INTO THE WISE DARK Release Day!!!

SOOOO excited!!!! I feel like I've been waiting for this day for EVER!

Today is the official release day for Into The Wise Dark, heretofore known as ITWD (I like how close that acronym is to IWD - the acronym for International Women's Day :D).

Right now ITWD is available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Go ahead and order your copy - it should ship within the next few days. I'm still watching Amazon.ca and Chapters/Indigo's in Canada and Indiebound and Powell's Bookstore for their listings. Those should be up and live within the next week or so.

If you see ITWD at your local indie, do let me know -- and if you don't, please ask your local indie bookstore to order a copy, or several!! :)

The e-book releases in the next couple of weeks, as well (April 3rd), so those of you who want the digital experience will be able to download a copy soooooon!!!

BREAKING NEWS: * * * As of 7:30 am today, March 13, 2012, INTO THE WISE DARK is IN STOCK at both of the above links!!!!!! * * * :D

My Real Life Time-Travel Story

If you get a chance, check out my guest post for The Book Smugglers' Smugglivus Festival. I reveal my real life time-travel story and share my favourite films/TV shows/books of 2011, in addition to offering a quick glimpse at what I'm looking forward to in 2012... aaaaand, you can win an advance reading copy of INTO THE WISE DARK :).

Happy first day of increasing sunlight hours! And happy holidays to those of you celebrating something this month!!

The Big C

Lately, cancer has been swirling around my life. Earlier in the year, I blogged about fellow YA author, L.K. Madigan, who passed away after a battle with the Big C. Shortly after that, H got a gig working on the show of that same name, the big C, on Showtime. While he was on that show, we found out that a close family member was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Most recently, L.A. Banks passed away. I was surprisingly, and inexplicably, saddened by the death of this woman I've never met. I read her blog for the first time only a few months ago and she seemed to be fighting the good fight. Her blog entries exuded honesty and passion, and I was crushed that the world lost another voice speaking truth to power.

Since I am, and always have been, an alternative kind of gal (and since the battle for accessible health care seems to be sliding down a slippery and corrupt slope) all of this has prompted me to look for alternative options to current, traditional methods of approaching health and healing. In my research, I came across this video which gave me a lot to think about. It's worth watching, even if you're skeptical. I'm big on reading up on everything in every way possible, and this was another angle to the story we're told over and over. I'm also a big believer in questioning the dominant narrative - especially when it's not doing me any good. If you get a chance to see the video, I'd love to know what you think.

In the meantime, my thoughts and prayers (and heart) are with anyone who is struggling with health issues in their lives - whether illness has hit a loved one, or whether you are battling for your own health. Much love and healing vibes your way.

Jazz in Oz!

Jazz in Love is now distributed in Australia! So, so, SO excited about this...

It is here. And here. And here!

Things to Read

If you haven't yet checked out Zetta Elliott's interview with Jacqueline Woodson on the Ms Magazine blog, do that ASAP. Here's a short excerpt:

"The Cooperative Children’s Book Center keeps annual statistics that show that authors of color wrote less than 5 percent of U.S. books published for children in recent years. You are a prolific, award-winning author–but could you name five other black LGBTQ authors of children’s literature?

Um…I couldn’t. I probably could name two, but I don’t know if people are just not out. I think there are people who are still very closeted. You’re dealing with a society that automatically associates pedophilia with anybody who’s interested in children in any way, and a lot of people who still think that queerness is some pathology.

I haven’t come across a lot of young black writers who are new but I feel like, if the book is finished and it’s halfway decent, there’s a home for it. I don’t know if that’s me just being out there and not knowing enough about publishing. I mean, I think of Coe Booth, Brenda Woods, the woman who did Fly Girl [Sherri L. Smith]. You’re one of the new writers coming up: I think you’re one of the people who’s potentially going to change the world of speculative fiction. But I think in terms of publishers trying to figure out where it belongs, that’s kind of a slower movement—especially with the business of books changing so quickly.

Do you feel optimistic about the future of publishing?
I feel optimistic but I think people can’t expect it to be the old way of doing things. I mean, my first book was published in 1989. I think if I was starting to write today, I would be self-publishing."

That's from the condensed version that made it onto Ms Mag's blog. The full interview is on Zetta's blog as well as her Youtube channel.

Here's an excerpt from an interview Lori Devoti did with me about turning to indie publishing:

"Q: What route would you suggest for an author who hasn’t been published before? Should they still follow the old route of agent/publisher or do you think going straight to self-publishing is a good option?

A. I would urge them to think about what they truly want from being published. If it is the recognition of being accepted by the publishing establishment (which is a totally okay goal), then I would say press on along the traditional publishing route. If, however, an author wants only to get her/his work out there, under the eyes of readers who might devour it, connect with it, change their lives because of it, then I would say explore the wonderful world of indie publishing. But I would highly recommend doing a lot of research. Read the stories of people who’ve self-published, check out blogs, pick up books that have been self-published and are highly recommended by trusted sources. Ask a lot of questions!"

And here's an excerpt from an interview with our fave goth megastar, Le R. on critiquing and editing others' work:

"Is there one specific thing that you gravitate toward while critiquing?

Le R: It sounds sort of corny, but I think I gravitate toward the writer. I read so, so many query letters and manuscripts when I worked in publishing, and I read so much unpolished work now as a freelancer, and you develop--or at least I have developed, I don't know if this is always true, not everyone used to be a social worker--this weird ability to see the person producing the work. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they frame a story. I don't mean that in a sinister way--just that I try to think in terms of what would be most useful to that particular person. I don't have to worry at all any more about whether something is "good" or "publishable" or "salable"--it's not my job to sort things, it's my job now to help someone move forward, and anyone can move forward with their writing."

Water, and an Interview

I'm thrilled to be part of Chasing Ray's Summer Blog Blast Tour this week. I was interviewed by Doret at The Happy Nappy Bookseller blog and that post is up today. She asked me some very interesting questions about Jazz In Love, publishing, and dating shady characters. Please check it out if you get a chance!

Speaking of very interesting questions, I came across this very interesting video called The Story of Bottled Water. I highly recommend watching it. There is a counter video on Youtube, but it is rather weak in comparison. Watch both for yourself and see what you think. (Plus, I had NO idea bottled water waste was being sent to India for land fills! Did you?).

What's Going On

I've been meaning to post updates on my recent signing/reading events, but there is too much going on and I've allowed myself to become buried. But here are a few quick updates until I find time to do longer and more, um, picturesque (?) posts . . .

The Queens reading was absolutely lovely. Meeting teen readers is always a joy, but I've wanted to read in Queens, especially, since it has one of the largest immigrant populations in NYC. The class of pre-GED students we met with was one hundred percent teens of colour. Seriously. Every last one of them.

And the panel of readers? All white - and me. I couldn't help but wonder how many times a day those students see people who look nothing like them with a platform to freely express their opinions, values, ideas, and creative vision. I know what it was like for me as a teen, and then how powerful it was to finally see women of color speaking their truth boldly and without fear--and provided with a space to do so. Melina Marchetta was reading next to me and spoke beautifully, not just as an ally, but as a woman who could relate to the feeling of being "other" in a place you call home.

Here we are, above, at the Cupcake Cafe which adjoins Books of Wonder.

Speaking of which, I apologize to anyone who showed up at Books of Wonder and couldn't find copies of Jazz in Love. I'm not sure what the snafu was there, but for some reason my books did not arrive.  I will be there again on May 14th for the Diversity in YA tour, so please stop by then!

In non-writerly news, the whole Chris Brown/Rihanna thing has been really upsetting for me. Even more so than the Charlie Sheen thing. Maybe it's because my girls and so, so many teen girls of colour are hooked in to popular culture and idolize these icons. And my girls, in particular, have many questions I'm always flailing to answer in a way that makes sense to them. Or maybe it's because the dynamics of that relationship are so familiar to me. I don't know.

But things like this help - if you haven't read Daniel Jose Older's piece on Racialicious about men's violence against women, do so now. He also had some great tweets about the topic yesterday - one of which was, "Batterers control anger by not lashing out at judges, cops, their homies, etc. They control it & direct it at their spouses," and the following one, "So u can do all the anger management classes u want but ur just feeding the problem until u instill a foundation of respect towards women."

Chris Brown's recent actions highlight violence against women in our society in stark relief, and are a reminder of the way the Creative Life Force has so brutally been taken hostage in our world. I have to keep telling myself that the fight is raging strong. That more and more people are waking up. Hard to tell sometimes, but I think it's true.

LIVE-streamed Book Launch

My dear friend, Sheila Batacharya, is celebrating the launch of a book she co-edited about the 1997 murder of Reena Virk in British Columbia, Canada. Reena Virk was a Punjabi teen who was murdered by a group of teen girls (and one boy) she wanted desperately to be friends with.

Most of the media coverage focused on the "girl-violence" aspect of the case and all but ignored the glaring race and hetero-normative elements. The book is called Reena Virk - Critical Perspectives on a Canadian Murder and takes a closer look at some of the issues that went largely unreported in mainstream media coverage.

The book launch will be live-streamed from the Toronto Women's Bookstore tomorrow, Thursday, February 24th, from 6:30-8:30 pm EST. At 6:30 EST tomorrow, go to www.womensbookstore.com, or www.ashrouder.com. I will most definitely be watching.

Margaret Atwood on Changes in Publishing

I love this keynote address from award-winning poet and author Margaret Atwood at the Tools of Change conference. She talks about authors being the "dead moose" of publishing and says, "Authors are a primary source. Everything else in the world of publishing depends on them." She includes libraries, schools, book reviewers/bloggers, publishers, agents, printers, book cover designers, etc. in that analogy--all of whom rely, first and foremost, on authors to write books. She also says that authors are like anchovies in the food chain, and the anchovies are getting restless. Ha! She's fun, witty and engaging, and offers some great food for thought. (No pun intended! But she does use lots of food metaphors.)

Watch live streaming video from oreillyconfs at livestream.com

Daughters of Kali

I'm very excited to share that I have a short story in this month's issue of Expanded Horizons magazine. The piece is called Daughters of Kali and it is my first published piece of speculative fiction for adults (er - that's written under my own name). I love the graphic they included with the piece, too.

Here's an excerpt:

She paid them no mind.‭ ‬She was used to gossip.‭ ‬Her mother was an unconventional woman who caused the village women to whisper like leaves in a storm.‭ ‬Her mother was a woman who’d never bowed to touch her father’s feet as custom dictated.‭ ‬She wore what she wished.‭ ‬She had two girls and refused to‭ “‬try for a boy.‭” ‬She adored and educated her daughters,‭ ‬and she did so with aplomb,‭ ‬often showing her affection in public.

The only reason Mother was never sent packing was that Father stood directly in the line of fire whenever anyone had anything to say.‭ “‬My wife does all she does with my blessing.‭ ‬If anyone takes issue,‭ ‬let him come to me.‭”

And come to him,‭ ‬they did.‭ ‬All the husbands and fathers and uncles regularly harassed him for setting a poor example and allowing his wife and girls far too much freedom.‭ “‬You’ll have all the women of the village wanting the same treatment,‭ ‬Harbir‭! ‬What will become of our traditions and way of life‭?”

But her father never budged.‭ ‬And while the other women in the village set their feet on prescribed paths,‭ ‬they did so with a hint of mischief.‭ ‬Just a small sidestep every now and then,‭ ‬much to Mother’s secret delight.

Read the rest here and let me know what you think!

Release Day!!!

Today, January 10th, 2011, is Release Day for JAZZ IN LOVE!!! I am so excited and overwhelmed and full of gratitude. Please help me celebrate!!

Here is where Jazz is available:

Boone Bridge Books (indie bookseller)
Indiebound (US)
Powell's (US)

Amazon US

Amazon Canada

Amazon UK
Chapters/Indigo (Canada)

Barnes and Noble

And here is where you can find JAZZ in eBook:

For the Apple iPad

Sony e-reader, Stanza, Diesel, and hand-held reading devices

Kindle

If you don't see it at your local bookstore, please ask them to order copies!

Movie Links & A Giveaway

And so we begin anew! Another cycle of birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, gray hair. >grin<

First: if you don't have a copy of Jazz in Love, Edi over at Crazy Quilts is giving away two copies, so if you'd like to enter your name in the draw, go on over and comment!

Second, here are a couple of films I watched over the holidays that I really liked -



The main criticism of the film seems to be that it was not an accurate depiction of the horrors of Partition. But honestly? I've read, watched, and heard enough about the carnage of Partition to last me a looong time. This was a love story by Kashmiri-born director, Vic Sarin, and for that, it was quite beautiful. Yes, they got a lot of it wrong (the accents, some of the details), but for the love story (for which I am, admittedly, a sucker), it was well worth watching.

And this one -



I got worried about this one partway through, but then it righted itself and ended up pretty good.

Happy viewing, all!

Jazz, Now Available!!!

So I just was alerted to the fact that JAZZ is now available (early!!) on a number of online retail sites!

Here are the ones I've found so far . . .

Boone Bridge Books (indie bookseller)
Indiebound (US)
Powell's (US)

Amazon US

Amazon Canada

Amazon UK

Chapters/Indigo (Canada)

Barnes and Noble

And here is where you can find JAZZ in eBook:

For the Apple iPad

Sony e-reader, Stanza, Diesel, and hand-held reading devices

Kindle

Still waiting for the paperback to show up on Borders and other indie sellers in Canada, the UK, etc. But for now, this little book is slowly making its way out into the world . . . with a lot of help from its friends :).

Favourite Quotes

A couple of *great* quotes this week . . .

This has to be one of my absolute most favouritest quotes of all time:

"The lack of regard for YA fiction in the mainstream isn't an altogether bad thing. There's something to be said for living in a disreputable, ghettoized bohemia . . . . There's a lot of room for artistic, political and commercial expectation over here in low-stakes land, the same way that there was so much room for experimentation in other ghettos, from hip-hop to roleplaying games to dime-novels. Sure, we're vulnerable to moral panics about corrupting youth (a phenomenon as old as Socrates, and a charge that has been leveled at everything from the waltz to the jukebox), but if you're upsetting that kind of person, you're probably doing something right.

Risk-taking behavior — including ill-advised social, sexual, and substance adventures — are characteristic of youth itself . . . . However, the frightened and easily offended are doing a better job than they ever have of collapsing the horizons of young people, denying them the pleasures of gathering in public or online for fear of meteor-strike-rare lurid pedophile bogeymen, or on the pretense of fighting gangs or school shootings or some other tabloid horror. Literature may be the last escape available to young people today. It's an honor to be writing for them. " -- Cory Doctorow

And this is one I swiped off CrazyQuilts, the blog of one of our favourite blogging librarians:

"I'm tired of YA books that stereotype teens of color and continually cast them as victims. Too often, whether the teen be Asian or Middle Eastern they are first or second generation with immigrant issues or retelling traditional stories. Blacks and Latino/as are urban dwellers with violent anger issues and Natives are silently stereotyped, too. No doubt we need to meet students where they are and validate their existence, however not all teens of any one ethnic group have the exact same experience. Even those who live marginalized lives deserve to see other possibilities for themselves and White readers need to see people of color in equitable situations." -- Edi Campbell

Quotes of the Day

I remember these quotes from my early years as a young activist on the arts and culture scene in Toronto, and it was wonderful to be reminded of them today. I found them on this blog; if you haven't had a chance to check it out, definitely swing by . . .

"When I dare to be powerful - to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid."
-- Audre Lorde

"If you are free, you are not predictable and you are not controllable."
-- June Jordan

The second one resonates quite strongly with me at this juncture in my life. Do either of the above quotes mean anything to you?

Links

If you haven't checked out John Scalzi's "Things I Don't Have To Think About Today" post, do that now. He totally gets it.

"Today I don't have to think about men who don't believe no means no . . . Today I don’t have to think about whether I’m married, depending on what state I’m in . . . Today I don’t have to think about whether I’m being pulled over for anything other than speeding . . . Today I don’t have to think about the people who’d consider torching my house of prayer a patriotic act . . ."

And this article, by Will Neville of Amplifyyourvoice.org, a project of Advocates for Youth, gives us a good idea of just how deeply ingrained misogyny is in contemporary US/North American culture. There is video footage of frat boys at Yale shouting "No means yes, yes means anal..." as part of an induction exercize for new pledges.

Links, Upcoming Events, Awesome Video

I shared this video on Facebook, but love it so much I want to share it here, too. It was created by my partner-in-crime, Hollis, and it ROCKS.



Interview
If you're not sick of me like I am, you can check out a recent interview on Sayantini Dasgupta's blog. I'm not doing many interviews these days, but Sayantani had the best, thought-provoking questions, and I cleared off some space to answer them. Check that out here.

Events
I'm going to be in Albuquerque, New Mexico from November 5-7th for YALSA (the Young Adult Literature Symposium of the American Library Association)'s conference on diversity, and on November 22nd, I'll be in Orlando, Florida for the ALAN conference (the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents, a branch of the National Council of Teachers of English). If you're in or around either of those, please come by and say hello!

My Thoughts on Self-Pubbing and Ebooks

I have a post up here on my thoughts about self-publishing and ebooks. Here's a quote:

"I've been wondering which route to take with my own writing lately and these links were very interesting to come across. My debut novel, Shine, Coconut Moon (McElderry, 2009) released to rave reviews, has received enthusiastic support from the teacher and librarian communities and is holding its own vis-a-vis sales, considering it was one of the quieter releases last year. But publishers have become increasingly risk-averse over the past few years. I sold Shine in 2007. My current project, a contemporary, realistic YA with elements of humour and romance is, according to editors, "too quiet," "too commercial," or it "won't stand out." The first and last translate to something many of us, particularly writers telling the stories of marginalized folks, have heard incessantly: "this won't sell," or "there is no market for this." It is something I'd heard over and over from both agents and editors about Shine."

Read more...

I also link to a few different articles and posts. Here are some quotes . . .

From The Wall Street Journal:

"There will always be the lucky new author whose first novel ignites a hot auction. But more often today, many debut novels that would have won lucrative advances five years ago today are getting $15,000 or less, says Adam Chromy, a New York literary agent. Mr. Chromy was recently disappointed with the immediate response from editors for a debut novel he thought was exceptionally good.

Meanwhile, small independent publishers are becoming more popular options for new writers. Leslie Daniels, a literary agent for the past 20 years, was thrilled to sell Creston Lea's recently published debut short-story collection, "Wild Punch," to Turtle Point Press.

But the author received only a $1,000 advance, typical of the advances paid by small independents. "I can't make a living as a writer, but it feels great to have these stories out in the world," says Mr. Lea. The author, who lives in Vermont, builds electric guitars and writes on the side. Jonathan Rabinowitz, publisher of Turtle Point Press, says "Wild Punch" has sold about 1,500 copies, including 150 e-books. He described the performance as 'encouraging.'

"The smaller advance has a ripple effect. Ms. Daniels, who earns a 15% commission, used to make $11,250 on a big publisher advance of $75,000 or so. Her cut on Mr. Lea's $1,000: $150."

 

From an interview with author Karen McQuestion, who had two agents, almost sold novels several times, but ultimately never got published by traditional, mainstream publishers, then self-pubbed half a dozen of her books, signed with Amazon Encore, and optioned one of her books to film. The entire interview is up on J.A. Konrath's blog:

"Sometimes I still can’t believe the turn my writing life has taken. A year ago I was a failed novelist with years of work on my hard drive, and now I have readers and an income. Life is good."

Back In A Groove

I finally feel like I'm getting back into a sort of rhythm again. The summer really threw off where I was going and what I had planned. It was like I was on a clear path for the first half of the year, and then everything just got knocked off the tracks. I'm trying to pull myself back on and adjusting the course as necessary, but still not sure where I'm going to end up.

I know that's all a bit convoluted, but that's because it's like that in my head - all muddled, with only a few sure things to lead the way.

In the meantime, a friend forwarded me this link to an interesting post by Amal El-Mohtar, which was in response to this post by author Elizabeth Moon. Just to sum up, Moon is to be honoured at Wiscon next year as an esteemed Guest of Honour. The issue at hand is that Wiscon is the "world's leading feminist science-fiction/fantasy convention." Moon's post, however, is very problematic, to put it mildly. The Wiscon conference committee released a statement that they did not intend to rescind Ms. Moon's Guest of Honour-ship, but that they hoped the conference would be a place for further dialogue on the issues.

I won't give additional credence to Moon's post by reproducing it here in any of its parts, but here's a bit from El-Mohtar's response:

"I can't help but wonder, if Moon had said that 'many Black people possess all the virtues of civilised persons,' there would have been any 'controversy' at all. Or, to forestall the 'race and religion are different!' arguments, if she had said 'many Jews possess all the virtues of civilised persons.' Basically, if she had expressed bigotry that can't masquerade as a political leaning or a concern for national security, would there be any soul-searching over what to do? Would the committee co-chairs still be 'committed to making WisCon a place where all may participate and be heard'?

For me, it's a tough call with regard to the conference because the other Guest of Honour next year is Nisi Shawl, whom I deeply respect and admire. At the same time, Wiscon is a feminist, progressive conference. It is one of the only spaces of its kind where people of like mind can gather and move dialogue forward. It is one of the few places where discussions around power and privilege are part of the programming and actually take place, front and center, in all their honesty, ugliness, mess and, at times, enlightenment.

Do read the posts if you get a chance. The comments after El-Mohtar's post are lengthy, but worth the read, too.

Links for This Week

Love this Sandip Roy piece on Alternet about Eat, Pray, Love:

Now, I don’t want to deny Gilbert her “journey.” She is herself honest, edifying and moving. I don’t want to deny her Italian carbs, her Indian Om’s or her Bali Hai beach romance. We all need that sabbatical from the rut of our lives.

But as her character complained that she had “no passion, no spark, no faith” and needed to go away for one year, I couldn’t help wondering where do people in Indonesia and India go away to when they lose their passion, spark and faith? I don’t think they come to Manhattan. Usually third-worlders come to America to find education, jobs and to save enough money to send for their families to join them, not work out their kinks.

On the other end of the film spectrum, here's an interesting tidbit--megastar Bollywood actor, Amir Khan, who starred in and co-produced the Oscar-nominated Lagaan some years back, has produced a political film about farmer suicides in India. It's a satire that cuts very close to the truth:

Khan knows that he's taking a risk by producing such an explicitly political film in a country where reasonable expectations say it'll find a niche audience, at best. But he's come to believe it's his job to make movies with a message.
"I don't know who else will do it," he says. "When I come across material which excites me — which not only is engaging and entertaining, but also has something to say, or hopefully sensitizes people or makes you think — I'd like to be a part of that." 

And in publishing industry news, Barnes & Noble is for sale:

I know exactly when B&N lost me as a customer. Some years ago, to compete with Amazon, B&N began offering free same-day delivery in Manhattan if you placed your order over the Internet by 11 a.m. I did so several times -- and not once did the books arrive when promised. Everything I have ordered from Amazon has arrived on time or earlier. Then came Amazon's game-changing Kindle, and instant delivery. Nothing I've read about B&N's belated rival Nook has tempted me to try it.