Stay Bookish Zine - Issue No 2

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THERE ARE BOOKS STORIES, AND THE BOOKS THAT TELL JENNIFER DONNE NORTHERN LIGHT. THEIR EYES ABOV MOST PEOPLE SEE WISH TO SEE, OR BELIEVE THEY SHO NOT WHAT IS RE A ZOEMARRIOT T, SH THE MOON. 4

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S THAT TELL EN THERE ARE L TRUTHS. LLY, A . PEOPLE TRUST E ALL ELSE BUT E WHAT THEY WHAT THEY OULD SEE; ALLY THERE. HADOWS ON S TAY B O O K I S H Z I N E

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Dear Reader, How many times have people assumed you know everything about everything just because you like to read a lot? I personally have lost count. I’ve also lost count how many times people have assumed that I’m incredibly serious and studious simply because I like books.

Being stereotyped as a certain kind of reader is incredibly frustrating, isn’t it?

So with this second issue, Stay Bookish wants to talk about people and things that aren’t exactly how they seem to be.

You may have noticed that we had not one but two magazine covers this time around and there’s actually a reason for this. We wanted to show the contrast between the kind of readers we’re expected to be, all stiff and monotonous and sophisticated, like the model on the first cover, versus the kind of readers we actually are.

The truth of our bookish nature shines through the second cover: book lovers are vibrant and fun, quite happy in the realm of fiction.

Just the same, I hope you’ll find that the truth of our bookish nature also radiates through this wonderful issue, a collaborative effort of very enthusiastic bookish people.

Hazel Ureta EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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CONTENTS N E WS

F E AT U R E S

L I F E ST Y L E

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Book Event

Staff Current Reads

Travel

Hillary Clinton Speaks at

Recently on the Stay Boo-

Washington, DC

BookExpo 2017

kish staff’s bookshelves...

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YA Column

Bookish News

Featured Author

How to Afford Books

Restore Me

SK Ali 87

Zac and Mia Shadowhunters

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Publishing

Sophomore Authors

Interview with a Publicist

Slambook Jasmine Warga, Brandy

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Colbert & more

Music YA Releases Mixtape

55 Bookish Articles Under the Radar Books Seasonal Reading Hate to Love Recs

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Zine Playlist

YA IS NOT WHAT IS SEEMS TURN TO PAGE 55

FE ATURED YA BOOKS: SAINTS AND MISFITS LITERALLY NOTEWORTHY & MORE

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Hillary Clinton Speaks at BookExpo 2017

by Emily Rasmussen

Ensconced in a secluded farmhouse 50 miles north of New York City, a writer spends her days typing and editing, bursting with a story desperate to be told. The story she’s telling stings with brutal truth and honesty; it’s stranger than fiction, too outlandish to be the figment of her imagination. The process is exhausting, and the writing is slow-going—the author sometimes stops to take a walk or go to bed when she tires—and yet she writes on, determined to share her story with the world.

This writer is none other than Hillary Rodham Clinton, a powerhouse of a woman whose résumé includes items such as Secretary of State, First Lady of the United States, 2016 Presidential Candidate, and—most relevant to this story—author of multiple bestselling memoirs. And the story she’s recording is the tale of her 2016 bid for the US presidency.

Earlier this month, Clinton made an appearance at BookExpo, an annual publishing industry convention held in New York’s Javits Center, to promote her next memoir. In a separately-ticketed event held on Thursday night, she discussed her books, her writing process, how she moved forward after the 2016 election, and more, interviewed by fellow acclaimed memoir author Cheryl Strayed. I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the event, and it was one of the highlights of my convention experience.

When I first secured my ticket to the event a few weeks before the convention, I was thrilled—I spent at least ten minutes running around my house, full of excited energy, telling all my friends that I was going to be in the same room as Hillary Clinton. Whether you agree with her politics or not, getting to hear from such a beyond accomplished person with such a unique story to tell is a fascinating prospect.

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“It’s not just about me and not just about an election—it’s about resilience and getting back up when you’re knocked down.”

HILLARY CLINTON

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Fast-forward to the day of the event: I got in line an hour before the event’s 6 p.m. start time, determined to get a good seat, and I waited in anticipation to be let into the Javits Center’s main stage, where the event was to be held.

After a rousing entrance that featured thunderous applause from the audience, Clinton began talking about her books, both past and present. She focused on her forthcoming memoir, which will detail exactly how she felt throughout the presidential campaign process. From debates to campaign stops to infamous “Donald Trump just said what?” moments, readers will soon get to view

key events on the campaign trail through Clinton’s perspective.

resilience and getting back up when you’re knocked down.”

“People always wonder, ‘What was it like standing on stage, debating your opponent? What was going through your head?’” Clinton said. “Now you can find out.”

Writing the memoir has been something of a postelection recovery process for Clinton—but the story isn’t just about her. It also contains universal themes about weathering defeat and hardships.

In addition to discussing her own books, Clinton also shared some of her favorite novels and talked about her reading habits throughout her life. Growing up, she loved Nancy Drew stories (“She just seemed like such a go-getter. She was, dare I say it, a bit of a role model.”), and she has recently revived her love of children’s literature by reading to her grandchildren.

“The book, for me, is a really personal, deep experience… an emotional catharsis,” Clinton said. “But it’s not just about me and not just about an election—it’s about

A dash of Clinton’s signature post-election sarcasm came out when she spoke about her

campaign trail reading materials, but she regained seriousness when speaking about her post-election reading preferences.

“I usually read every night before falling asleep [but] didn’t really have a lot of time to read [while campaigning]—other than reams of policy papers. I used to have the idea that the policies you proposed were important,” she said with a laugh. “After the election, I read a lot of mysteries.

It was very comforting because it was somebody else’s problem.”

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BOOKEXPO 2017, JUNE 1ST

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“I am going to do everything I can to support the resistance.”

Although one of my favorite parts of the event was getting to know the reader and writer sides of someone I’ve long admired for her strength in the ruthless field of politics, I also loved hearing Clinton’s commentary on the current political climate in the United States and on moving forward after the election. She spoke on bipartisanship, recounting childhood political conversations with her parents, whose votes canceled each other out each election but who always encouraged their children to develop their own opinions. Clinton also interspersed her book talk with inspiring musings on resistance to the Trump administration.

“I am hopeful, but I really think hope needs to be linked to a strategy for dealing with what we are facing,” Clinton said. “I still believe [our democracy is] the greatest man-made invention in the history of the world. We can’t give up on that. We have to keep going.”

As the event concluded, Clinton provided insight on her future.

“I have no idea [what I’ll do next]. And I don’t have any reason to have any idea. I am going to do everything I can to support the resistance.”

The interview wrapped up with more ringing applause. I followed the crowd out of the Javits Center, spellbound from seeing a more relatable side of such a larger-than-life political figure and fangirling over the commemorative cards (signed by Hillary Clinton herself!) that were passed out to attendees.

Although Hillary Clinton may not know exactly what’s next for her, I certainly know what I’ll be doing next. I’ll be joining her in fighting to preserve my country’s democracy and, of course, I’ll be reading her memoir.

Hillary Clinton’s forthcoming memoir will be published this September by Simon & Schuster.

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BOOKISH NEWS

The Shadowhunters world continues to grow in both books and TV Show. Fans of the TV Show based on Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series will be thrilled to know that Will Tudor has joined the cast as Sebastian, the son of Valentine and Jocelyn.

Calling all Shatter Me fans! Juliet Weekly and author Tahereh Mafi. T came out has now been extende Restore Me, the fourth book in the

Labyrinth Lost film rights were sold to Paramount Pictures.

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Have you read A Series of Unfortunat yet? The book series was acquired by released back in January. Netflix a be re

compiled by Sophia Lin

tte’s story is far from over, according to Entertainment The trilogy which ended back in 2014 when Ignite Me ed with three more books, making it a six book series. e newly extended series, will be coming out on March 6, 2018 from HarperCollins.

te Events by Lemony Snicket y Netflix and the first season announced the TV series will enewed for a second season.

Rebel of the Sands was opted for film with Willow Smith partnering with Cartel Entertainment.

Zac and Mia is becoming TV show.

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STAFF CURRENT READS Introduction by Sophia Lin

Finals are over for some of us and break is in full swing! There’s all the time in the world (okay, more time than before, hopefully!) to curl up with a book. Check out what the Stay Bookish staff is currently reading: Sophia Lin: The House of Hades by Rick Riordan // The Color Project by Sierra Abrams // Beyond the Red by Ava Jae

Shelly Z: Perfect Ten by L. Philips // Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali // The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana Sophie Bergeron: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead // Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling // Noggin by John Corey Whaley

Keanna L.: Sweet Venom by Kirsty-Anne Still // Bulletproof by Melissa Pearl // Sharing You by Molly McAdams

Shenna Lagdameo: Dreamfire by Kit Alloway // The Red Sun by Alane Adams // Eternal Darkness

by J.F. Johns

Selena Hughes: Angelfall by Susan Ee // American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang // Reawakened

by Colleen Houck

Marie V.: Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh // I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios // Romancing the Throne by Nadine Jolie Courtney

Stacy Nguyen: Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer, Douglas Holgate // Between the World and Me

by Ta-Nehisi Coates // Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner

Emily M.: Caraval by Stephanie Garber // Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli // The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Angel K: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith // Sparks of Light by Janet B. Taylor // A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

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Marisa Kanter: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon // Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer // If Birds Fly Back by Carlie Sorosiak

Chelsea C.: Missing by Kelley Armstrong // The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember // Strange the Dreamer

by Laini Taylor

Lila H.: Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin // A Court of Wings And Ruin by Sarah J. Maas // Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor // The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich // Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

Pamela A.: Hunted by Meagan Spooner // The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis // Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder

KB: Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley // On the Spectrum by Jennifer Gold // Bookishly Ever After

by Isabel Bandeira

Emily Rasmussen: Gem & Dixie by Sara Zarr // We Are Okay by Nina LaCour // Be Good Be Real Be Crazy by Chelsey Philpot

Joséphine: A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab // I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo // River of Ink by Paul M.M. Cooper

Angelica: Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin // I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai // A Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert

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NEEDED N A R R AT I V E S Debut YA Author S.K. Ali talks about Saints and Misfits, Muslim stories & representation WRITTEN & PHOTOS BY HAZEL URETA

Stay Bookish: Hi Sajidah! We’re beyond excited to have you on our magazine and to talk with you about Saints and Misfits.

Can you tell us all about yourself and how you got started writing?

Sajidah: I‘ve loved the written word since I met my first funny poem at the age of six. (My parents told me this.) I began entertaining the idea of writing my own words when I did a project on a topic no one wanted to do (goldenrod, the flower––AKA the weed to some people) in sixth grade. I enjoyed turning that goldenrod into a rose by another name through some extremely gushy language. My seventh grade teacher loved my writing and told me that I was a writer and ever since then, I‘ve believed it. (Wonderful story: I reconnected with this teacher last fall, after thirty years, and now she‘s coming to my book launch party!)

After high school, I went on to do my degree in creative writing but set the dream of becoming an author aside as I embarked on motherhood and being a teacher.

It was only about ten years ago that I decided to really refocus on this dream and, essentially, prove to my 12-year-old self that I could actually do it.

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Be confident in the story you want to tell. Tell it like it is.

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Thank god for teachers who guide kids to their calling!

But you say you’re also a teacher! What do you teach and who?

I teach second grade but it‘s a Spiderman/Peter Parker situation in that I keep my author-self separate from my teaching career. Mainly because I‘m a YA writer and my students are in the primary grades.

Understandable. I do know you have a teen daughterhas she read your book yet? Is she part of the reason you chose to write YA? What about the YA category do you love most?

Yes, I do have a teen daughter and a teen stepson as well as a son in college actually (all of whom have read my book) but they were not the reason I chose to write YA. (I started this book before my daughter was in her teens.) I simply love reading YA. I think YA (and MG) writers explore more terrain, so to speak. And the fact that YA covers the period in our lives when we‘re figuring out our identities, who we are––I think this speaks very strongly to me as a reader and writer.

You were born in India and grew up in Canada- what did you most struggle with during your teen years?

Were you a saintly model student or the misfit awkward kid?

I think I struggled with juggling who I wanted to be versus what I was seen to be by my greater society. I was very creative—into art, crafts and fashion design. I made most of my clothes in high school, including one very unique prom dress, went to all the prominent fashion shows in town clutching a binder full of my designs in case Karl Lagerfeld decided to stop and say „who is this fashionable girl in hijab holding a pink binder? Let me see what you have in there at once, my dear!“ [never happened alas], and was voted to become a famous fashion designer when I grew up by my peers––which my children don‘t believe when they see how I dress now.

However, I always felt like I couldn‘t fully realize my creative side because of my visible Muslimness.

I realized early on, in any situation, I was viewed as Muslim first/only and along with that came a lot of connotations (negative) that had nothing to do with me. (Maybe a lot of people don‘t know this but Islamophobia did NOT start with 9/11.)

It was such a struggle trying to be a creative person in this milieu. So, I think I essentially gave up and chose to dedicate myself to challenging this perception, this mantle of otherness I had to wear which meant I had to focus my energies not on what I wanted to spend time on (fashion, art, writing) but what society had thrust upon me.

At the end of high school, I became a very vocal activist––and while I‘m sad that marginalized people have to often make these difficult choices (push aside creative interests in order to join the struggle to be seen as a fully realized human), I am happy that it made me bolder and willing to take risks. As a result, my writings in university were, yes, more angry, but also more real and raw.

So I guess I was the artsy student with the fashionably torn clothes who still did all her homework.

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It’s so hard to be creative when others limit you but it’s incredibly inspiring to see you overcame that and wrote the exciting, important story that is your debut novel. What is your writing process like? Which is the most important for you: plot or characters?

I love that you‘re so open to different kinds of process! Even though your work is #ownvoices, did you do any research for the book? If so, what? And did you learn anything important (or fun!) from the process?

My writing process is still a work-in-progress.

While it looks like it might be a bit different for each book, I do think visuals are very important for me, both tangibly as in photos and storyboard drawings to guide my writing as well as vivid scenes I see in my head that often end up beginning a chapter.

Haha, yes, I did have to do some interesting research! I have a scene where alcohol was involved and, um, as this is not my area of expertise, I had to interview friends about their teen social drinking experiences. Let‘s just say not all of these ended up in the book and have been filed securely away should I need to consult them again. Also, because I have a Hindu supporting character who refers to his tradition, I had a Hindu friend look over the scenes to make sure I wrote them sensitively.

That‘s how it was for Saints and Misfits––I began blogging in Janna‘s voice, with photos that she „took“ to accompany her entries. Writing-wise, I‘m into character more than plot but I‘ve taught myself how to take plot very seriously through a lot of reading about how other writers craft.

When I tell stories (to my children, nieces, and nephews as they were growing up) it was all plot and intricate ones at that, so I know I have it in me to write a plot-driven book.

I guess I‘m trying to say I don‘t see myself sticking to any one process or type of story; I love the thrill of trying new things and experimenting. And I know that being a writer who‘s open means I‘m always going to be learning and growing so I look forward to that.

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Sensitivity reads are so important because harmful representation hurts so much. The opposite, realistic portrayal, can be so uplifting though. What was the first muslim book you read that made you feel well represented?

Well, I don‘t believe that a reader will find herself/himself/themselves fully represented in any book she/he/they reads. I think we‘ll always see bits of ourselves and sometimes, it‘s bigger bits of ourselves -- which is wonderful.

I‘m just very wary of the idea of the Muslim Single Story creeping in. It limits the way we receive stories from marginalized authors. My book Saints and Misfits cannot stand as The Muslim Girl book. Janna, my main character, is the bi-cultural daughter of divorced parents, with a mother born in America. There‘s such diversity within the Muslim-American experience that to distill our experiences to be reflected in one book is scary.

For example, though the main character in Aisha Saeed‘s Written in the Stars is an American Muslim, and though we both loved the book, the main character‘s struggle was a window not a mirror for my daughter and me because it doesn‘t reflect our experiences of how the Muslims we know get married (i.e. arranged marriages are not the norm among my friends/siblings).

So we learned about an aspect of this American Muslim family from reading Aisha‘s gripping book.

I‘m looking forward to all the different stories Muslims have to tell -- this is what makes the #ownvoices movement so exciting: we get to move beyond the stereotypes. Also, I did want to say that, while this is a memoir, I felt like G. Willow Wilson‘s book The Butterfly Mosque really spoke to me and reflected so many of my own struggles being a Muslim who loved her identity in a world that doesn‘t really love what being Muslim meant, that doesn‘t love you back for your Muslimness.

You’re published with Salaam Reads. Can you tell us a little bit about the imprint and how it was working with the editors as a Muslim writer?

Salaam Reads is a Simon and Schuster imprint focused on publishing books for young readers (from Picture books to Young Adult) with Muslim protagonists, in all their diversity, for a wide audience. It’s the brainchild of S&S executive editor Zareen Jaffery, who saw the almost complete lack of Muslims representation (like a gaping hole, really) in publishing.

I absolutely loved the process of working with Zareen! At one point I even cried at her notes because they were so on-point and at a level I never expected I’d see when I set out writing my book. She really got my story. It makes me tear up even now just thinking about how incredibly lucky I am to work with her.

I guess it was just nice to not have to explain my very essence to someone editing my book.

Because she’s Muslim too, she knew where I was coming from with things I’d written in Saints and Misfits.

What is your advice to writers hoping to get their #ownvoices stories heard one day?

I know it’s easy to say this but now that I’ve been through this process, I can say it with more certitude: be confident in the story you want to tell.

Tell it like it is. Don’t mold it to fit how it’s supposed to look like (except of course in terms of story crafting – you still need a narrative arc, stakes, conflict, etc).

I also strongly believe that there are audiences for every story. Write it the way you want to read it and your audience will find you.

And a third thing: thrive on your differences. If you’re writing an #ownvoice narrative not often seen in publishing, you have a lot of beautifulness to play with. Use it. Introduce your readers to your world boldly and they will feel at home.

You started #MuslimShelfSpace this 2017. Why was it important for you to create?

Well, after the U.S. election, there was a lot of ugliness coming out against marginalized communities, including a book “parodying” (dehumanizing was more like it) different groups. I tweeted a picture of my shelf of Muslim-authored books to counter the idea of stereotyping Muslims – we deserved more nuance and that’s what I hoped my shelf showed. Friends wanted to join in and tweet their own Muslim shelves. We decided on the new year as a great time to launch this initiative and I asked the brilliant Karuna Riazi, a fellow Salaam Reads author, if she could name the hashtag. She came up with several choices and I loved #MuslimShelfSpace.

To start it off right and really get people on board, I included a 13-book giveaway (all authored by Muslims) and asked those participating to not be shy about posting their empty MuslimShelfSpace pictures. This was important because I wanted tweeters to think about whether they’d been actually buying diverse reads. I was on winter vacation from teaching so I had a lot of time to push the campaign and to think up ways to keep it going – something I think was instrumental in getting many, many people to participate.

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#MuslimShelfSpace Check out author and creator of the hashtag SK Ali’s own #MuslimShelfSpace!

What is #MuslimShelfSpace?

It’s a hashtag for tagging and finding Muslim authored works; it’s great because it’s mostly in pictorial form and evidence-based.

How can we contribute?

Take a picture of your shelf of Muslim authors or the space you’ve made for Muslim authored books. (I also want to specify that it’s ownvoice books we’re trying to center here – not books about Muslims, written by those outside the identity.)

Got an empty space? Here are some tips on/how to get started reading more Muslim books!

First, check out #MuslimShelfSpace.

(I also started a twitter account @ MuslimShelfSpace to begin to “archive” the tweets.)

There are a lot of Goodreads lists that feature Muslim authored books.

Ask Muslim authors & bloggers for their recommendations.

Be wary of books authored by non-Muslims that Muslim readers have identified as having problematic content; sadly, these types of books just add to the misconceptions out there and further fuel marginalization.

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Let’s talk about the newest addition to everyone’s #MuslimShelfSpace- your book! What sparked the idea for it and how did Janna Yusuf come into being?

Janna Yusuf crawled out of the first YA novel I wrote (unpublished). She was the MC’s best friend and when I felt that that first novel was beyond revision, Janna wouldn’t stay quiet.

So I made a list of what went wrong with that first book and what went right and Janna Yusuf stood out as right on. I did the only thing I could do at that point: I began blogging in her voice. Pretty soon, I fell in love with her personality completely. I just enjoyed the process of writing her story so much that I knew I had to complete it.

I hear the writing process for this book took five years. What was the hardest thing about writing this book and how did you overcome that?

Yes, it was slow-going. I work fulltime and am a parent so time is precious. I think that was the hardest thing. It takes me a long time to get into the headspace I need to be in to write (quiet or white noise-like, clutter-free space) so I needed to find regular blocks of at least two to three hours to work.

I overcame that by scheduling time into each week – one block on the weekend and one block in the middle of the week. And I made sure I divided holidays in half; first half for the fun stuff and second half, I’m writing my fingers off. My writer friends and I joke that you know you’re a writer if you look forward to holidays just so you can write.

Oh, that’s the other thing I did: go on retreats, with friends or on my own, where all I could focus on was writing.

A lot of readers are now getting into photography with Bookstagram being so popular. Janna is an aspiring photographer- what made you think of this hobby for your character and how did you incorporate it in the book?

Okay, so this is going to sound very esoteric-authory, but it was Janna who chose to be a photographer. The scene where she discovers her crush, Jeremy, came to me as her seeing him through her camera. So that’s who she was. It made sense also because she has a very stay-in-the-background personality and, as I know a few gifted photographers, I noticed that’s the personality they exhibit so it made sense to make photography a part of Janna’s character.

Initially, to incorporate this into the book, I had photos that Janna “took” to accompany the text. In the end though, they become a part of Janna’s story, her describing what she sees and how she sees it. Her “lens” became her voice.

Janna is also a fan of Flannery O‘Connor. How come? Are you a fan of her yourself?

I went through this phase in high school where I switched from reading horror paperbacks to Southern Gothic fiction. The latter subgenre was subtler but nevertheless still horror and more real, which was scarier.

Throughout our lives, as readers, we discover new genres or authors and sometimes a discovery aligns with things happening in our lives just so. So I tapped into that feeling of seizing upon a particular author and using their words to see your world to add a running theme to Janna’s story.

And Flannery O’Connor made sense because she was also into religion and into calling out those who parade their “piety”.

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We hear you’ve got an interesting cast, like Janna’s divorced Indian father and Egyptian mother as well as her brother Muhammad.

Which relationship did you enjoy exploring the most?

Oh, I loved writing Muhammad and Janna. I have three siblings and I have three kids and maybe that’s why Janna and Muhammad’s relationship was so fun to write. It felt seamless. I also got to inject humor into the story through their interactions.

Muslim teens deserve romance and lots of happy feels. Janna crushes on a non-Muslim boy, Jeremy. Can you tell us about the intercultural romance in the book?

Well on this topic, I’m going to be cryptic and say, while Janna awakens to intense romantic feelings, there are lots of directions those feelings could go once awakened. I know, cryptic. #sorrynotsorry Pretty much everyone and their mothers were thrilled to see a Hijabi on the cover of Saints and Misfits. Did you get a say about this at all? How did you feel when you saw the book cover yourself?

I knew Salaam Reads would get it right in terms of putting a Hijabi on the cover. That’s why I was thrilled to work with an editor who understood the importance of Muslim representation. It was a given that since Janna wears hijab, the cover would depict that pretty accurately.

When I saw the cover, I was giddy. I just loved the way it was fresh and different. And how it shows the character doing something as opposed to staring off forlornly, asking readers to pity her (as is the case with the cover of a lot of books with Hijabi characters).

What are your must-haves for a Saints and Misfits reading kit?

Halal gummy bears are a must. Gel pens to doodle with. Walking Contradiction by Greenday on your headphones. Also Edith Piaf singing La Vie En Rose or this cover in English by Daniela Andrade.

A black scarf around your neck (Janna’s favorite color). Your favorite motivational saying framed (how Janna keeps connected to her dad). Flower crown (Sarah wears flowers on her hijab). Halal marshmallows.

Saints and Misfits highlights several big “life” things like friendship, family, and faith as well as tough issues like attempted rape and assault. How did you balance tackling all these and adding wit and humor?

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Also as an author, what do you want readers to take away after reading this book?

Life happens vibrantly, all at once: the good, the bad and the funny. And when we’re in the midst of pain, the vibrancy of life is obviously beyond our awareness but I wanted to surround Janna with this vibrancy through supportive, interesting characters, like a scaffold.

She’s oblivious to it but it’s still there.

It’s okay if we don’t see our scaffold consistently throughout our lives but at certain points, we’ll reach out and it will be there, in some form. I guess that’s what I want readers to take away from my book: seek support.

What do you think about the current representation of Muslim in movies? Would you be open for your book to be adapted into a film and if so, what aspect or scene would you most like to see on screen?

I’d love to see it transferred to a movie or better yet, a TV series. *Daydreams, chin resting on hands* But I’d like this only with an understanding of where we stand in terms of Muslim representation on screen: it’s woeful and inaccurate. So, I would love to see a positive interpretation of a Muslim story, something quirky and different. Maybe something that incorporates Janna’s photography or drawings into the visuals?

Like I’m a big fan of when directors fiddle with the format of film and TV, like in BBC’s Sherlock, where we see what Sherlock sees when he looks at someone, in text form across the image. It would be awesome if Saints and Misfits was interpreted in a nifty way like that.

What are you working on or publishing next? We’re already super excited for it.

I’m beyond excited about my next book! It’s a Muslim love story between two travellers, set in Istanbul. It’s light and fun and I’m having such a blast writing it. I have a great friendship going between two female characters and there’s a lot of Istanbul, maybe my favorite city in the world, infused into the story. Also, ART. I can’t wait to share it with the world! I also have a picture book in the works that should be announced soon. It’s an amazing project!

Thanks for chatting with us, Sajidah!

We’re so glad a book like Saints and Misfits is out there in the world for bookish teens (Muslim teens especially) and YA fans to devour!

Life happens vibrantly, all at once: the good, the bad and the funny.

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Get to know the authors behind 2017’s most exciting sophomore YA Novels!

No tewo rthy G race and the Feve r Th e I n co n ce i vable Life o f Qu inn H e re We Are N ow Sa y No to t he Bro The G e n t le m an’s Gu ide to Vice a nd Virt u e H ow to Make a Wish L i t t le & Lio n Bu t Th e n I C am e Back L ite rally

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Riley Redgate: Noteworthy What’s your favorite…

Place to write?

My writing desk. I didn’t know it was possible to be so emotionally attached to a piece of furniture.

Independent bookstore to visit?

Edward McKay, a used bookstore in my hometown in North Carolina.

Writing music (if you listen to music while writing)?

Any movie soundtrack by Dario Marianelli. I’ve also listened to the How to Train Your Dragon OST and the Ex Machina OST a lot recently.

Movie/TV show?

Movie: The Emperor’s New Groove, closely trailed by The Babadook and Carol. TV show has got to be Avatar: The Last Airbender, although Veronica Mars holds a special place in my heart, too.

Vacation spot?

This is tough! Probably Dublin. I have a lot of childhood memories there. That said, I haven’t been back in so long that this feels strange to say. Maybe my college, now that I’ve graduated—I went to Kenyon, and it’s ungodly beautiful.

Writing snack?

The only thing coming to mind is Welch’s Fruit Snacks. I swear to God there’s got to be a better answer.

What’s the last YA book you read and really loved?

I’m quite picky. The last YA that really enraptured me was Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt, a delightful fable that took me by surprise. I saw a mention of it on the internet, felt intrigued by the title, read the Amazon excerpt, had to know what happened, and read the entire book between the hours of 1 and 3 a.m.

Name something you can’t write without: A sense of direction, whether it’s toward the ending of a story or just the end of a scene.

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When I’m not writing, I’m usually… singing or songwriting or looking at pictures of sharks on the internet.

What’s your biggest writing quirk?

Oh, Lord, it has to be overdramatic chapter closing lines. Somebody’s got to start reining me back on this one.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

I’m not too precious about names, honestly— they feel no more and no less important to me than any other part of worldbuilding. Cultural accuracy is also important to me, not just in terms of race but in terms of class, region, etc. I also know whether I want them to be common or uncommon, and that’s generally all I care about. (I’m a sucker for uncommon names shortened into common abbreviations, though. I will never actually write a character whose name is Catastrophe shortened to Cat, but damn it, some secret part of me shrieks, DO IT.)

it to shreds and stitching them back together.

I wrote 90% of the first draft of Noteworthy in about a month during college and the editing process was light and simple. Authors talk about Second Book Syndrome a lot, but I feel like I got passed over for that (hooray!) and am instead currently mired in Third Book Syndrome (which, oh my God, help).

What can you tell us about your current WIP? It’s about a mild-mannered creative writing student who becomes obsessed with gaining the approval of her new teacher, a perpetually unimpressed, sadistically critical Pulitzer Prize winner who believes that suffering is a requirement to create great art.

If you were to write in a different genre (either within or outside of YA), what would it be?

Most of my early unpublished stuff is speculative YA! I’m working on a fantasy project I’d love to share with the world soon.

Describe your sophomore novel in five words: Alto infiltrates all-male singing group.

Tell us a fun fact about your book: I came up with the concept before a rehearsal with one of my college a cappella groups, Colla Voce, a small all-female classical ensemble. I’m sure I was hopelessly distracted during that rehearsal. (my retrospective apologies, Voce) How did the process of writing your second novel differ from the process of writing your first novel?

They were vastly different in everything from duration to location. I drafted most of my first novel, Seven Ways We Lie, in senior year of high school, and spent the next three years ripping

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Zan Romanoff: Grace and the Fever

What’s your favorite…

Place to write?

I’m a coffee shop writer—I like to have stuff going on around me while I work. There’s one spot in my neighborhood where a bunch of other YA writers also hang out and write, and those are my favorite days, the ones where we’re all at a table together being like, why have we done this to ourselves.

Independent bookstore to visit?

Skylight Books in Los Feliz is my local these days, but I grew up at Chevalier’s on Larchmont. They’re both beautiful spaces with really lovely, helpful, enthusiastic people on staff—exactly the kind of places that remind you of why independent bookstores are so important to communities.

Writing music (if you listen to music while writing)?

I don’t listen to music while I write (though there’s always something playing if I’m at a coffee shop). I do listen to music when I’m planning or thinking about story, and that varies by project. I imagined A Song to Take the World Apart to Lorde’s Pure Heroine and Grace and the Fever to One Direction’s Four.

Movie/TV show?

Movies are easier so let’s go with those: Empire Records & Clueless.

What’s the last YA book you read and really loved?

I always say that Kristen Cashore’s Graceling is the book I wish I could have written. Naomi Novik’s Uprooted is also just fantastic.

Name something you can’t write without: My laptop. (I’m not much for rituals.)

If you had a pseudonym, what would it be?

This is sort of a boring answer, but I love my middle name, Francis, so I’d probably go with that. It’s hard to pick a better last name than Romanoff, which has been associated with real-life royalty and fictional superheroes…

When I’m not writing, I’m usually… asleep. Or complaining to my friends about how much writing I’ve been doing.

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What’s your biggest writing quirk?

I write pretty fast—the first draft of Grace and the Fever took about two months, and that was while I had a full-time job. They’re not always good, but I can always get plenty of words on the page.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

Sometimes I have a name that I love that I want to use for something—Grace is one of them, actually, just a name I think is pretty and evocative—but usually it’s a lot of Googling things like “southern boys’ names” or “Iranian last name” or whatever and then scrolling through lists until I see what strikes me. It’s a great way to procrastinate at the beginning of a project.

If you were to write in a different genre (either within or outside of YA), what would it be?

I’d love to write epic fantasy novels—they’re one of my favorite things to read. (See: Graceling.)

Sadly, my imagination doesn’t seem to work that way.

Describe your sophomore novel in five words: Never, ever meet your idols.

luck, tricked my agent and my editor, and I was about to make a very public fool of myself for having told anyone that I really thought I could write books.

When Grace came, though, it honestly kind of dropped into my lap. I’d been sort of playing around with a premise about a girl who was obsessed with a boy band conspiracy theory but I couldn’t see a way into it—I always start writing at the beginning of the book, and I couldn’t get a first scene that made sense. I was literally in the shower when I figured out where Grace was going to start, and from there the draft flowed super easily. It also turned out had learned a lot about plotting from writing those two books— the one that got published and the one no one will ever read.

What can you tell us about your current WIP? It’s a book about Snapchat, hurt feelings, abandoned hotels, first forays into feminism, and what it means to let other people see you when you aren’t sure who it is you’re showing them yet. My editor hasn’t read it yet, so I don’t want to say too much more, but I’m really excited about it, and hopeful that it will end up being book #3.

Tell us a fun fact about your book: My friend Logan had really encouraged me to start writing it when I thought the concept was too silly to take seriously, so when I started the draft, it I sent her the first few pages, just as a hey, this is happening! kind of thing. But she was so enthusiastic about them that I kept sending it as I was writing it, and now I have the first draft of Grace preserved as a series of emails—it’s wild to be able to see exactly what I wrote on which days. For instance, the day it comes out in 2017 is the exact day I was writing the climactic party scene for the first time in 2015.

How did the process of writing your second novel differ from the process of writing your first novel?

Song was the first novel I had ever tried to write—when I started it, I didn’t expect to finish it, and when I finished it I didn’t think it would get agented and when it got agented I didn’t think it would sell, so there was really no external pressure on me during the process. But then I had gotten an agent, and sold a book. I tried to write a book about werewolves that I got about ¾ of the way through before I realized it was irredeemable garbage. So right as I sold Song I was feeling very much like I’d had beginner’s

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Marianna Baer: The Inconceivable Life of Quinn What’s your favorite…

Place to write?

On the back deck of a house on Lake Michigan that I go to every fall for a writing retreat.

Independent bookstore to visit?

So many! But for sheer range of offerings, I’ll say Powell’s, in Portland, OR. Writing music (if you listen to music while writing)?

No music, but I do like ambient noise, not complete silence.

Movie/TV show?

Current favorite TV show is Veep.

Past/forever faves are The Wire and Friday Night Lights. Favorite movie of recent years is Boyhood.

Vacation spot?

The coast of Maine Writing snack? Tamari roasted almonds What’s the last YA book you read and really loved?

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour Name something you can’t write without: Caffeine If you had a pseudonym, what would it be?

Monterey Orchid. (I took a burlesque performance class and that was my stage name--seems easiest to limit myself to one alter ego.)

When I’m not writing, I’m usually… catching up on stuff that should have been done several weeks ago. I’m horribly disorganized (in every area of life except my writing/editing).

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What’s your biggest writing quirk?

I have to read my entire draft from the beginning before I start to write for the day. Even when the book is already 300 pages long. (I do not recommend this quirk!)

How do you pick your characters’ names?

My main characters’ names usually pop into my head after a couple of weeks of thinking about a book idea. I always know them when I hear them. For other characters’ names, I pore over the programs of school performances I go to, the Social Security website, and a baby name book. It’s one of my favorite methods of procrastination!

If you were to write in a different genre (either within or outside of YA), what would it be?

Children’s picture books. My background is in art, and I’ve wanted to write and illustrate a picture book for years.

Quinn—a much more ambitious book— under more complicated circumstances, while navigating the publishing world for the first time.

It took eight years of on-and-off work. Quinn would have been a very difficult book to write under any circumstances. But the fact that I was also dealing with enormous professional (and personal) challenges while writing it made me come close to pressing “Delete” on the whole project a number of times.

What can you tell us about your current WIP? Well, my editor doesn’t even know what it’s about yet, so I probably shouldn’t reveal too much! I will say that it involves art forgery, murderous plants, passionate love, crippling guilt, and a main character who is much gutsier and taller than I am.

Describe your sophomore novel in five words: Mysterious virgin pregnancy becomes public.

Tell us a fun fact about your book: I recently came across an email I wrote to Jandy Nelson in 2008. We were both unpublished, in our final semester of our MFA program. I told her that I’d gotten an idea “stuck in my craw” about a contemporary immaculate conception novel. Was it a terrible idea, I asked, truly thinking it might be. (Teen pregnancy, religion… dangerous territory.) Her response was epically enthusiastic. So, the fun fact is that Jandy’s excitement was the accelerant on my tiny spark of an idea.

How did the process of writing your second novel differ from the process of writing your first novel?

Oy. How much time do you have? Short version is that I wrote Frost while in my MFA program, and finished it in about two years, with a great deal of effort but relatively little angst. I wrote

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Jasmine Warga: Here We Are Now What’s your favorite…

Place to write?

My study. It’s up on the third floor of my house, which is a creaky 100-year-old Victorian.

Independent bookstore to visit?

My hometown Joseph-Beth!

Writing music (if you listen to music while writing)?

This completely depends on the project. Recently I’ve been listening to Big Thief’s “Masterpiece” on repeat, Mitski’s “Your Best American Girl” and The Mountain Goat’s new album, Goths. There’s this song on Goths called “Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back To Leeds” and I’m obsessed with it. It reminds me so much of how I feel about my hometown Cincinnati, even though John Darnielle is singing about Leeds.

Vacation spot?

This is tough! I love visiting new places, but I have a soft spot for traveling to Amman, Jordan and visiting my family there.

What’s the last YA book you read and really loved?

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord.

Name something you can’t write without: Nerve. I know that sounds crunchy as hell, but seriously. I can’t write without my nerve and I often lose it.

If you had a pseudonym (or, if applicable, a different pseudonym), what would it be?

I’d probably use something involving my maiden name—Nazek.

Complete the following: when I’m not writing, I’m usually…

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hanging out with my two little girls, puppy, and cat.

What’s your biggest writing quirk?

I’m a terrible speller so I’m constantly googling words because spell check can’t even figure out what I’m trying to type.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

I think about what their parents would’ve named them.

If you were to write in a different genre (either within or outside of YA), what would it be?

Middle grade Describe your sophomore novel in five words: Music, secrets, family, forgiveness, friendship Tell us a fun fact about your book: While trying to brainstorm ideas for the book, I went to my mom’s house and found all these old mix CDs from when I was fifteen and sixteen and I listened to them while lying on the floor of my study.

How did the process of writing your second novel differ from the process of writing your first novel?

So. Much. Harder.

What can you tell us about your current WIP? Well, I’m in love with working on it. It feels really personal to me. I can’t really talk about it yet, but it feels like a book I had to write, which is the best sort of feeling. Working on it has made me fall back in love with writing. And it’s the reason I’ve been listening to “Your Best American Girl” on repeat.

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Kat Helgeson: Say No to the Bro What’s your favorite…

Place to write?

My bedroom Independent bookstore to visit?

Good old Babbitt’s Books in my hometown of Bloomington, IL Writing music (if you listen to music while writing)?

Instrumental only. Nothing with words.

Movie/TV show?

This changes hourly Vacation spot?

Italy Writing snack?

Rice cakes with peanut butter What’s the last YA book you read and really loved?

There are so many amazing ones! I hate to pick! I guess the most recent would be Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy. I adore the protagonist and the way Kennedy built tension.

Name something you can’t write without: A notebook. I never draft by hand, but I’ve always got a dedicated notebook in my purse for my current WIP in case I get an idea at some random time.

If you had a pseudonym, what would it be?

Ben Kenobi Complete the following: when I’m not writing, I’m usually…

Reading. Am I a cliche?

What’s your biggest writing quirk?

I do my best work caffeine-fueled, after midnight.

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How do you pick your characters’ names?

I like to use baby name websites and find out what names were popular the year my characters would have been born. Once I have that list, I just look for something that strikes me.

If you were to write in a different genre (either within or outside of YA), what would it be?

I’d love to try YA nonfiction. Histories and biographies. I’d start with the story of the Space Race (which Ava is studying in Say No to the Bro).

Describe your sophomore novel in five words: Flirty, feminist, body-positive, goofy, romantic.

Tell us a fun fact about your book: I had to learn about football to write it. I knew basically nothing. It’s a pretty complex game, so I still know basically nothing. I can tell you what a long snapper does though!

How did the process of writing your second novel differ from the process of writing your first novel?

Since this was my first solo project (my debut, Gena/Finn, was co-written with Hannah Moskowitz), it was incredibly different. I think the biggest difference between co-writing and writing alone is that you have to trust yourself more. With a co-writer you get pretty instant feedback on everything you do, but when you’re going solo, often no one sees your work at all until you’ve invested months. That’s scary.

What can you tell us about your current WIP? It’s a space adventure, which is something I’ve always dreamed of writing! There’s a lot of complex world building to do, but I’m really excited about it.

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Mackenzi Lee: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue What’s your favorite…

Place to write?

Anywhere that has fountain soda so I can keep the Diet Coke flowing.

Independent bookstore to visit?

I work at Trident Booksellers and Café in Boston, so I’m biased toward that one. But I grew up going to the King’s English in Salt Lake City and they have a very special place in my heart.

Writing music (if you listen to music while writing)?

The Mountain Goats or Iron and Wine. Any of that chill intellectual hipster folk nonsense.

Movie/TV show?

Singing in the Rain (with Mad Max: Fury Road as a close second) Vacation spot?

Venice, Italy Writing snack?

Diet Coke What’s the last YA book you read and really loved?

Beautiful Broken Girls by Kim Savage.

Name something you can’t write without: Diet Coke (ugh I have such a problem but it’s my one vice!)

If you had a pseudonym (or, if applicable, a different pseudonym), what would it be?

I’ve often joked about writing under a male pseudonym just because of how

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much easier it is for men to have their work taken seriously. And I have always been rather partial to the name Victor (for Frankenstein, obvs). Victor Lee? Let’s go with that.

Complete the following: when I’m not writing, I’m usually… baking pies, curating (and expanding) my closet of patterned dresses, or petting dogs I meet.

What’s your biggest writing quirk?

I love hiding obscure references—both modern and historical—in my books. If you know me well, reading my books is just a big game of I Spy.

misfits there.

What can you tell us about your current WIP? I have the aforementioned Bygone Badass Broads coming out in 2018. I also have two novels in the pipeline—one I can’t yet talk about, and a second called Semper Augustus, which is set in Holland in the 1637s, during the Dutch Tulipomania.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

Oh gosh, this is different for every character.

Since I write historical fiction, a lot of it is dictated by popular names at the time. Though I do keep a list of names on my computer that I’d like to someday use for characters. And I definitely love to sneak in some of my favorite odd dead names from days gone by into secondary characters in my books (there’s a St. John in The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, so basically I can retire).

If you were to write in a different genre (either within or outside of YA), what would it be?

I’ve got a historical nonfiction book coming out next year called Bygone Badass Broads, which is a collection of short, humorous essays about badass women in history you probably haven’t heard of—is niche historical nonfiction about women a genre?

Describe your sophomore novel in five words: Historical gay European roadtrip romp Tell us a fun fact about your book: I took my own grand tour of Europe (of a sort— mine was nowhere near as opulent as Monty and co.) when I was in college, and I basically plotted GGTVAV around my favorite cities I had visited and how I could get my little band of

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Ashley Herring Blake: How to Make a Wish What’s your favorite…

Place to write?

I love writing at home when it’s quiet, but I’m happy with earbuds and some gloomy music in a local coffee shop too.

Independent bookstore to visit?

Parnasuss Books in Nashville, TN. I also work there part-time, so it is my favorite favorite.

Writing music (if you listen to music while writing)?

I don’t listen to music unless I’m in a crowded space and then, I stick to my favorite gloomy artists like Agnes Obel and Fleurie.

Movie/TV show?

Supergirl all day for TV show, Inside Out for movie.

Vacation spot?

Cape San Blas, FL. It’s a tiny little cape off the gulf and there is absolutely nothing to do there. It’s glorious.

What’s the last YA book you read and really loved?

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate. It has a bi, cross-dressing MC that brings up all sorts of relevant gender issues, some truly excellent kissing, and a brilliantly drawn a capella group. It also delves into poverty, which I think we need more of in YA. It is voice-y and insightful and just an absolute delight.

Name something you can’t write without: My laptop and Scrivener. I cannot write by hand and I absolutely cannot write on Word.

If you had a pseudonym, what would it be?

Gemma St. James. I don’t know, it just came to me. Has a nice ring to it, yes?

Complete the following: when I’m not writing, I’m usually…

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READING. If I have five minutes, I’ll put out the book I’m reading.

What’s your biggest writing quirk?

Probably my aversion to Word. Even when a book is in edits with my editor, I’ll make all the changes in Scrivener as opposed to just writing/ accepting changes/or editing in Word. I truly despise it.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

I honestly don’t know. Usually, something pops into my head and I’ll go from there. I’ll use baby name websites to get ideas sometimes, but most of the time, I know the name is right when it just…feels right, when it fits the character in my head.

If you were to write in a different genre (either within or outside of YA), what would it be?

Middle grade, definitely. In fact, I am writing middle grade!

Describe your sophomore novel in five words: Mothers, purple, kissing, piano, friends

There are definitely pluses and minuses to both ways. For a lot of authors, the second book is a gut-wrenching process, and I can definitely attest to that. The first full novel I wrote after my debut was a total flop. My editor at HMH didn’t want it and neither did anyone else, and with good reason. It was awful! I think that may be one reason writing How to Make a Wish was so refreshing. It was working and my editor liked it and what’s more, it was the story I needed to tell.

What can you tell us about your current WIP? I can’t tell you much, but I can tell you about my 2018 YA, Girl Made of Stars, which is currently in copyedits. It’s about a bisexual girl named Mara whose world is turned upside down when her twin brother is accused of raping his girlfriend, who is also one of his girlfriends. It is hands-down, the hardest book I’ve written yet, but it’s also one of my favorites. The love interest, Charlie, is genderqueer, and Charlie and Mara are absolutely my favorite couple I’ve ever written. It’s not a cheerful book, but I hope it finds its way into the hands of readers who might need it.

Tell us a fun fact about your book: While obviously not exact, the opening scene in which my main character comes back from a piano workshop to find that, in those two weeks, her mother has moved everything they own into a new place with her the mom’s new boyfriend, was inspired by a true story. A friend of mine had something very similar happen to her and I found it absolutely heartbreaking. She knows it’s in the book, of course.

How did the process of writing your second novel differ from the process of writing your first novel?

My second novel, thus far, is the only book I sold to a publisher without having finished it.

My editor bought it after reading about thirty thousand words and a synopsis, so I then wrote the rest of it after talking through things with her. It was different, but I liked it just as much as writing the whole book prior to selling it.

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Brandy Colbert: Little & Lion What’s your favorite…

Place to write?

For many years, I wrote almost exclusively on my bed, but now it’s my couch. I don’t think either are particularly great for my back or posture, but I work on copyediting projects at my desk, so I prefer to mix it up.

Independent bookstore to visit?

Skylight Books in Los Angeles (with an honorary mention to Mrs. Dalloway’s in Berkeley, California) Movie/TV show?

Lately I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries, particularly those dealing with true crime and social justice (tons of laughs at my place!).

I recently binged and loved the first season of Queen Sugar, and I will always and forever love Felicity.

Writing snack?

Popcorn and cheese are frequently used for writing fuel over here.

What’s the last YA book you read and really loved?

So many! What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and We Are Okay by Nina LaCour.

Name something you can’t write without: Myself! Honestly, my writing routine is pretty bare bones. Just me and my computer. I don’t have a schedule or intense process. I don’t understand Scrivener, and I write my books in linear order from beginning to end.

Complete the following: when I’m not writing, I’m usually… reading, copyediting, hanging with friends, or watching too much TV. What’s your biggest writing quirk?

I edit as I go along, which I know can be controversial. I don’t outline my work,

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so it helps me keep storylines straight and saves time when I do a read-through later.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

I’m pretty meticulous about character names. I use baby name websites and try not to choose anything that’s been used frequently or recently in contemporary novels. I like unusual and oldfashioned names, and try to steer clear of any that belong to people I know in real life.

If you were to write in a different genre (either within or outside of YA), what would it be?

Adult literary fiction! I hope to publish in that space one day, as it’s one of my true loves.

Describe your sophomore novel in five words: Dramatic summertime reunion of siblings.

How did the process of writing your second novel differ from the process of writing your first novel?

It was a much different process for me. I wrote my first novel sans agent, and then queried with the full and heavily revised manuscript to find representation. My second book, I worked on for almost a year and a half before my agent and I were both happy with it, and then we sold it on proposal. I had to write most of the novel on contract, which was pretty nerve-wracking.

I also moved apartments twice in six months* when I was drafting, so suffice to say life was pretty tense for a while. *I do not recommend this.

What can you tell us about your current WIP? Hmmm…I’m not sure I have it figured out enough to say much except that it’s another book about a black girl and family and secrets.

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Estelle Laure: But Then I Came Back What’s your favorite…

Place to write?

In bed. What? Don’t judge. Truman Capote did it.

Independent bookstore to visit?

Oh man. I love indie bookstores. It’s a tie between the Tattered Cover in Denver and Parnassus Books in Nashville.

Writing music (if you listen to music while writing)?

I can’t listen to music with words while I write or I find the words I’m listening to and the ones I’m writing competing with each other, so I listen to really dramatic movie soundtrack music.

Movie/TV show?

I just went on a sick Shameless binge.

Just came up for air from that one.

I’m dying that Girls is ending. I love that show. Elijah is my soul mate. And Captain Fantastic is my favorite movie of last year.

Vacation spot?

Any beach anywhere any time. Give me a sun chair and I’m all set.

What’s the last YA book you read and really loved?

I am mid-way through Jeff Zentner’s Goodbye Days and oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.

Name something you can’t write without: A notebook for writing down random thoughts. That’s how I keep myself from distraction. If I suddenly remember I need to pay a bill or something I just write it down and move on. Something in a later chapter I need to fix? Same. Write it down. Save it. Keep your body where it is.

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If you had a pseudonym, what would it be?

E.M. Eagleton (does this mean I can’t use it now?)

Complete the following: when I’m not writing, I’m usually… under my cat. Wait, that’s just all the time.

What’s your biggest writing quirk?

Extreme self-doubt? Seriously, I am not a wordy writer. I like fragmented sentences and only as many words as I need and no more. I’m working on loosening up.

and questions I had. I call the first my trauma book and the second my grief book. Maybe someday I will write from atop a cloud while riding a unicorn, but so far it’s pretty wrenching.

What can you tell us about your current WIP? Hmmm….I will say there’s a little more magic and it’s all about girrrrrrls.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

They just come. It sounds hokey but it’s true.

One morning I woke up with the name Digby in my head. A few hours later I had a tall redhead forming by the name. Next day I heard something about how Jimi Hendrix’s mother was named Lucille and this girl appeared. And I’ve been walking around with Joe for years. I just didn’t know where to put him until I started writing book two. I’m pretty rational most of the time but writing is magic.

If you were to write in a different genre (either within or outside of YA), what would it be?

I would love to write a middle grade that tells the truth about the world.

Describe your sophomore novel in five words: Two coma girls wake differently Tell us a fun fact about your book: The character Gigi is based on my grandmother’s best friend George. She is why I love owls so much and why I never dismiss the occult. She really did love rum.

How did the process of writing your second novel differ from the process of writing your first novel?

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Lucy Keating: Literally What’s your favorite…

Place to write?

Other people’s houses.

Independent bookstore to visit?

Bart’s Books in Ojai California.

Writing music (if you listen to music while writing)?

Oh gosh. SO hard! Usually indie, often folk. I have playlists for all my books on my Spotify.

Movie/TV show?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind/Silicon Valley Vacation spot?

The Farm Coast of Massachusetts Writing snack?

If I’m eating and writing I am probably not writing. I’m probably procrastinating.

What’s the last YA book you read and really loved?

I am just about to finish The Disappearances by Emily Murphy, and it is absolutely fantastic.

Name something you can’t write without: Comfortable clothes.

If you had a pseudonym, what would it be?

Why would I give it away now?

When I’m not writing, I’m usually… hanging out with my dog.

What’s your biggest writing quirk?

I’m not actually sure if this is unusual or not, but sometimes when I am struggling

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with a scene, I lay down and close my eyes for long periods of time to picture it all in my head.

If you were to write in a different genre (either within or outside of YA), what would it be?

Mystery/Suspense.

Describe your sophomore novel in five words: Experimental, meta, light, romantic, bizarre Tell us a fun fact about your book: There’s a character in it named after me. (But not really me).

How did the process of writing your second novel differ from the process of writing your first novel?

By this time, you’ve kind of set the groundwork for your voice and brand. Not to say you can’t depart from it later, but for your second book you kind of want to stick to something recognizable that your current fans will love. This narrows down your options, which can actually be a good thing.

What’s the biggest struggle you ran into while writing/publishing your second novel?

Time. This was the second book in a two book deal, but not a sequel, so it was hard. The first idea I wanted to do didn’t work, so I was a little rushed on some pieces of it that I would’ve liked to have sat with for longer. But I always say that…

What can you tell us about your current WIP? It’s a little less quirky, but still surprising.

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UNDER THE RADAR BOOKS

This list was compiled by a number of our staff members, focusing on books released from the past year to the date of this publication. Without further ado, here’s the Stay Bookish Zine’s Under the Radar picks!

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali This YA debut from Salaam Reads stars Janna, a Muslim teen trying to figure out the intersections between the different parts of her life, such as her school, her mosque and her family.

10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac In this contemporary novel, Maeve is a teen dealing with a messy family situation and her anxiety. Maeve is in Vancouver with her father for the summer, while her mom is in Haiti doing charity work. Maeve has to navigate her anxiety and the new set of problems that arise over the summer. 10 Things I Can See From Here explores anxiety, complicated families and new love.

Vigilante by Kady Cross This novel stars Hadley, a teen determined to get revenge by any means necessary on the men who harmed her best friend.

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The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, this novel features mermaids, maidens and trickster gods. Ersel wants to be free, but as part of a mermaid group that values fertility and childbirth the most, she feels trapped. When a human ends up stranded near her home, Ersel may have a chance at freedom.

Meg & Linus by Hanna Nowinski This Swoon Reads debut is a wonderfully cute story of friendship and romance. Meg and Linus are best friends who’ve bonded over being queer and their shared nerdiness. When things go awry in Meg’s relationship, she decides to help Linus make a move on his crush, a cute coffee shop barista. This short novel is a perfectly cute read.

The Last of August by Brittany Cavllaro The second book in a series that’s a Sherlock retelling, this novel continues the adventures of Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson.

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QUIZ

1

You are at school or at work, and your teacher or boss is late, which never happens. You…

A.

Use the opportunity to take out your book and jump right back into the life of your favorite characters.

B. Start thinking that he must have accidentally gone into another dimension or found a magical sword somewhere.

2

C. Investigate. He’s never late; maybe he got kidnapped?

It’s a warm summer day, and you can be found…

A. or

Lounging on the grass with your best friends your lover, enjoying some delicious lemonade.

B. Finding cool shapes in the clouds like dragons and castles.

C. Planning a treasure hunt for your friends and family.

3 A.

When faced with a problem you…

Ask your friends and family for advice.

B. Dive in head first without thinking of the consequences.

C. Look at every angle, analyse every possibility before mak-

4

ing a move.

The Pride Parade is happening next week. You plan on going because…

A. Marching is your way to show your support for the LGBTQ+ community.

B.

As much as you like imaginary worlds, you know and want to make others understand that the LGBTQ+ community is real and valid.

C.

You want to be there to assure your friend’s safety and to prevent any incident from happening again.

5 A.

In the kitchen, you’re the kind of person who…

Bakes a cake from scratch without any recipe and decorates it with colourful icing.

B. C.

6A.

Is willing to do anything as long as it involves a kitchen knife.

Needs a very detailed recipe to follow.

Your ideal vacation is…

Going on a road trip with friends.

B. Going into another country to explore.

C. Visiting a historical site to try and dig up some mysteries.

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what book add to you

You’re looking at all the books you po that got you really excited when yo anymore. Your current read is almos to dive into next—the disaster! Fear books you shou PHOTO BY TIFFANY

7A.

Your workspace most

Paint brushes and Amne with one too many bookcas

B. “Workspace?” I don’t nee C. Notebooks open and po

8 A.

It’s finally Friday night

Stay in to chill and relax a

B. Go out into the town, ho C. Go to a party a friend is

new information and gossip

9 A.

Your relationship with r

We have an agreement th while recognizing that, for som

B. Every time is a new advent can never get enough!

C. People have died on roller

you can be sure that I’ve chec

R E S U LT S If you scored...

mostly A’s

You’re the kind of person who’s really down to earth and creative. You’re passionate at heart, whether it regards your love towards your friends and family or your fierce support for the fight against social issues such as racism and homophobia.

Your next read should definitely be a contemporary!

TRY:

k should you ur T BR ?

ossess and have yet to read, and the ones ou first got them don’t seem interesting st over, and you don’t know which story r not, this quiz will tell you exactly which uld add to your TBR! WRITTEN BY SOPHIE BERGERON

likely has…

esty International flyers laying around, ses lining the wall

ed one, I’m always on the go.

ost it notes covering every surface.

t and you…

after a hard week of work.

oping for an adventure to find you.

throwing; no way you’re missing out on p!

roller coasters is...

hat I can keep my feet on the ground me people, they can be fun.

ture that gives me a rush of adrenaline; I

r coasters, so before I set foot on them, cked the cables twice!

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney C. Stevens Textrovert by Lindsey Summers The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen If you scored...

mostly B’s

You’re always making up stories in your head, wishing you could escape the real world for adventure and magic. You’re always moving, and you seek out adrenaline in every aspect of your life. Fantasy is definitely the genre for you!

TRY:

Fragile Chaos by Amber R. Duell Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins If you scored...

mostly C’s

You’re quick and clever, with an eye for details. Precise and analytical, you would make a great detective. While you’re not afraid of danger, you’re careful and methodic, and you never rush into anything. Thrillers and mystery are right up your alley!

TRY:

First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirowy Little Monsters by Kara Thomas A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

10A.

In terms of colour, you are...

Cheerful, creative, and determined like orange.

B. Energetic, powerful, and strong like red.

C. Confident, intelligent, and intuitive, like blue.

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SE ASONAL RE ADS Photo & Written Shelly Z

No matter where you are in the world, the seasons are changing. Since winter or summer is starting, here are some reads perfect for any season! While some of these books may not take place during these seasons, their moods and atmospheres are perfect for this time of year.

Summer

Winter My True Love Gave to Me edited

by Stephanie Perkins, with stories by multiple YA authors Shadow Falls series by CC Hunter Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi A History of Glitter and Blood by Hannah Moskowitz The Young Elites by Marie Lu Frostblood by Elly Blake

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To All the Boys I Loved Before

by Jenny Han Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson Summer Days and Summer Nights edited by Stephanie Perkins, with stories by multiple YA authors Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman Open Road Summer by Emery Lord The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli Keeping Her Secret by Sarah Nicholas Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall Cherry by Lindsey Rosin

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Hate to Love Book Recommendations

Hate to love or enemies to lovers is one of my favorite book tropes to read about.

When I read these books, I love the expectation of knowing there will be lots of sass and spats which then turn into something both characters weren’t expecting. Not only that, hate to love books also give a funny-yet-realistic look to relationships, because for some relationships there isn’t always an instant attraction. Here are a few hate to love book recommendations that bring the humor, wit, and love alive.

BY KEANNA LEWIS

The Hating Game This easily became my all time favorite book of 2016 because of the pure wit, sass and quirkiness the MC has that will have you laughing out loud.

Perfect Chemistry Boy meets girl. Boy and girl are from different worlds. Boy and girl are the last people who want to be partnered together for chemistry class. Now is the chemistry literal or figurative?

Shatter Me With the news of Mafi continuing with Juliette and Warner’s story in the next three books, maybe like me, you will have an internal battle to choose between #TeamWarner or #TeamAdam. But just like Juliette, you will see the ways Warner will make you fall in love with him and realize that maybe he’s not so bad after all.

Pride and Prejudice This is the classic that started it all for me.

Pushing The Limits Noah and Echo come from complicated pasts that beautifully weave an intense love wrapped into family dynamics.

Starflight & The Winner‘s Curse Here are some books I haven’t read, but have a hate to love recommendations.

I hope you are able to get some awesome love-to-hate book recommendations and go on a crazy, intense journey with these characters.

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Hello, Book Lover:

Getting To Know

EMMA B Y E M I LY M.

Meet Emma the Book Lover: fan of diverse books, musicals, and history. On her blog, Emma shares her bookish interests and her kind, funny, smart, and inspiring persona caught our attention.

Get acquainted with our favorite cat loving reader as we talk about books and blogging!

Stay Bookish: Let’s do this, Emma! In relation to our “not what it seems” theme this issue, tells us about a book that surprised you and wasn’t what you expected.

Emma: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone was a contemporary I had on my shelf for a while before picking it up and once I did read it, it blew me away! I thought it would just be a cute love story, but it was that and so much more, with twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I was so pleasantly surprised by it!

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the community made me feel like they were giving me warm welcoming hugs and it’s definitely part of what makes blogging so much fun, interacting with all the other lovely bloggers, who not to mention, share the same interests: books!

The blogging community is absolutely wonderful and supportive. Can you recommend any books that exceeded your expectations?

I love when books surprise you like that.

Is there anything you didn’t expect from the blogging community when you started blogging?

A book that I will forever recommend to everyone is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I read it last March (and definitely regret waiting so long!) and it blew me away! It is the kind of book that changes your view on things, warms your heart, and also breaks it at the same time but leaves you knowing you just found a new favorite book.

That’s a good question! Before blogging I assumed everyone would be nice and welcoming but I never could have imagined how supportive everyone was!

I totally agree. You’d think it’s kind of outdated, but it’s really moving. Are there any unpopular opinions you have that readers might be surprised by?

Whether it was simply leaving me a comment, following my blog, or tagging me in tag posts,

Hmm this is a fun one! I actually very much dislike the Divergent series. It used to have a huge fanbase but has kind of fallen under the

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radar since then but I almost detest that series!

It’s a pretty unpopular opinion, but it’s an opinion we share! Is there something people might find surprising about you?

Good to hear I’m not the only one! One thing that takes up as much time in my life as reading does is dance! I am a competitive dancer and have been for years now and I love it. I also dance with all my best friends which makes it even better.

Now for some fun/quick round questions!

Hogwarts house?

I’m a Hufflepuff and proud!

Yes, Hufflepuff pride! Favorite book?

My favorite book ever is The Book Thief and favorite series is Harry Potter! (I cannot choose between those two!)

Of course not! How could you? Favorite TV show?

I actually recently started watching TV since I got Netflix and my favorite by far is Stranger Things!

That’s a good one! Favorite movie?

Hercules! The Disney one of course.

Favorite social media app?

I love Instagram and Snapchat.

FOL LOW EMMA : blog: emmathebooklover.wordpress.com

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YOUNG ADULT IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS

By Marie V. & Sophia Lin

Young Adult Literature is a category that is settling well into the publishing industry these past decades. More often than not it takes the lead on the New York Times Bestsellers lists—most recently, the amazing The Hate U Give. It also takes many shelves in bookshops and libraries; these books have many hidden qualities that allow us to say with certainty: they are not here to leave, at least not right away.

“Young adult”: behind a category It’s so easy to have misconceptions about the young adult category. “Young adult” can mean teenagers and it can also mean not quite an adult yet.

Overall, upon hearing about a book labeled “young adult,” people will often take a step back and wonder whether or not it’s too “childish.” Whether or not it’s actually “good literature.” Whether or not it’s “good enough.” (But shouldn’t those questions apply to any book in the industry?) And whether or not it’s “for me” because I’m too old to read these things?

It’s easy to bash on books you know nothing about—just like how it’s easy to say you know something when you clearly don’t. Like with any book, you might pick up the right one and end up falling in love with it or hating it. It’s just a matter of taste. That being said, there is a reason behind the gush about young adult books in the online bookish community, in publishing houses, and overall industry.

Want to know why? It’s very simple: behind this title, often misconceived as childish and boring and with no depth, these young adult books are more than what they first seem to be.

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Young adult books: filled with hidden treasures There are many reasons why the category is so popular, and if we could lose time listing all of them, we would. For your sake, I will try to keep my love down for a while and mention a couple of key reasons why young adult literature is just like Aladdin’s cave: unknown, dark, and filled with hidden treasures you won’t be able to forget.

Words and worlds to remember When reading a book, we are looking to escape the crazy world we are living in whether it’s our responsibilities, life, school, or our 9 to 5 job. No matter what age we are or what situation we’re in, the young adult category offers some of the most unique worlds to get lost in. Treasures of imagination, echoing with our own worlds allow us to get lost for a moment.

There are many books to choose from in a young adult fantasy, sci-fi, or dystopian shelf: from the incredible world building shaped by V.E Schwab in the Shade of Magic series, where a vivid picture of London collides with magical events right before our eyes; to the uniqueness and unforgettable world of Harry Potter that made both teenagers and adults forever wait for their letters from Hogwarts.

In shaping these worlds, young adult books manage to convey their messages to the world’s strongest population: young adults, the ones changing the world and growing into the adults of tomorrow.

From The Hunger Games to An Ember in the Ashes, so many books offer vivid and incredible pictures of what the world is and could be. A planet lived on screen, of the excess of reality TV, of what the world is actually like if you happen to see it through a particular lens: a fictional one. Learning, zooming in on all of those issues and bringing more overall awareness allows teenagers to speak up and mold the visions of tomorrow, visions of a better future they can and are starting to shape now, thanks to the books they read, the ones that make an impact.

world, but with recurring and what could pass off as very simple themes, it adds complexity and is relatable to anyone, teenager or not. Those themes tackle friendships, family ties, changes both in life and environment or in your own self, questions of identity, and much more.

Character-shaping: one of the strong suits of young adult books

An important part of young adult literature is the community behind it: both passionate and a bit overwhelming at times, the community just keeps on growing, welcoming readers from all backgrounds, countries, ages, and stories. It’s a community where people fight with love. They’re unafraid to scream and shout about the books they fell in love with, or to point out problematic books, the need to be more diverse and so on.

“Young adult” may be another word for “adult in development” but who can admit that they fully get what adulthood means? No matter what the age, we are all forever searching ourselves in this life, and diving into this category allows us to feel everything we sometimes don’t dare feel because we stupidly think that we are supposed to have everything “figured out” by now.

If young adult books are marketed with teenage protagonists in mind, are they the books with the strongest, most powerful voices in the publishing market?

Just ask Angie Thomas’ bestseller The Hate U Give.

Thomas’ story is told from a 16-year-old girl who witnesses police brutality, her voice shines brightly, earning her a place at the top of the New York Times Bestsellers list for over nine weeks. The Hate U Give is bold, strong, unique but more than anything else, it’s an important book just like any other Young Adult book.

Characters from young adult books are unforgivingly real. While some novels, young adult or not, don’t quite grasp feelings and struggles of having to deal with so many different things every single day such as love, loss, hurt, friendship, change, or identity, growth; some young adult books manage to do this in an astonishing way. An example would be Alice Oseman’s books which have an amazing way of perfectly depicting what teenage years feel like, providing an insight on lives, pressure, everything we can feel at any age.

Universal & diverse themes Despite appearances, young adult books aren’t all “fluff.” They may, more often than not, be mistaken for books that are quite simplistic, both in the writing style and in the stories they propose.

However, with incredible worlds, strong character voices, and universal themes, young adult books are richer than anyone can imagine. And with each new release, the category keeps surprising us with the multiple layers it offers on many important issues in the world: mental health, racism, sexual assault, abuse, parents and children relationships, school pressure, grief, gender identity, and so on.

There is a demand from the bookish community to read more about diverse characters, settings, and overall have books that reflect our unique world, and we notice that young adult books are opening up into a diverse world that teenagers see when they look up from the pages they are engrossed into.

A passionate community

We scream and shout about the books we love about through a variety of ways—recommending books left and right; blogging, booktubing, or tweeting about YA; or even creating a magazine about it.

Shared experiences Young adults go through a lot, experiencing many firsts that we all go through or will be going through one day. It can be first love, a first moving experience, a first driving lesson, and so on, that people will never experience for the first time again. A lot of us who read young adult books read them because we want to experience it all over again—there is so much meaning and depth, although we live vicariously through it.

Young adult isn’t just about the first times—as young adults, we are trying to find who we are in the world.

When we have characters who go through the same experiences that we have gone through, are currently going through, or will go through, it makes us feel like we are not alone. We have someone just like us out there, even if they are fictional.

So be careful before judging a novel by its age group.

You might have just stepped into a cave of wonders and might not get out.

But let me ask you this: why would you? Young adult books are not cut from the same cloth. They are not all “wannabe-Hunger-Games,” despite what blurbs are saying. Characters are not whiny and annoying, and they definitely have something to say about the world, just like teenagers.

The young adult category is a vastly growing world, waiting for you to discover the many gems hidden inside. So if you’re questioning whether or not young adult literature is right for you, give it a try and see what the growing community is talking about.

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Passion for books, photography & art: WHAT MAKES UP A BOOKSTAGRAMMER WRITTEN BY SHENNA LAGDAMEO

Every time I scroll through my bookstagram feed, the posts I really love seeing are the ones made by the artistic Dayle—also known as @theliteraryllama in the bookstagram community. From her creative chalkboard art to her outstanding photography skills plus her extraordinary passion for books, even just a scroll in this llama’s feed will leave you astonished and wanting to make that follow button green!

Join me as we get to know more about the person behind this amazing bookstagram account.

Stay Bookish: Hey Dayle! I am so ecstatic to learn more about you and your unique bookstagram.

Your photos truly show your passion for books, photography, and art. Why do you think it’s important to be passionate about our interests?

Dayle: I don’t know that it’s necessarily important to be passionate about our interests, so much as it’s easy to be passionate about the interests that are important to us. In this case “us” being readers and book advocates. I love reading and I love books and I can’t remember a time when I didn’t. I could talk for hours about my favorite stories as well as analyze and discuss the books that didn’t work for me. It’s an impressive type of interest that can give you rewarding conversation and contemplation on both likes and dislikes. Books can so easily do that. So while it comes across as an incredible passion for reading, for me, it’s natural. I don’t think I even notice how passionate I may be talking or expressing myself, because it’s so easy. Loving books—it’s my baseline, my resting state.

I can still remember the feelings I had when I first read them. It’s always exciting when you find a book you love, a book that speaks to you and brings you emotion. Especially at an early age, but you never stop chasing that feeling or searching for the next amazing book. As you get older, what you gain from a book becomes more complex as you start to process more complex emotions and think more critically. So looking back at those books that gave you that passion for reading, it’s not just nostalgia, it’s remembering a purer form of joy. So at the time, when I read those books I mentioned, they furthered my love of reading because I thought (and still think) they were really good books, but now, as an adult, they go beyond that. They continue to further my love of reading because, to me, these books bring pure joy, and even though my childhood is gone, I can still find new books that make me feel that way.

And if that isn’t a motivator, I don’t know what is.

Neil Gaiman once said that, “Picking five favorite books is like picking five body parts you’d most like not to lose.” Can you name five books you think that made you naturally passionate about books and why?

Neil Gaiman is right! It’s always hard to narrow down books for a question like this, but I’ll give it a shot.

Some of the books that influenced me through my early years were: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, and Matilda by Roald Dahl. And that’s just the books that came to me off the top of my head and discounting various fairy tales and Legends of King Arthur books.

I’m sure I could think of many many more, but the fact that these titles came to me so quickly says a lot.

I totally get your point, Dayle. From the way you’ve been talking about books, I can say that you are really a bibliophile by heart.

People who grew up with so much love for reading are the luckiest. They get to experience the magic of reading at a young age.

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Now, let’s talk about your Instagram (AKA bookstagram) account, @theliteraryllama.

What makes your account stand out from the others, besides your talent for bookish photography, are the chalkboard illustrations that you use as backdrops. Can you share with us on how you’ve come up with this unique idea and what can you say about the response you’ve got so far from your followers?

“Explore your own style and know that not everything you create will be a hit but that doesn’t mean it’s a miss either.”

The chalkboard backdrop actually started out of necessity and a bit of blind luck. I had only had my Instagram for a couple months and was just started to find my groove and aesthetic, when it was decided that the living room was going to be painted. That was something that had been in the works for a while but I had been using one of the white walls as my backdrop for pictures and the new mocha color, while perfect for the room, wasn’t what I wanted for my Instagram. So I went to a craft store and just started looking around for anything that struck my fancy. When I saw the chalkboard, my first thought was that a dark background would be really cool, I had seen gorgeous photos on Pinterest with black walls or moody backgrounds, and it was something I wanted to explore.

I figured I could maybe draw a few flourishes every now and again since it was a chalkboard but mostly I just wanted the color. Then I started playing with it and found myself drawing more and more and the response was great! My followers really liked it and encouraged me to draw more and it evolved from there.

Well, it turns out the that “blind luck” was a huge success! Bookstagram people really loved this kind of theme. Even though you might say that you’re only halfway there, can you give any advice to all the bookish artists from bookstagram that adore your work?

Creating pictures and posts for Instagram definitely makes me happy! So if I had any advice to offer other artists and bookstagrammers, it would be to keep exploring and posting if it makes you happy also. Explore your own style and know that not everything you create will be a hit but that doesn’t mean it’s a miss either. Don’t be discouraged, because as long as you’re having fun then it’s worth the effort.

Thank you so much for dedicating your time and effort for this interview, Dayle. We hope to see more of you and your gorgeous bookstagram!

“Everything is Not What It Seems”: BOOKSTAGRAMMER EDITION Name one thing that you didn’t expect from the bookstagram community when you started bookstagramming I definitely didn’t expect it to be as interactive as it is. I spend more time responding to messages, comments, and generally talking about books than I do creating pictures and posts. It’s a very vocal community.

Name one popular Instagram feature you’re not fond of Most people, myself included, aren’t fond of the Instagram algorithm, which organizes the posts you see in your feed by popularity and your interaction with that account, not chronologically. It’s a pain because if you keep missing out on an account’s photos, it just digs the hole deeper and deeper, so you never see their photos. The algorithm isn’t the worst thing ever but it can be frustrating.

Name one popular bookstagram trend that you did not expect to be so famous I think the shelfies hashtag. I love a good #shelfie but I didn’t know how popular they were until I got deeper into bookstagram!

Name one book that you didn’t expect to be ina certain genre because of the cover I’d have to say, maybe, Challenger Deep by Neil Shusterman. It’s a wonderfully complex and vividly colorful YA book about mental illness, so the cover is more like a metaphor than a straight representation. So it looks a little bit sci-fi but it’s not. I think this book fits into so many categories: fiction, magical realism, contemporary, mental health... I highly recommend it.

Name one author that you didn’t expect to love before you started reading their book Suzanne Collins! I wasn’t a reader of young adult fiction or post-apocalyptic anything, but my sisterin-law wanted me to read the Hunger Games trilogy. She was very insistent and bought them for me for Christmas. So I thought I was appeasing her by reading them but they quickly made me a believer. After that I dove into so many YA books that I never would have given a chance otherwise.

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BookTube’s Fire P h o to & Writ te n by S he nna ‘Yn a’ Lagdameo

With the bookish community growing over time, it’s no secret that one of the biggest influencers in the field is the society of bookish YouTubers called BookTube. Being a BookTuber is far more than standing in front of a camera and talking about what we all love: books. As it continues to wade the course of its popularity, BookTube proves that staying in the community requires time, perseverance, hard work, creativity and most of all, passion.

In the midst of all the great attention BookTubers receive, one of the most important things to remember is to stay true to yourself. After all, BookTube is an avenue for bookish expression and a microphone for bookish opinions and voices to be heard. We’ll learn how straight from one of BookTube’s flames, Chami of ReadLikeWildfire.

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Stay Bookish: Hi Chami! I’m overjoyed to talk with you about your amazing channel for this issue. I’ve been a subscriber of yours for quite some time now and I truly enjoy your videos.

you understand that not everybody will agree with what you believe in.

Why do you think it’s important to be able to speak your mind with confidence and respect others’ opinions as well?

Chami: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for having me. Also, thank you for Oh, what a question to ask! A lot of people subscribing and the lovely compliments are afraid to speak their thoughts because about my channel. they assume that there is a correct answer that isn’t theirs. Little do they know that In your videos, there are many in- there isn’t a correct answer at all. stances wherein you express different opinions and acknowledge how Your opinion does not make you right or

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or wrong, it is your interpretation and perception of it. If I stepped out of the house right now in Australia and someone who was visiting from Antarctica stood beside me, we would both be able to comment on our perception of the weather even if they were completely different. I may say that I need to wear five hundred layers while the person from Antarctica is melting on the spot. So when you think about it that way, you are giving up nothing by saying your own opinion and you’re letting someone else who agrees with you feel like they’re not alone, which is amazing right? You also let people get to see a little snippet of your world and understand that there is more to what they perceive. Whoops, did I get carried away?

We enjoyed your perspective anyway! Can you name some books that encourage and motivate readers to make their voices be heard?

I think one of the key ideas to encourage and motivate readers to make their voices be heard is reading about a diverse cast of characters. One of my favorite books that include this is Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. If you read about a character that is a lot like you with a voice that reaches the rooftops, how could you not be encouraged by them? It makes the readers aware that there are people like the readers that actively make their voice heard.

Now, let’s talk about your channel, ReadLikeWildfire. What can you say about your audience’s response to you freely expressing yourself and being “you” in every video you upload?

The Internet can be an incredibly harsh place for absolutely anyone. Luckily, the book community is one of several communities on YouTube that I’ve noticed to be quite kind and welcoming. So I haven’t had many problems with being myself. It’s also a bonus that the book community is so open-minded for different opinions. Everyone also loves a good discussion!

True but it’s not always easy to share your unique thoughts to start a discussion. Can you give some advice to people who are afraid to speak out and afraid to be different from others?

If you attempt to be someone else, it is very likely that people will see through your façade. Like that famous saying goes, be you because everyone else is already taken. For all we know, we only have one life, and why would you want to spend time trying to be someone else? The only person you have to live with for the rest of your life is you, so make yourself proud, speak out!

The on ly per s o n you ha ve to live wit h fo r t h e res t o f your life is you, so make yo u rs elf proud, s pea k out !

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Chami of ReadLikeWildfire Booktuber

Name one thing that you didn’t expect from the BookTube community when you started The Booktube community is incredibly supportive to those who are starting out. I thought I would be flailing around to make friends, but hey, it was more like a slight wave and everyone seemed to be like ‘hey, the more the merrier!’.

Name one popular YouTube feature you’re not fond of Get rid of the Dislike button Youtube! We are all about sharing the love.

Name one popular BookTube trend that you did not expect to be so famous SlayThatSeries is a readathon that Sara from SaraWithoutAnH and I host. I had no idea it would be as popular as it was!

Name one author that you did not expect to love before you started reading his/her book Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. I delayed reading it for so long because I was certain that I just wasn’t going to like it. Now it’s one of my favorite books of all time.

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The ThreeStar Dilemma W R I T T E N B Y A S I YA N AY E E M I’m always glad when a book falls short of being a two-star disappointment. But that relief is usually accompanied by me questioning if it deserves to be added it to the three-star category. On a closer look, they share no final feelings and there’s no justification in grouping them together. Twostar books have a label that reads “didn’t like it” while four-stars boast that the reader “loved it but not obsessed”. The threestars may be the middle ground but it covers acres of it.

Every time I rate a book three-stars, it makes me rethink every other three-starred book on my Goodreads shelf. This is mainly because there is no exact label to pin on them, making the rating seem random when it’s usually the best bet between dislike and love. As someone who is a bit of a stickler for order, the three-star messes up my usually precise shelving habits. And I must be honest, I have no clue how to make any sense of it. If the books in my three-star category made a town, it would be anarchy.

Making A System The first step to any chaotic situation is finding the root solution. In trying to untangle and finally create a system, I looked through my books and found a pattern in the kind of books I add to this category. I finally found four distinct types of books that frequently get a three-point score.

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The Summer Read I genuinely enjoy reading books with a light, humorous plot and an adorable ending but as an unconscious rule, I add most summer-themed books into this category. Summer of Chasing Mermaids was so beautifully written and diverse, touching on important issues as well. Every page was full of energy and emotion. Similarly, Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson points out the importance of friendship and I could relate to many situations in the book.

Stories Sans Feels Having empathy for the characters and being invested in how the book ends is a major indicator of how realistic the story is. The Night Shift by B.

R. Myers worked brilliantly on every level but I felt no connection with the characters. If a book can get me hooked to its narrative and make me care, I’m more likely to reread it or pick up its sequel. Otherwise, I find it to be just okay with a few interesting elements.

Oh Holey Plot I can let go of tiny plot holes or wobbly pacing but not when it affects the experience of the story. Issues like confusing timelines, impossible conclusions and unnecessary stereotypes bring the mood down. Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski had a feel-good factor with a unique plot but the book lost a few stars along the way because of its chaotic points-of-view and a weak motive.

If the books in my threestar category made a town, it would be anarchy.

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Such A Classic Books like Animal Farm and To Kill A Mockingbird are two of the few classics I’ve rated three-stars. As excellent pieces of literature, I love their honest look at society and how blunt the satire was (in the case of Animal Farm) but I can’t put them with other four-star classics like The Outsiders which was personally more touching.

Of course, there are wide exceptions that fit none of these three subdivisions, which brings me back to believing that the threestar can never be given a structure. For instance, I adored A. S. King’s powerful and quirky feminist book, Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, but ended up rating it

three-stars. On the other hand, Every Day by David Levithan is a book that I barely remember but I still gave it three-stars at the time I read it.

It’s probably best that I rearrange the books I’ve rated three-stars or pick up the 2.5 star to make it easier. It seems apt because it’s technically the middle ground and the rating can be labelled as “it was alright”. But I’ll have to reread a few books to remember how I feel about them and seeing as how my TBR is close to collapsing, I should just let the threestar be.

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Bookish in

Washington, D.C.

Ah, Washington, D.C…. What a wonderful city! You might consider me a little biased, though, seeing as I live 15 minutes outside of D.C. Then again, D.C. happens to be an amazing place if you, like me, are a lover of literature!

Tagged as the most literate place in the United States, Washington, D.C. is home to a myriad of bookish spots to hang out at. Whether you want to sit by the shores of the Potomac River and read a good book, have a bookish picnic at the National Mall, enjoy a nice night of spoken word poetry, or just cozy up in a good ol’ bookshop, this city has a place for you. So come along with me as I take you on a Washington insider’s tour of all of the best book nooks around the city!

Library Love

The Library of Congress

How would you like to have the largest library in the world right in your backyard? Washington, D.C. residents have that luxury, with the Library of Congress right downtown.

With its painted, domed ceilings, and architecture reminiscent of Ancient Greece and Rome, the Library of Congress is what one might call “a modern-day Library of Alexandria.” Scholars, librarians, and ordinary lovers of literature love to wander the halls of this national treasure.

Fun fact: The Library of Congress is the world’s biggest library. When lined up, its 164 million items and bookshelves stretch up to 838 miles!

House Made of Books Capitol Hill Books

Nestled in the downtown Capitol Hill neighborhood of D.C. lies a cozy little bookshop called Capitol Hill Books. The independently run bookstore answers the question: “What do you get if you take a small row house and fill it wall-to-wall with books?”

The answer my friends is some kind of paradise.

Inside Capitol Hill Books, books cover the walls and bookshelves fill all of the spaces in between.

I kid you not, there are even bookshelves and stacks of books in the bathroom! The place gives off a comfy, bookish, hipster intellectual vibe. It is a place where local life-timers, transient Washingtonians, and people just visiting the city can come to escape the rapid-paced life, a place where time seems to slow, and knowledge swirls through the air with every flick of a page.

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What’s In a Name

Politics & Prose Nearby the upscale Washington neighborhood of Georgetown is the city’s favorite indie bookstore, Politics & Prose.

Don’t be fooled by the name, though—Politics & Prose doesn’t specialize in just political books, but rather in books of all kinds.

Poetic Justice

Politics & Prose is a popular stop for both fiction and nonfiction authors to drop by while on tour, making it a literary hot spot. With two floors and a coffee shop which boasts superb coffee, the store is much beloved in the community!

Busboys & Poets

I saved the best for last: Busboys and Poets, the local hidden gem of Washington, D.C. What is it? Well, Busboys and Poets is a local restaurant and poetry club, open to all ages. The space was created and is still owned by Anas Shallal, whose website describes him as “an Iraqi-American artist, activist, and restauranteur.”

Busboys and Poets is a place where many lo cal youth enjoy spending their time at, whether they are poets or simply fans of poetry, or even total poetry newbs. One of the best things about this hidden gem is that it fosters a safe space for people of all backgrounds.

This space is a vibrant cultural, political explosion of life, where life itself—its joy, its pain, and everything in between—is discussed and celebrated. If you’re a fan of literature, definitely add this treasure to your itinerary.

Their mission is as follows:

“Busboys and Poets is a community where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted…a place to take a deliberate pause and feed your mind, body and soul…a space for art, culture and politics to intentionally collide…we believe that by creating such a space we can inspire social change and begin to transform our community and the world.”

WRITTEN & PHOTOS BY LILA H. RECOMMENDED READS 1. McClurg, Jocelyn. “Washington is nation’s ‘most literate’ city.” USA Today. N.p., 31 Mar. 2017. Web. 4 May 2017.

2. Fascinating Facts. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 2 May 2017.

3. About. Busboys and Poets

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photo by Hazel U.

How to Afford Books

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written by Shenna M. Lagdameo

FOR TEENS

Have you ever experienced a time when you’ve been waiting for a book to be released all year long but when that most awaited day has come, you just stay at home crying your heart out because you don’t have the money? Ooooh. I think we all have experienced that atleast once in our bookish lifetime. And it sucks, BIG TIME. New releases. Cover changes. Book boxes.

Illustrated editions. Book inspired coloring books. Limited editions. Anniversary editions. Movie tie-ins. And the list goes on and on when it comes to our bookish desires. In some point of our life, we all wished to become a millionaire to afford every book we wish to have or for books to be free of charge. We daydreamed to the extent that we even had the most absurd idea of books falling from the sky. Unfortunately, the world isn’t like the fairytales we read about from our childhood.

BUT I have some great news for you! You can now turn that frown upside down my friend because I’m about to tell you the ways on how to acquire/afford books! Keep your eyes peeled for the most crucial tips that can change our lives when it comes to book buying.

1. Save up Since summer is just around the corner, a.k.a the season we don’t have daily allowances, let’s save up like there’s no tomorrow! You’ll never know when your local favorite bookstore is having a summer sale or when your neighbor is going to have a massive yard sale with great book selections. So every single time your parents give you money, treat every penny like gold!

2. Work part-time/ online jobs

babies (books!) or whatever you want to do, why not utilize your spare time to earn some dollars? Just type in your search engine ‘online jobs’ and you’re good to go! You can also ask your parents for extra house work to earn some more.

3. Search at the bargain section of your favorite bookstore There are times you feel like fate is playing a game on you when the book you just bought for full price is 50% off at the bargain. It’s pretty heartbreaking, isn’t it? You already had the chance to save some money but it slipped away. Never make the same mistake twice! Always search the bargain section first before anything else. Happy book hunting!

4. Shop at thrift bookstores If you’re in the mood for go-to classics or you’re searching for a limited edition for ages, the thrift bookstore is the place to be! It doesn’t mean that if you buy used books, you aren’t cool. Because truthfully, it’s awesome to have books pre-loved by another bibliophile.

The fact that a book you’re holdin’ onto is previously cherished by someone is quite an extraordinary feeling. Let’s spread the love for books. Never be ashamed to shop at those feel-good bookstores again!

5. Look out for flash sales Every once in a while, online bookstores like the Book Depository, BookOutlet, Amazon & Barnes and Noble held occasional sales in-line with different celebrations. Discounts range upto 90% which makes it something you shouldn’t miss out! There are tons of deals for every book conditions so be sure to score great ones!

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6. Score books online Before books go on sale, its’ pre-order price can still drop to a very affordable amount during the waiting period. So I suggest you should look-out for these moments to shop awesome finds! You can also wait for your fave authors to announce their books on sale coz’ what’s more amazing than having a great book for a discounted price? Make great use of free shipping promos as well.

7. Go to book buffets What could make a bookworm happier than buying books? More books! And on top of that, may we include book buffets as well? If you’ve never heard of it, I assure your bookish heart that it’s absolutely real! The price to pay is per box so knock yourself out. All you need to do is place books upto the lid and you’re good to go! Just always remember to handle our beloved books with care, alright?

These are all the tips for now. Have you read about ways that suit your bookish taste the best? Don’t be afraid to try and share this to other bookworm friends! Happy smart book buying! written by Nathasya Gunawan

FOR YOUNG ADULTS I think as bookworms, we all have that moment when so many releases are graced upon us but we are not sure if our budget allows us to get them all. As university students chances are we don’t have lots and lots of money to spend on new releases. Since starting university, I’ve started to try new approaches when it comes to purchasing books.

1. Budget!

The first thing I do every month is try to set a limit for myself, whether it’s by setting aside a certain amount of money or number of books you’re supposed to buy that month. I find that having a number to follow really helps because I feel guilty whenever I spend more than the 86

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limit or buy more books than I am supposed to every month. I also started to make a list of books that I want to buy. Although I always have super long list, I ended up buying only a few of them because I find myself losing interests in majority of the books since I wrote them down when the book was super hyped up.

2. Get an e-reader When I started university, I decided to get an e-reader. Oohh controversial! I understand that many people are not a fan of e-readers but since attending university, I find that e-reader is really practical. I don’t have many spaces for books in my dorm room and I have to think about how I will bring back the entire books home so e-reader really helps saving spaces for me. Also, it’s easier to sneak in e-readers to your classes. Another thing that surprised me when I first got my Kindle was how ebooks can be sold at a much cheaper price compared to the physical books. Nothing beats reading physical books but Kindle is not a bad alternative. Give it a chance, everyone!

3. Charity bookshops The other thing I learn in regards to acquiring books in university is to look for more places for book hunting. One of my favourite places to go for book hunting is charity bookshops. I know there are people who have perception that charity bookshops only sells really old and boring books—oh how wrong it is! Charity bookshops often also have books that you can consider new and it’s sometimes can be sold for half the price of the new book. What a bargain! I used to work in one charity bookshop and I was surprised at how large of a collection they have. They don’t always put the books on display but you can always ask to go to the backroom and see what books they have. Be prepared to be pleasantly surprised!

You might find your next YA read with a bargain.

4. Book events The newest approach I’ve been doing is trying stay up-to-date with any book events happen-

ing around me. I was quite lucky that I attend a university in an area that holds quite a few numbers of book festivals annually. Similar to the charity bookshops, there is a huge collection of books with really great bargains and I’m pretty sure you can always find one or two new reads! written by Pamela Alvarado

FOR ADULTS

Depending on your adulting level, you might either be completely self-sufficient or… still receiving help from your parents (*raises hand*). Either way, not much has changed about the way we see books: we still want to buy them and build a palace out of them! But because we are now ‘adults,’ we have to be better about our book-buying ways. Here are some tips on how to afford books responsibly!

1. Set a limit …and be very serious and very strict about it.

For example, for a month, you can either: 1) set a limit of number of books or 2) set your budget for books. This will help you prioritize which titles you need to buy, and which ones can wait, plus it will help keep your to-be-read pile in check!

2. Consider ebooks first before physical copies Ebooks are not everyone’s cup of tea, but they do come in handy. Logistic benefits aside, they are also usually cheaper. For some, this is no problem and if that is you, then you’ve probably even already skipped this point. (Keep reading, though!) But there are some readers that wrinkle their noses at the prospect of reading a book on a digital device. One thing: Give it a chance. It’s tempting to be able to hold a book in your hands and flip through the pages, and smell it, and hug it, and love it forever, but ebooks are a worthwhile compromise when you can’t always afford books.

3. Don’t be afraid to go cheap Barnes & Noble? Book Depository? *Insert other expensive book shops here*? You know you can always go to secondhand bookstores, right? Yes, I know how hard it is to resist the shiny allure of new releases in your favorite, most reliable bookstore but my friends, who knows what you can find in ‘vintage’ bookstores? And for cheaper prices, too, which means more books!

4. Be patient As someone without easy access to physical copies of books, I have experience with this. I wait an entire year to have that one book I’ve just about been dying to read. I make long lists of books and bide my time until I can get them all en masse.

Of course, until then, I’ll have lost interest in about 20 of them. Hype-made-me-buy-it is a real thing. So sometimes, when you give it time, you end up getting the books that truly interested you in the first place, and save money not getting the ones that you can’t even remember why you wanted to read.

5. Breathe & just enjoy!

Control and discipline are key, but in the end, there is one truth we cannot escape: Reading has become a costly activity. At least, keeping up with new releases has. And sometimes, we get carried away and stress out because we can’t keep up with the rest of the community.

If you can’t afford buying many books, consider rereading favorites. You’d be amazed about how satisfying it is to reread a book you’ve enjoyed before, knowing for certain you’ll love it and discovering new things each time you do.

Remember: Smart readers make smart thinkers. So think before you buy!

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The Backstage of the Publishing Industry: Interview With A Publicist

by Sophie Bergeron When you’re holding a new book in your hands, chances are you’re thinking about the story you’re about to read, and you’re probably gawking at the beautiful cover. Maybe you’re even fangirling about the author! But what about all the people that make a book possible?

Today, we’re going backstage with a senior publicist at Groundwood Books, Cindy Ma, to see what it’s like to work in the publishing industry!

Stay Bookish: Hi Cindy, thank you so much for taking some time to answer a few questions with us! Let’s start with the basics: have you always thought about working in the publishing industry?

at House of Anansi Press and Groundwood Books; they hired me on at the end of the internship, and it’s where I’m still lucky enough to be!

In the book community, we hear the word “publicist” everywhere! But what Cindy Ma: No, I didn’t—while I’ve always loved exactly is the job of a publicist? books and reading, it never occurred when I was growing up that this was an industry I A (book) publicist implements publicity stratcould end up working in! egies in order to create maximum exposure for books and their creators in both tradiIf it had never occurred to you, how did tional media (i.e., print, radio, television, etc.) you find yourself working in the publish- and emerging platforms (i.e., blogs, podcasts, ing industry? What different positions social media, etc.). We pitch books to literary did you occupy before becoming a pub- festivals and events, secure interview and licist? review coverage, send a zillion and eighty emails a day, plan events, liaise with media, I had been working a bunch of other jobs and and try our very best to build strong, posidecided to start taking publishing courses in tive relationships with our creators. I guess I the evenings because they sounded interest- would say that we do a little bit of everything ing. I actually had thought I wanted to be an and that there’s truly never a dull moment! editor, but then on the first day of my publicity course, our (amazing!) instructor announced Wow, that sounds like a great way to that, by the time we finished the course, ev- spend your days! What does a typical ery one of us would want to be a book pub- day look like for you? licist. (And she was right, at least about me!)

From there, I landed a publicity internship One of the really lovely things about work-

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ing in book publicity is that every day is a little bit different: there are days when you’re running a creator around town to get them to interviews on time, there are other days when you’re planning tour schedules and book launches, or attending meetings with media to let them know about upcoming titles. I do feel like most of my time though is spent sending out books and following up to remind people about them.

We know there’s a lot going on between the moment an author sends their manuscript to a publisher and the moment we pick it up at a bookstore. What is

your favorite part of the publishing process?

It takes an entire team to create a book, from the author and illustrator creating the manuscript, to the editorial process, to production, to sales and marketing and publicity, and everything in between; my absolute favourite part is when everything comes together and someone is reading the book and loving it, because it feels like a gratifying job well done all around.

You work for a smaller publishing house.

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working for a smaller company?

Yes, I really wanted to work for a smaller, independent house. I believe that, in working for a smaller house, we’re afforded some flexibility and opportunities for creativity that might not necessarily be available somewhere else.

A smaller house also means that there’s more overlap between departments so you get to try more things and it opens up more chances for collaboration, which I love. (I’m also really lucky that I work with some of the loveliest, nicest, and most talented people in the industry!)

You work in children’s literature. Was there a reason behind that choice?

I work on publicity for our adult and our children’s lists, and I really enjoy doing both, but

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there’s something that’s so delightful with working with children’s literature. There’s just an enthusiasm and warmth in how children’s literature/YA lovers talk about books that I unequivocally love. Also, children’s literature is AMAZING—it’s interesting and fantastic, and it can be so very progressive; it’s hard not to be excited about it!

Speaking of exciting stories, what’s your favorite book you’ve published so far, in terms of story and in terms of process?

Every book I’ve worked on has been a fantastic learning experience for me, but two experiences stand out in particular. One is Lisa Moore’s Flannery—I lovelovelove her fiction and short stories, so when she wrote a (really amazing) YA novel, and I found out I would get to work with

“Children’s literature is amazing—it’s interesting and fantastic, and it can be so very progressive.”

her to promote it, it was pretty much a dream come true. The other experience that stands out is a wordless picture book called Sidewalk Flowers, by JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith; Sheila, the amazing publisher at Groundwood Books, had shown me some drafts when I was an intern—getting to work on the publicity of that beautiful book years later was a total “OH GOSH I’VE PROBABLY MADE IT???!!!” moment for me!

have literature degrees, you don’t have to have a literature degree to love books and want to work in publishing. I would even go so far to say that it could be beneficial to have training in another field, as it could help bring a fresh, new perspective to the way one approaches tasks in their publishing-related job!

Any upcoming books for which our readers should keep an eye out?

I wish! While it’s true that we do all read a lot, there will be many, many other tasks in your job that will require your time and attention as well.

Lots and lots, including a gorgeous graphic novel called Louis Undercover by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault, which is coming out in October. It’s about a boy named Louis (and his brother, Truffle!), and it’s just as beautiful and funny as it is heartbreaking. Last time Fanny and Isabelle did a book together, it was incredible; I’m very excited to see what kind of magic they will produce this time around!

Finally, what are your top tips for passionate bookworms who want to start a career in publishing?

My suggestion would be to consider taking some courses pertaining to a publishing program to see if it is the type of work that interests you. I’d also recommend reaching out to and chatting with people in the industry to find out more about the ever-changing publishing landscape. It’s also helpful to have a healthy sense of curiosity. And, of course, read. Read a LOT! We asked Cindy to help us debunk some myths about the publishing industry, here are her answers!

You absolutely have to study literature in college/university to work in the publishing industry.

Not at all! While it’s true that many of us do

Working in the publishing industry means reading all day.

There are very few career options in the publishing industry (author, editor, publicist) If working as an author or editor doesn’t work for you, and I haven’t yet been able to convince you that publicity is a great career choice, there absolutely are other options you can pursue in the publishing industry. Production/digital production is a huge part of the process, as is design; there are also folks who work in the sales and marketing department, and in some houses, people who work in rights. There are also more and more positions that are coming up on the digital side, which is super exciting; there are also jobs that are tangentially related, like reviewer or literary event organizer or bookseller! There are lots of options: you just need to figure out what you love best!

Again, a massive thank you to Cindy for taking the time to take us backstage with her! If you want to learn more about the books that were mentioned in the interview, you can find Groundwood Books on: Their official website: http://groundwoodbooks.com/ Twitter: @GroundwoodBooks Facebook: @groundwoodbooks Instagram: @groundwoodbooks S TAY B O O K I S H Z I N E

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The dreaded reading slump... and how to get out of it WRITTEN BY MARIE V. As readers, we spend a lot of time‌ well, reading books. We read on our way to school or work. We read in waiting rooms and in cars. We read whenever we want to avoid socializing. We read while we eat, watch TV, sleep‌ okay, maybe not that far, but we do pick up books and go through them A LOT. Reading lights us up from the inside, giving us varying kinds of thrill every time.

But what happens when that light does not shine that brightly anymore? What happens when we bump into a reading slump? Even though the fact that we love books lives, the pressure to read is also a reality we cannot deny.

For instance, being part of a reading or book blogging community can be a little stressful. We always want to be up-to-date, be able to tweet and share special shoutouts at the right times, post reviews ahead of others, fulfill reading challenges, and so on. Sometimes, these push us to the edge, making us burn out and uninterested in our to-be-read piles.

When that happens, of course it is important to take a break. So take the break you need from books and when you feel ready to get back into reading, remember these tips to help you avoid that dreaded reading slump.

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READING SLUMP TIPS & TRICKS

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talk about books

window-shop books

Most of the thrill of reading simply comes from talking about books. About that latest universe you got lost into, about that character you felt strongly about, about how magical it is to live a whole different life by just reading words strung together for hours on end.

Try this: Look for a book with a cover that you love and post about it online.

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Take a look at your shelves, your e-reader, or in your library: Which books did you love?

Which books made a difference in your life?

Which books were so good that you haven’t actually gotten over them?

Try this: Pick up an old favorite and highlight the best parts.

take a break from reading As we’ve said, it is important to take a break, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Don’t read for a couple days or weeks and get lost in doing other things, such as watching movies, catching up on TV shows, and going for little field trips. Once you get back from the ‘real world,’ you’d be more inspired to jump back into fantasy.

Try this: Attend a class that you’re interested in and after, find a book which story is close to your experience.

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re-read a favorite

watch an adaptaion

While we readers always root for the originals (“The book is always better than the movie/ TV show”), it’s nice to watch adaptations bring life to our favorite book scenes and characters. Doing so might just bring back the envy to read the book—or read books again altogether!

Try this: Go through lists of book-to-film adaptations and pick at least three!

try out something new

If you’re more into contemporary, why don’t you try to read more fantasy or sci-fi? Or even non-fiction? Changing things up might just be the trick you need in order to make you love reading again. Plus, it broadens your horizons, so double yay!

Try this: Check out one of your Goodreads friends’ profile and click on one of his or her random shelves.

Just like talking about books, browsing through them is also a foolproof way to get back into reading. Just walk around aimlessly in a bookshop, your local library, or even just online. Get lost in all the pretty covers and imagine all the stories they carry inside of them.

Try this: Caress book spines, smell the pages, and do all the weird things bookworms do in a bookshop.

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read quotes

Words are beautiful, but sometimes you just can’t get into them. But you’d be surprised to find how much reading envy you’d feel after looking through bookish quotes and inspirations!

Try this: Go on Instagram and search for book art and calligraphy.

buddy read!

As they say, two heads are better than one!

So tap a friend and ask him or her to read along with you. The more, the merrier, too!

Try this: Create a hashtag on Twitter and tag each other as you go through the story.

dedicate a time slot for reading

Put yourself back into that reading rhythm again by setting up a schedule for the bookworm in you!

Try this: Allow yourself three to five chapters before you go to sleep at night.

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remember why you love reading

and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. The love will come back and when it does, you will devour ALL the books again.

See you in the pages!

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JAM TO 20 NEW YA RELEASES compiled by Sophie Bergeron

With upcoming books set to release in July to September 2017, discover some cool music to add to your reading playlist!

1. The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy

4. What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

Release Date: July 4 Song: Feedling Line by Boy & Bear

Release date: July 11 Song: Yellow Light by Of Monsers and Men

“My body moves in time.

We’re begging on the feeding line. We’re lifting out above this head space.”

“I’m looking for a place to start, and everything feels so different now.”

2. Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally

5. The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana

Release date: July 4 Song: Scratching the Surface by Saga

Release date: July 18 Song: It’s Not Over Yet by For King & Country

“Scratching the surface, you better come up for air. A new experience to get you there.”

“Oh, to everyone who’s hit their limit, it’s not over yet. And even when you think you’re finished, it’s not over yet.”

3. All the Ways the World Can End by Abby Sher Release date: July 11 Song: How Far We’ve Come

by Matchbox Twenty “Well I believe it all is coming to an end. Oh well, I guess, we’re gonna pretend. Let’s see how far we’ve come.”

6. Changes in Latitudes

by Jen Malone Release date: July 25 Song: Big Blue Wave by Hey Ocean!

“Don’t tell me that we’ve come this far, to start again or fall apart. Sing it when you’re lost at sea, and love will bring you back to me.”

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7. Lucky in Love by Kasie West Release date: July 25 Song: Money Money Money

by ABBA “All the things I could do, if I had a little money. It’s a rich man’s world.”

8. The Secret History of Us

by Jessi Kirby Release date: August 1 Song: Secrets by OneRepublic “I need another story, something to get off my chest.”

9. This is Not the End by Chandler Baker Release date: August 8 Song: Off I Go by Greg Laswell “Loose ends, they tangle down, and then take flight, but never tie me down.”

10. In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody Release date: August 8 Song: Changing of the Seasons by Two Door Cinema Club “And I’ve worn out all the reasons to keep knocking at your door. Could be the changing of the seasons, but I don’t love you anymore.”

11. A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor Release date: August 15 Song: No Way Out by Kensington “We’ll find no way out, no way out, on our own.”

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12. The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes Release date: August 22 Song: Back to You by Mighty Oaks “What will I find, who will I meet?”

13. The Tiger’s Watch by Julia Ember Release date: August 22 Song: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor “It’s the eye of the tiger. It’s the thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge of our rival.”

14. The Dazzling Heights (The Thousandth Floor #2) by Katharine McGee Release date: August 29 Song: First by Cold War Kids “You play the game, though it’s unfair. They’re all the same, who can compare?”

15. Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo Release date: August 29 Song: Suddenly I see by KT Tunstall “Suddenly I see, this is what I wanna be. Suddenly I see, why the hell it means so much to me.”

16. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera Release date: September 5 Song: (Don’t Fear) The Reaper

by Blue Oyster Cult “Seasons don’t fear the reaper, nor do the wind, the sun, or the rain. We can be like they are.”

17. Devils Within by S. F. Henson

19. Right Where You Left Me by Calla Devlin

Release date: September 5 Song: Demons by Imagine Dragons

Release date: September 5 Song: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For by U2

“I wanna hide the truth. I wanna shelter you, but wit the beast inside, there’s nowhere we can hide.”

“It was warm in the night. I was cold as a stone, but I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

18. The Thing with Feathers by McCall Hoyle

20. You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

Release date: September 5 Song: Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

Release date: September 12 Song: The Middle by Jimmy Eat World

“Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten.”

“Live right now, just be yourself. It doesn’t matter if that’s good enough for someone else.”

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ACCOMPANYING PLAYLIST Songs that keep the Stay Bookish Zine staff going!

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Oh, What A Life // American Authors d Human Touch // Betty Who Ain’t No Mountain High Enough // Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell jLay All Your Love On Me // ABBAd Afraid // Xavier Omär Home // Dotan Sail// Awolnation There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back // Shawn Mendes a Heartbeat // Suran Bibia Be Ye Ye // Ed Sheeran a How Far I’ll Go // Auli’i Cravalho

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THE

Meet the Editors

H A Z E L U R E TA , E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F

E M I LY R AS M U S S E N , M A N AG I N G E D I TO R

STAC Y N G U Y E N , N E WS E D I TO R

Hazel Ureta believes in the power of sto- Emily is a college student with a pas- When Stacy Nguyen isn‘t stressing out ries. When she‘s not writing about the sion for puns, prose, and politics. She about classes, she‘s usually found napstories she‘s read on her blog, she writes has an incurable case of wanderlust, ping, blogging, writing, reading, or drinher own. Her passion for fiction and rea- but she’s sometimes content to settking boba while talking about langualistic teen narratives drives her to be an le for seeing the world through the ges. She‘s been reading fantastical advocate and champion for YA books. pages of a novel. stories and writing about them since she was just an awkward pre-teen.

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I N A H P E R A LTA , F E AT U R E S E D I TO R

A N G E L I C A G A L AG , L I F E ST Y L E E D I TO R

KB, O P I N I O N S E D I TO R

Inah Peralta‘s biggest dream is to be an astronaut, but being a professional couch potato, she can be mostly seen with a book under her nose, or catching her favorite movies or TV series.

Angelica is a 19 year old girl with a love for literature, anime and cute dogs. Whe she‘s not reading or binge watching you can see her trying to learn to play the guitar.

In the words of author Orhan Pamuk, KB Meniado read a book one day and her whole life was changed.

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ZINE S TA F F Meet the Creatives

J OS É P H I N E , C R E AT I V E D I R EC TO R FO R P H OTO G R A P H Y Joséphine rarely leaves the house without her camera and a book. Photography is her favourite form of expression. She’s also an avid baker, and always up for a good debate.

S H A N N E L L E C H UA , DESIGNER

SELENA HUGHES, DESIGNER

Shannelle‘s love affair with books led her to lettering, and it‘s been the perfect avenue for her energy during this reading slump. More often than not, she‘s working with words in some way in the comfort of her room.

Selena tries to say smart things about books and chocolate on her blog. It works. Sometimes. She also is pursuing graphic design in college and copes with the homework (and stress) by watching Youtube all the

NIHAAD, P H OTO G R A P H E R

ALEXANDRA LING, P H OTO G R A P H E R

JA M I E D E L EO N , DESIGNER

Nihaad is a twenty something bookish girl from Cape Town, South Africa; trying to carve a place for herself in this wild and unpredictable world. Grab a cuppa and join her as she takes on life, one book at a time.

Alexandra is a nineteen-year-old content creator and avid reader. When she‘s not hiding behing pages or web screens, you can find her twirling in a dance studio. She dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer and traveling the world.

Like any bookworm, Jamie’s love for reading started at a young age when she was first introduced to the library and the wonderful world of books. She now loves to lose herself in between the pages of a book and fangirl over several fictional characters who have her heart.

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KE ANNA LEWIS, P H OTO G R A P H E R

T I F FA N Y, P H OTO G R A P H E R

C H E L S E A COAT E S , DESIGNER

When Keanna isn‘t busy, she‘s nestled into her book corner with a good book that she can escape to from stress. When she‘s not reading, she‘s writing up a new blog post or filming her latest BookTube video on her YouTube

Tiffany is a teenager who is obsessed with books and cakes. When she‘s not reading, she is either blogging, watching movies, sleeping, or taking bookish-related photos. Oh! She also loves cats.

Chelsea has always believed that books are magic. How else could we fall in love with them so intensely? During the day she‘s a programmer and graphic designer. At night, when she‘s not reading, she‘s drawing, blogging, or playing with her cute hedgehogs.

Meet the Writers

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N AT H ASYA

E M I LY M.

Nathasya is a twenty one year old with a love for books with sassy heroines, swoon-worthy book boyfriends, and enchanting dystopian worlds. She reads just about everything and blog about all the books she reads. If she‘s not reading books, you can find her binge-watching beauty videos on Youtube. She only functions after drinking coffee and finds writing in third person strange.

Emily loves the YA community and connecting with readers from all over the world. She tries to read all kinds of novels, but is a sucker for contemporary and romance. She blogs about all of the books she reads on her blog, EmNEmily‘s Books. When she‘s not reading or blogging, she‘s dancing, bookstagramming (@emnemilysbooks), or listening/signing to Disney and Broadway songs.

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HANNAH SOPHIA LIN Sophia is a socially awkward communications major who has a GIF for nearly everything and somehow got sorted into Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. She is the host of Novel Newcomers and can be found on Twitter (@HannahSophiaLin) or her blog, Bookwyrming Thoughts.

LIL A H

S H E L LY Z .

Lila H. is a 22-year-old college student living Shelly Z (shellyzev.com / @shellysjust outside the US capitol who’s studying rambles) is a blogger, reader and biology and physics (and vocal performanranter. A book blogger at Read. ce on the side). When she’s not singing her Sleep.Repeat. and a new releases heart out or saving the world through coordinator for Adventures in YA science, you can usually find her listening to a good audiobook and imagining herself Publishing, she will probably never read all the books she knows the hero of the story. Lila loves all YA about. books, but most of all YA fantasy and YA science fiction.

SOPHIE Sophie has always appreciated the power authors can have on words and on a reader‘s life, which is why she one day aspires to publish a story of her own. Creative to the bone, Sophie can always be found writing, blogging, colouring or trying to find her next favorite song.

PA M E L A

S H E N N A L AG DA M EO

MARIE

Pamela is a college student obsessed with passionfruit cheesecake and dragons. She writes in the hopes of inspiring other young ecuadorian writers to realize their stories matter too, and to share them with the world.

Shenna is a 15 year old gal who believes that there is adventure in a good book. When she isn‘t exploring the world within pages, she may be found blogging, reading, writing or watching another episode of a Korean Drama. Aside from being a bibliophile, she is also an ambassador for women empowerment at litwithoutlimits.org.

Marie is a reader, writer, book and travel blogger currently trying to figure out life, as we all are. When she‘s not obsessing about young adult books, she‘s probably planning her next trip or lost somewhere in stories she makes up inside of her own head.publishing,

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H E R WO R DS W E FO I L ; T H E Y S H O COV E R E D T H I N G C ROS S , M Y S U M WHILE IT SEEME WERE SEEING E YO U R E A L LY W E J U ST B I TS A N D P LO O K E D L I K E A SA R A H D E S S E N , 106

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ERE LIKE TINONE AND THEY G S U P. H E L E N M M E R O F LOV E .

E D L I K E YO U V E RY T H I N G , E R E N ’ T. P I EC E S T H AT WHOLE. J U ST L I ST E N. S TAY B O O K I S H Z I N E

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