Why do we crave Pretty?

 Image by Pretty as a Picture on DeviantArt.com

I'm as guilty as the next person in craving Pretty.  I buy books that have Pretty covers or Pretty characters.  My favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast. And I'm always on the look-out for art and photography that express Pretty through an artist's eye (like this photo above, which is stunning. Wouldn't that make a great book cover?)


But I digress.  Before writing this blog post, I got to thinking about Pretty in young adult literature.  I can only come up with a handful of main characters that aren't Pretty.  (And yes, I'm capitalizing Pretty on purpose, because the way I'm using it here makes it more of a proper noun. An entity unto itself.)  There was The DUFF by Kodi Kelpinger, although interestingly enough, the main character, Bianca, is neither fat nor ugly.  And there's The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, where the main character starts out fat and with low self-esteem, but gradually becomes a force unto herself (coincidentally as she loses weight).


And then I got to thinking, would people still read a YA (particularly the romantic books) if the characters weren't Pretty?  What if Anna from Anna and the French Kiss wore a size 14? Or what if your favorite kick-butt heroine was so plain she was almost invisible?  Even when the characters don't see themselves as Pretty, it turns out that everyone else thinks of them that way.  (Think Bella Swan or Lena Haloway from Delirium.)


Putting the media and marketers aside, why is it that we don't read books about normal looking people?  Or for that matter, why don't we as authors write more normal-looking people?  When was the last time you read a book where the MAIN CHARACTER had an acne problem?  Why do we consistently reinforce the message that you'll only ever be in a supporting role if you're not Pretty?  


I have all these questions swirling through my brain, knowing I suffer from these very problems myself, but I don't have any answers (short of calling myself shallow, that is).  I mean, did I not spend hours scouring the internet looking for the most beautiful brunette I could possibly find for the cover of my own novel?  And what can I do about it going forward without losing readers?  After all, you don't get the TV news from unattractive anchors.  Are people will to read about unattractive characters, even if their looks are not the focus of the novel?


So here's what I want to know -- particularly from any teens out there -- would you be more or less likely to read a YA novel where the character had a physical flaw or was less than attractive?  Would you pick up a book if the cover model looked like the girl on the right instead of the one on the left? Or or why not?

Are You Ready For Some FOOTBALL - Erm, I mean NiNoCon?!?

K, so I'm sure lots of you are gearing up for SUPER BOWL SUNDAY on Feb, 5th. I know I am. Love it!!!

But, the day BEFORE the Giants go up against the Patriots is going to be even more awesome.

You want to know why?

It's NiNoCon.

Here's the deal (as told from Ali's website):

Ninja Novel Conference ~ an online writers conference for the daring, the dedicated, the ninja writer!

Ninja Novel Conference (NiNoCon) is the brainchild of the Ninja Pirate herself, Angela Kulig. She approached me with a plan to take over the world and hey, it sounded like fun!


Saturday, February 4th, 2012, will be the first NiNoCon, and we hope you'll join us!


NiNoCon focuses on publishing by non-traditional means. We're talking about doing what hasn't been done before, stretching your imagination to extend beyond your stories and into a world of your making.


We've invited top-notch presenters to share how they thought "outside the box". Come learn what they have to say and discover how you can make your own magic happen.

Can't wait to check it out. Hope to see you there. HiYah!!! 

Oh, and don't forget the chips and salsa for the big game.

Which team are you rooting for?


(Pics courtesy of Ali Cross and google.)

Coming Into Your Own

When I was a senior in high school, I was not the most popular girl in the world. On the outside, I was kind of a goody two-shoes. A girl who did everything right - joined all of the clubs, got straight A's, etc. etc. But on the inside, I was an awkward mess. I had no idea how to put together cute outfits the way some girls seemed to do effortlessly on a daily basis. My face was constantly broken out. I felt awkward in my own body, never knowing how to act in a crowd or get into the parties.

I found out later that a lot of the people in my school thought I was stuck up, but that wasn't the truth at all. In truth, I was painfully self-conscious. What other people saw as confidence, I felt as never-good-enough.

That's when my mother showed me an audition announcement in the paper. The Macon Little Theater was putting on Fiddler on The Roof, one of my absolute favorite musicals. I'd grown up watching the movie version of the musical and singing along, especially with the character of Hodel, the beautiful second oldest daughter who falls in love with the revolutionary and follows him to prison in Siberia. The moment I read about the audition, I knew I wanted that part. I didn't care that the theater was almost an hour away.

When I got to that audition and saw how many other girls my age had shown up, my self-doubt rose to the surface. But the second I got on the stage to sing, I was a new person. I was Hodel. I felt instantly transformed. I won the part and loved every minute of my time working on the musical. I met new friends that saw me as a true part of their group. I found new confidence each time I stepped onto the stage. I found a beauty within myself I hadn't realized was there. For the first time in my life, I had come into my own.

And isn't that something we all love about Young Adult fiction? Isn't that something we can all relate to? We've all felt awkward at some point in our lives, haven't we? One thing I love about reading YA is that we recognize ourselves in these young heroines. We know her pain. That gawky girl resonates with us. The heroine who doesn't yet understand who she is or what her true destiny is? She's just like us.

There's magic in that moment of coming into your own. Of suddenly finding that one thing that you were always meant to do. The one place where you suddenly shine. For Harper, the main character in my Peachville High Demons series, it's not until Book 5 that she truly comes into her own and realizes who she is and where her power comes from. It's a powerful moment, just like it was for me playing Hodel in that community theater production. I found a confidence that year that led me to take other risks. Risks like self-publishing and quitting my job to become a full time writer.

Do you have a favorite YA heroine that we get to see come into her own? What was one moment in your life where something suddenly clicked and you knew you had found something magical for yourself?

     _________________________________________________________________

Sarra Cannon always secretly wanted to be a cheerleader. And a witch. Now, she writes about both.  She is the author of the Peachville High Demons series, available now in ebook format. Sarra lives in North Carolina with her amazing husband and her teeny tiny pomeranian, Snickerdoodle.

Find Sarra on the Web:

Facebook        Twitter      Website      Goodreads       Blog

The Persistent Paranormal

Way back in 1992, when the grunge music scene made plaid shirts and Converse high tops a daily uniform, I saw a movie called Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  I remember my younger self being completely absorbed by the pull Gary Oldman had over Winona Ryder, the lure and mystery of the cursed Dracula on the innocent Mina, the role of blood, fate, good, and evil all tied up inside a sensual romance.  I liked it so much I read the book, published for the first time in 1897. It became one of my favorite books of all time.

Vampires, werewolves, fallen angels, ghosts, zombies: I’ve been a fan of the paranormal for over two decades. It’s no surprise that my obsession should turn into a career writing paranormal fiction. But how much is too much? With the advent of series such as Twilight, Shiver, The Mortal Instruments, and beyond, it would be easy to think that the paranormal fad had run it’s course. 

Am I doomed to a reading life without vampires? Are werewolves too cliche to cuddle up to? Have fallen angels fallen out of favor?

I say no. For over 200 years, paranormal fiction has offered an escape that leaves us questioning what it means to be human. These stories help us appreciate the beauty of life through the eyes of the characters who don't have it, the dead and undead, and experience the forbidden fruit of crossing the line between good and evil.  These themes will never go out of style, even if certain portrayals of the entities behind them do. 

Lucky for me and the rest of the reading public, talented authors keep coming up with new ways to make the genre fresh and the characters complex. Did someone say Trolls? Amanda Hocking’s Switched is a clever take. Mermaids? Check out Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper.  Mind reading and telekinesis? Try Susan Kaye Quinn’s Open Minds or Karly Kirkpatrick's Into the Shadows. And if J.R. Ward and Charmaine Harris have taught us anything, it is that vampires and shifters are here to stay, even more than ten books into a series.

What do you think? Paranormal, dead or undead? I’d love to hear your opinion.

______________________________________________________

G.P Ching is the author of The Soulkeepers Series and a variety of short fiction. She specializes in cross-genre paranormal stories, loves old cemeteries, and enjoys a good ghost tour.  She lives in central Illinois with her husband, two children, and one very demanding guinea pig.

Follow G.P.:

Twitter      Facebook      Blog     Goodreads

A Public Service Announcement

A Public Service Annoucement

Two definitions from Dictionary.com:

Arachne – noun Classical Mythology
A Lydian woman who challenged Athena to a weaving contest and was changed into a spider for her presumption.

Myth – noun
Fictitious story, often ancient.

Sometimes myth holds a glimmer of fact. In Arachne’s case, a woman was changed into a spider. Fact. Her name was Arachne. Fact. She was Lydian. This is where fact becomes muddled with myth, but that’s not important here.

What is important is that humans presume that if something cannot be proven, it’s a myth. Humans also believe that everything on this planet is here for their consumption, to use and dispose of as they please, no matter the consequence. What will happen to humans for their presumption?

Be warned. 

Arachne is not a myth and her descendants are tired of being stomped on. 

One more thing. Bug spray? Yeah, it won’t help you. Sometimes, however, the consequences of our presumptions may be the only thing that can save us.

Spider Wars 

By Angela Carlie

March, 2012 

Run, hide, and hoard food and guns. 

Death of the world as we know it by Spider is near.

 

 

 

SBFF

Every author has a favorite character whether they want to ‘fess up to it or not. Mine is Claire Vargas, the snarky best friend from my Zellie Wells books.

Now, my snarky best friend would say that I’m most like Zellie – Zel’s an awkward, kinda, sorta brave pastor's daughter and I attended A LOT of church when I was a teen – but I identify with Claire more. She was the easiest character for me to write.

I like to say that I started out as a Zellie and ended up as a Claire. How cool for me that I got to create them both.

       Being a heroine is serious business, especially in a YA paranormal romance. 

You find out you have powers.

You are not awesome at them.

You’re constantly embarrassing yourself in front of the boy you like.

He secretly thinks you’re amazing, but you don’t get to find that out for five more chapters.

One or both of your parents may be dead. If they aren’t dead, then they just don’t get you.

You’re in high school.

That’s not to say that a PNR YA heroine has to be a depressed, introverted, self-hugging Debbie Downer and can’t be funny, but girlfriend’s got a lot on her plate.

SBFF (Snarky Best Friend Forevah) to the rescue!

Need to make a move at a party, but are too mortified to talk to THE boy? SBFF will deflect attention off of you with her killer dance moves and saucy talk.

Got a ballroom full of innocent bystanders unaware that you are about to have a deadly showdown with evil spirits? SBFF says, “It’s karaoke time.”

Involved in a love triangle? Let SBFF take one of those fiiiiine lads off your hands.

When Zellie finally reveals that she has visions of the future and knows how people are going to die, Claire’s first reaction to the news is, “Have you seen my death?  Do I look hot? Who comes to my funeral?”

What she’s really saying is, “You’re my best friend and I already knew you were a freak. Who cares? That’s how we roll.”

Claire meddles. She jokes. She quips.  She says the right wrong thing at the right wrong time.

She loves Zellie like a sister.

Claire’s super power is that she lacks embarrassment and she will only use it for good.

Without Claire, Zellie wouldn’t be as believable a character. Readers, just like in real life, learn about a person through their relationships with their friends and family. Even with all the heavy stuff going on in Zellie’s life, because of Claire we know that she’s got a sense of humor, that she’s loyal, and that she’s capable of acting exactly her age. Through Zellie we learn that Claire would do anything for her, even when she’s cracking wise.

And she’ll do that anything wearing a micro-mini and expensive sunglasses.

It’s the SBFF way.