YA at World Fantasy Con!

Last Thursday, almost 700 authors, illustrators, editors, booksellers and fans descended on my home town of Toronto for the 38^th annual World Fantasy Convention.  Grey weather from the tail end of Hurricane Sandy could not dampen the mood, although unfortunately some of the attendees had to cancel at the last minute due to the storm. 

From Thursday through Sunday, our days and nights were packed with lectures, readings, panels, book signings and parties.  As I did with last year’s wrap-up, I must begin with an apology.  So much was going on concurrently that no WFC attendee could possibly take it all in, and no two attendees would ever have the same experience—so I hope readers will understand that this is just a taste of what went on during those fabulous four days. 

These were some of the panels and discussions that I enjoyed, but I hope other attendees will tell us their favourites in the comments section—and post links to their pics!

Young Adult Urban Fantasy

with Joel Sutherland, Holly Black, Isobelle Carmody, Charles de Lint, Alyxandra Harvey, and Leah Petersen.

Authors Holly Black and Alyxandra Harvey

 Author Gillian Chan and Author/Librarian Joel Sutherland

Canadian Librarian Joel Sutherland led this lively discussion about the appeal of YA urban fantasy.  “Urban fantasy is gateway fantasy!” Holly Black said, making the point that a realistic, contemporary setting can be less intimidating to those new to the fantasy genres. 

Charles de Lint, considered by many to be one of the inventors of urban fantasy, surprised everyone by saying he didn’t use the term when describing his own work; he preferred the expression “mythic fantasy” because, although his books usually have a contemporary setting, they don’t always take place in a city, and to him the city is a key element of urban fantasy.  Most of the panel agreed, and certainly a city setting is crucial to many seminal works of YA urban fantasy such as Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series. As Holly Black put it: “The city is the new forest; the city is now the place we go to be transformed.” 

When panelists were asked why they wrote YA and not adult urban fantasy, Leah Petersen summed it up perfectly: “Because YA is about firsts—first kisses, first love, first coming into your magic…  Teens are doing these things for the first time—and I love to write about that.”

Garth Nix Reading from Clariel

Sabriel, Nix’s lyric high fantasy about a female necromancer (or “abhorsen”) who puts the walking dead back in their graves, is wildly popular, as are its two sequels.  However, the forth book, Clariel, has been a long time coming—and Nix’s readers were beginning to get restless.  As one fan on Goodreads put it: “If I die before this book comes out, Garth, I assure you that no Abhorsen will be able to prevent me from coming back for it.”

I’m happy to report that Clariel exists.  Nix read the prologue and first chapter to an enthusiastic audience and told us that the book would be out in 2014.

Artist Guest of Honour, Richard A. Kirk

At some World Fantasy Cons it’s hard to remember that it’s not all about the writers—but Richard A. Kirk never let us forget that fantasy illustrators are also honoured and represented at the event.  Not only our programs, but even our con badges and pocket guides were covered with his strange and surreal drawings. Alternately beautiful and nightmarish, Kirk’s work never fails to be arresting, from his illustrations of Clive Barker novels to his album covers for the rock band Korn.  (Also, I was on the Our Selves, Our Monsters panel with him and I can attest that he is an utterly lovely man.) If you have a few minutes, take a look at the galleries on his website.

Diversity and Difference in YA Fantasy

with Kathy Sullivan, Cinda Williams Chima, Megan Crewe, EC Myers and Cheryl Rainfield

Although the panel began by discussing some alarming events, such as the recent cover whitewashing of books by Justine Larbalestier and Jaclyn Dolamore, they were mostly optimistic about the changing views about diversity and difference in YA lit.  We’re seeing more main characters of colour, such as Crewe’s heroine in The Way We Fall and in books by authors like Malinda Lo
and Cindy Pon. 

Rainfield has summed up the talk on her blog and included an excellent booklist.

Authors Cheryl Rainfield, Megan Crewe and Kathy Sullivan

Charles de Lint’s Jam Sessions

On both the Friday and Saturday nights, author and musician Charles de Lint played impromptu folk music for World Fantasy Con attendees with a variety of other artists.  It was a great way to decompress after a long and busy day.

Author Charles de Lint

Author/Illustrator Martin Springett

Romancing the Monster

with Nancy Kilpatrick, Patricia Briggs, Sephira Giron, Maureen McGowan and Chris Szego

This panel dug beneath labels like “dark fantasy” and “paranormal romance” to see what lay below.  What we learned: monsters have rules, real humans don’t—dating a vampire has specific risks, but the risks of dating humans are amorphous and undefined.  So is dating a vampire safer than dating a man?  “It’s very appealing to be able to turn a beast into someone that loves you,” Patricia Briggs commented.  “That’s a lot of power.” Nancy Kilpatrick had the last word when an audience member asked if the panelists got turned on while they wrote.  “If I’m not turned on, I’m not doing it right!” she said.

Authors Nancy Kilpatrick & Sephira Giron, bookseller Chris Szego and authors Patricia Briggs & Maureen McGowan

 Some Favourite Quotes from the Conference

Authors Mette Harrison and Cinda Williams Chima

“If you think teenagers aren’t having sex, I wish you’d been my parents.”  Laura Anne Giman when asked whether there was too much sex in YA.

“Horror is the literature of hopelessness; fantasy is the literature of hope.”  Patricia Briggs.  (Horror writer Sephira Giron disagreed!)

“In horror you survive; in fantasy you triumph.”  Tanya Huff

“When I picture urban fantasy, I think of the bastard love child between fantasy and romance.” S. M. Stirling

“If you can remove the romance and still have a plot it’s urban fantasy; if you can’t, it’s paranormal romance.” Ginjer Buchanan

“Reality is a crutch for people who can’t handle fantasy.” Geoff Hart

“One of the great things about fantasy is that it is metaphor actualized.  (In a changeling story) not only do you feel alien; you are alien.”  Holly Black

“For me, fantasy is a way into philosophy; it’s the way to grapple with the big questions.”  Isobelle Carmody

The dealers' room

The World Fantasy Awards

Finally, on Sunday afternoon we all got into our finery for the World Fantasy Awards Banquet.  Winners were:

Life Achievement
Alan Garner
and George R.R. Martin

Novel
Osama by Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing)


Novella

“A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong” by K.J. Parker (Subterranean Winter 2011)


Short Story

“The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu (F&SF 3-4/11

Anthology

The Weird by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. (Corvus; Tor, published May 2012)


Collection

The Bible Repairman and Other Stories, Tim Powers (Tachyon and Subterranean Press

Lena Coakley’s first novel, Witchlanders, was called “one stunning teen debut” by Kirkus Reviews and won the SCBWI Crystal Kite award for the Americas.  It is a 2013 MYRCA nominee and a 2013 OLA White Pine nominee.  Lena is also the author of two children’s picture books and the former administrative director of CANSCAIP. Learn more about her at www.lenacoakley.com

Shaker of Shamelessness

I have no idea what a "shaker of shamelessness" might be, but it sounded cool.

:D

Anyway...

We're going to start off with a cover reveal, woo hoo! THE RUNAWAY KING, the sequel to THE FALSE PRINCE by Jennifer Nielsen, is just ten kinds of awesome!

To celebrate the announcement, she is giving away a signed ARC to a reader who wants it NOW! Enter for a chance to win at http://tinyurl.com/csavhh2

Not only that, but THE FALSE PRINCE has been nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award, as one of the best middle grade books of the year. If you want to vote for that book (or any of the nominees in all twenty categories), you can find it here.

Stay calm, I have more covers to reveal!!!!!

Megan Crewe has not one, but TWO cover reveals! THE WAY WE FALL and THE LIVES WE LOST have a brand new look!

Speaking of covers, Lisa Amowitz has an announcement!

Lisa Amowitz's VISION, the first in The Finder series, in which a young man discovers that an ability to read the objects he touches is linked to his migraines; when a murder rocks his sleepy town, he must use his newfound gift to track the killer and discovers a shocking truth connected to his own troubled past, plus a sequel, to Vikki Ciaffone at Spencer Hill Press, by Victoria Marini at Gelfman Schneider.

In addition, Lisa's cover design business is in full swing.  The cover reveal for EXTRACTED (The Lost Imperials, Book One)!

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard about Superstorm Sandy that slammed the east coast this week.  Our own Anne Nesbet weathered the storm in Philadelphia, camped out in her daughter's dorm room. Then she came back to California to find ARCs of A BOX OF GARGOYLES, which means she also have a cover!

Lastly, not a cover reveal, but an AWESOME new book deal announcement from Anna Staniszewski!

MY VERY UN-FAIRY TALE LIFE author Anna Staniszewski’s next two novels, THE DIRT DIARY and THE DIRT WAR, about a fourteen-year-old girl who joins up with her mom’s house-cleaning business, only to find herself inside the homes of the most popular kids in school—and stumbling across their secrets, again to Aubrey Poole at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, by Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency (World English).

The Inkies at World Fantasy Con

The 2012 World Fantasy Convention starts today in Toronto, and naturally the Inkies are involved!  Here's where and when you can find Enchanted Inkpot members at the convention:

 

Thursday Nov 1st

Lena Coakley is on the Our Monsters, Ourselves panel at 9pm, with James Alan Gardner, Ellen Datlow, Christopher Golden, Richard A. Kirk, and Holly Phillips. 

Saturday Nov 3rd

Cinda Williams Chima and Megan Crewe are on the Diversity and Difference in YA Fantasy panel at 3pm, with Kathy Sullivan, Eugene Myers, Cheryl Rainfield, and Ysabeau Wilce.


Enchanted Inkpot readers may also be interested in checking out the Young Adult Urban Fantasy Panel at 10am on Friday, which includes Holly Black and Charles de Lint!

The full convention schedule can be found here.

LOTS of Shamelessness!!!

I've got a ton of news today, mostly because I accidentally skipped a week in there somehow.  OOPS!  I've been on the road promoting TEN and, well, I'm old and forgetful.  ;)

Anyway, enough excuses.  Here we go!

The BIG NEWS this week - we have some finalist for HUGE AWARDS!!!!

William Alexander's GOBLIN SECRETS is a finalist for the National Book Award!

Lena Coakley's WITCHLANDERS and Megan Crewe's THE WAY WE FALL have just been nominated for a White Pine award, Canada's children's choice award for teen readers.  And it just so happens that WITCHLANDERS is now available in paperback.  How convenient!

Inkies are so talented.

As if to emphasize that, DIVERSE ENERGIES, an anthology featuring Ellen Oh and Cindy Pon, is now on sale!  Booklist gave it an amazing review:

It starts off with a fabulous one-two punch: Ellen Oh’s devastating “The Last Day,” about a future global war and the horrific Hiroshima-like aftermath; then “Freshee’s Frogurt,” a wild, violent, and funny excerpt from Daniel H. Wilson’s Robopocalypse (2011). In general, the subsequent stories fall on the more thoughtful, brainy side of the sf spectrum. Two standouts are Paolo Bacigalupi’s “A Pocket Full of Dharma,” about the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama on a portable storage drive; and Cindy Pon’s “Blue Skies,” a wistful have/have-not tale from a smog-filthed future Taipei. A solid introduction to a number of highly talented writers.

Speaking of talent, Amy Butler Greenfield is sharing her blurbs for CHANTRESS and they are quite a line up:

“Wonderfully felt, seen, and dreamed, Greenfield’s debut fantasy is an enchanted read.” - Franny Billingsley, National Book Award finalist and author of CHIME

“Chantress is one of those rare books that’s so beautifully written you want to read it slowly and savor every word, but the story is so compelling you want to race through the pages! I loved it.” - Mary Pearson, author of THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX and THE FOX INHERITANCE

“With a spirited heroine, fearsome monsters, and luminous worldbuilding, this story had me hooked from the first page. CHANTRESS is truly enchanting.” - Jessica Spotswood, author of BORN WICKED

“Chantress is like the best kind of magic – absorbing, mysterious, and delightful.” - Rebecca Stead, Newbery Award winning author of WHEN YOU REACH ME, FIRST LIGHT and LIAR & SPY

“A pure and elevated pleasure, like strawberries of the perfect ripeness or a gorgeous aria.” - Katherine Sturtevant, author of AT THE SIGN OF THE STAR and A TRUE AND FAITHFUL NARRATIVE

“Chantress is a beguiling and mesmerizing story, full of mystery and song. From the first word, I was enchanted by Amy Butler Greenfield’s unique twist on English history and by her compelling, magical, and loveable heroine, Lucy.” - Nancy Werlin, NYT-bestselling author of IMPOSSIBLE and EXTRAORDINARY

And last but never least,Cinda Chima Williams's THE CRIMSON CROWEN launches October 23, 2012! It's the fourth book in the Seven Realms series and Cinda will be traveling the world--er--the eastern U.S. You can find author tour information here.

Ridiculous Shamelessness

Sorry for the lateness of this post: yesterday was sort of insane for me, and I was going to pre-write the post on Friday but there was a day job meltdown so...yeah.

ANYWAY!  Good things come to those who wait, and today we have an AMAZING line up of shameless news!!!!

First, a new sale by Anna Staniszewski was just annouced!

MY VERY UN-FAIRY TALE LIFE author Anna Staniszewski's DOGOSAURUS REX, about a boy who comes home from the pound with a most exceptional new dog, to Sally Doherty at Holt, by Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency (World).

How freaking adorable does that sound?????

Megan Crewe's newest release THE WAY WE FALL has been tearing up bookshelves, and critics are practically falling over themselves to offer praise:

"This is the kind of book that makes you look up in alarm when someone near you sniffles. It viscerally conveys the horror of sudden, brutal illness and the struggle between being humane and saving your own skin." -Booklist


"Short chapters and brisk pacing keep the reader hooked. As might be expected, there are both ghastly and sorrowful scenes as the virus destroys friends and family members. But in the midst of all the horror and sadness, Kaelyn... evolves from a quiet girl who keeps a journal on coyotes to a strong young woman dedicated to helping the sick and searching for a cure. -VOYA


"Told in Kaelyn’s letters to her former best friend, the book offers a compellingly tight focus, relating the town’s descent into chaos with heartbreakingly vivid details.... The inclusion of more quotidian elements, such as Kaelyn’s emerging romance with a local boy and her reconciliation with a former foe, make the survival story even more harrowing." -BCCB

In celebration, Megan is offering signed bookplates and bookmarks to readers worldwide for the first month of THE WAY WE FALL's release (so, until Feb 24th). Details here!

THE CABINET OF EARTHS by Anne Nesbet is also getting some rave reviews, including one from Horn Book which calls Anne's debut "a-shimmer with magic."

In addition to fantastic reviews, we have a few Inkie books on "top ten" lists right now!  Sybil Nelson's PRISCILLA THE GREAT: BRING THE PAIN made it to the top ten hot new releases in children's books on Amazon; THE SHADOWS, volume one of Jacqueline West's middle grade fantasy series THE BOOKS OF ELSEWHERE, has been selected for the 2013 Illinois Bluestem Award Master List, and volume two of the series, SPELLBOUND, is a finalist for the Minnesota Book Awards in the Young People's Literature category; and WITCHLANDERS by Lena Coakley has been selected by the OLA (Ontario Library Association) for the Best Bets for Children and Young Adults list, Canada’s version of the YALSA booklists.  WOO HOO!!!!

And not to be left out, foreign rights have been sold for Jennifer A. Nielsen's ASCENDANCE trilogy, beginning with THE FALSE PRINCE (Scholastic, Apr `12) to La Galera in the Catalan language (primarily spoken in Andorra, and parts of France and Spain). THE FALSE PRINCE is also an Indie Next Book Pick for Spring `2012. In its review, The Horn Book wrote, "This book should appeal to fans of Megan Whalen Turner and Suzanne Collins as well as to readers not quite ready for those authors yet; its brisk pacing underscores the sure-fire mix of adventure, mystery, and suspense."

*happy sigh*  This has been one of those week's where I'm ridiculously proud to be an Inkie!

Interview with Megan Crewe--THE WAY WE FALL

It starts with an itch you just can't shake.  Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat.  A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends.  Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in. 

And then you're dead.

Really, in this day of super bugs and super viruses, is that not one of our worst nightmares? Well, hold on to your box of Kleenex because Megan Crewe has written a powerful, gripping, creepy tale of just such an occurrence--and how one girl struggles to hold on to her humanity among such a crisis.

As BOOKLIST said: "This is the kind of book that makes you look up in alarm when someone near you sniffles. It viscerally conveys the horror of sudden, brutal illness and the struggle between being humane and saving your own skin."

This is very true, as I started the book when I had a cold and it so creeped me out I had to put it aside until I was well again. So I was very excited to be able to interview Megan about her new book!

1. The virus in THE WAY WE FALL is so realistic—it plays into all my worst hypochondriac fears! What sort of research did you do? Did you become germ-phobic while writing the book and find yourself washing your hands twenty times a day, just to be on the safe side?

Megan: It was very important to me to make my virus as realistic as possible, so I read several books about viruses and epidemics (the key ones are mentioned in the book's acknowledgements). I also checked some of my ideas with an author I was acquainted with, Jacqueline Houtman, who to my good luck also happens to be a microbiologist. I've always found viruses and epidemics scary, and it was pretty terrifying realizing that the facts are even more frightening than what I already knew. I've definitely become even more careful about hand-washing and other precautions like not touching my face when I'm out in public places.

2. What most surprised you about your virus research? Did any of the research take the story in a new or unexpected direction?

Megan: I think was surprised me the most is how mysterious many viruses still are to scientists. Even though Ebola first emerged 35 years ago, no one's sure where it came from or how to prevent new outbreaks for happening. I read about a case in the US not long ago where people started dying mysteriously, and it took weeks before doctors were able to determine the cause was a virus. After seeing this, I had to revise my imagined timeline for the story: how quickly the doctors would realize there was a real problem, how soon they might be able to test for it and attempt to create a vaccine. It also made me decide not to specify the source of the virus, because it seemed implausible that anyone would have figured that out in the timeline of the story, especially as they're losing resources. Which suited me just fine, because I think it's creepier not being sure how the virus emerged!

3. The journal entries were such an intriguing way to tell this story. How did you come to choose that form?

Megan: When I first started planning THE WAY WE FALL, I wasn't thinking of writing it as a journal. But as I figured out what sort of story I wanted to tell and imagined it on the page, I felt more and more that journal format was the only way that story could be properly told. I wanted my main character's relating of what was happening her to be part of the book, for it to feel like a record left by someone who was living through the epidemic, and to capture all the little moments that can make a big difference in a desperate situation, but are hard to fit into a more traditional narrative structure. My idea of how a journal format story could work was influenced by Susan Beth Pfeffer's novel LIFE AS WE KNEW IT, which I'd read a few years earlier. I found the format worked extremely well to make the events in her story feel real, and my appreciation of it stuck with me.

4. Which of the characters do you have the most in common with?

Megan: Definitely my protagonist, Kaelyn. In fact I'd say Kaelyn's probably the most like me (or at least, like me as a teen) out of all of the characters in all my books. Like her, I often feel socially awkward and uncertain, and I was even more so as a teenager. I gave her my love of animals, because it fit her character and made an interesting trait, but also because a lot of the information I needed her to know I'm familiar with myself, which made her easier to write authentically. The way she thinks and expresses herself is very similar to how I wrote in my own journals at that age.

5. The epidemic is such a ‘trial by fire’ for Kaelyn. Do you have an event or trauma in your past that shaped you in a similar way?

Megan: Nothing like what Kaelyn goes through, thankfully! And I think, unlike Kaelyn, I've always had a pretty strong sense that I deserve to be able to pursue my dreams, so I didn't have quite so much insecurity to overcome. The most difficult period I've faced was a struggle with depression in my early twenties. For a time, I wasn't able to feel enthusiastic or passionate about anything, including my writing. Being through that made me appreciate how important it is to have passions and pursue them, how empty life is without them. Since then I've tried as much as possible to focus my attention on the activities and people I love, and to cut out those that get me down.

6. Kaelyn has a number of epiphanies through her interaction with and observation of nature. Has that been true for you as well?
 

Megan: Growing up in a large city, I haven't had as much chance to observe nature as Kaelyn has. But I did read a lot about wildlife, and we always had pets in the house, and it fascinated me to see how animal behavior is often reflected in the ways people behave.

7. THE WAY WE FALL was so different from your first book, GIVE UP THE GHOST. Did that worry you at all while you were writing it? Did you have a sense that it would be a much ‘bigger’ book than your first one?

Megan: The funny thing is, I actually don't think TWWF is *that* different GHOST. First person teenage girl narrators. Somewhat anti-social main characters. Contemporary setting with a speculative twist. Dark themes relating to death. You see? :)

The part I was concerned about is the journal format, because this is the first book I've written using that style, and I was worried both about whether I was pulling it off effectively and whether it would turn off readers (there seem to be a fair number of people who just don't like the format). Several times I second-guessed myself, but I just couldn't see writing the story any other way. And to be honest, I never thought of TWWF as being a "big" book--it seemed kind of quiet and thoughtful to me (which I also worried about, but that was the story I wanted to write, so I went with it). I've been taken aback by but incredibly grateful for the enthusiasm with which it's been received.

Thank you, Megan, for answering our questions and best of luck to you on your newest book!