Category

Young Adult Fiction

Arts, Children's Fiction, Fiction, Writers on Writing, Young Adult Fiction

Aug 17: Sometimes I Grumblesquinch with Rachel Vail

A Big Feelings Book Teaching Kids it’s OK to be You

Rachel Vail is the award-winning author of more than 40 books. Today we  discuss SOMETIMES I GRUMBSQUINCH, and why Rachel chose to write for children and young adults.

She shares some of the considerations that go into her storytelling. How she develops the characters in her books (hint, by getting into character herself). Why we need to teach kids they don’t need to be perfect. And the 5 Big Questions Rachel asks at the start of every book she writes … and continues to ask as the story develops.

About Rachel Vail

Rachel Vail‘s novels for middle-schoolers, teens, and tweens include BAD BEST FRIEND, UNFRIENDED, THE AVERY SISTERS TRILOGY, and the Friendship Ring series.

Her picture books include PIGGY BUNNY, and The BIG FEELINGS series, where Rachel  explores key social and emotional learning skills. Those books include SOMETIMES I’M BOMBALOO. And the picture story book we’re talking about today, SOMETIMES I GRUMBLESQUINCH.

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Fiction, Writers on Writing, Young Adult Fiction

Mar 08: Sabaa Tahir with deeply personal novel – All My Rage

#1 NYT bestselling author of the Ember in the Ashes series

Sabaa Tahir describes All My Rage as the book of her heart. It’s a story that was 15 years in the making, and we find out why during our conversation.

Beginning in Lahore Pakistan, and moving to Juniper California, All My Rage is inspired by Sabba’s childhood growing up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s 18-room motel.

Sabaa shares what she means by being an honest writer and how that informs her work. Why she writes young adult fiction. How a playground friendship saved her. What challenges her most as writer. Why hope is important and failure is part of the journey. And why her new novel is called All My Rage.  

About Sabaa Tahir

Sabaa Tahir has been an author since 2015 . Before that, she was a journalist, and wrote her first book while working nights as a a copyeditor. All My Rage has received great reviews  from writers such as Jodi Picoult and Nicola Yoon, and a TV adaptation of the story is currently in the works with Picturestart.

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Fiction, Writers on Writing, Young Adult Fiction

DEC 09: #1 NYT Bestselling Author of Matched – Ally Condie

Celebrating a Decade of Success with New Gold Release of Matched

In what some may call dystopian times, stories with that theme seem more popular than ever. Ally Condie joins us today with a commemorative 2020 Gold edition of MATCHED – a #1 New York Times and international bestselling story, first published a decade ago.

Set in a flawed utopia, citizens in MATCHED are ruled by the Society who dictate what they eat, where they work, who they love, and even when they die. But what happens when a young girl starts questioning the rules? When she tries to decide between the rules and her heart?

We discuss how Ally Condie’s first book started a bidding war, and what it takes to write young adult fiction. How this dystopian world came to life; how it became a trilogy. And how Ally is coping with our own strange times.

About Ally Condie

In addition to writing MATCHED, which spent a year on the New York Times bestseller list, Ally Condie is the author of two sequels, as well as the novel Summerlost, an Edgar Award finalist. She also co-authored the Darkdeep middle grade series. And The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe — also set in the world of MATCHED but with different characters.

A former English teacher,  Ally has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is the founder and director  of the WriteOut Foundation. She lives and writes in Utah.

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Fiction, History, Writers on Writing, Young Adult Fiction

MAR 04: Sharon Cameron with The Light in Hidden Places

With World War II Poland as a backdrop, The Light in Hidden Places is based on the extraordinary true story of Stefania Podgorska, a teenage girl who made the choice to hide 13 Jews in the attic, while two Nazis requisitioned the house below them.  Author Sharon Cameron took a hands-on approach to her research, stepping foot into the places and experiences of one of the most troubling times in world history.  As memories dwindle, Sharon emphasizes the importance of carrying history forward through storytelling, and shares where, how, and why she took creative license in telling this remarkable story.

Sharon Cameron is a multiple award-winning author, and the #1 NYT bestselling author of The Dark Unwinding, A Spark UnseenRookThe Forgetting, and The Knowing. 

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