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Thu, 07/09/2009

Make ‘Em Laugh, by Candace Havens:

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Laughter, to me, is so important - especially in books. It can lighten a tense moment, and keep a sad one from being too melancholy. It can give the reader a chance to breathe after something major has happened. Humor is something I incorporate into every book I write. My female characters can be balls out funny, or sometimes it's a little subtler.

Alex, the star of Dragons Prefer Blondes, has a very dry wit. She fights such darkness every day of her life that she has to find the humor in most situations whether it's running from paparazzi, slaying a dragon or planning her crazy friend's monstrosity of a wedding. When she's dealing with the super hot Jake, her love interest, she often uses humor to make it look like she doesn't care, but of course she does. Whenever she's dealing with Ginjin, a handsome dragon warrior, who thinks marrying her will solve his problems, she is the queen of sarcasm.

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 2:56pm. in
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Thu, 07/09/2009

So What's Next, by Danica McKellar:

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The paperback edition of Kiss My Math hits the shelves this week, and there's no time to waste - I'm hard at work, writing my third book, which will be on Algebra... and I'm taking suggestions! In my last post, I told you how much I love getting feedback about Kiss My Math and Math Doesn't Suck, but I also appreciate getting feedback on books I haven't written yet.

You see, I spend a lot of time talking with teachers and students to get a feeling for what's going on in math classrooms across this country, and to check in about what the most confusing topics for teens are these days. The more suggestions and requests I get, the better! I like to see patterns in what people struggle the most with in algebra, and the feedback helps me decide which topics to spend more time on than others, and which topics are easier and don't need as many pages dedicated to them.

What topic in Algebra do you need the most help with? Email me! You see, the style of my books is very conversational in nature, and it's important to me to take the time it requires to make the topics friendly - without my books becoming 700 page tomes. :)

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 11:28am. in
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Wed, 07/08/2009

A Cup of Mixed Genre Please, by Candace Havens:

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I don't talk about it much, but I get a lot of grief about my books. Most of the time it comes from readers, who aren't sure where to find them in bookstores. Sometimes they are shelved in mainstream, other times romance or sci-fi/fantasy. I, for one, am grateful to be in a bookstore anywhere at all, but I understand how frustrating it can be.

The truth is, my books are a blend of genres. There is action-adventure, mystery, fantasy, suspense and romance. There are snobs out there in the world who love to say, "I don't read genre or romance books." It makes me laugh. You'd be hard pressed to find books on the top 10 fictions lists, that aren't genre books of some kind. So evidently someone is reading them.

I learned during my job as a journalist covering TV and Film, that mixing genres can make things more exciting. The first time I was really aware of this was with Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." He was able to mix horror, comedy and drama, in such a clever way. I knew that if I ever decided to write fiction that I would want to do the same sort of thing.

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 1:54pm. in
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Tue, 07/07/2009

Kicking Butt, by Candace Havens:

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I'm not sure I could write a wimpy heroine if my life depended on it. Okay, maybe if there were a gun to my head, but that would be the only reason. I just can't relate to women who don't want to solve their own problems.

That's one of the reasons I love the Caruthers sisters so much. They are tough chicks, whose job it is to save the world. That doesn't mean they don't have screwed up love lives, or that things are easy for them. Life is messy, and no one knows that better than the Caruthers sisters.

In the new book, "Dragons Prefer Blondes," Alex Caruthers is responsible for keeping the dragons under control. It's one of the toughest jobs for the Guardian Keys, and it's somewhat warped her outlook on life. She has a difficult time trusting people, and she's one tough chick.

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Tue, 07/07/2009 - 3:20pm. in
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Tue, 07/07/2009

Listen to our Author's Podcasts Running the Week of 7/6:

 

 

 

 

» Nandan Nilekani discusses his book, which examines questions about India's past, present and future amid economic growth.

» Read more about Imagining India

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Posted by Penguin Group USA on Tue, 07/07/2009 - 11:07am. in
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Tue, 07/07/2009

Favorite Emails, by Danica McKellar:

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One of my favorite things about writing books like Kiss My Math is the happy emails I receive from my readers. I get messages from students, parents, teachers, aunts, uncles and grandparents who have bought the book for themselves or a loved one who is struggling in math, and the success stories are amazing.

I love hearing from parents how I've made homework time less stressful, or how the books have given teachers new ideas for making lesson plans easier and more fun!

Here are some of my favorite emails from students. I get so many of these every day, and they make me so happy - it never, ever gets old and I know it never will.

One of my favorite things about emails from teenagers is the hyperbole. The extra exclamation points, the saving of lives - it's just adorable and I love it.

Your book "Kiss My Math" saved my life! I'm in algebra in the eighth grade and your book covers it all. I have hated math all my life and now I am enjoying math class! Thank you so much!!

Kate, age 13, Missouri
Posted by Penguin Group USA on Tue, 07/07/2009 - 10:53am. in
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Mon, 07/06/2009

Tough Days for Literary Fiction, by Darin Strauss:

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At dinner last night at the Luxembourg Gardens with Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything Is Illuminated), Nicole Krauss (The History of Love) and Joseph O'Neill (Netherland, which is the book Obama is reading), I realized something that should have been obvious.

When you're intent on something-when you look at it too closely or too often-every now and then you can't quite place it. It's like this with words. Stare too long at something as common as Hello: it can verge on the sense of trying to remember where you met.

And so. What I miss, too often, is how lucky I am to be a working novelist in America. These are, as the whole world knows, tough days for literary fiction. And it's never been the easiest career, even in boom times. Rejection. Financial uncertainty. Mean or dense critics. Good publishers that nevertheless have, at the end of each quarter, to answer to corporate bosses. Plus, the difficulty of composition. Blah blah blah. Everyone knows about this job, about the privations and snags of it.

But it's wonderful, too.

I like being in the company of other writers. I've found little (spoken) jealousy or pettiness. I think we all know what a hard field it is, and so are pretty kind to each other. And, of course, most good novelists are good talkers. Their minds make hairpin turns. (I admit that sometimes last night I fell off the edge of a conversation.)

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 4:19pm. in
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Mon, 07/06/2009

The Sibling Factor, by Candace Havens:

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I never question the idea machine that is my brain. That's why when people ask, "How did you come up with the idea for this book?" I usually turn and run away. These things come to me out of the ether, sometimes in dreams and other times in the middle of incredibly stressful or happy times. I never know when I might see something that sends me to the computer typing as fast as my fingers will go.

The one exception for me is the Caruthers sister's series. That series was born out of the watching my kids interact one Sunday afternoon, and wondering what it would be like to come from a big family with lots of siblings. I grew up an only child, and always wondered what it would be like to have that sibling bond.

What I learned from watching my friends and their families, and later on with my own two boys, is that bond is often strong but messy. I know sisters who are the best of friends, and others who haven't talked to each other in years. My own kids talk a lot of trash to one another, but if someone picks on the other one, watch out! I once called them on the rather disturbing way they talked to one another, and they both said, "Mom, this is how we communicate." I find it all immensely fascinating.

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 1:50pm. in
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Mon, 07/06/2009

Summertime Reading, by Danica McKellar:

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I hope you're all having a terrific summer!  I trust you've all been making time to relax, maybe hang out by the pool or the beach with a fun book, maybe even a fun math book...

Um, did she just say "a fun math book"?

Yep!  In fact, I'm very pleased to announce that the paperback edition of Kiss My Math (ages 12-14) is available as of June 30th 2009, joining my first book in paperback, Math Doesn't Suck (ages 9-12).

Let's face it: Summer is a great time to brush up on math, so I'm really glad the Kiss My Math paperback has come out with plenty of summer left. I know that "extra math reading" probably sounds like a drag, but that's why I made sure my books are actually fun to read!   I mean, why shouldn't math books look like teen magazines? Why shouldn't learning math involve topics that teens are already thinking about, like popularity, breath mints and parties? Well, that's my whole philosophy anyway.

The good news is that you can review vital pre-algebra topics - or get ahead before the school year starts - with this very philosophy!   Turns out, distributing is as easy as remembering to say "hi" to everyone at a party. (See Chapter 10 in Kiss My Math for details.) 

Need to review exponents? Then you may end up meeting my dear friend, Ms. Exponent, in Chapters 15 and 16. She's the powerful executive who sits high up in her corner penthouse office, stiletto heels and all.  (She'll make an encore appearance in my third book, on Algebra, which comes out in August 2010.)

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 10:42am. in
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Thu, 07/02/2009

Chat with Jane Green about her latest book, Dune Road, Monday, July 6, presented by Penguin (USA) "From the Publisher's Office":

The Penguin Group would like to invite you to join bestselling author Jane Green for a chat about her newest novel, Dune Road, on Monday, July 6th at 2 PM EST.

You can join the chat by visiting The Water Cooler at the scheduled time. 

Dune Road is the story of life in an exclusive beach town after the tourists have left for the summer and the eccentric (and moneyed) community sticks around—from the bestselling author of The Beach House. Warm, witty and gloriously observed, Dune Road is Jane Green at her best, full of brilliant insights into challenges that come with forging a new life.

The chat, which is the first in what will be a monthly feature in the newly launched "From the Publisher’s Office" network on the Penguin website, will allow readers to ask questions of the author, after having had the first three chapters of the book serialized on the site. The reading experience will be rounded out with a complete Readers Group Guide once the chat has been completed. If you can’t take part, all chats will be archived on the site, so check back at any time.

We’ll also be letting participants in on a special offer to express our thanks for taking part in the chat.

We hope that you’ll be able to join Penguin and Jane Green for this special event!

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 10:30am.
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