse to let this drop, you are pushing me closer and closer to naming you. It’s upsetting and exhausting seeing specific searches on my website for your name + connection to me. Considering how the searches are being run, I’m pretty sure they’re coming onto the site after speaking to you.

Moreover, considering how very lax you’ve been with my personal information, seeing those searches are upsetting and also make me feel unsafe. 

Other authors? Please never do this to your beta readers. We beta read because we want to champion your work, and because we care. Having it turned on our heads is a genuinely exhausting experience that no one should ever have to experience.

Thanks,

 Me.

[staceyandstephanie]

[staceyandstephanie]

Stacey is giving away a stack of books...

but that’s not the only reason you should sign up for her newsletter, it will be full of book love and humor and other fun stuff! You can sign for right here: https://www.facebook.com/staceylee.author/?sk=app_100265896690345

And since pictures make everything a little more exciting, here’s a photo of the books you can win.

[staceyandstephanie]

Giveaway + Exciting Announcement! My book has a new title: CARAVAL

I’ve always been a fan of imagined words and titles, like Illuminae, Serendipity, and Graceling. I love the magical feeling that each of these words evoke. So when my publisher approached me about changing the title of my book from HEARTS MADE OF BLACK to CARAVAL something immediately fluttered…

[publishingcrawl-blog]

Hi everyone! I am so excited for today’s post because it’s a very special day for my dear friend, and fellow pub-crawler, Stacey Lee. The cover for her sophomore novel, OUTRUN THE MOON, is live on …

Stacey Lee’s GORGEOUS cover was revealed on Entertainment Weekly today! To celebrate, we are giving away an ARC! @staceyandstephanie

[staceyandstephanie]

Fun Author Interview Series: Mónica B. Wagner

Hi all! Stacey and Stephanie here, and today we are so excited share an interview with the lovely, Mónica B. Wagner!

As Mónica B. Wagner's CP's, we have a special place in our hearts for her NA debut, FROSH: FIRST BLUSH.

For fans of Abbi Glines and Colleen Hoover comes Mónica B. Wagner's sexy New Adult debut series about falling in love and falling apart.

During welcome week at Hillson University, the FROSH: FIRST BLUSH will hit the fan. Type-A aspiring journalist Ellie plans to take freshman year by storm. But hell-bent on breaking a huge on-campus scandal, she risks becoming one herself--and getting the mysterious, heart-melting QB in serious trouble.

Grant, star quarterback and charismatic chick-magnet, is hiding a life-altering secret. The last thing he needs is an overeager (absolutely adorable) journalist asking questions. He's got a reputation to protect. 

High-society legacy student Devon is ready to catch the football hottie of her dreams. If the tabloids feature her with the "it" boy on her arm, her tainted past will be buried--or so she thinks.

Charlie, pre-med, is done being the sweet and funny geek that girls like Devon ignore. But if he tries to impress her with a new edgy, spontaneous attitude, will his heart end up in the emergency room?

FROSH: FIRST BLUSH intertwines the stories of Ellie, Grant, Devon, and Charlie in a romantic novel about first times and broken hearts.

Stacey & Stephanie: We both agree, one of the many things that sets this book apart is the fact that it’s told from the view of four very different freshmen. Which character was your favorite to write, and why?

Mónica: Devon Connors! Because it was such a challenge for me to nail her. She’s an anti-heroine, very egocentric, shallow, grumpy, etc. BUT I wanted her to be likeable and fun, too. I needed her to be complex, so that people would empathize with her. The problem was, I was absolutely hating the first drafts I wrote about her. Until something clicked, and when things fell into place, that was the best feeling ever. That’s why I love Devon. I just hope readers love her as much as I do. 

Stacey & Stephanie: We can totally see why Devon would be so fun to write! She was definitely a favorite to read—she’s the girl who did all the things we would never even think of doing, and it was fun to be surprised by her. All that to say, she was not like either of us in college. Which brings us to our next question. We’d love a picture of Mónica as a college freshman. What was she like? (And did you experience any romances worth mentioning?)

Mónica: Oh, Freshman Mónica liked parties, haha! And she could stay up all night without having a headache the next day (sadly, that superpower is long gone). Mónica had two roommates and five best friends in college, and sometimes, to catch up with classes, she and her friends had to hire a tutor. She had a very cute boyfriend who lived in a city nearby and she went to visit him every other weekend and did crazy things with him like go backpacking to India. (Yeah, you guessed it: that boyfriend became Mónica husband!)

Stacey & Stephanie: We love this! It sounds kind of like your college life would make a really good NA novel.  Especially love the bit about your boyfriend turning into your husband. It’s always nice when a love story has a happy ending. But those don’t usually come without some heartbreak. And we think we can all agree, heartbreak is one of the most painful experiences ever. What is it about heartbreak that makes it such a popular subject?

Mónica: I think it’s popular because we’ve all experienced it. Like once I found a very long, red hair on an ex-boyfriend’s jacket (I’m not redheaded), and that was the first clue I had before realizing he was cheating on me. :( So yeah, instant heartbreak. I guess reading about broken hearts makes you feel that you’re not alone. 

Stacey & Stephanie: So true! On top of writing your own books, you have a family (which includes children and eleven hens, you also do freelance editing, and you’re involved in a quite a few contests that help support aspiring authors. And since we are your CPs, we can say this, you always manage to do this with the best attitude, which is a really important quality for every writer. So, we were wondering if you’d share a little on how you always manage to stay so positive?

Mónica: Aww, thanks for letting me know you think I always have a good attitude. <3 Honestly? I think I’m not always that positive. Still, I realized sometimes you can’t change things outside of you—you can just change from your nose in. So if I get bad news that I can’t change, like a rejection, I try to keep in mind that it is only up to me the way I’ll react. If I will let that change my day and make it a crappy one, or if I’ll flip it, and maybe look at it as a learning experience. It has helped me to read non-fiction books about spirituality and meditation, etc.

Stacey & Stephanie: All of that is really good advice. Thanks so much for sharing all of that, Mónica!

Since both of us are so excited about FROSH: FIRST BLUSH we are giving away an e-book. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[staceyandstephanie]

Fun Author Interview Series: Kim Liggett + Giveaway BLOOD AND SALT

Hi all, Stacey and Stephanie here! It’s almost fall, which means, pumpkins, awesome weather, and Halloween are all coming up. Both of love this time of year, and to get into the season, we thought it would be fun to sit down with young adult, horror author, Kim Liggett and chat about her YA debut, BLOOD AND SALT.

Pitched as, Romeo and Juliet meets Children of the Corn, BLOOD AND SALT (Penguin/Putnam, September 22,2015) is one-of-a-kind romantic horror.

If that doesn’t sell you, check out some of the quotes we borrowed from Goodreads, so that you can see what readers are already saying:

“Wildly addictive and compelling, BLOOD AND SALT envelops you in a world like no other – I have truly never read another book like it. There’s romance, mystery and horror all wrapped up into a seductive tale of unrequited love and immortality.”

“Gorgeous, gorgeous, terrifying, hilarious, GORGEOUS writing and a killer (literally) plot. I totally fell in love with these characters, which was unfortunate in some cases. Also: I will never see Kansas the same way again.”

“A dark, seductive, sensual book. Incredibly gripping, with so many twists and turns–I absolutely could not put it down, despite being scared out of my mind multiple times. Cinematic and gorgeous and so, so original.”

“Oh wow. Creepy dude. So creepy!! Flew through this one, and the twist ending (YES!) was so well done!! I’m hoping there’s a book 2, because, like, PLEASE.”

A lot of people are already excited about this, book and both of us are really excited because we were able to sit down with Kim and ask her a few questions about BLOOD AND SALT and writing Horror.

Stacey & Stephanie: We’re not going to ask how old you are, but since this is a YA book, we’d love to know, what was Kim Liggett like at 17? And would you say that seventeen-year-old Kim was similar to any of the characters in Blood and Salt?

Kim: Aquanet. Oversized off-the-shoulder sweatshirt. Short skirt. Lace up ankle boots. Smeared kohl eyeliner. Candy necklace—I was a beautiful mess.  I wish I was as cool as Ash. But I did base Ash on my daughter, Maddie.

Stacey & Stephanie: BLOOD AND SALT is a very layered book, full of horror, romance, a rich setting, and lots of world building. What was the hardest part about writing this book?

Kim: Layering in the memories. There was a lot of trial and error trying to get those to sit right. It was a very ambitious first book.

Stacey & Stephanie: Well, all the work you did completely paid off. Does writing horror affect your sleep and if so, how?

Kim: I sleep like a baby. ; )

Stacey & Stephanie: When Stephanie was in high school her absolute favorite genre to read was YA horror. Looking back, it seems as if horror is one of the few genres that has really stood the test of time within YA. Why do you think horror is such an enduring genre?

Kim: There’s nothing more horrifying than being in high school! Besides, everyone loves a good scare.  

Stacey & Stephanie: Lately, both of us have been having lots of conversations about how to bring the fun back into writing—since it seems as if every writer hits a point (or multiple points) in their career, where the difficulties and challenges of this field seem to out shadow what a truly fun experience writing can be. So, we’d love to know, do you have any tips for bringing the fun back into writing?

KIM: I cheat on my ‘have to’ ms with something new. Not anything to keep—I write for the sole purpose of throwing it away. There’s something cleansing about it. It takes away the preciousness of it all.

Stacey & Stephanie:  That is so self-aware and zen of you and a good reminder that writing begets more writing. Thank you so much Kim!

Kim/Kim’s publisher has generously offered to give away an ARC of BLOOD AND SALT. This giveaway is open to anyone living in the U.S., and to win all you need to do is fill out the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[staceyandstephanie]

We like wining. We do it often.

[staceyandstephanie]

Alexandra Sirowy’s Book Launch

The what: Book launch for alexandrasirowy‘s thriller, the CREEPING, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.

The place: Books Inc. Opera Plaza, Aug. 22, 2015.

The vibe: positively thrilling! Alexandra served fancy hors d’oeuvres and champagne. She did a simple reading, and it was the perfect way to get everyone itching to go home and read the book.

[laurieelizabethflynn-deactivate]

She was that girl

I get asked a lot about what inspires my writing, and it’s a difficult question to answer. I think an equally important question is who inspires the stories I write. The answer? That girl. This girl. Every girl.

***

Her.  

She was the good girl, the one who went to bed early instead of going to the party. She was the quiet girl, the one people thought was nerdy-snobby-weird. She was the smart girl and the smart girl who played dumb. Sometimes, she was the dumb girl on purpose, because it was easier that way.

She was the girl who hated the way she looked and wished it wasn’t all about that, how people looked. She was the girl who noticed people were looking at her. She was the girl who started to care about makeup and clothes and their power to accentuate, show off, enhance, disguise.

She was the sad girl, the one who thought her life was a mess. She was the lonely girl who felt like there was nobody on the planet who understood her. She was both cautious and impulsive, too safe and too curious. She was equal parts naïve and reckless. She was broken and whole and fragile and strong. She would plunge off a high-rise diving board to feel something but didn’t have the nerve to talk to the boy next door, the one who might actually like her.

She was the party girl, the one in a too-short skirt, the one who had too much to drink but kept drinking anyway. She was the girl who did and said things to make people believe she was a different girl, a better version of her own reality. She was the girl who people talked about in hushed whispers, and she was the girl talking about other people, the one who didn’t yet understand the power of words to cut and flay a person open.

She was the bad girl, the one people stuck with labels of slut and bitch. She was the girl who fooled around with the wrong guy. She was the girl who knew she made a mistake but wanted to keep making it anyway. She was the girl who stayed out too late and the one who never went to bed. The one who wanted the nights to last forever, the one who slept the days away. She was the girl who hated being alone with her thoughts because there was so much ugliness and rot creeping in.

She was the girl who felt like a body was the only thing she had to offer the world. Breasts that were either too small or too big and a butt that strained against her jeans. She let people look but sometimes hated how it felt, how people’s eyes burned holes in different parts of her. She was the girl who felt like she deserved nothing and the girl who wanted the world on a silver platter.

She was the girl who said yes to everything. She was the girl who loved attention, who flowered under it, and the girl who couldn’t find a parachute big enough to hide from it.

She was the train wreck, the one crying for every reason and no reason. The girl who didn’t know the difference between mistakes and life experience, so she called them the same thing. She was the girl who didn’t know if lust could also be love or the other way around, and maybe it didn’t matter.

She was the girl with a million friends, the girl everyone wanted to be with. She was the girl people were secretly tired of, then not-so-secretly. She was the girl who fantasized about getting on a bus and going anywhere, everywhere, but here. She was bursts of color and long stretches of gray with no end. She was the cool girl and then she was the girl whose friends didn’t call her back.

She was the girl who lived the stereotypes, who wore the labels people stuck to her like name tags and gave them what they wanted. And she was the girl who ripped her name tags off and dyed her hair and became someone else.

Some days she’s a blank slate and some days she’s a piece of paper that has been written on so many times it’s barely able to hold itself together.

She’s that girl, and she’s every girl.

[staceyandstephanie]

Book Deal for Stephanie Garber (and Ice Cream for You!)

Something tremendous happened recently. My amazing partner in crime, Stephanie got a book deal! 

Stacey: What is the first thing you did when you learned your book was going to auction? Stephanie: I think I told my parents. Or, I might have covered my face and smiled so hard it hurt, because I just didn’t have any words.

Stacey: What part of the publishing process are you most looking forward to? Stephanie: I’ve always looked forward to working with an editor. I also can’t wait to see my cover—I love book covers!

Stacey: Describe your writing style in one word: Stephanie: Adventurous.

Stacey: What's your best tip for aspiring authors? Stephanie: Have a teachable attitude. I think there is always something to learn, so try and learn as much as possible, and be open to critiques.

Stacey: What's your best tip for packing a suitcase? Stephanie: I think you should just pack everything. And if it doesn’t fit in one suitcase bring another. While traveling, a person can never be too prepared.

Stacey: Describe yourself using a flavor of ice cream: Stephanie: If I were a flavor of ice cream I would probably be one of those really bright colorful flavors of sherbet that they sell in Baskin Robbins—because I tend to be a bubbly/positive person. And, even though I’m not crazy about the flavor marshmallow, if I were a flavor of ice cream there would be marshmallow in the center, because I am a total softie.  

Stacey: In honor of this very special day, I’m giving away a $10 gift card to Cold Stone Creamery, because every celebration should involve ice cream! a Rafflecopter giveaway

[staceyandstephanie]

How Losing Your Purse Can Improve Your Writing

If you've ever visited the DEPARTURES area of the airport, you probably know that it is not exactly an oasis of tranquility. There are cars trying to park; cars trying to double park, cars trying t...

[staceyandstephanie]

We Joined Publishing Crawl!

Hi! We joined Publishing Crawl, and will be blogging about the craft of writing, the writing life, books, conferences, and anything else that occurs to us. We’ll post the links here every two weeks. :)

[elloellenoh]

im filipino and i didnt mind emma stone playing an asian in aloha. she can accept whatever role she wants. yes race is critical when casting for a role but what's more important is that the actor/actress feels a connection to the character. (pt. 1)

(continued) are you going to crucify the new guy the casted as the human torch for the new fantastic four movie because he’s black and the role is typically for a white male? is race all that comes into play when casting a role? emma is still talented. lastly, is there only ONE type of asian look? keanu reeves is half asian and he looks pretty white. same with the main guy in saved by the bell. if you’re casting is primarily based on racial stereotypes, then you aren’t solving anything.

OKAY, public service announcement folks. Just because you are of the marginalized community and you don’t mind the “racism” or the “whitewashing” in question means absolute diddlysquat if others from that marginalized community are offended. Your feelings don’t invalidate the feelings of others. Didn’t you all learn that in kindergarten?

Secondly, I’m really kind of tired of the level of ignorance that is displayed as a whole by some of these anons. I am of the mindset that if people really don’t understand then I will take the opportunity to explain things to them. But this question is so ARGH that I don’t even know where to begin.

My dear anonymouse - you have some serious education missing in your life. A good place to start is at racebending.com. Go read and educate yourself and then come back for some real discussion.

[staceyandstephanie]

Okay it took awhile to post this but here are pics from Sabaa Tahir’s launch party at Kepler’s in Menlo Park!  First, we went out with some amazing writing friends Jessica Taylor and Abigail Hing Wen and celebrated Stephanie’s birthday!  Then it was off to Keplers! Sabaa answered some questions, introduced her family, signed our books, and was generally just awesome.  Afteward, we hung out with @abigailhingwen @jessicataylorya @sonyamukherjee @laannamarie @rahkan annjacobus and basically fan-girled over the amazing sabaatahir.  And woohoo! Her book hit the NYT Bestseller list!  (Not that we were surprised).

[staceyandstephanie]

Seventy very short pages that every writer (and non-writer) should read. Full of beautiful words about failure:

“Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might have never found the determination to succeed in the one arena where I believed I truly belonged.”

And imagination:

“Imagination is not only the uniquely capacity to envision that which is not...it is  the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.”