Writing About Real Life Horrors

I am trying to get a blog posted on YA Highway like my now famous cousin (see her post here Pam' GLBT Post)! One of the editors of the blog told me to write about Real Life Horrors...I told her I have an interest in horror, thriller, and edge of your seat...well...edginess. She suggested discussing and writing about real life horrors that occur with YA, things like rape, violence, kidnapping, murder, rumor mills, gossip etc. I am so intrigued with this idea and I have been researching books so I can get this blog done. I want to make it to the big leagues and have a shout out on YA Highway :) I am reading Liar by Justine Larbalestier and Dawn by Kevin Brooks to see if these two books will lend themselves to my blog post. Also, my cousin has read Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott and I know this would be a good one to mention on my blog post. I also have heard about a few books from the editor over at YA Highway, but I was wondering if any one else out there had a website or anything they would like to offer me to look up. Not only am I interested in reading books about Real Life Horror, but I think this is the "genre" or motto that I would like to follow throughout my writing adventures. Let me know what you think.

Random Thoughts (Welcome to My New Obsession!)

So, I have been trying to figure out what else I can put on my blog...and since I am completely obsessed with the Hunger Games Trilogy- I thought I would pose a few questions about my new favorite books and the country of Panem. These are just a few random thoughts, so bear with me!

Questions:

1.) What is so special about Katniss??? I mean, don't get me wrong, I genuinely like Katniss, which is weird for me because I never like female protagonist. So, I like her, but I don't get why two guys like Gale and Peeta are vying for her affections, and hers alone. (I am only half way through Catching Fire, so if you know something I don't- DO NOT SHARE!!!). Maybe I could be slightly jealous because I have never had two guys fighting over me :)

2.) Why do people in the Capitol dye their skin? I don't think I need to explain this question.

3.) Why was District 12 largely ignored? Those of you who have read the books will get what I mean- up until something happens in the second book District 12 is pretty much ignored by the Capitol.

4.) Weren't your freaked out by the muttations at the end of The Hunger Games ?!!!

5.) And why does it seem like this world is not that far-fetched from our current America...could these books be an undercover political message? Hmmm?

Final Thoughts:

Is it just me or does it seem like every time you turn a page in Catching Fire a highly political song should be playing in the background ? Think: "Uprising" by Muse, "East Jesus Nowhere," and "American Idiot" by Greenday, and "Hypnotize" by System of a Down.

Okay I've spent enough time away from the book right now...must get back!!!!

Getting to Know ME!

Once again, I am answering the Road Trip Wednesday Question for YA Highway.

They would like to get to know all of their followers, so here goes nothing! (Did I mention how I love to talk about myself? Especially after listening to people piss and moan about students all day!)

1) What are the three best books you've read this year?

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- OH...MY...GOD! Talk about edge of your seat excitement. This book is such a page-turner with adventure, an interesting romance, and uniqueness.
• The Associate by John Grisham- This book took me back to the days of A Time to Kill. There is excitement, a mystery, and a slight romance (just the amount that I can stomach) that keeps this book propelling through the end, which was slightly dissapointing.
• Zombie & Rape: A Love Story (tie) by Joyce Carol Oates- Not only are the plots taboo (which I LOVE!), but the style is also taboo- written in improper sentence structures and grammar, it makes the reader really become part of the distorted mind of Q_P_ and part of the unraveling world of the characters in Rape.

2) If you could meet one author (living or dead), who would it be?

I would love to meet Joyce Carol Oates. I want to write like her, and I would kill to know where her inspirations come from. I also would want to meet John Grisham, I have loved his books since I was in high school. I would also find it an honor to be in the presence of Cormac McCarthy and Christopher Rice.

3) What book are you most looking forward to in 2010?

Obviously, I can't wait for the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I am pushing my way through the second book already! And although I'm not exactly sure when it's coming out, I am also looking forward to the next wacky adventure that Sookie Stackhouse will be a part of.

Hope you feel like you know me better already!

Do You LOVE Books? (YA Highway Contest)

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...If you do then you should check out YA Highway! They are having a contest where the winner can receive some great YA books and even a bookcases! Go to the site, become a follower, and check out how you can win.

This site is awesome- not just because if you go you might win something free, but because it offers a forum for YA readers, writers, and aspiring writers to communicate. So if you go there to participate in the contest, take some time to peruse the rest of the blog :)

I am BOY Crazy

I think I might be in love with a question posted on YA Highway this week! The question asks who are my literary questions. Where do I BEGIN? Okay, for the people who know me (especially my cousin they can tell you that I love guys that I can't actually have, and it is apparent from the many "husbands" that I have in my own delusional mind (the list includes, but is not limited to: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Pattinson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eminem, Josh Hartnett, Heath Ledger (RIP), and more...) So of course my crushes don't end with the people I can actually see! I have a few literary crushes, one of which is a character named Alcide in The Sookie Stackhouse Series. He is first introduced in the book, Club Dead. Alcide is a werewolf and his character is so sweet, vulnerable, understanding and strong-but dangerous... everything a girl could want!




I am into The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins right now and I am feeling the character Gale. I can't wait to read more about him because he is so supportive of Katniss.

I also have a lit crush on a character in Christopher Rice's (one of THE greatest authors in America!) A Density of Souls. This may seem strange, but the character's name is Stephen, and yes, he is a gay character. I know I'm not the only girl in the world who has had a crush on a gay guy!

This last one is going to be a little weird, but hey, we all go for the bad guy every now and then. Anyone who has read (or seen) No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, will tell you how freakin' bad ass Anton Chigurh was...and yes, I had a little crush on him.



I could go on and on, but I think I would rather know some of your literary crushes :0)