Stripped Blog Tour: An Interview with Brooklyn Skye and Book Review

 

When I heard about Brooklyn Skye's blog tour, I jumped at the chance to participate. As a YA reader and writer, I was curious about New Adult, an emerging genre the covers the college years and young professional years, the gap between YA and Adult literature. I've read a few NA titles so far, and STRIPPED is my favorite, hands down. For those who have followed the book reviews on my blog in the past, you know I use belts instead of stars. (Black belt = 5 stars, Brown belt 4-4.5 stars etc.) So where does STRIPPED rank? Brown belt. And for those interested in the NA or looking for a well-written romance, I'd definitely recommend it. Below you'll find my review, my interview with Brooklyn Skye, and a chance to enter the STRIPPED Blog Tour Giveaway. Also, please feel free to check out the other stops of the tour!

Released: May 14, 2013

Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

“I like you.” His voice is low and soft, which I don’t deserve. I look away, down the rutted parking lot.

“Don’t... waste those words on me.”

He touches my cheek. “You just need someone to show you.”

“No.” I ease back again. “I don’t. So please, Torrin, stop trying to swoop in and save me. I don’t need saving.”

College freshman Quinn Montgomery will do anything to avoid the mistake her sister made—killing herself over a boy. But when she is forced into nude modeling at a local college to support her family after a bankruptcy, she begins to crack, just enough to let Torrin, the university’s top varsity oarsman, see that the real Quinn is not as feisty and unapproachable as she wants everyone to think. But letting someone in comes at a steep cost and, it turns out, Torrin is connected to Quinn’s family in more ways than she could ever imagine.

 The Review:

College freshman, Quinn Montgomery, has a lot on her plate. Her sister recently committed suicide and her father lost his job as the result of a rather public scandal. When Quinn's parents tell her they can't help cover all of her tuition, Quinn gets a job as a nude model at another local college, the one her fired used to work at no less.

Quinn walks out of her first session. Something about that made her real to me. She's a strong girl, but conflicted. At this point, I was in. I wanted to read more. Enter Torrin, the swoon-worthy oarsmen Quinn meets while waiting for the bus.

I enjoyed the connection between Quinn and Torrin. It wasn't insta-love. In fact, Quinn is a wonderful mixture of snarky, witty, stubborn, and vulnerable, a very interesting narrator, and Torrin likes her for it. There were many moments when their relationship reminded me of the saying, "Love isn't about being perfect. It's about being perfect for each other." Quinn isn't perfect. She's complicated, mature and naive at the same time, and as a reader, I found my self oscillating between rooting for her and shaking my head, thinking "You did not just say that." Personally, I enjoyed the complexity and found Quinn's inner dialogue entertaining, but I could also see how some readers might get frustrated with her. 

As for Torrin, well he's basically the stereotypical dream guy: hot, athletic, understanding, kind, but he has a secret too. I won't give the twist away, but I will say I enjoyed it and hope to read more about Quinn and Torrin in the future.

Lastly, a note about the writing. I loved how the author captured Quinn's attitude. The description was well-done and the scenes were well-paced. Some of the romantic scenes were a bit trite, but not enough to be too off-putting.

And Without Further Ado...The Interview!

I love that Quinn is both stubborn and guarded because of her life’s circumstances, yet like most college students, especially freshmen, she is trying to figure out who she is. What do you hope readers will take away from Quinn as a narrator?  

Some of my beta readers left comments like ‘Quinn is not right in the head,’ which is exactly what I was going for. The girl has been through a lot and the culmination of these events has significantly skewed her thoughts. On the flipside, Quinn is still just a girl trying to figure things out and I hope readers will be able to connect with that side of her too.

New Adult is an emerging category that bridges the gap between young adult and adult literature. What drew you to making Quinn a college student rather than say a high school senior?

When I wrote STRIPPED three years ago, I had the idea of a college girl doing something extreme to pay for her education. About halfway through the draft—after a bit of market research—I discovered college-aged protagonists were sort of a no-no in the industry. Against my gut feelings of THIS IS NOT GOING TO WORK, I changed Quinn to a high school senior. Once the draft was done, I hated it. Quinn was not supposed to be in high school and the YA voice just wasn’t working for me in this story. So I set it aside for two years and worked on a few other projects. About six months ago, I decided to pick the draft back up and rewrite it the way I had intended. About that same time, the New Adult category was starting to emerge and several books were popping up on the Best-Selling lists which gave me a little more encouragement to go with my gut.   

What would you say was your biggest challenge while writing Stripped?

At first it was the category issue, but once I decided to write it as New Adult the biggest challenge then was to make Quinn relatable. She’s not very nice—especially to Torrin—which makes her pretty unlikeable. I didn’t want to soften her in that sense, so I had to make sure readers could connect with Quinn and at the very least understand why she was that way. I’ve had an amazing reaction from readers thus far with comments like:   

“Quinn's sassy, stand-offish approach is hilarious.”

“I really found myself lost in Quinn's story, and also saw a little bit of myself in her when I was that age.”

“I loved Quinn. Her fear and devastation due to different types of loss are genuine.”

“I laughed and cried with Quinn on her journey through a very heart wrenching time in her life.”

“Quinn is a real, down to earth character, that is not afraid to speak her mind, and that's what I love about her.”

Of course there were others who didn’t connect with Quinn…which is fine too. Can’t please everyone ;)

What are you writing now? Will we be seeing any more of Quinn and Torrin soon?

Currently, I’m working on a novella that continues Quinn and Torrin’s story. When STRIPPED debuted, I received an overwhelming surge of people wanting more, requesting an epilogue and asking if I was writing a sequel. While I had originally planned for STRIPPED to be single-title, I decided to go ahead and write a novella that continues in Torrin’s point of view. WITHOUT YOU will release October 8^th.

I’m also planning a companion novel to give Nikki her own story to be released Spring 2014.

 

Please talk a little bit about your journey to publication. What was the biggest lesson you learned? Do you have any tips for your fellow writers? Anything you wish you’d done differently?

My journey isn’t very conventional, but then again are any of ours? The story of how I got my agent can be found in my interview with Writer’s Digest (http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/how-i-got-my-agent-nicole-steinhaus). The biggest question I get is why did I release STRIPPED myself when I work for a publisher and have an agent? Truth is, it was just a gut feeling I had. Being tied to the publishing industry, I knew New Adult books getting contracts were few and far between. I also knew several self-published authors were doing just fine without them. Would I change anything? To be honest, I don’t think I would. I’m very pleased with how well STRIPPED was received and the support I’ve been blessed with amongst the writing community. My biggest tip for authors is do what feels right for you, and don’t judge others if their decisions vary from yours. I’ve witnessed—and been the topic of—some very heated discussions revolving choices in publishing, and I think people need to focus more on themselves and their craft and not worry so much about what others choose to do.

Thank you for having me!

About the Author

Brooklyn Skye grew up in a small town where she quickly realized writing was an escape from small town life. Really, she’s just your average awkward girl who’s obsessed with words. Her Best Selling New Adult debut, STRIPPED, is out NOW! Represented by Bree Ogden of D4EO Literary Agency.

brooklynskye.wordpress.com

 

You can find STRIPPED on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You can also follow Brooklyn on Twitter or visit her web site  for updates, teasers, and more.

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Getting my Steven Speilberg on!

I'm officially halfway through my Fulbright grant, so I decided to make a video to commemorate the progress I made with my secondary project (teaching martial arts and self-defense to high school students and the faculty at my host institution.) The video only has clips of my high school students. It's the first "movie" I've made and first upload to YouTube. Hope you enjoy!


-Beth

Teaching Creative Writing: Tension

I was recently asked to give a lecture on how to incorporate tension in creative writing to a group of English Home Language Grade 11 learners. I have also been asked to give a lecture about using technology to teach creative writing at a teaching conference later this month, so I used the tension lesson as a pilot. Below is a copy of the worksheet I gave to the students as well as a summary of how I used the audiobook and movie versions of The Hunger Games to provide students with an effective example of tension. Enjoy!

Tension in Fiction Writing

What is tension?

Tension is a state of mental or emotional stress, usually with an element of suspense.

Types of tension:

There are many different types of tension. Here is a short list: horror, mystery, romantic tension, social tension, familial tension, nervous tension, and comedic tension.

How do we create tension?

All scenes with well-written tension have:

1.    Something at stake (i.e. survival)—This generally means that there are two (or more) possible outcomes to the main character’s situation.  The higher the stakes, the greater the tension.

2.      An emotional component—The reader must be emotionally invested in the character. If the reader does not care what happens to the protagonist, the tension is not effective. Therefore, when writing a scene with tension, writers need to appeal to universal emotions that the readers can relate to, such as love, hate, anxiety or fear. Writers achieve this through descriptive language.

3.      Descriptive language—Scenes with tension typically have vivid detail and strong verbs.

a.      Strong verbs, or power verbs, are verbs that convey meaning in one word and can replace passive phrasing. For example, “He delegated the tasks,” rather than “He told everyone what to do” or “Blood pooled on the floor,” rather than “There was a pool of blood on the floor.” Strong verb choices make the sentences active and direct. Not all sentences should or have to be active and direct, but an abundance of passively worded sentences detracts from the quality of the writing, as the extra words weigh down the narrative.

b.      Verbs like see, hear, and feel are actually weak verbs. It is great to appeal to the senses and describe what the protagonist experiences, but this can be done without the verbs “see” or “hear.” For example, rather than saying “I could see a knife in his hand and could feel a cold sweat spilling down my back,” try writing the sentence without “see” and “feel” and focus on describing the knife or how seeing the knife makes the narrator feel. “The knife gleamed in the sunlight and a menacing smile spread across my attacker’s lips. Cold beads of sweat trickled down my back. I’ve only got one chance to make it out of here alive, I realized, one chance, starting now.” The second example is stronger because it tells what the narrator sees, feels, and thinks without explicitly saying so. Sometimes words like see, feel, and hear weigh down your writing. Other times, they are necessary. The word “realize” in the second example might not necessarily be needed, but the sentence reads well with it included. It’s okay to include weaker verbs to add variety as long as there as strong verbs present. An overabundance of weak verbs slows down the pace and reduces the tension. Luckily, making weak verbs strong is an easy fix.

c.       Show don’t tell. Tense scenes often use descriptive language to show what the reader is physically experiencing.  In thrillers, rather than saying “I’m scared,” there is typically a reference to sweat or the heart pounding in order to illustrate fear. Romance writers also use sweat and a pounding heart to describe what the narrator feels when being kissed. In this situation, it is meant to illustrate love. The same bodily responses can be used to fit multiple situations.

d.      The descriptive language in tense scenes typically focuses on what the character feels. Is his chest tight? Do his fingers tingle? There is less emphasis on describing the setting because this slows the pace of the story down and reduces the tension. Some writers intentionally add in descriptions of the character’s surroundings to slow down the pace. Describing the setting is not a bad thing. However, one must make sure that the descriptions are relevant to the story. If it is a scary story, describing the shadows dancing on the wall could add to the suspense. Noting that the main character’s best friend is wearing track pants does not—unless of course, the track pants are an important detail later. Choose your details carefully.

Remember: Tension must build!

How to break tension:

·         As noted above, the tension can be slowed down or “broken” by taking the reader out of the immediate action. Focusing on the scenery, for example, might all the reader a moment to process. One could then oscillate back to the tense moment. A pause in the action not only allows the reader to breathe, but also keeps them wondering what will happen next.

·         Another way to break the tension is to switch the point of view. If there is more than one narrator, switching between them at a tense moment, allows for pause and increases the suspense. If the story is in third person, focusing the reader’s attention on another character has the same effect.

·         One could also insert a scene or chapter break to build the tension. Use a cliffhanger. Get your reader to want to turn that page. It’s similar to how TV shows use “To Be Continued…” They end the show right at the climax, just before we learn our hero’s fate.  

The Reaping Scene in the Hunger Games and What it Teaches us about Tension

After giving my students a lecture on tension, using the above as a worksheet/guide, I asked how many had read the book or seen The Hungers Games movie. None had, though some had heard of it. 

In the interest of showing how tension works and also incorporating simple technology in the classroom, I used my laptop to play a selected clip (roughly 10 minutes) of the audiobook followed by a clip of the movie (roughly 8 minutes). Most South African schools, or at least the ones I’ve worked at, are hurting for technology. Students have internet on their phones, but the classrooms do not have wifi or smart boards. Most just have chalkboards. 

Luckily, my laptop screen is pretty big and it was a smaller class (20 students), so they were all able to crowd in the center of the room and watch the movie as I held the laptop. One girl commented that the screen was dark. This lead into a discussion of lightning and how lighting can illustrate tension. Katniss’ house was very dark, but the reaping scene was out in the open and very bright.
  
I played the audiobook version of chapter one and the very beginning of chapter two. I asked students to write down examples of descriptive language as they listened. We then talked about the effect of ending chapter one with a cliffhanger, namely that Prim, the narrator’s sister, is chosen. The second chapter starts with a brief anecdote. Katniss recalls a time when she fell from a tree. This serves as a brief pause in the tension. However, the tension escalates when Katniss compares the feeling of falling out of a tree to hearing Prim’s name be called. 
  
Prior to showing the movie clip, I asked the students what they thought of when I said “holding hands.” I got a variety of answers all revolving around dating.  We had spoken about how physical responses can mean different things depending on the context. Katniss and Prim hold hands to show support. It illustrates their worry and fear as well as their sisterly love. 

The film also shows tension through contrast. The fact that Effie had a pink wig confused my students when we read and they got a real kick out of seeing her in the movie. Her attire shows wealth and contrasts to the plain clothes the kids wear. Katniss takes a bath and does her hair to look nice for the reaping, but her wardrobe shows she is poor. When she gets made over as part of being a tribute, she is given more elaborate garments. Effie’s “happiness” and the sober nature of the children in the crowd further illustrate the contrast and this adds to the tension, especially when the children all hold up their three fingers as a sign of solidarity and support.

Review: Investigating the Hottie

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an unbiased review.

3.5 stars or a Red belt based on how I rank :)

Investigating the Hottie is a quick, cute read. When 15-year-old Amanda Peterson steps off the plane, she expects to spend her week long break with her free-spirited aunt. Her aunt, however, as it turns out is not so free-spirited and has big plans for Amanda's stay. Her aunt is a spy and her organization has been tracking young recruits, including Amanda, to help with certain operations. Amanda's assignments, should she choose to accept it, is to spend the week at a private school and get to know super hot soccer Will, a person of interest, as he is believed to be a hacker.

The novel is well-paced and the connection between Amanda and Will stays PG (maybe PG-13 by the end). It's not insta-love. She acknowledges he is good looking and admits how he makes her feel, but the romance is relatively love key, good for younger YA readers. I'd say the target audience is 13-15.

I enjoyed Amanda as a narrator, but my favorite character was actually the aunt, Christie. She's spunky. The banter between her and her spy partner Nic is great. I would have liked Will to have been more developed. Also, some of the kids at school seemed to be mean girls just for the sake of being mean, to add tension. While this does speak to a the high school experience, it was not needed. I would have liked to know more about the spy stuff. Amanda accepts it relatively quickly. Also, the resolution to the hacking situation seems too simple. This was a point where there could have been excellent tension and the author did not take advantage of it. Amanda and Will's relationship resolves satisfactorily.

Overall, this was a fun story, a very quick read. It has the potential to be a series. In fact, I think that is the plan for it, and I'm glad because I would like to know more about Amanda and Will's adventures.I also want to see more of Christie and Nic.

Summer Book Recommendations

Hi all,

So it's about to be winter here in South Africa, but it's summer in the US. I'm halfway done with my Fulbright grant! I've had lots of time for reading and writing lately. Stay tuned for a writing update post, but for now, here are some books I've read and enjoyed.

In a previous post I ranked the books I liked using the martial art belt system. My version of stars or a two thumbs up. Black belt is 5 stars. Brown belt is 4 stars. Red belt is 3.5 stars. 

Bruised by Sarah Skilton

I love sports-themed YA and as a black belt myself, I wanted to read this book as soon as I first saw it on goodreads. I'd probably give this book a 4 star rating. It's not quite a black belt based on my ranking scale, but definitely a brown belt. I loved the complexity of the main character, Imogen, and while I don't think I would have reacted the same way she does--she gives up martial arts completely and begins teaching self-defense and falls for the guy in the process--I found her character consistent and believable. Imogen witnessed a crime and when she arguably needed her martial arts skills the most, she froze. Her training failed her or maybe she failed it. Imogen begins to question her training and wants to prove that she can defend herself. This includes demanding her new training partner punch her. Imogen still upholds some of the training principles she learned over the years, as martial arts isn't just about kicking and punching. It is also about respect, self-control, and discipline. The other characters, Imogen's friends and family were so well-rounded and complex, which definitely added to the story. Overall, the writing style was very good, and I don't think you need to have a background in sports or martial arts to appreciate the book, though as an athlete, I found I enjoyed the book more. Plus the cover is pretty cool. It took me a second to realize it was a broken trophy, but I love it. It fits the book well.

Boost by Kathy Mackel

If Bruised is a 4 star or brown belt ranking, I'd say Boost is equally as good, but for a slightly younger audience. The main character Savvy Christopher is 6 feet tall and a basketball star. She's new in town and is confident enough to ditch the tryouts for her age bracket to try out for the next group up. Savvy makes the team and even catches the eye of other coaches. Savvy's sister is her opposite. Savvy's very tall for her age and is slim. Her sister is petite and needs to watch her weight to fit in with her fellow cheerleaders. The book deals with the possibility of substance abuse. Savvy is accused of taking performance enhancing drugs. Overall, I liked Savvy as a narrator. She is confident (which is important. It was refreshing to have such a self-confident narrator) and funny at times. The author does a good job of showing the basketball team's dynamic as well. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but I think the lower age bracket of YA 13-15-year-olds, especially 13-15-year-olds who play basketball will enjoy Savvy.

Breathless by Jessica Warman

I loved the way this book started, but then it dragged on. I finished it, but it was a bit of a disappointment. The book spans almost two years of high school and though it is well-paced, the novel would have greatly benefited from a narrower scope.

Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green

I hate to say it, but this book is not worth it. I'd say two stars, which in keeping with the martial arts theme would make it a yellow belt. I read the sample on my kindle and was interested in the premise and the characters. It seemed similar to Pretty Little Liars, which I loved when those books first came out. This book drags on. It is far too long and too slowly paced that I stopped caring about the characters and had to resist the urge to skip ahead or stop reading altogether. The ending was completely predictable and cliche and thus, very unfulfilling.

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Some aspects of this book are predictable. Two of Jude's three older sisters have their hearts broken by the Vargas boys, so they make then 12-year-old Jude swear to never be involved with a Vargas. Five years later, Jude and her father need a mechanic to help fix his motorcycle and guess who they end up hiring? Emilio Vargas. Yeah, bet you didn't see that coming. Okay, so it's predictable, but Emilio and Jude don't fall for each other right away. Their banter is really cute. I love how Ockler handles the dialogue. Also Jude's inner monologues are also pretty funny. Her narration makes me pardon the predictability. The other aspect of the novel I enjoy is that there is some depth to the story when we learn Jude's father has early onset Alzheimer's disease. His memory is slowly slipping, but Jude gets to see a side of her father she didn't know about when he talks about riding through Argentina on his motorcycle. Jude chooses to spend time with her father, arguably because she doesn't know how long it will be before he forgets who she is completely and even though she has sisters, her older sisters have moved away, so much of the responsibility of caring for and protecting her father falls on Jude. (One of the sisters does visit though.) Consequently, Jude does not get to spend much time with her friends. I like the relationship between Jude and Emilio. I also like that Jude is a sassy narrator who chooses to put family above all else.

Other "black belt" books I read recently:

Being Henry David by Cal Armistead

Great male narrator and an interesting plot. Not predictable. Strong description from the very beginning. It's definitely worth a read.

Small Damages by Beth Keplart

I loved the prose in this book. The writing was beautiful and while the book deals with teen pregnancy, I thought it was a refreshing take on the issue.



-Beth

The Writer's Voice Contest

Below are my query and 250 words for The Writer's Voice contest. Doing my best to make the font easier to read, but blogger has been giving me problems. I'm still not sure why some it is showing up in black and some of it is white. Sorry guys! I added a background color. Hope that helps.

Podium Finish
76,000 words
Young Adult

Dear Judges,

Told in alternating first person narratives, Podium Finish, a YA novel of 76,000 words, is the story of 17-year-old Olympic hopefuls and best friends Alex Abrams and Harper Kavanaugh.

Alex Abrams comes from a family where being anything less than the best is unacceptable. Alex used to be the best. She was a two-time Junior National figure skating champion. Then she moved up to the senior level and finished 12th at Nationals. With two years until the Olympics, Alex's Dad pressured her to switch disciplines in order to keep her Olympic dreams alive. Now six months before the Olympics and partnered with former World Championship bronze medalist Ace St. Pierre, Alex's father is micromanaging her career, something Ace can't stand, and worse still, Ace is keeping secrets from her. When these secrets come to light, Alex must make a choice. She must choose between her father and Ace. She chooses Ace. More importantly, she chooses to make the Olympic team her own way.

With six months until the Olympic Games, Harper is living the life she's always dreamed of. She's fighting for the starting spot on Team USA Women's Hockey, and for the first time ever, she has a crush on a guy who likes her back. Things couldn't be any better, but they can, and do, get worse. In an effort to seal up the starting spot for good, Harper runs a risky play at practice and breaks her knee. After six weeks in a cast, she learns that Coach Graham is picking the Olympic team earlier than originally planned, and two girls won't make the cut. Harper pushes herself harder than ever, but will it be enough?

Author Bio: Beth Pond graduated Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Hendrix College in 2012. Pond recently earned her black belt and was a five-time DIII varsity letter athlete in soccer and track and field. Pond is currently working toward earning her MFA in creative writing at the University of British Columbia. In 2013, she will travel to South Africa, where she will teach high school English as part of a nine month Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Grant.

Thank you for your interest.

First 250 Words

Alex

            Skype is open on my laptop with my parents huddled together so they can both fit on the screen. We do this every Saturday afternoon, a Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center to Connecticut Skype date, and they always look so stiff, like they’re doing a webcam interview for a talk show. Closed off body language. Total statues. Dad should put his arm around Mom’s shoulder. They’d look more comfortable that way, like they’re actually in love.

            “Ace and I are doing our Romeo and Juliet routine on the ice for the first time this afternoon,” I say. Mom’s melon colored lips curve into a wide, tooth-bearing smile. I knew she’d like the theme. She danced for a ballet company in New York before she met my dad, which makes her the only other person in my family of five who can appreciate art for art’s sake.

            “Can’t wait to see it,” she says.

            I’m excited to get out of the dance studio and try the routine on the ice—it’s like a ribbon cutting ceremony, announcing the Olympic season has officially begun.—but I’m not exactly as thrilled about the Romeo and Juliet theme as I should be, as Mom is. Everybody does Romeo and Juliet. Hell, Ace did it four years ago with his former skating partner, Sophie DuBassin, which means I have big, albeit bitchy, skates to fill because Ace and Sophie were third at World Championships before they called it quits.