And We Have a Title!

Sword and Verse, Young Adult Fantasy,

After much speculation and back-and-forthing, I am pleased to announce that my 2016 debut Young Adult novel officially has a title:

SWORD AND VERSE

The story takes place in land where writing is the sacred privilege of a few, and a slave girl, Raisa, gets the extraordinary chance to learn the language of the gods when she becomes a royal tutor. But her dreams are threatened by her forbidden love for the prince, and her loyalty is tested by the Resistance, who urges her to join in the fight for her people’s freedom.  It’s about the consequences of following your heart, and learning to trust yourself and other people.

My editor, Alexandra Cooper, came up with the title, and I really like how it incorporates the idea of the pen (or in this case, the quill) being mightier than the sword, and refers to a verse that plays a big role in Raisa’s life.

If you want to know more about the book deal, you can read more here.  Can’t wait to share more news about it over the next year as it gets closer to publication time!

Books That Made Me: THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien

Authors You Should Know, On Reading, , , ,

So here’s the second in my little series, inspired by The Sweet Sixteens’ December #SixteensBlogAbout theme, “Favorite books and authors”.

Last week I wrote about the book that made me a book evangelist, Watership Down by Richard Adams, and I mentioned how Mrs. Whatley, my eighth-grade teacher, changed my life when she introduced me to the wide world of fantasy and science-fiction. Well, while my reading group was discussing Watership Down, I kept hearing snippets of discussion about the book the other reading group was working on, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I was intrigued, so I read that one too, and enjoyed it.

The dog-eared copies I read every year as a teenager.
The dog-eared copies I read every year as a teenager.

Continue reading Books That Made Me: THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien →

Books That Made Me: WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams

Authors You Should Know, On Reading, , ,

This month’s #SixteensBlogAbout theme over at The Sweet Sixteens is “favorite books and authors”, so I decided to make this a little series celebrating some of the books and authors that have had the most impact on me as a person and as a writer.

First up, the book that made me a librarian, a booktalker, a book evangelist: Watership Down by Richard Adams.

book cover of Watership Down showing a rabbit in a golden field

Continue reading Books That Made Me: WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams →

Guest Post from Celeste Lim: How I Got My Agent

Authors You Should Know, Guest Posts, On Writing,

celeste-lim

Today we’ll hear from author Celeste Lim, who shares her agent story as part of The Sweet Sixteens’ #SixteensBlogAbout November theme.  A Chinese born and raised in Malaysia, Celeste holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and an MA from Manhattanville College. She is represented by Rosemary Stimola of Stimola Literary Studio and her debut middle-grade novel is forthcoming from Scholastic Press in spring 2016.

About Celeste’s book: In Medieval China, a girl is sold by her family to become a nursemaid and wife to a toddler husband. With the help of sentient creatures called jing, she discovers internal strength, and a destiny that is foretold to intertwine with her spirit guardian – a great, golden fox spirit.

************************* Continue reading Guest Post from Celeste Lim: How I Got My Agent →