Tag: words

book club

THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, review

abby mumford

this book, oh this book. the title + the dark cover creeped me out.

and the premise (A dystopian thriller follows a boy and girl on the run from a town where all thoughts can be heard — and the passage to manhood embodies a horrible secret) didn’t do much to thwart the chills running up and down my spine. but i should know better than to judge a book by its cover.

because once i started reading, i couldn’t stop. the characters are so lifelike and flawed and confused and youthful and smart and scared and awesome. the plot grabs you and never lets you go. and this idea that everyone can hear what every male is thinking, but more specifically, every thought that passes through todd hewitt (the main character)’s mind, (a side effect of the noise germ) is played out beautifully through the narration and the random commentary by the other characters. in fact, it was written so believably that when i went for a walk after a couple hours of reading, i was very careful about what i was thinking because i didn’t want anyone to overhear anything inappropriate.

yeah, you could say i got sucked into the story.

and i come to find out it’s a trilogy! goody gum drops. i can’t wait to get my fingers on those books to see how this Chaos Walking series wraps up because the ending of the first book leaves you hanging. the most intense cliffhanger i’ve ever come across. it’s not even a cliffhanger or the end of a chapter, but the middle of the action. i can’t believe ness did this to me. how could you end it right there???

although, silver lining, if you’re like me and waited to read these books, we don’t have to wait long to find out how those turn out because the second book in this trilogy (THE ASK AND THE ANSWER) is available now and the third book (MONSTERS OF MEN) will be available in September.

FTC Full Disclosure: My review copy was a free book I received from Candlewick Press.  I did not receive any candy or teddy bears or money for writing this review (dang!).

feelings

library bound

abby mumford

i’ve always had a mini love affair with libraries. i mean, come on, you get your library card (a fun, bright color) for free and you have instant access to millions of books. for free. for me. for you. for him. for her. for them. shelves and shelves of delicious books waiting to be read. and the library doesn’t get jealous when i go to the bookstore instead and purchase my own copy. what’s not to love?

the cambridge public library recently re-opened its renovated doors and my love affair has blossomed into a full on romance. i go to the CPL at least twice a week. i go to pick up books on hold. i go to search for something new. i go to write. i go to research. i go to read the smutty gossip rags i refuse to pay subscriptions for. i go for the comfy chairs. i go for inspiration.

and the hope that one day i’ll be able to find my book on the shelf.

i was in the library on saturday trying to figure out why my account kept saying i had IT’S RAINING CUPCAKES by lisa schroeder checked out when i had returned it weeks ago. because it’s an MG book, it was located in the kids’ section on the third floor and they needed me to go up there to see if it actually was on the shelf. once i finished climbing the seemingly endless flights of stairs, i stood in line to wait for the next available librarian. and man alive, i could have waited in that line forever. the one librarian was so sweet with two little girls, sky and rachel, who were signing up for their first library cards. and to watch those little girls listen to the librarian and lean on the counter to look at the gerbil and pick out a seed ball and clap with excitement over their first card just about melted my heart. as a lover of books, it made me so happy to know that someone gentle and caring and enthusiastic was taking care of these little bubbles of joy. and while those little girls probably won’t remember, the librarian was instilling a love of books and reading with such a strong foundation that the love is sure to continue into adulthood.

another librarian was soon available and i had to tear myself away (but not before realizing what i want. i want a little kid who is PSYCHED to get their card to check out one of my books. i know how excited i get when i find a book i want. and i want someone to want my book like that. I WANT. i do.) anyways, it turns out the book they said i had checked out was sitting there patiently waiting for its next reader. so all was squared away.

and then i swung by the library yesterday to pick up a book they were holding for me (SEA by heidi kling). as i was waiting in line, i spied one of our books from work on the shelf waiting to be taken home. this was the first time i’ve seen a harvard book at the library. sure, i see them in bookstores all the time, but there was something about seeing it at the library that delighted me. i don’t really know why, but it did. and also, i saw HUNGER GAMES sitting on a cart waiting for the next patron to pick it up. i know what that book holds inside and i can’t wait for that person to get their hands on it and dive in.

it seems that no matter the day, the library continues to charm my pants off. do you have a love affair with a library? or, perhaps, with something other than a person?

spill it.

general

the chicken or the plot?

abby mumford

i was in the middle of doing some mundane work at work when a thought struck me down. it’s a question that’s been asked repeatedly and over and over and repeatedly again, but this time, i sat there and really pondered it. and then i posted that thought on twitter. because that’s how i roll.

mumfusa: WRITERS — do you come up with plot or character first? if character, do you just start writing scenes? how do you figure out his/her story?

linda_grimes: @mumfusa Characters, definitely. Then I just wait and see what they do to entertain me.

PattyBlount: @mumfusa ooo, good question. Plot or character. Almost like chicken or the egg? May be a blog post in here somewhere.

when i first read linda’s comment, i thought, “LUCKY. i wish i worked like that.” and then i came across patty’s comment, and i thought, “yeah but, i only have one MSS. i’m no expert. i have no evidence to write about.”

but then i thought some more. about both ladies’ words. and a chord struck within me. i may be tone deaf, but i can tell when something important hums across my wrinkled brain. like now, when all of a sudden i’m thinking about how i wrote my current MSS. and, in fact, i did start with the character. and moved forward from there.

and oh what a bumpy ride. i tried to push her in one direction, but my grad school mentors and workshop partners (oh how i miss them all) told me to simplify. too much was afoot. too much was amuck. and so i did. and, actually, i can’t even believe i’m about to write this because i can’t tell you how many times i’ve objected to hearing these words from other authors, but you could say i turned into a writer when i stopped to listen to her story. to hear what she had to say.

i guess it’s my quasi type A personality (i don’t mind letting others lead as long as i can maintain control over what i do), i was trying to maintain control of this situation. of the characters. and i think i still am. i’m having a hard time listening to the characters because i think I know best. but really, how do i know what’s best for someone else? i don’t. and i most likely never will. which is why i should trust the process.

but, wait, hold on. i don’t understand how to “follow my characters” because i’m the one writing the words. how do you lead and follow simultaneously?

what do YOU do? do you hang out with your character(s) and get to know them first? OR do you plop your character(s) into a scene and let them work their way through it? out of it? around it? and then let them hold the flashlight as they guide the way out of your brain and onto the page? OR do you start with the plot and only include those characters that can handle the twists and turns?

what’s a newbie to do?

feelings

the fourth of july arrives early

abby mumford

as i close in on a finished first draft of my MSS, i am looking for ways to get critiques. i stumble upon a contest for first lines of a novel. i enter. i don’t make it past the first round.

burn.

but then the writing community does what it does so well, it takes defeat and turns it into a WIN. and so, those of us that didn’t reach round two got a second chance. we were able to enter the first five lines of our novel for constructive criticism, because clearly, we need it.

after my five lines went up, four comments were given. four whole comments. that means there are four people who’ve read fives lines of my work. this may not sound like a lot to you dear reader, but in my secluded world, it’s a minor miracle. {editor’s note from 6.30.10, two more comments went up for a grand total of SIX comments. *grin*} and the feedback they left is super helpful because i’ve reached a point where i’m almost over saturated by this story. i know each word backwards and forwards and and i don’t know what parts make sense and what parts are unclear because it ALL sounds like gobbledegook to me.

in fact, their comments sparked a little something in my brain. something i’ve been pondering for awhile. i need to start my story at chapter 2 and work chapter 1 in as flashbacks. it’s scary (to say the least) and difficult (somewhere in the middle) and daunting (to say the most), but honestly? my brain is feeling a bit like this:

which is to say my creative juices are EN FEUGO! and life is good.

general

membership accepted

abby mumford

even though i’m on the fringes of it, here are some reasons why i love the writing community.

@Trishryan Writing today feels an awful lot like wrestling, only without the benefit of calories burned.

and then we have @SaundraMitchell, author of SHADOWED SUMMER. i just discovered that she’s a full service author. she’s offered to buff her hands so they’re nice and soft for when i need a hand to hold while reading a book that is sure to freak me out. how do i know it’s scary? it’s got GHOSTS. which are creepy and transparent and always up to no good. and i’m a wimp.

we also have Kiersten White and Natalie Whipple. Kiersten (while on vacation, no less) has given us impatient fans a description from her upcoming novel, PARANORMALCY. and then, her friend (in life, talent, and writing) Natalie has drawn up a sexy photo from that description. don’t you love it when two talented people merge? and don’t you love it even more when cartoons are hot? (don’t lie, the dude from ANASTASIA is completely crush worthy.)

there’s hannah moskowitz telling it like it is.

veronica roth sponsored the most clever contest in which the winner won a copy of the highly coveted ARC of ally condie’s upcoming title MATCHED.

there’s THIS for a reality check/encouragement.

this girl is living by SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE’s “rules” and “regulations” for a month. it’s an honest and hilarious look at a 17yo’s reality and how ridiculous most of the mag’s suggestions are. though she’s not afraid to admit it when they got something right, even if it is 1 out of every 100 times. it’s good fodder for learning about what today’s adolescents think, feel, and have to deal with on a daily basis.

and the interwebs is host to this post by lauren miller. which i originally read on june 4 and haven’t stopped thinking about since.

today, YA Highway takes the time to explain the difference between dystopian and post-apocalyptic societies. cause it’s confusing. and many people didn’t fully understand the difference. including me. and it was apparent in a conversation i had with adriana yesterday about a book she’s reading (yay for her reading more YA) that was lent to her by a friend, miss lisa, who’s also in the publishing biz. i love how that came full circle. (that’s what she said.)

my words won’t do this justice. just click, read, and weep (with laughter).

and, of course, the queen of social media, maureen johnson, is always willing to share her opinions on what makes for proper social networking. it’s all about the conversation.

which is why, even though i am on the edge, i still feel included. writers (published or not) (26 books in or working on their 1st) (busy or busier) always welcome me to the conversation.

thanks y’all!