I got the news that my young adult mystery SUSPECT was on the top of the Society of School Librarians International best books for language arts (grades 7-12) last fall, but the official link never popped up for me until last week. Now I’m honored to share it, especially since I’m in such good company.
Once again I can’t help thinking about how this is the weekend in June where the mystery weekend in SUSPECT would take place. Weather did really play a role in the plot. Weather, seasons and climate do play or at least should play an important role in establishing the setting in novels. In every book that … More When It All Goes Down
I’ve always enjoyed reading books in the season when they are set. I’ve done this most often with the work of Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels because that writer, whose real name is actually Barbara Mertz, does such a fabulous job of bringing in the season as well as the physical setting. So I can’t help thinking … More ‘Tis the Season to Read SUSPECT
Some writers don’t read the reviews of their books. Many of those who will read reviews from professional journals will avoid reader feedback from places like GoodReads. That would undoubtedly be both smarter and safer. A very wise writer said that “Good reviews are like crack; bad reviews, like poison.” But I’m blessed and cursed with an … More Reading Reviews
Suspect turned up on the Kansas NEA’s Reading Circle Catalog! The list appears to cover fiction and nonfiction for grades K-12. Cool beans!
Another positive review for SUSPECT: “Mystery fans will root for Jen and speculate away as they try to figure out what really happened…” ―Booklist
One extremely wise writer compared good reviews to crack and bad reviews to poison. And she’s right. It would probably be wiser to stay away from places like GoodReads where you run the simultaneous risk of becoming addicted to the “Attagirl!” feedback and being injured by the people who just don’t buy into your book’s solution. So … More Reading Reviews
SUSPECT was nominated to YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list! A group of fifteen will evaluate the nominees at the American Library Association Midwinter conference and come up with the 80 or so finalists. I’ll add the link once this list is updated. Right now, it only shows the nominees through September 30. My … More Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011
Writers of historical fiction often spend months researching the various settings of their novels before they begin to write. While I enjoy reading historical fiction, I’ve never really thought about writing it because I know how every detail needs to be supported. Writers of contemporary fiction often need to spend some time researching, but it varies from project … More Researching SUSPECT
SUSPECT’s first review came in from Kirkus, and it’s a good one! In fact the title of this post was also the subject line from my editor when she sent me the review. She noted that it can be hard to get a good review for mysteries, especially in the world of YA. But here … More A Sparkly, Sparkly Review
Kristin Wolden Nitz 