and the plot thickens

If this were a novel, it would be the part where the detective (turned on to the case-- in more ways than one-- by the mysterious blond who swept into his office) discovers that the case has more facets, and goes deeper, than he anticipated. (Granted, he wasn't thinking much about the case when he took it on, was he? Men.)

A few things have come to my attention recently. The first is that writing reviews for this blog is harder than I expected. More than a few times, I've been all set to write a review, but then when I look up the novel on Google, I discover that it's already a bestseller.

These books are all excellent novels that I adore, and they totally deserve glowing reviews, as well as their bestselling status. I'm happy for the authors, and excited that I can look forward to reading more of their writing in the future.

What scares me, though, is the fact that I don't keep up with the bestseller list. That's not how I read. I read what catches my interest, strikes my fancy; I read books that look good, that I think I'll like. How do I find these books? Sometimes they're suggested by friends, sometimes it's author loyalty, and sometimes it's the new book table in the YA section of the library, but mostly it's browsing in bookstores. I can spend a happy hour in a bookstore, doing nothing but reading inside covers.

So what this means is that these books that I picked up randomly off a shelf, these books that were suggested to me by no one, that just caught my eye in a bookstore, are bestsellers. Because none of them are phenomenons (there was no point when I thought, "Hey, I should review Harry Potter..."), I assumed that they were written by mid-list authors.

(I know, I know-- a detective should never assume. But come on, what would our story be if the detective didn't assume that the mysterious blond was telling the truth about her predicament?)

(A little less gory, as it turns out. Dame can wield a knife.)

The fact that these books were bestsellers means that the pulling of mid-list authors has been going on for a long time (considering some of the books I was thinking about reviewing I first read years ago). Today, it's already a lot harder to discover new books in a chain bookstore, because a lot of the options come from the bestseller list.

And again, those books should be there. Everyone should be able to walk into a Borders or Barnes and Noble and pick up the number one best-selling book.

But that's not all they should be able to pick up. There should be the opportunity to discover new books, and I feel like I have not received this opportunity to the fullest, which is especially crushing because there are so many amazing mid-list books out there, and so many just waiting to be written (and perhaps by myself someday, knock on wood!)

It's not all the economy and chain bookstore vs. Wal-Mart, though that is certainly a factor today (for more info on that, see my first post). There are other issues that put the mid-list author at risk.

Note: The opinions expressed in the links are those of their authors. I provide them as other insights into the plight of the mid-list author.

Here's an article from 2000 (yes, ten years ago) that talks about how chain bookstore marketing policies affect mid-list authors.

Here's an article that discusses the impact eBooks could have on mid-list authors.

Here's an article by an anonymous author that discusses the publishing side of it.

With so many threats to the mid-list author (including that mysterious blond...), it's more important than ever to try to garner interest in order to save our favorite mid-list authors and books. Additionally, if it can proven that a mid-list author isn't necessarily a risky financial venture, it might be easier for new authors to get that first book out, or that more difficult second book.

I'm going to keep posting reviews of my favorite mid-list books on this blog, and if you have a review for a mid-list book you love, send it to me at doingitwrite@gmail.com. Any mid-list book, any genre-- this isn't just about saving the books I love, or the literary characters I have crushes on. Additionally, at the end of each month I'll post a list of all the books ever reviewed on this blog, so that new and old readers alike can easily see a list of great mid-list books, and click on the link to read a review, without sifting through the entire blog. Finally, if I can swing it, I might have a surprise for you. I can't take credit for the idea, but more on that later.

For now...

-Spread the word about your favorite mid-list books/authors in any way possible (word of mouth, twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc).

-Write an original review of a mid-list book you love and send it to doingitwrite@gmail.com-- I'll post it!

-Write to your favorite mid-list authors. Let them know you love their stuff (authors love this-- I know both from responses I've gotten to fan emails, and from being a writer myself). Also, see if they're doing anything to promote their books, and jump on board!

-Follow blogs and social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, etc) that review/promote books, particularly mid-list authors-- you may discover a new author whose work you can't live without!(note: my twitter = http://twitter.com/doingitwrite)

-Really browse around in bookstores, both chain and independent. You never know what you might find.

sometimes life gives you hell. literally.

I didn't really check to see what this book was about before I read it. I mean, the title was Prom Dates from Hell-- it was bound to be a funny, angsty tale about the disasters of high school prom.

No, no. It's actually about demons.

And was way, way better than I expected. Seriously: read Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore.

Maggie Quinn, reporter, newspaper staffer, yearbook photographer, and Honors student, is a smart, sassy protagonist who always has a quip ready (it's really no surprise her best friend is the caustic, outcast Lisa).

Maggie also has psychic dreams, as much as she tries to deny it. But that becomes impossible when dangerous accidents begin happening to Maggie's classmates. Now, with the help of an attractive college student who focuses his studies on the occult (a situation that would be slightly less complicated if a popular football player wasn't suddenly giving Maggie attention), Maggie has to figure out what exactly is going on, who's behind it, and, most importantly, how to stop it-- before the prom Maggie had no interest in attending turns from hellish to deadly.

The book is balanced-- it doesn't read like a supernatural book with young adult characters or a Young Adult book with supernatural elements. The two aspects work together to make a satisfying read with a complex mystery. While which guy Maggie chooses is no shock, the culprit behind the plot is. Additionally, Maggie and Lisa aren't the only entertaining, fleshed-out characters-- the entire main cast are believable (given the circumstances) and likable.

Unlike most books I've reviewed on here so far, Prom Dates from Hell isn't super funny. There are humorous moments, and the book is full of wit-- which works to keep the novel from getting too dark. But the tone works perfectly for this particular novel, and the wit and voice are enough entertainment for any humor-lover.

There are some times when, as if you were watching a horror movie, you want to yell at the characters for their actions, but overall their approach is smart and calculated, which is refreshing and rewarding.

And the most rewarding part is that Maggie's experience at prom isn't her last brush with hell. Trouble continues to follow Maggie in both sequels: Hell Week and Highway to Hell.

Oh, and just so you know-- the All-American Rejects aren't the bad guys in any of the novels, as perfectly as that would fit.

(And remember, have a review of a mid-list book you love? Email me at doingitwrite@gmail.com!)

men are from mars, women are from venus

For me, freshness is almost as important as humor in a novel, and Sarah Miller's Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn has both. An unknown girl narrates the tale, a girl who inexplicably finds herself privy to the every thought of Gideon Rayburn, new kid at an exclusive New England prep school.

Guys always wonder what girls are thinking, but it goes the other way, too-- and now this unknown girl has the opportunity to finally find out as out-of-place Gideon navigates his way in his new environment. His journey isn't made any easier by his roommates Nicholas and Cullen, who are both rich, suave, and sometimes morally questionable. The pair make a bet out of Gideon's semi-virginity, and want him to loose it all the way with fiesty Molly McGarry. Gid likes Molly, and he wants to prove himself to his roommates, but there's the added complication of Pilar, the sexiest, most popular girl in school.

While both the ending and the revelation of the narrator is unsurprising, Gideon Rayburn is still a fun, worthwhile read. It's interesting to get into Gideon's head as he worries about girls, popularity, and impressing the guys. Still, he's a funny, caring guy who readers can't help but like. The rest of the characters are multidimensional, too -- Molly, Pilar, and even Cullen and Nicholas. Despite the faults of Gid's roommates, you can also see hints of why they are the way they are, such as when Gid stays with Nicholas over a school holiday. The book serves as more than just a look into the male mind, however. Gideon Rayburn is a comedic romance with a strong, wry voice that takes place in the over-the-top boarding school environment. And let's face it-- that's always fun.

And remember-- do you have an original review of a mid-list book that you'd like posted? Shoot me an email at doingitwrite@gmail.com.

strong and sexy, meet weak and sallow. and like it.

With the commercial success of Twilight, vampire novels have dominated the bookshelves, in both teen and adult literature. No matter your feelings about that, the fact is that there are so many it might be difficult to choose one, were you so inclined, not only because of variety, but because, let's face it, there are some not-so-great reads in that pile, just riding the wave.

Whether you're looking for a vampire read or not, I still suggest Catherine Jinks' The Reformed Vampire Support Group.If the title isn't enough to grab you (yep, I literally judge books by their covers), let me give you a little description of the main characters.

The vampires are not the calm, ruthless terrors of Bram Stoker's Dracula. They are not the glittery romantics of Twilight, or any sort of sexy as embodied in the media today, whether books, television, or movies.

No, the vampires are, as protagonist Nina bluntly states, dead, and get all the perks that come with that.

And when I say perks, I'm being sarcastic.

Can only go out at night, and only with the added precaution of sunglasses. Weak bodies. A million ailments. An eternity of hiding the fact that you have eternity.

A pretty mediocre, depressing eternity, at least for Nina, who still hasn't fully accepted her disease.

Nina has been trapped in the un-aging body of a fifteen-year-old since the seventies, and still lives with her mother. Every week, she attends the Reformed Vampire Support group, with vampires who have given up biting people. Instead, they take enzyme supplements and drink the blood of guinea pigs... and woe to the person who has to clean up if they don't hit the vein just right.

To complete the irony, Nina makes a living as an author, writing about sexy, glamorous vampires who actually do things-- and heroic things, at that.

Nina finally gets her chance to prove that vampires aren't boring and useless when one of their group is staked. Along with her friend Dave, another vampire, Nina is on a mission to find and stop the murderer before he can find the rest of them-- a mission that's severely complicated when they run into a dangerous, gun-toting werewolf trafficker along the way.

The Reformed Vampire Support Group is funny, exciting (lots of action, adventure, and solving-the-mystery, with only the very slightest touch of romance), and totally clever. Jinks turns the vampire novel on its head by writing about the less-than-glamorous side of being undead, and Nina's voice is the perfect way to do so. Nina's blunt, sarcastic voice is amusing and perfect for the book.

Neither she or her fellow vampires are sexy (see the pic, above), but all of the characters in Jinks' novel work. So many are likable, such as witty Nina, steadfast Dave, and Nina's human, chain-smoking, elderly mother, who still devoutly cares for her daughter and puts up with the rest of Nina's undead posse. The cast is fairly large, but it provides an eclectic, well-rounded group-- after all, anyone is at risk for being bit, from dim-witted George to Bridget, an eighty-plus nun-- that is often hilarious.

Great characters, voice, and an interesting mystery/action plot. Go on, give the decrepit vampires a chance. They're not just riding the wave.

Trust me, even though they're from Australia, they couldn't surf anyway.

(And hey, remember-- if you have an original review you'd like posted for a mid-list book you love, email me at doingitwrite@gmail.com).

footnotes are always funny. trust me.

I wouldn't recommend this book for guys (because, you know, there's no way you could have gathered that from the picture), but Bad Kitty by Michelle Jaffe is the perfect summer beach read.

And I don't just say that because I got the worst sunburn of my life reading this book on a cruise ship several years ago.

The book isn't exactly what you'd think. While there's romance, friendship, and the hilarious over-analyzation that's a staple of comedic teen chick lit, Bad Kitty is actually a mystery/crime novel... and hilarious, to boot. I could summarize it for you, but to better give you a taste of the book, I'm going to copy and paste the summary on the jacket flap:

"Meet Jasmine,¹ forensic supersleuth,² aspiring Model Daughter,³ and friend to animals.⁴ One second she's trying to enjoy her Vegas Vacation,⁵ the next she's tangled up in an outrageous adventure and has to outwit a crazed killer before he ends ten lives, one of them her own.⁶

¹ Hi! That's me!
² I. Wish.
³ Emphasis on aspiring. Current status: failing.
⁴ If friend means 'unsuspecting victim' and animals means 'one very bad kitty.'
⁵ And meet the cute guy at the Snack Hut. I have priorities.
⁶ Meep! But I guess it winds up okay since Kirkus Reviews says: 'Inventive, witty, and laugh-out-loud funny, with an enjoyably twisty ending.' They wouldn't say that if everyone died, right? Right?"

This synopsis is the reason for the title of my post, which is a bit of knowledge I've picked up from reading so much. Footnotes are always funny (you need more proof, you say? What, don't you trust me? Fine, here: The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, Freshman by Michael Gerber.)

And Bad Kitty is fraught with them, letting not only Jasmine but her friends comment on the action, and break the fourth wall. In fact, Jasmine's voice throughout is great, light and funny (but appropriately serious during the most dangerous action), caring, and quippy. Additionally, the mystery/murder plot is a fresh take on the YA chick lit novel, and exciting to read. It's the entertaining, likable characters that really make the book great, however. There's Jasmine's obnoxious cousin, who uses catchphrases such as "That's so Visa" (ie, everywhere you want to be), there's Polly, Jas's straight-laced best friend, and shy Tom, who have obvious chemistry, and finally gorgeous, bizarre Roxy, who could have any guy she wanted but only falls for weirdos.

Additionally, there are hints about there being more to the death of Jasmine's mother (several years prior to the start of the book) than it seemed, and this continues when Jas falls into even more trouble in the sequel, Kitty Kitty.

I read Kitty Kitty awhile ago, however, and so far haven't heard anything about another, even though the plotline about her mother is never resolved...

Anyway, grab the book, pull up some beach, and remember: use a lot of sunscreen.

publishing, the power of social networking, and other stuff too

The obvious: It's super important to garner interest for mid-list authors if we want to keep them on the shelves. The more people that are interested, the more money bookstores and publishers will make, the more likely publishers will pick up the books, and fight to keep them in chain bookstores.

The Not-So-Obvious: To really make a difference, you have to know exactly what you're dealing with, and that's the process it takes to get a book on a shelf. I've realized, today, that I know less about that than I thought I did.

I'm not saying anything about the process either way. What I am saying is that I need to be more informed to figure out the best capacity in which I and others can help.

But in the meantime...

Okay, I know what you're thinking: Why the heck is this girl blogging about books? She is clearly the Next Great Talent in the art world.

Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. And really, it's no big thing. I just threw it together in a few minutes.

But I'm not here to talk about me. That's for the future visitors of the Louvre to do. For now, I'm going to talk more about what we can do spread the word and gain interest for our favorite mid-list authors and books.

There's this blog, of course, where I will continue to post reviews of some of my favorite mid-list books. Also, if you write an original review and email it to me at doingitwrite@gmail.com, I'll try to post it on the blog in a special "Guest Reviewer" post (so email me your name and any info you'd like posted about yourself). This should help get the word out about books that we love, and hopefully others will fall in love with them too, spreading the word, buying the books-- a domino effect.

But there are other ways to spread the word outside of word-of-mouth and following (and telling your friends to follow) this blog. And it's all in the hands of two superheroes, Facebook and Twitter, who, in a rare moment, posed for me and let me render their actual selves to the world for the first time.

I created my Twitter account just to try to drum up interest for the blog, but then I panicked and thought that all of the followers I worked so hard to get would probably un-follow me if the only thing I tweeted was "new post." Now, while it will still be primarily to try to get people to read this, I've also begun posting about books I'm currently reading (since I mostly read mid-list authors, anyway) and other mid-list books I enjoy. There will be more of these than reviews, because they take far less time to write. (The length of my posts so far should make it pretty obvious that this "140 characters" business doesn't really fly with me.) So follow me on Twitter and hear about books and the blog. Also, if you follow me, more people might follow suit and see the blog and... domino effect again.

And then there's Facebook. Join fan pages for books and authors that you love, creating tangible proof that there are many people who love a certain book/author. Spread the word about your favorite books and authors, and about the plight of the mid-list author. The more people that read the books we love, and the more people who know the situation, the more we can do to help.

Social networking can have its drawbacks, but it's powerful, too. It's a fast, simple way to spread word about an issue to so many people, and so quickly.

Let's face it-- if you were that good, you'd wear a cape, too.

And now, a note here about other things.

First let me begin this note with a shout out. As you know if you've read my first post, this entire thing started when I received a response to an email I'd sent to author Hilari Bell. After I created the blog, I emailed both Hilari Bell and Michael Gerber, the authors of my favorite series' in trouble (see my reviews of their books in the posts below). I told them about the blog and sent the link, and both responded the next day. They were incredibly nice, supportive, and basically awesome-- and I would like to thank them both for that. Additionally, it was actually Mr. Gerber who made me realize that I know less about the publishing business than I thought.

And so now I have this to say. Contact your favorite authors. Let them know that you love their books, and see if they're up to anything. I know that neither Bell nor Gerber are idle. Bell is working to get more publicity for the Knight and Rogue series in order to save Michael and Fisk, and Gerber is planning on launching a new project that will directly connect author and reader, without all the red tape (meaning that fewer numbers will be needed to ensure that the series continues). Keep informed about what authors are doing for their books, and support them. Neither of these projects mentioned are launched yet, but if you're an author and have a plan, or are a reader who comes across a plan, I'd be happy to re-post links on here.

And remember, keep reading. Keep telling people about the books you love, and send me reviews! I can't do it all here, people-- I have my budding stardom as an artist to deal with. ; )

the three b's: books, banter, and bromance

This may come as a surprise, but I don't actually have book reviews for every book that I love lying in wait for opportune moments such as this. So you're in for a treat, folks-- book review improv!

Hopefully that sounded less nerdy to you than it did to me when I typed it.

Next up on my list of mid-list books that I love (and that need to be saved) are the Knight and Rouge novels by Hilari Bell. The books are teen/fantasy/buddy/mystery/adventure/humor novels, and star Sir Michael Sevenson and, of course, Fisk.

The premise of the series is that idealistic Michael, who is eighteen in the first book, decides to become a knight errant and search for good deeds and adventure, even though the profession has been defunct for over two centuries. In repayment for Michael getting him out of a long stay in jail, streetwise seventeen-year-old Fisk, former burglar, cardsharp, and conman, becomes Michael's squire, joining him on Michael's crazy misadventures.

And they certainly are misadventures. In the first book, The Last Knight, the boys free a damsel in distress from a tower keep... only to belatedly discover that she was an accused murderess, awaiting trial for her husband's poisoning.

Oops.

Now they have to find and re-capture her, or face the consequences. I won't go into the plots of the second and third books (I don't think there are any spoilers in the plot summaries, but as someone who took off the jackets of Harry Potter books and hid them until I was finished with the entire things, I won't be the one to make that judgment call) but you can read the official plot summaries posted on Hilari Bell's website by clicking on the title of each book: The Last Knight, Rogue's Home, and Player's Ruse.

There's a lot to love about these books. The mystery/adventure is well-written and entertaining, and I'm often trying to figure out whodunnit right along with the characters. The chapters alternate between the voices of Michael and Fisk, and it's entertaining to get the different perspectives of the characters. The books are funny (which probably shouldn't be surprising by now-- humor is something I really value, both in books and everything else). The humor usually manifests itself in Michael and Fisk's friendship. Hilari Bell said that she aimed for the books to be buddy novels, like "fantasy versions of 'buddy' cop shows," but I would describe their relationship as a little bit bromantic, and it's so cute that they're close, even though it outwardly manifests itself in arguments and funny, witty banter (and, come on, who doesn't love good banter?).

My favorite aspect of the books, though, is the characters themselves (I know, right? You'd never have guessed that from my first post). They're flawed, multi-dimensional characters who are nonetheless impossible to dislike because of their kindness, wit, and humor, which makes me want to read about them no matter what they're doing.

But what they are doing is totally entertaining, so I recommend (these are now the links to the B&N pages) The Last Knight, Rogue's Home, and Player's Ruse if the genres listed a few paragraphs above seem to be something you'd be interested in.

And remember, follow the blog, spread the word, and shoot me emails/reviews you've written about your favorite mid-list author at doingitwrite@gmail.com.

Oh, and preview for tomorrow: the post will not be a book review. That's right, folks-- improv AND variety. Really, I'm too good to you.