Well hello there!
As some of you may know, back in April I started the #quietYA tag on twitter and it's become pretty popular. A few weeks ago, Rachael Allen got in touch with me and asked about doing a giveaway. And here we are today - launching three Rafflecopter giveaways, plus a twitter giveaway, featuring 21 authors across three days and a number of different blogs. Rachael and I agreed that a really good way to help kickstart this event would be for me to be interviewed by her to talk about how all of this happened. So, without further delay, I'll turn it over to her.
I’m so honored to be writing this kick off
post with Julie because I love #quietYA and everything it has been doing for
some really wonderful books. I have a bunch of questions for you, Julie, so
here goes!
Quiet YA can be defined in different ways. As
the creator of #quietYA, how do you define it?
Well, officially, quiet YA is all about books
that are more literary/character based. Less action and less intense - Eleanor
& Park is a great example of a quiet book. But #quietYA isn't quite the same.
For me, it's about the books that don't get a lot of attention. My official
rules have always been no bestsellers, no (major) award winners, just to keep
it simple. A lot of quiet books also fit into the #quietYA category, but not
all, which is why there's been some confusion. I've felt kind of bad about
that, but I was really just trying to think of the shortest hashtag possible.
I’m really glad you explained that because I
think a lot of people have been wondering. Side note: Does anyone else think of
this
whenever they hear the words “major award”? Just me? Okay, then, on to the next
question…How did you come up with the idea for #quietYA?
It was a combination of things, honestly. For
one, I was a publicity intern for a major publishing company at the time, but
most of their YA didn't get a lot of attention. I've been a blogger for a long
time and I've also been in the publishing industry and worked with authors for
a few years, so I've seen what a struggle it is for everyone to get coverage of
a lot of titles. I've also noticed a lot in recent months that the blogosphere
is so supportive of books, but we're a bit of an echo chamber. It's the same handful
of books that get tossed around all season. Older books and books that didn't
pick up steam fall off.
The real tipping point - and I even scrolled
through the entire tag to see if the dates matched up - was this Buzzfeed article about
"underrated" YA books, as suggested by community members. Many of
them were bestsellers. A good number of them had been adapted as movies, or had
sold rights for it. A decent number weren't actually YA books. Essentially,
this list is a mess and an insult to actually underrated YA books and authors.
But it wasn't viciously meant - I think these people just genuinely don't
realize how many books really ARE underrated because they'd never HEARD of
them. I was so angry that night when I read the article, having put it off all
day. I knew I had to counter with ACTUAL underrated books, but decided to wait
until the next day since it was so late. It didn't take long for people to
start going with me.
Silly question: What were you doing at the
EXACT moment you got the idea? Reading Quiet YA? Eating ice cream? Reading Quiet
YA while eating ice cream (FTW)?
Man, now I wish I was eating ice cream. But
instead I was doing something I do almost as often as I eat ice cream - ranting
on twitter about an article when I probably should've been asleep (literally,
it was TWO IN THE MORNING) (I did go through a few of my first suggestions in
the tag and apparently I did stay up after my rant and finished reading a
quietYA title I fell in love with - SILVER IN THE BLOOD by Jessica Day George.)
What are 3 Quiet YA books that you wish every
human would read?
I'm gonna cheat a little bit here, but:
a. Every book that Jaclyn Dolamore has
written. She's always my go to recommendation and I'm actually rereading one of
her books now. So far, she's written a steampunk duology with a WoC heroine, a
historical fantasy featuring mermaids and "winged people", a love of books,
and an adorable romance, and an alternative history duology featuring zombies,
political conspiracies, and diverse sexualities. She's been writing these
magical, feminist, quietly diverse books for years and she deserves so much
more attention than she gets.
b. The HOURGLASS trilogy by Myra McEntire.
It's one of the first time travel YA books I ever read and I completely fell in
love. Snark, smarts, and swoony boys in each book, and again, there's a quiet
diversity in the main characters. I adore Myra and these books and they're
probably my favorite books ever.
c. Because I have to represent my contemporary
love - Leigh Ann Kopans writes incredible contemporary upper YAs that explore
class issues, privilege, sexuality. They're fun and sexy and so true to life
and I completely, 100% adore them.
None of these authors have announced any new
published projects which is obviously a concern to me, so I'm just going to
have to keep shoving them in everyone's faces until there's news.
Oh, man, I love me some Myra McEntire! Also,
Jaclyn Dolamore is doing a guest post AND giving away BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY
as part of this #quietYA event, so stay tuned!
Next question: Is there a Quiet YA debut that
you've really loved so far this year (because I am all about showing love to
our debut authors!)?
Several! TRACKED by Jenny Martin is an
incredible sci-fi and I'm going to be begging for the sequel as soon as it
exists. WRITTEN IN THE STARS by Aisha Saeed is so devastating and beautiful and
important. THE CONSPIRACY OF US by Maggie Hall is an amazing read-a-like for
fans of Ally Carter that I'll also be begging for a sequel to. MADE YOU UP by
Francesca Zappia is an incredible read about a girl with schizophrenia and
mental health is underrepresented in YA, but schizophrenia in particular is one
that needs more intention. And I read it before it had an editor, but
WE'LL NEVER BE APART by Emiko Jean is an incredible psychological thriller that
could only have gotten better since I read it.
These picks make me so excited because I’ve
had the chance to meet both Jenny Martin and Aisha Saeed this year, and they
are two of the most lovely people. Also, you guys are gonna have a chance to
win TRACKED later!
I have one more question, and I’m going to end
it on a feels kind of note. Is there a Quiet YA book that changed your
life?
Well, depends on what you mean by
"changed my life." I could make arguments that a number of books
changed my life because in reading those books, I was able to connect with the
authors and I've had a lot of authors do incredible, generous things for me
that have helped me with school and my future career and making new friends.
More authors than I could possibly list without missing someone. THE SEASON by
Sarah MacLean is a book I loved so much I started reading romance novels
because I was just so desperate to read more of Sarah's books. SPIES AND
PREJUDICE by Talia Vance convinced me to watch Veronica Mars, since it was a
comp title, and I think that watching Veronica Mars is pretty life changing. VIXEN by
Jillian Larkin changed me because the paperback was the first blurb I ever had.
I hadn't even graduated high school and I was blurbed on a book and that
does incredible things for your psyche.
More traditionally, THE LOST GIRL by Sangu
Mandanna forced me to really examine grief and what it does to people and the
lengths people will go to avoid that level of pain. It also pushed me to think
about identity and personhood. CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge got me thinking
about monsters and good and evil and that very thin line between them. DARK
METROPOLIS by Jaclyn Dolamore made me think about mortality and immortality.
LIES WE TELL OURSELVES by Robin Talley was a much needed, heartbreaking
reminder to me of the not-so-long-ago history of segregation. DUMPLIN' by Julie
Murphy, which isn't out until fall, is the book I needed as a teenager because
it's such a wonderful reminder that you don't have to be skinny, or in any way
traditionally attractive, to have value as a person and to be someone people could
be romantically interested in. It was the most honest portrayal of what it is
to be a fat girl I've ever experienced.
I just read DUMPLIN’ this week and completely agree that it belongs in the
life-changing category. I also think my life won’t be complete until I go
karaoke-ing with Julie Murphy, and someone sings Jolene. Just not me. Because
I’m tone deaf. And I am bumping all the rest of these to the top of my TBR
pile! Thank you so much for sharing these book recs and your thoughts on quiet
YA. And thank you for creating this hashtag.
On
behalf of everyone writing Quiet YA, I’d also like to say a huge thank you to
every blogger, publishing professional, librarian, and book lover who has
participated in #quietYA, or who, in any other way, champions Quiet YA books.
These books don’t get the same amount of buzz as some of the giants in YA do –
it would be impossible for every book to get that kind of buzz.
But
what that means is this: Every time someone leaves a review on Goodreads or
cross-posts a review to a retailer, every time you tweet about a new book you
loved or gush to your best friend about it over ice cream, it means the world
to us. We wouldn’t be able to keep writing books without people like you, and
boy, do we love writing books a whole lot. So, thank you. And please don’t ever
stop. :)
Julie is a college student generally based near or in New York City. When not in class, she's a publishing intern, freelance editor, occasional bookstore employee, avid Mets fan, and eater of mac and cheese across Manhattan. And when she's not in New York City, her life revolves around her cats and ranting on twitter at @DailyJulianne. Maybe someday she'll actually finish writing a book.
Rachael
Allen lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband, two children, and two sled dogs.
In addition to being a YA writer, she's also a mad scientist, a rabid Falcons
fan, an expert dare list maker, and a hugger. Rachael is the author of THE
REVENGE PLAYBOOK (HarperTeen, June 2015) and 17 FIRST KISSES (HarperTeen, 2014).
Follow her on twitter @Rachael_Allen.
I want to thank Rachael SO much for pulling this all together and getting in touch with me about it. It's becoming such an amazing project to really celebrate something that's become a shockingly large part of my life and I'm thrilled we get to have this little party for it. I also learned just how hard interviews can be.
And now, the part you're all really excited for, the giveaway! Not only is there a Rafflecopter here, but there's also one launching on four other blogs today, each with different guest posts from some of the authors featured in the giveaway. And tomorrow and Wednesday will each feature NEW blogs with NEW giveaways So be sure to check out:
Monday:
A guest post with Jaclyn Dolamore at Watercolor Moods
A guest post with Amber Keyser at Her Book Thoughts
A guest post with T.A. Maclagan at ReadWriteLove28
A guest post with Maria E. Andreu at A Bit Behind on Books
Tuesday:
A guest post with Sarah Tomp on My Not So Real Life
A listopia from Read.Sleep.Repeat.
An interview with Helene Dunbar on The Fox's Hideaway
More recommendations on The Forest of Words and Pages
Wednesday:
Melody's top five recommendations on Hollywood The Write Way
More recommendations from Chloe on Writer on Wheels
An interview with Mary Crockett on YAdult Review
A guest post with Ann Redisch Stampler on Read My Breath Away
And without further ado...the giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck everyone!
--Julie