Join me in reading my books with me!
On Instagram, I’ll be reading along with readers this year. Here’s the year at a glance:
Join me on Instagram! We’ll start with Swimming Sideways in January.
Join me in reading my books with me!
On Instagram, I’ll be reading along with readers this year. Here’s the year at a glance:
Join me on Instagram! We’ll start with Swimming Sideways in January.
Thank you all for the love you’ve shown this series and these characters over the last three years, I am truly grateful.
“I adore this book. I fell in love with the characters immediately- with Abby and her family, and the complicated history and relationships with Seth and Gabe.” M. Wish, Amazon Reviewer
“SWIMMING SIDEWAYS features a classic (and very well done) love triangle, complemented by the main character's internal conflict, which is fueled by a loss of connection with her Hawaiian heritage. It's a perfect example of how diversity can enhance and improve the young adult genre.” Stephani H, Indie Reader Reviewer
“Before reading the Cantos Chronicles, I had never read a series of books following the same timeline of events. Well... I am so glad I decided to read it. Thanks to The Ugly Truth I learnt that characters from CL Walters books are never just good or bad. They're all so beautifully complex that each one of them deserves his story to be told.” Paola, Amazon Reviewer
“Fantastic book. I will say I was so concerned about how the book would end, that I found myself speed reading. Since, at times, it went over identical dialogue from the previous book, I didn’t feel as guilty. The ending will have you buying the next book before you take your next breath.” Rayna, Amazon Reviewer
“This novel was a raw and honest depiction of one of the greatest struggles people face today—how to make peace with and find freedom from the demons of our past. It is intricately woven narrative that explores the intrinsic value of a human being, the search for identity, the power of forgiveness, and the strength in hope. C.L. Walters approaches issues head-on that many people avoid and does so with intentionality and grace. Ultimately, she introduces a perspective shift on pain and the hope that comes with understanding that we are all deserving of love.” S. McClellen, Amazon Reviewer
“The last story int he Cantos Chronicles was wonderful! We get yet another POV this time Gabe. This story was so heart breaking that I just couldn't put it down. I loved the journal entries and each chapter was surprise after surprise. This entire story was just so shocking and because I had my own brush with suicide I felt so much for Gabe. I think that readers will enjoy this trilogy as a whole as they ride the highs and lows of these amazing characters.” Crossroad Reviews
An important part of my process as a writer is reading. I’ve mentioned this before… repeatedly. Reading across genre and category on a continuum from amazing reads to mediocre to needs so much work is a powerful tool. This practice helps me with my own craft and style. It helps me see amazing author choices and technique, to varied narrative structures, to how not to approach writing. All powerful lessons.
Every once in a while I come across a book that blows me away. These books are the ones that linger long after I’ve closed the book. They make it hard to sleep because I’m thinking about the characters and the dilemma. They make me want to slow down and savor them, but I can’t help but burn through it page after page because I need to know what happens. These are the books whose authors have a way with words that somehow connects with my bones and takes up residence in my marrow. Language so powerful that it somehow changes my DNA.
I want to share these books with you, so here we go. The first one this year is All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir.
All My Rage sat on my shelf since its release in 2022. I preordered it. Got a signed copy. Tahir is one of my favorite authors, and I have made the claim that Ember in the Ashes series is one of the best YA fantasy works I have ever read. And still All My Rage sat on my TBR shelf and sat and sat. Why? I knew I was going to love it, and I didn’t want it to be over. So rather than read it, knowing it was there waiting for when I was ready was comforting. Do you know what I mean?
Well, I finally pulled it from the shelf as my first read of 2023. I was right. I knew what it would be, how I would feel reading it. All My Rage is magic (and an award winner. It deserves all the awards!).
The story follows Noor and Salahudin during their senior year in the small town of Juniper. While they are in a fight and avoiding one another, the failing health of Salahudinʻs mom brings them back together. As they navigate the complicated and painful landscape of their lives, they can count on one another to weather the awful storms each of them face. But when circumstances tear them apart, they find themselves clinging to a solitary life preserver. Will they be able to find their way back to one another?
Tahir has a way with words that burrows under your skin. Her ability to get right to the heart of a thought with succinct clarity is powerful. She creates characters that are flesh and bone, trapped inside the black and ivory pages, ready to leap fully formed into the world. The narrative is adeptly pieced together revealing truths both ugly and beautiful in a way that isn’t rooted in blame or pain but rather in the matter-of-fact humanness. It is what it is. And yet still offers us a slice of hope that we can navigate the uglier parts to find the beautiful.
All My Rage is a tapestry layered with themes of grief, addiction, anger, abuse, racism, and poverty. A tour de force, this is a story that conveys the truth. From being a teen, to being caught by one’s circumstances, to finding love, to giving and accepting forgiveness, Tahir’s All My Rage captures the beauty of the human spirit in all it’s flaws and all its beauty.
When I closed the book with tears in my eyes, I wanted to read it for the first time… again. I had experienced something great. A work of perfection that I needed to share. All My Rage is everything, and the very reason I am in love with stories, with reading, and with writing.
Tomorrow is my birthday. When I was little, I loved my birthday. My parents made it magical. Ask anyone, and one of the first things out of my mouth was the date of my birthday. My cousins loved to tease me because I always said it backwards (at least in the US). “When’s your birthday ,Cam?” they’d ask. “Seventeen November,” I’d answer. I still love my birthday, though as an adult, I don’t struggle to go to sleep the night before excited about presents. Truthfully, now I wouldn’t mind the clock slowing down because I realize how much quicker each birthday arrives.
Speaking of gifts, one of my favorite things to receive are books. So to celebrate, I thought I would share with you the books that have given me a book hangover. You know those books that when you close the cover after the final page, you sit in silence. And sometimes, it’s even hard to move forward, since you’re walking around in that story fog as it lingers. In no particular order, these are books I read that left me reeling in some way (needing a debrief) so that I had to pick up a book in a different genre to read something else.
So in no particular order:
Marcus Zusak’s Bridge of Clay (OMG! I love this book.)
Carlos Ruiz Zaffon’s Shadow of the Wind (Pure magic.)
Sabaa Tahir’s Ember in the Ashes quartet. (The last one is A Sky Beyond the Storm. But I reread the series. Read the whole thing again. Seriously.)
Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner (Dear God… ugly cried.)
Jennifer Niven’s Breathless (Closed the book and felt empowered. My life finally made sense. )
Jeff Zenter’s In a Wild Light (Every book by Jeff Zentner has given me a book hangover. He has this way of capturing character and then they worm their way into your heart.)
Fredrick Backman’s A Man Called Ove (They’re making a movie of this one. I loved it so much.)
TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea (Amazing characters and humor? Can’t go wrong.)
Emily Henry’s Book Lovers (*sigh.)
Mary E Pearson’s Dance of Thieves Duology. (I think about this story all the time. Like I’ll just be washing dishes and think about Kazi and Jase and wonder about their story.)
Rebecca Roanhorse Black Sun (One of the best fantasy novels I’ve read.)
V.E. Schwab’s Darker Shade of Magic (I remember being in awe when I read this. I was just shocked at how perfect this was).
I could add to this list, but it’s what I’ve got for now. Let me know if any of yours are on this list. Or better yet tell me one that isn’t so I can add it to my ever growing TBR.
If I thought selecting the favorite books from the stack I’ve written was difficult, choosing my favorite characters is infinitely worse. Why? I love (or love to hate) them all, but for the sake of this exercise and not because I don’t love these characters (who are like real people in my head), I will go through with this top 5 list. Here’s the criteria I used to help me decide:
Characters I’ve already written, not ones I’m in the process of writing.
The challenge of writing the character and the overall outcome on the page.
The way the character lingers in my mind after finishing the story.
How the character presented on the page with other characters
This presentation is in no particular order.
Truthfully, Tanner James from The Stories Stars Tell, jumped from the pages the moment I started writing his character. He was funny, daring, and heartfelt, but stuck in his small world. I loved getting to know this character and all the ways that his life influenced his choices. The first scene I wrote with him was the cliffside scene (I posted it to Instagram in a Sunday Snippet, here). The more I wrote Tanner, the more invested I was in The Stories Stars Tell.
Tanner’s antithesis in The Stories Stars Tell also tops the list. Here’s the truth, I struggle to write female characters. I’ve written about this before (want to read that: here), so when I stack up writing Abby, which was really the only other female character I’d written for ten years with Emma, I was able to present a more fleshed out young woman in Emma than I ever had before.
I have decided to present this couple as a single character. Okay, this might be cheating, but hear me out. Griffin was really hard to write, and difficult to like initially. When you read The Stories Stars Tell (he’s Tanner’s best friend and not very likable) and In the Echo of this Ghost Town, he is so flawed right at the onset. Enter Maxwell Wallace (specifically the gas station-convenience store scene which is the first moment I met Maxwell) and suddenly Griffin popped off the page. As character’s go, Maxwell is the shiny light and Griffin is a grump. She really makes him, but she also makes the story. I could have just picked her, but I feel like it’s their relationship on the page that makes them both so dynamic. So I’m sticking to this choice.
True story: Gabe started out as a fallen angel, and in the original story Upside Down (it’s here on Wattpad if you want to read it but please forgive me. It’s not great. I was just getting started finding my own voice). He was this idealistic, mysterious outsider who was over-the-top heroic. Obviously, I couldn’t get this Twilight wannabe story to work, but I couldn’t figure out why. Not yet, anyway. While revising, I wrote this horrific scene which I can’t divulge here (it’s a spoiler) and I had this minuscule voice in the back of my heart saying, “that’s me.” I knew it was Gabe talking to me, but I was terrified to write that story. It didn’t go with the original paranormal idea, and it was dark. Really dark. In hindsight, my journey hadn’t taken me anywhere where I could have written that story and given it justice yet. I needed time. So, fast forward seven years after I rewrote Swimming Sideways and The Ugly Truth as contemporaries and that scene resurfaced. Gabe said, “See. I told you it was me.”
I feel like Seth started my whole journey, so he has a very special place in my heart. While I’ve been writing since I was a child, and I've written at least four other books (unpublished) before publishing Swimming Sideways, Seth’s character is the one that wouldn’t stop talking to me. Seriously, he’s a freaking nag. To be fair, if you’ve read Fallen (that Wattpad Monstrosity again), I left him trapped in the underworld, so his nagging was about getting him out (LOL), but then I changed everything up on him, and discovered he was trapped in the underworld in this world, not a fantasy one. Which led to The Ugly Truth.
I couldn’t leave it there, because I think secondary characters are amazing, and I have some really loud ones talking my ear off at the moment. I figure I’d share some that I was really proud of and loved writing:
Cal Wallace (In the Echo of this Ghost Town & When the Echo Answers)
The entire cast of secondary characters from The Stories Stars Tell. I mean really? Who doesn’t want to read more about Ginny, Liam, Josh, and Danny? What about Emma’s sister, Shelby?
Dale and Martha from The Bones of Who We Are. I especially loved writing Dale.
There’s a bunch of new characters showing up in some new stories I’m working on, but those are top secret for now. Join my newsletter if you’re interested in hearing about those books before anyone else.
We’re (almost) halfway through 2021. Wait. What.
This means I’m also halfway to my reading goal of reading 100 books this year, stacking in at 53 reads so far. Nice. I figured that meant it would be a good time for a Favorites so far. Here they are:
Anxious People by Fredrick Backman is awesome. The story follows the lives of several different characters in a crime that goes terribly wrong. I struggled initially and even thought I would abandon the book because of the multiple point of view, but once I was hooked, I was hooked. It’s both poignant tear jerker and laugh out loud funny. One of my best reads ever.
Fable & Namesake by Adrienne Young is a YA duology that follows Fable in this pirate inspired fantasy. Hiding her power as a gem mage, Fable needs to find her way to her father who didn’t want her. She doesn’t expect to find a family in the process. I loved the originality of this world.
Paradise, WV by Rob Rufus releases this summer (July), and I was fortunate to get to read an early copy. It’s a wonderful story of several characters caught amidst a crime spree happening in their small town that is reminiscent of a serial killer behind bars who committed crimes years before. Mystery, coming-of-age, and family saga, Paradise, WV was a wonderful ride that I couldn’t put down.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is an epic adult fantasy influenced Native Americas cultures. It took me a while to get into the story because of the multiple points of view, but once I was invested it was a quick and adventurous ride to the end. The heroes and the villains aren’t always clear which makes for a very intriguing read.
Frankly in Love by David Yoon is a wonderful and well written YA novel that follows Frank Li on his journey through his last year of high school, his first experience of falling in love, and his struggle to reconcile his Korean heritage with his American roots. Loved this read.
Charming As a Verb by Ben Philippe is another wonderful YA novel exploring themes of diaspora, socio-economic disparity and race. Henri Haltiwanger is working hard to achieve his dreams, but when he takes matters into his own hands, he has to decide how far he’s willing to go to make his dreams happen and face the consequences when he does. Well written with awesome characters. Really enjoyed this story.
Ever After Always by Chloe Leise is an independently published RomCom. The third book in the Bergman Brothers series, this is about a Bergman sister, Freya, who’s marriage is falling apart. Can she and her husband, Aiden put it back together before it’s too late? I loved this story, and the healthy way it presents marriage. I have enjoyed each book in this series and am looking forward to the fourth installment which publishes later this year (September).
Another week. Another installment of THIS-THEN-THAT. For all of you who commented either here or on Instagram, and in the IG Story for this week’s installment, thank you! Let’s do this again.
A reminder. THIS-THEN-THAT is a game that uses this format: If you liked THIS title, THEN you might enjoy THAT one.
This-Then-That.
The theme this week is YA Contemporary, which I have discovered is probably one of my favorite categories right up with YA fantasy. I didn’t realize it until I started pulling titles from my shelf and watched the stack take shape. So many good stories…
Same format as last week. Left side are the THIS titles and the right side are the THAT titles.
Here we go. . .
A beautiful debut novel that follows three different teens as they grapple with metaphorical and literal ghosts haunting them. Its beautiful and the prose is moving.
So, if you haven’t watched the Hulu series (or maybe you have and you want something else to read), this story is moody, angsty, and wonderful.
Cath—one half of the dynamic twin duo she makes up with her sister, Wren—does better with her computer and the fan fiction she writes. So starting college is throwing her off. This is one amazing read (and I’m not just saying it).
This tale about a young man’s journey to discover the keys to his identity is both poignant and lyrical. The prose is beautiful.
This is wonderful tale of exploration when attempting to navigate ethnicity and culture when feeling like an outsider. It’s part coming-of-age, part cultural exploration, and part murder mystery.
Rowell has made the list twice (as she should because I couldn’t choose between Fangirl or this title). This book is about two strangers who happen to sit next to one another on the school bus and somehow magic happens.
This is an adorable romcom with lots of heart. Schmidt develops complex and dynamic heroines more inclined to discover the secrets about themselves (with a dash of romance on the side) - and all layered with the beauty of existing stories. This one is the third in the series about Eliza as she reads both Frankenstein and Anne of Green Gables.
This was Zentner’s debut novel (he’s since added three more titles to his book stack) and it hit me right in my heart. It’s a male coming-of-age about identity in relationship to fathers. It’s wonderful!
“Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.” Powellsbooks.com
Samantha McAllister looks like every other girl in her class except she struggles with a hidden mental illness, working to hide it from everyone who knows her. She finds solace in poetry club and learns that sometimes you just need the people in your life as a support system.
One of my favorite books ever written. This is the story about Clay Dunbar and what he does to save his brothers—all of them—from the ghosts threatening to tear them apart.
So you’re waiting for your friends to pick you up after work. You text them. Next thing you know, they’ve been in a fatal accident.
Yeah…
So you were introduced to Simon and Baz in Fanrgirl. Here’s the story Cath was fangirling about!
This is such a beautiful story about grief, self-acceptance, love and friendship. Marin disappears after the death of her grandfather; It takes her best friend Mabel to bring back to the land of the living.
Shirin is a muslim girl in America post 9-11. With racism and prejudice rampant, she’s built some tall walls. Then she meets Ocean, and he threatens to bring them all down.
Adam’s family is falling apart after the death of his oldest brother. Jolene’s family fell apart a long time ago. Every other weekend, they find comfort in their friendship. But when they take things to the next level, will it all fall apart?
A classic friends-to -overs romcom, Keely is ready to have sex but she doesn’t want it to be with one of the boys she’s known since Kindergarten. When she meets college boy Dean, she thinks he’s the one, but will her virginity cost her the man of her dreams? That’s where best friend Andrew comes in and everything goes awry.
A powerful narrative written in verse, this story follows Xiomara as she navigates what it means to be a young woman, a daughter, and a person of color amidst the familial, religious and cultural messages that bombard her.
This is an adorable Grease retelling featuring Ollie who had a summer fling with Will. When Ollie unexpectedly remains in town and starts high school, the boy Ollie thought was comfortable out, isn’t.
An unflinching story that grapples with heavy topics like suicide, mental illness and religion, sex and self-efficacy. This story is tightly weaved together in this story about Lane, her journey navigating complicated relationships and learning she doesn’t have to do it all alone.
For your consideration (because I write YA Contemporary. :) . . .
Earlier this year, a bookstagram friend on IG, Lavinia (@instaraygram) who helped with last week’s post read The Cantos Chronicle (the books I wrote). She said she loved them . . . and asked me if I’d read Brigid Kemmerer? She said, “Your style reminds me of hers.” I hadn’t, but I was immediately intrigued. So I scooped up all of her titles and FELL IN LOVE with her (so what an honor to be compared to her!) So one more This/That . . .
THIS
THAT
Finally . . . Join me on my IG Story (@cl.walters) to help with next week’s theme: YA Sci Fi and Dystopian. I need your help.
Welcome! Welcome to the bottom of the rabbit hole. I will be your host as we tour this Reading Wonderland together. Here’s your magical elixir for the journey:
First stop, YA Romance and the adorable YA RomCom. As a genre, YA books (and truthfully, stories on the whole) are so much about identity and relationships, that a category of finding love and acceptance while discovering self is paramount. Our author on today’s blog, Lisa Brown Roberts, is a veteran writer with six titles to her name, the most recent being a RomCom called The Bookworm Crush that came out in 2019.
In The Bookworm Crush, Amy loves reading and books - especially romance novels - but she doesn’t see herself like the brave heroines she reads about. Toff, on the other hand, is an anti-reader, but an incredible surfer ready for the pro-circuit. When Toff rescues Amy from an adventure that perhaps is on the verge of going awry, Amy realizes he’s the perfect person to help her win a competition to meet her favorite author, because he is, after all, a winner. What Toff doesn’t realize, however, is that by agreeing to work with Amy, she’s going to push him to face some spaces in his own heart he’s been avoiding. Told in alternating perspectives shared by both Amy and Toff, readers get to go on a ride with them that is laugh-out-loud funny, gorgeously sweet, and wonderfully poignant leaving the reader satisfied and buoyant.
I’m so excited that Ms. Roberts agreed to be interviewed to dish about The Bookworm Crush among other things that make reading magical.
CL WALTERS: The Bookworm Crush, the companion novel The Replacement Crush (both YA RomComs), was released in 2019. What were one or two real-life experiences/observations/inspirations that contributed this story?
LISA BROWN ROBERTS: The Replacement Crush- I love bookstores (don't we all) and thought how fun it would be to essentially grow up in one, and work there recommending books and running a book club. It was fun to create that life for Vivian, the heroine. Vivian's mom (Rose) is an author/bookstore owner, and making her an author was pure selfish indulgence on my part. I gave Rose some of my own traits, and incorporated my son's embarrassment about how flaky I can be when I'm in the middle of writing a new book.
The Bookworm Crush - Instagram is my favorite social media space, and I really love bookstagram. Incorporating that into a novel was so much fun. I'm so thrilled with all the positive feedback I've received from book bloggers and bookstagrammers who loved that aspect of the story. I love all of the amazing bookstagram photos of this book, too! It's very "meta." :)
CLW: You already know that I adore Toff (and I know I am not alone in that swoony adoration); I have posted about him enough. Did you make a Pinterest board for his character and what other elements inspired this adorable prankster?
LBR: Ah, Toff...I had so much fun with him! My books are always created characters first, plot second. Toff just appeared fully formed in my mind when I wrote The Replacement Crush. Some characters reveal themselves more slowly to me, in layers, but he just *boomed* onto the page, ready to party!
It was hard not letting him take over The Replacement Crush. I knew I had to write his story and I was so happy that Entangled Teen wanted to publish it. I had to give Toff his first real romance, and Amy had crushed on him forever, so...happily ever after for them and for me as an author!
I think we all know those guys – the life of the party, the ones who bring the fun, who charm themselves out of trouble…I certainly crushed on more than one as a teen.
I do create Pinterest inspiration boards for each book. I keep them private until the book is published and then I make them public. Sometimes I continue to add to them after the book is out. The thing is, I love the idea of Pinterest, but I don’t have much time to use it as much as I’d like to.
CLW: The interesting Instagram/Bookstagram world is almost a character in this book. What were things you researched to flesh out this facet of The Bookworm Crush?
LBR: I started following the bookstagram world a couple of years ago and was astounded at the passion readers have! The #shelfies amaze me - so gorgeous and unlike my messy bookshelves. I love #BookfaceFriday and knew I had to incorporate that into the book (side note- I had to explain #BookfaceFriday to my editor since she'd never heard of it). Basically, I do a lot of stalking on bookworm accounts, but not in a creepy way. One of [the] best reader emails I've received was from a girl who was so inspired by Amy that she started her own bookstagram account. That made [me] so happy.
CLW: The Bookworm Crush is your sixth book (Congratulations!). Do you have a standout experience with a fan you’re willing to share?
LBR: My favorite part of being an author is interacting with readers. Social media is great, but meeting readers in person is fantastic. A couple of years ago, I attended a reader event in Atlanta that was mostly geared to adult romance readers. Lots of fun, but not much action in the YA author area, so I was thrilled when a sweet teen girl approached my table holding copies of all my books. She said she’d come to the event to meet me. Nothing tops that!
CLW: Do you have a favorite #otp (While #bonnieandclyde should make a list maybe a different one)?
LBR: Just like Amy in The Bookworm Crush, I love Lizzie and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I’ve written my own P&P retelling (like so many other authors) and hope to publish it someday. Barack and Michelle Obama are a real-life #otp for me, along with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Also, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan are a fabulous BFF #otp.
CLW: One of my favorite scenes in The Bookworm Crush is when Amy becomes the victim of an incapacitated Toff. Was there an event that inspired this particular scene or perhaps specific things that inspire your process in writing scenes filled with romantic tension?
LBR: I’m glad you liked that scene! It was added during the revision process with my editors. We cut one scene and needed another. I’m not really sure what inspired it, though I wanted a scene where Toff and Amy were “trapped” together, which this was. When I wrote it, I wasn’t sure if it worked. I couldn’t tell if it was funny or just weird. My editors loved it, so I trusted them, and hearing from readers that they like it, too, is a relief!
Writing the scenes with chemistry and romantic tension are my favorites. They usually grow organically from the characters. For instance, in the #BookfaceFriday scene, I knew Toff would be ridiculous and bossy and flirty, but I didn’t know exactly how until I started writing and he took over. Again. ☺
CLW: What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
LBR: I can’t pick just one!
Writing a first draft is my favorite part of the writing process. Actually, getting that “ah ha” feeling when I come up with an idea that I’m excited to write is my first favorite part, then capturing the feeling of the story and wrangling my characters into a draft is my second favorite part of the process. I turn off my internal editor for that first draft, and it’s so fun and freeing to write everything I want to. I worry about cutting later.
Opening my box of author copies is another highlight, especially after going through multiple rounds of revisions. Holding the finished book always causes happy tears.
Hearing from readers once the book is out in the world-that is the best. I love when readers see themselves in my stories, and find the characters relatable and real. Those are the highest compliments. Well, and when they fall for the love interests, too. That’s always good. ☺
CLW: Which specific authors or specific books - YA and otherwise - have inspired your own author’s journey?
LBR: Here are a few of the bigger influences:
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – my favorite book as a kid, along with her nonfiction that I love as an adult.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, of course
All of Judy Blume’s books
Julie Anne Peter’s books. Julie was my first writing mentor, and she’s a brilliant author. Her books are fierce and brave. She was one of the first big LGBTQ authors in YA, and her book Luna, featuring a transitioning character, was nominated for a National Book Award. She’s also hilarious and kind, and she’s the reason I didn’t quit writing.
CLW: The theme is YA Romance. What books make your top-five list in no particular order?
Really tough to narrow down, but here are five of my favorites:
Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
CLW: What are you working on now?
LBR: This very moment, it’s hard to write because of COVID. My day job is super busy, and when I’m not doing that, I’m spending my time with my family trying to stay upbeat and getting sunshine as much as possible.
However, once I resume writing, I’ll get back to a couple of YA rom-coms that are in various stages of creation and revision.
CLW: Where can readers find you?
LBR: I’m most active on Instagram, semi-active on Facebook, and usually avoid Twitter, but pop on once in awhile ☺
Reading is the opportunity to slip through a portal and walk in the shoes of the hero. Stephen King wrote that reading was “portable magic.” John Green said reading is the unique opportunity to develop empathy. Anyway around the description, reading is a way to escape while staying right where you are. And that is exactly where we find ourselves - stuck right where we are.
I’m an avid reader regardless of circumstances. Whether I’m following “Stay-at-home” governmental mandates or just my own introverted stay at home preferences, reading is what I enjoy. Here’s some perspective, I set a Goodreads 2020 challenge of 100 books (last year I read 92). I’m reading my 34th book this year as I round out April and head toward May. I finally picked up the fantasy A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, and as I write this am about 40 pages into the narrative (I can see why there are rave reviews!).
I started reading at a young age (though I don’t think that it is a prerequisite to finding a love of reading) and that book was Beverly Cleary’s Ramona, the Pest. After making my way through all of Cleary’s books, I found a science fiction book by Jean Karl called But We Are Not of Earth. When I was a preteen, I babysat so I could go to my hometown’s one bookstore to buy Sunfire Romances and in high school, a friend introduced me to Lavyrle Spencer and Judith McNaught historical romances. I was hooked. I graduated to suspense novels, horror and mysteries until I was reading whatever I could get my hands on to help me find that portal and escape into a different world.
Always an introverted kid who hid social anxiety behind smiles and tools to seem like an extrovert, books allowed me to be brave. They helped me to take risks, to be the hero, or solve the mystery. They helped me fall in love and imagine worlds where bookish girls could be just as brave as ones who were really brave. Books helped me escape and find solace in the struggle of growing up and trying on who I was becoming.
So, I’m always surprised when someone says, “I hate reading” or “I don’t read.”
Seriously?
My answer is always: You just haven’t found your book yet.
The truth is that there are so many books new and old, so many different writers and writing styles, so many different approaches, so many different tropes, so many different genres and subcategories, it must be a statistical improbability that you wouldn’t find a book that speaks to you.
So, with that in mind, I know that sometimes people don’t know where to look or how to get started looking. (It was a librarian who handed me Ramona. Thank you, Mrs. DeWitt). With that said, because I am a Young Adult writer as well as a teacher of young adults, I’m always drawn to this genre. This is where we will begin our journey. Additionally, YA books typically resolve in a way that offers hope and light which seems like a great place to begin especially in uncertain times. And be forewarned, YA isn’t only for young adults. I can say with great certainty, YA has the potential to make readers of all of us.
During the month of May, I will be featuring four different wonderful YA writers of varied categories who generously agreed to give me some of their time. In their interviews, we’ll talk about their specific title - which I have enjoyed immensely - and they will also share the books that inspired them, books they recommend. My hope is that perhaps you’ll find a title that speaks to you, a book that offers that magic portal for you to move through for a little while to find some adventure, joy, love, the treasure, the magical elixir, solve the mystery or to save the day.
So, like Alice in Wonderland, (a book by Lewis Carroll in case you’re interested in checking that classic out), we’re sliding down into the rabbit hole. See you at the bottom!
We did it. We made it to the finish line, and The Cantos Chronicles are out in the world today. How we did remains to be seen, but here’s the feedback on our journey:
This was the first thing that was mentioned as a ”stand out” in terms of marketing these books. This doesn’t surprise me (and probably doesn’t anyone else either) which reiterates the point that authors (indie authors, specifically) should budget for a cover as part of your marketing strategy. How the product appears matters. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, right? Case in point: Look at the two Swimming Sideways covers (pre-rerelease and post). Which one do you like better?
Um. Yeah. The new cover is hands down better than the other (thank you, Sara!)
Shocking - I know - baring who I am isn’t comfortable - naturally introverted, but adaptably extroverted. That means I’m a freaking chameleon. No. Actually, it doesn’t, but I’d like to think it is a super power. Okay. In all seriousness, while being more in the “spotlight” doesn’t feel comfortable, it is a part of building a relationship. There is a give and take between people. What’s your favorite color? Mine is… This must occur, right for that reciprocal relationship building. This doesn’t stop even in a social media world which means we have to put ourselves out there.
What made this difficult for me (besides the whole discomfort of being in the “spotlight”) is the belief that I don’t think I’m all that interesting. I’m just ordinary Cami. Here I am feeling like my brain might be boiling over trying to figure out what’s interesting, and I’m thinking “there’s nothing worth sharing.” Perhaps this is a lie I tell myself because people expressed: I liked getting to know you. Hmm. Who knew? The lesson then: I can’t be afraid to put myself out there; I can’t worry about if what I have to share is interesting or not because I can only be myself; and I can’t be afraid to share my truth.
The methods mentioned were sharing the music playlists, sharing the book lists, and the new content snippets that helped readers feel more connected to the characters. That’s cool (and I wish I could share with you how cool these people are in my head… still!)
One IG follower said that being able to talk about the books with other readers while reading was a little like a “social media book club.” Bookstagrammers have this on lock and are very prolific in this regard. It’s a great tool (though I won’t pretend I’ve figured out how to generate more engagement with this; I think it will continue to be time and consistency).
Well. Here we are fellow road trippers. We’ve parked the van in the garage. We’re popping the champagne. Let’s toast to nine weeks of bumping along this Indie Marketing Road to a job well done. Thank you for being on this journey with me.
What’s next? Not sure. I’m going to take a couple weeks to finish my current book and figure myself out.
Now, I have to figure out how to look at the “after publication” marketing. :)