I am currently enrolled in Antioch University Los Angeles’ Low Residency MFA program. The program has a 10-day long residency twice a year and then the rest of the semester is small group/one-on-one with a mentor. I chose the Low Residency option because I love my job and didn’t want to take two years off (especially right now for teachers). Low Residency programs are growing rapidly across the country as the technology for distance learning continues to become more sophisticated and user-friendly. Many people who might otherwise not enroll in a traditional MFA program due to outside circumstances, are finding they are able to achieve the same level of education through the Low Residency option.

I, for one, happen to agree with that assessment. While going back to school full time would have been nice, the fact remains that after two years I would have to return to work and then learn how to balance working and writing full time. As Steve Heller, AULA MFA Department Chair said last week, Low Residency students are already learning how to write full time AND carry a job/family, etc. This fact, for me, is profound. Teaching is a demanding job and my writing suffered. I would participate in NaNoWriMo, but it is only one month out of the year. The frenzy that is NaNo is exciting, but it does not teach the time management skills that most writers need to learn. Within one year at Antioch, I’ve got a writing schedule down. I’ve learned how to juggle teaching middle school students, train for a triathlon, and still manage to get in quality writing (and reading) almost every night. This writing schedule will last me well after I graduate next year and on until I write the next Great American/Best Selling novel.

Lastly, the one thing an MFA program is supposed to do is to push, er I mean train, you to become a better writer. I always believed I was a talented writer before going into the program, but I realize now that I was just a writer with potential. I am not putting myself down in any way; I can just see how I’ve improved in one year. The past year I’ve been revising a novel that I feel would not be in the shape it is in now if weren’t for my mentors. Sometimes I was mad at them for pointing out errors and sometimes I was extremely thankful for the questions they would ask about my novel. It wasn’t until I started a new short story that I noticed the difference. And, even after having that short work-shopped last week, I’ve been able to make the writing in the story even stronger. Writing groups can help a writer become better; do not get me wrong, I love my writing group. However, that extra push and encouragement my mentors gave me, I know took my writing to level I don’t think I would have achieved on my own.

So, the question…to MFA or not? If you are thinking about an MFA, disregard the nay-sayers and follow your instincts. Research programs, think about what would benefit your lifestyle and your writing. Then, apply. You won’t regret it.

The post To MFA or Not? appeared first on LitStack.

Johanna Mason is described in author Suzanne Collins’ bestseller as possessing “a wicked ability to murder,” winning her Hunger Games by pretending to be weak and then picking off the other tributes.”

“One open question about the character is whether director Francis Lawrence will keep Johanna’s introduction from the book, in which she first meets heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) naked — save for her green slippers.”

Put your tongues back inside their cage, boys.

Malone recently appeared in a terrific mini-series called Hatfields & McCoys with Kevin Costner.

Source

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Kings of Cool

The second is this: Winslow does just what he needed to do with the follow-up to Savages (a prequel, actually). Savages has the stronger, high-adrenaline plot, and The Kings of Cool, the stronger character development. We get to see where Ben, Chon, and O got rolling along before they tore ass through the prior release.

I was skeptical when starting The Kings of Cool. I wondered if it was cashing on the upcoming release of Savages as a major motion picture. I don’t know Don Winslow, so I can’t answer based upon his character, nor would I. I can answer that I don’t think so, though, based upon the quality of the new novel.

It’s very good.

The style is still frenetic, jumpy, all                                over                                       the place.

There’s still a two-word F-bomb hook for chapter one. One letter shorter, different pronoun. There’s still screenplay scattered about. If anyone criticizes this, the similarities to the style in Savages . . . they’re wrong. This is Ben, Chon, and O’s book. It should feel the same.

But it’s not just their book.

This novel also has family saga, in addition to the expected drug deals and cops. We get parents’ history, along with development of our three central characters. We follow Stan, Diane, Kim and Jon’s stories (though if I have one issue with the book, it’s that Kim is dropped from the book in a fairly cryptic way after being introduced as an interesting and engaging character). And even Winslow’s backstory has an almost breakneck pace. What’s cool is that the backstory and Ben, Chon, and O’s stories here eventually collide. And though Ben, Chon, and O’s story here is not as high-powered as their story in Savages (how could it be?), it’s balanced nicely with a high-energy account of the story of Stan, Diane, Jon, and to some extent, Kim.

There’s also a lot of humor in here, including a nice bit on the origin of Chon’s name, and combined with the character development and the implicit and powerful violence that’s part of the crime story, it’s another kick-ass book from Winslow. My only real question is this: if you’ve read neither, which one should you start with? I’m not sure that it matters. It’s great reading, all around, either way.

The post Featured Author Review: Kings of Cool by Don Winslow appeared first on LitStack.

Thirty-two days after filing a pre-packaged bankruptcy to redistribute the company’s $3.1 billion in debt, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has emerged from bankruptcy.

CEO Linda K. Zecher had this statement: We have achieved our financial restructuring objectives and moved through this process quickly and successfully. Now we have emerged with significantly less debt, a much improved balance sheet and capital structure and the financial strength to invest in new products and innovative digital education solutions to grow our business for the benefit of our customers.  Our emergence reflects the dedication of our team and the strong support of our investors and lenders to position HMH for long-term success.”

The official announcement was made last Friday, one day after the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved the publisher’s restructuring plan. The company filed the planned bankruptcy in May, predicting a “a prompt, court-supervised, chapter 11 process.”

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— ♦ —

There’s a very fine line that exists between competent appeals to a reader’s fantasies or nightmares and ones full of affectation. The former is grounded in substance and reason; the latter is generally all flash, more like the prose equivalent of gratuitous CGI special effects. And the subject of human immortality — both from physical and philosophical standpoints — is certainly one that’s been written about enough to give us plenty of examples of both.

In this case, James Rollins does a relatively masterful job of staying on the conceptually solid side of the fence, while still telling a hell of good story. Bloodline, another installment in Rollins’ Sigma Force series, is an action-thriller that’s alternately straight-ahead and labyrinthine, packed evenly with discharged firearms and well-researched scientific details.

After a brief and intriguingly cryptic prologue set in the mid-12^th century, in which we’re introduced to the novel’s two recurring themes — the keys to eternal life, and the secret society (or societies) looking for them — Rollins brings us back to the present day, and the kidnapping of the U.S. president’s pregnant daughter by Somali pirates off the eastern coast of Africa.

Commander Gray Pierce quickly takes over, leading his Sigma team on a rescue mission in Somalia, although orders to rescue the young woman leave him and his superiors feeling like there’s something much greater at work. On the way there, he and his unit pick up two new teammates — Captain Tucker Wayne, an ex-Army Ranger, and his dog (and combat partner) Kane — who, for many readers of Rollins’ series, are likely the characters that will really kick Bloodline up a notch on the novelistic scale of awesomeness.

Once the team is on African soil, we quickly find that things aren’t quite what they seem. The kidnapping plot, which is focused not on the president’s daughter but on her unborn son, leads Sigma down a winding road that includes battles with a rival covert agency, a centuries-old dynasty intent on changing the nature of humanity, and ultra-high-tech labs that have been hidden in order keep their horrifying experiments with DNA under wraps.

From there, Rollins fires impressively on all cylinders for longer than it might even seem possible to sustain. His real strength here is an ability to keep the pulse of tough guy (and equally tough girl) military action pumping, even while pausing to introduce provocative ideas about the intersection of cutting-edge science and morality. We also get to experience the conflict from virtually everyone’s point of view — Sigma soldiers, intelligence agents, bad guys, even Kane the dog — without the structure of the novel ever becoming bogged down those by perspective shifts.

I’ve seen a few people write that Bloodline is better read as a part of the Sigma Force series, as there are, of course, more than a few references and connections to past installments. But as someone who hasn’t read any of Rollins’ previous work, I can say that this one is engaging and challenging enough on its own terms, without overarching plot confusion ever becoming a problem.

As one of the novel’s genetic scientists boldly says amidst the action, there are already immortals walking among us today. It’s a pretty loaded statement, and one that Rollins has clearly had to think a great deal about. But he does, after all, force us to realize the truth behind what seems like nothing more than unbelievable hyperbole. You’ll have to read Bloodline to find out why.

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This week we’re talking to someone on the other side of the publishing curtain, President of Children’s Publishing at HarperCollins Publishers, Susan Katz. In her 24 years with HarperCollins, Katz has seen many changes in children’s publishing as well as the ever-increasing growth of the genre. We sat down with Katz to discuss her career, her favorite reads and where she thinks children’s books are headed.

Thanks for talking with us, Susan and for your support of LitStack!

LS: You’ve cultivated a respected, dynamic career in the industry. How did you begin in publishing and how what has been the biggest changed you’ve seen in the industry over the course of your career?

I began my career in educational publishing at Random House as an editorial assistant working on English Language Arts textbooks. I worked in educational publishing for several years and especially enjoyed my time as English editor working on college textbooks. The very best job I’ve ever had it the job I have now, working in Children’s Trade publishing. The biggest change I’ve seen in the industry is the digital revolution in book publishing.  I think the biggest surprise is not that it happened, as the shift seemed to be coming.  It’s the speed of change, how rapidly consumers of all ages have embraced eBooks, and the ramifications of the shift.

LS: Did your decision to go into publishing stem from a love of books as a child? What was your favorite book when you were growing up?

My decision to go into publishing was “an accident” and sometimes publishing is called “the accidental profession”. I graduated from college at a time when teaching jobs were very scarce.  I thought I would work in publishing until a teaching job opened up.  Instead, I fell in love with publishing and decided to stay.  My first favorite book was Lucky the Caterpillar which was a Golden Book.  I still look for it from time to time on out-of-print book sites.  I can picture the cover vividly in my mind.  As a child I read all the Bobsey Twins books, Half Magic by Edward Eager was a real passion, and of course the Sue Barton, Student Nurse books. I used to read novels on the sly at school that were hidden in my desk.  I was always reading.

LS: YA/Children’s literature has grown wildly over the past 15 years. Why do you think there’s been such growth in its popularity?

The consumer base for YA titles has expanded greatly to include readers from 11 years of age to probably 80 plus years of age.  The topics covered in the books as a whole are much broader and seem to appeal to a broad audience, and the bestsellers have crossed over so often now that readers look at teen books regularly in deciding what to purchase.  I was with a group of my friends recently who are not in publishing and when we started talking about our favorite new books I laughed to myself because my friends didn’t realize they were reading YA titles!

LS: When a manuscript comes across your desk, what are some elements that will make you want to publish it? Do you know in the pitch whether you’ll want to read the manuscript?

A great pitch is only the beginning.  If the description is exciting, of course I will want to start reading.  The clincher for me is always the voice of the writer. While I think I would be a terrible writer myself, I am a much better reader.  Over the years I’ve come to learn that a writer has to hook the reader very early in the manuscript or book with a compelling voice to be successful.

LS: As someone whose career is focused on great fiction, are you ever able to read a book for pleasure without critiquing it?

When I am reading a book I love, I tend to be overly generous in my praise, even if only in my head. I find I can get lost in books still and leave my business head out of the room.

LS: How important is editing and learning the craft of writing for new writers and do you feel, with the influx of self-publishing, that the importance of knowing the writing craft has taken a backseat to the business of publishing?

Knowing the craft of writing and editing will never take a backseat to anything. It’s amazing how many books are published each year. The books that rise to the top will sustain strong sales for years,  well written and well edited.

LS: What are you reading right now? And what’s your favorite “guilty pleasure” read?

I’m reading Anna Quindlen’s new book, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake and The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht. In terms of a guilty pleasure, all I’ll say is that I had to check out the series that has sold over ten million copies in a matter of weeks.

LS: What’s the one thing you wish writers knew before they begin the query process?

Getting a good agent really makes a difference.

LS: What are your thoughts on the future of publishing, specifically on the future of children’s books?

I’d like to focus my comments on Children’s and Teen publishing.  Now is our time.  It’s going to be a little rocky, but mostly great.  You ain’t seen nothing yet!

The post LitChat Interview: Susan Katz, HarperCollins Publishers appeared first on LitStack.

“With new books come new feelings,” the beginning of the video reads, and a black-clad staff enters a warehouse to unload and shelve boxes of new books, including “The End of Your Life Book Club” by Will Schwalbe and “The Twelve” by Justin Cronin. An upbeat piano melody accompanies the sped-up footage of employees carefully staking books to spell out evocative words such as “cry,” “grow,” “imagine,” and “fight.”

“Great writing is an art form, and we are so very proud of all the authors we publish,” the publisher states below their YouTube video.

Check it out!:

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/LVjllMGXgao” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>

source

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The Naked Foods Cookbook
Margaret Floyd and James Barry
New Harbinger Publications
ISBN-10: 1608823180

 — ♦ —

In certain circles of the blogosphere, and likely the rest of the world — health and fitness circles, environmental circles, foodie circles — the buzz these days is about “clean” eating. Being that I regularly dip my toes into each of those circles, The Naked Foods Cookbook is right up my alley.

The author starts with an overview of the precursor to the cookbook, the original Eat Naked. It’s not necessary to read that book (as I have not) in order to understand the cookbook, though I’m sure if you wanted to dive deeper into the concepts Floyd would be a worthy guide. The focus is on getting the maximum nutrition possible with a minimum of processing. In most cases, naked equals raw, organic, and local.

While the authors could have gone on about how raw, organic, and local is the way to go for environmental, political, or many other reasons, they don’t get preachy about it, which I certainly appreciate (though I have on occasion gotten a bit preachy myself). The message is loud and clear: they recommend the foods they recommend, prepared in the way they recommend, because they are more nutritionally beneficial than other foods.

The book also does a marvelous job of offering alternatives, often offering a number of substitutions with varying degrees of nutritional benefit. With some of the hard-to-find ingredients they use, that’s a very good thing. In any case, many of the recipes are vegetarian or vegan, or can be made so with a few simple substitution, and the same thing goes for gluten-free.

As for the recipes, they are divided by types of dish. Chapters include Basics; Better than Naked (the chapter in which foods are slightly processed to make healthier versions of everyday ingredients, such as yogurt, ketchup, and mayonnaise); Breakfast; Salads and Sides; Sauces, Dressings, and Dips; Soups and Stews; Entrees; Sweet and Savory Snacks; and Desserts. Many of the recipes sound like something you might already make, like Maple-Sage Glazed Pork Tenderloin–they just happen to feature healthier ingredients or techniques here. They are also categorized by time taken to prepare — In a Rush, Everyday, or Impress the Neighbors — which is good for those of us with other things to do besides slave away in the kitchen.

There were three drawbacks to this book, varying in importance. The most important one was typos. Granted, I had an ARC, and some typos are expected, but the book has been officially released now, and I’ve gathered comments around the web decrying the same typos I was seeing. Normally, I try not to let typos bother me, but when the typo is in a measurement it can cause serious confusion. For example, there is a big difference between ½ cup and 12 cups.

The second drawback is that, as I mentioned, some ingredients are difficult to find. I think the only place I’m going to find some of the ingredients called for is on the internet. If you have access to raw, organic, and local foods, as well as some I’m-not-even-sure-what-this-ingredient-is items, you’re good to go. Otherwise, prepare to make some substitutions, or just skip a few recipes.

The third drawback is time. Sure, some of the recipes are quick, and some are even easy. The authors make it sound like everything is a breeze and you will be living clean and eating naked with no worries for the rest of your days (as long as you have a local source of raw milk!). And I suppose if you lived a life entirely devoted to making unprocessed food at home and scouring farmers’ markets, it could be simple to follow such a diet plan. Unfortunately, sprouting my own grains really does take time out of my day, and it would be faster for me to drive the 15 miles to my local grocery store and buy some organic yogurt than it would be for me to source raw milk (the sale of which, by the way, is illegal in some states, including mine) to make it with.

Let’s not even talk about how expensive it is.

Would I like to follow the diet and lifestyle prescribed by The Naked Foods Cookbook? Sure, for the most part. Do I think it’s feasible? No, not unless you build your entire life around your diet. For a nutritional therapist (Margaret Floyd) and food photographer (James Barry), that’s quite possible. For the rest of us, probably not.

I do think the cookbook offers some wonderful guidelines and some delicious recipes. The nutritional principles are sound, and the dietary style is something to work towards. If we could work just a few of these recipes or techniques into our lives, we would probably all be a little healthier. I’ll be keeping this one on my shelf, at least until I’ve tried the mayonnaise.

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Averill, author of “The Beautiful Land,” and Sirois, author of “On Little Wings,” receive publishing contracts and a $15,000 advance from Penguin Group (USA)

SEATTLE & NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jun. 17, 2012– Amazon.com customers around the world cast their votes and this evening, Amazon.com, Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace announced the winners of this year’s Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) at a special ceremony held at The Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle.

Alan Averill is the Grand Prize winner in the general fiction category for his novel, “The Beautiful Land,” while Regina Sirois was awarded the Grand Prize in the young adult fiction group for her novel, “On Little Wings.” Both authors have received a publishing contract from Penguin Group (USA) that includes a $15,000 advance. “The Beautiful Land” and “On Little Wings” will be published by Berkley Books and Viking Books for Young Readers, respectively. The novels are now available for pre-order on Amazon.com at www.amazon.com/abna.

This year’s competition drew thousands of submissions from aspiring writers around the world – the most entries in the history of the contest. Through several rounds of judging, six finalists rose to the top. An expert panel of authors, agents and editors weighed in with comments on the finalists’ work, and in the end, Amazon.com customers voted to select the winners.

Today’s winners were chosen by Amazon.com customers, which is one thing that makes ABNA so special,” said Nader Kabbani, Director of Independent Publishing at Amazon. “This contest not only recognizes talented authors but also connects them directly with readers looking to discover great new writers. We congratulate Alan and Regina, whose work clearly resonated with customers.”

Tim McCall, Penguin Group (USA) Vice President of Online Sales and Marketing said, “Penguin is always looking for talented new writers to bring to our readers. We were thrilled to see the many promising manuscripts entered in this year’s competition by writers who aspire to be published by Penguin. We look forward to publishing Alan’s and Regina’s novels.”

Hailing from Seattle, Alan Averill, a former “video game script doctor,” wrote a draft of “The Beautiful Land” as a part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a movement that challenges writers to complete a novel in 30 days. “The Beautiful Land” is a story of two people in love from the moment they met but destined to be apart forever. Thanks to a time machine and a mysterious invention buried deep in the Australian Outback, they now have one more chance to get it right. One customer reviewer writes:

From the opening statement to the last quote, [it] had me excited all the way through. The prose is strong, descriptive in a quirky way, charming, and unique. The characters are extremely memorable. I can’t wait to read how they will be interacting with one another later in the story.”

Regina Sirois was born and raised outside of Kansas City. She minored in Creative Writing, but never found the right inspiration for a story until she became the mother of two girls. “On Little Wings” is her first novel. In it, 16-year-old Jennifer’s discovery of an aunt she never knew existed reunites her family and provokes love and forgiveness. One customer reviewer writes:

…some of the most exquisite writing I’ve seen in a VERY long time. Any given sentence, paragraph or scene was sublime.”

Now in its fifth year, the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest is an international contest co-sponsored by Amazon.com, Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace. For the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest Official Rules, to view the winning excerpts and reviews, or pre-order the novels, please visit www.amazon.com/abna.

Source

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