authoralexflinn

[authoralexflinn]

Things You Probably Didn’t Know About “The Nightmare Before Christmas”

[authoralexflinn]

Hi Alex. I read your books Beastly, Cloaked and Mirrored and was wondering something on the concept of witches in your books: are there any guy witches in the world of your stories? By the way, love your work.

Yes! There are definitely male witches, and there is a male witch in Beheld, which comes out in January. In fact, it is a story of Kendra’s through-the-ages romance, starting in Salem during the Witch Trials.

[authoralexflinn]

B&N is looking for teen bloggers interested in YA! Are you who they’re looking for?

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Books with Fat Main Characters

Hello again! Your local mod has returned. And so soon! Well, around the same time I made my list of YA books with explicit asexual main characters for YA Interrobang, I also made a list of positive YA books with fat characters. Which, again, was very limiting. I tried to pick books that didn’t have any glaring problems in their representation of fat characters, didn’t feature weight loss, and they could only be YA. This left out a lot of books that I knew about or learned about in my research and I had a lot of people asking me about what I didn’t include. And once again, this is the best place for me to put it where it can be updated and shared easily.

I want to make it very, very clear: most of the books on this list are problematic. That’s just how it is when it comes to trying to find books with fat characters. I tried to put an asterisk next to books I or someone I trust deemed to be not problematic, but sometimes that’s subjective and sometimes I read things wrong. I’m willing to remove them if someone says a book was problematic, but I probably won’t add them unless I’ve read it myself. Please, please, please feel free to ask me if you’re unsure about a book and worry about triggers. If I’m not sure, I’ll ask until I get an answer.

And, as a final note, quite a few of these books are older or in unconventional formats. But I tried to make sure every book was available from as a new book from some website in some form.

Comics/Graphic Novels

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson*

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki*

Faith by Jody Houser

The Rockabilly Plump Corps by Peter Yang

Wimbeldon Green by Seth

George Sprott, 1894-1975 by Seth

Locas II by Jaime Hernandez

MG Books

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

Sandry’s Book by Tamora Pierce

Blubber by Judy Blume

Nothing’s Fair in Fifth Grade by Barthe DeClements

Holes by Louis Sachar

Models Don’t Eat Cookies by Erin Dionne*

Slob by Ellen Potter

The Dead Kid Detective Agency by Evan Munday

Husky by Justin Sayre

Losing It by Erin Fry

YA Books

Dumplin by Julie Murphy*

Vintage Veronica by Erica S. Perl*

Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis*

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero*

Big, Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught*

Weird Girls and What’s His Name by Meagan Brothers*

Torn Away by Jennifer Brown*

Fat Hoochie Prom Queen by Nico Medina*

This Book Isn’t Fat, It’s Fabulous by Nina Beck

Pretty Face by Megan Hogan

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Future Perfect by Jen Larsen

Damsel Distressed by Kelsey Macke

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger*

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

The Libby Garrett Intervention by Kelly Oram

Butter by Erin Jade Lange

Huge by Sasha Paley

Fat Boy vs the Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach

45 Pounds (More or Less) by K.A. Barson

Skinny by Donna Cooner

Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Nice Girls Endure by Chris Struyk-Bonn

Artichoke Hearts by Suzanne Supplee

Fat Vampire by Adam Rex

Payback Time by Carl Deuker*

Go Figure by Jo Edwards*

Secrets of Truth and Beauty by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Looks by Madeleine George*

The Debs by Susan McBride*

All About Vee by C. Leigh Purtill*

Blob by Freida Wishinsky*

The Dark Days of Hamburger Haplin by Josh Berk

Plus by Veronica Chambers

Fat Cat by Robin Brande

Manstealing for Fat Girls by Michelle Embree

The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger

My Mad Fat Teenage Diary by Rae Earl

The Jock and the Fat Chick by Nicole Winters

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein

Fat Angie by E.E. Charlton-Trujillo

Teenage Waistland by Lynn Bierdman and Lisa Pazer

Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

NA Books

This Much Space by K.K. Hendin*

The Second Mango by Shira Glassman

Picture Perfect by Alessandra Thomas

So Sweet by Rebekah Weatherspoon*

Vow of Celibacy by Erin Judge

Adult Books

Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

The Corset Diaries by Katie MacAlister

Larger Than Death by Lynne Murray

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed

Flex by Ferrett Steinmetz

The Cobweb Bride by Vera Nazarian

Fat Vampire by Johnny B. Truant

She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb

Fat Chance by Nick Spalding

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

Jemima J by Jane Green

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy

Fit by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Painted Faces by L.H. Cosway

Money by Martin Amis

Sheila Devine is Dead and Living in New York by Gail Parent

Thrown for a Curve by Sugar Jamison

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

Judith by Zach Budryk

No Fat Chicks by Margaret Clark

The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg

Dietland by Sarai Walker

The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad

The Secret Fruit of Peter Paddington by Brian Francis

The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner

A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint

Just Desserts by G.A. McKevett

Too Big To Miss by Sue Ann Jaffarian

Non-fiction

Lessons from the Fat-O-Sphere by Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby

Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes Baker*

Good Girls Don’t Get Fat by Robyn Silverman and Dina Santorelli

Upcoming YA Books

The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding

The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine*

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli*

Fat Girl on a Plane by Kelly deVos

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Dead Little Mean Girl by Eva Darrows

Girls Like Me by Lola St.Vil

Upcoming NA Books

Upcoming Adult Books

Laissez Faire by Thea De Salle

Resources

http://fatgirlreading.com/body-positivity-fat-acceptance-2010-ya-lit-symposium/

http://sizeacceptanceinya.tumblr.com/

[authoralexflinn]

Contest -- win an advance copy of Beheld

Head on over to Twitter and enter to win an advance copy of Beheld. Just tweet what you would do if you had Kendra’s witch powers (Me, I would use them to communicate with my dog, to say stuff like, “The bathroom is for humans” and “I’m only insisting you eat dog food because it’s healthier than just eating cheese.”). Had some pretty good entries so far. Best wins. If you enter, tag #beheldcontest and @alex_flinn Ends Friday.

[authoralexflinn]

“She was stronger than the dead.” 

AS I DESCENDED by Robin Talley 

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#QuietYA: Ten underrated August books to read

I get asked often what, exactly, #quietYA is. The traditional definition is about books that aren’t very action packed and slower paced, but I use it to talk about books that are not bestsellers, not award winners, and that don’t have any kind of book or TV deal. So often, the same books are discussed over and over again and unfortunately, books fall through the cracks. But I believe that every book published is needed by someone and I want to create the best possible chance to get those books in hands.

#quietYA is my attempt to make that happen.

Here are ten #quietYA books that released this month that you might have missed.

Beneath Wandering Stars by Ashlee Cowles Publisher: Merit Press Release date: August 1 After her soldier brother is horribly wounded in Afghanistan, Gabriela must honor the vow she made: If anything ever happened to him, she would walk the Camino de Santiago through Spain, making a pilgrimage in his name. The worst part is that the promise stipulates that she must travel with her brother’s best friend–a boy she has despised all her life. Her brother is in a coma, and Gabi feels that she has no time to waste, but she is unsure. Will she hesitate too long, or risk her own happiness to keep a promise?

Cherry by Lindsey Rosin Publisher: Simon Pulse Release date: August 16 Layla started it. She announced it super casually to the rest of the girls between bites of frozen yogurt, as if it was just simply another addition to her massive, ever-evolving To Do List. She is determined to have sex for the first time before the end of high school. Initially, the rest of the crew is scandalized, but, once they all admit to wanting to lose their v-cards too, they embark on a quest to do the deed together… separately. Layla’s got it in the bag. Her serious boyfriend, Logan, has been asking for months. Alex has already done it. Or so she says. Emma doesn’t know what the fuss is all about, but sure, she’ll give it a shot. And Zoe, well, Zoe can’t even say the o word without bursting into giggles. Will everything go according to plan? Probably not. But at least the girls have each other every hilarious, heart-warming, cringe-inducing step of the way.

Vicarious by Paula Stokes Publisher: Tor Teen Release date: August 16 Winter Kim and her sister, Rose, have always been inseparable. Together, the two of them survived growing up in a Korean orphanage and being trafficked into the United States. Now they work as digital stunt girls for Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Gideon, engaging in dangerous and enticing activities while recording their neural impulses for his Vicarious Sensory Experiences, or ViSEs. Whether it’s bungee jumping, shark diving, or grinding up against celebrities at the city’s hottest dance clubs, Gideon can make it happen for you, for a price. When Rose disappears and a ViSE recording of her murder is delivered to Gideon, Winter won’t rest until she finds her sister’s killer. But when the clues she uncovers conflict with the neural recordings her sister made, Winter isn’t sure what to believe. To find out what happened to Rose, she’ll have to untangle what’s real from what only seems real, risking her life in the process.

Unscripted Joss Byrd by Lygia Day Penaflor Publisher: Roaring Brook Pres Release date: August 23 Joss Byrd is America’s most celebrated young actress, but on the set of her latest project, a gritty indie film called The Locals, Joss’s life is far from glamorous. While struggling with her mother’s expectations, a crush on her movie brother, and a secret that could end her career, Joss must pull off a performance worthy of a star. When her renowned, charismatic director demands more than she is ready to deliver, Joss must go off-script to stay true to herself.

100 Days by Nicole McInnes Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books for Young Readers Release date: August 23 Agnes doesn’t know it, but she only has one hundred days left to live. When she was just a baby, she was diagnosed with Progeria, a rare disease that causes her body to age at roughly ten times the normal rate. Now nearly sixteen years old, Agnes has already exceeded her life expectancy. Moira has been Agnes’s best friend and protector since elementary school. Due to her disorder, Agnes is still physically small, but Moira is big. Too big for her own liking. With her goth makeup and all-black clothes, Moira acts like she doesn’t care. But she does. Boone was friends with both girls in the past, but that was a long time ago—before he did the thing that turned Agnes and Moira against him.

Thieving Weasels by Billy Taylor Publisher: Dial Books Release date: August 23 Cameron Smith attends an elite boarding school and has just been accepted to Princeton University alongside his girlfriend, Claire. Life for Cameron would be perfect, except that Cameron Smith is actually Skip O’Rourke, and Skip O’Rourke ran away from his grifter family four years ago…along with $100,000 of their “earnings” (because starting a new life is not cheap). But when his uncle Wonderful tracks him down, Skip’s given an ultimatum: come back to the family for one last con, or say good-bye to life as Cameron. “One last con” is easier said than done when Skip’s family is just as merciless and manipulative as they’ve always been, and everyone around him is lying. Skip may have given up on crime, but there’s one lesson he hasn’t forgotten: always know your mark. And if you don’t know who your mark is … it’s probably you.

Don’t You Trust Me? by Patricia Kindl Publisher: Atheneum Release date: August 30 Don’t you trust me? I mean, look at me. Blond, blue-eyed, the very image of innocence. Pretty enough, if you care about that kind of thing. But would a normal person switch identities with some wet mess of a girl at the airport, just to get her to stop bawling about being separated from her loser boyfriend and sent to live with some distant relatives? Nope, she wouldn’t. Yet I did. I’m not as normal as you think. And you’ll just have to trust me on that.

Just Kill Me by Adam Selzer Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Release date: August 30 Megan Henske isn’t one to heed warnings. When the last letters in her alphabet cereal are D, I, and E, she doesn’t crawl right back into bed. When her online girlfriend won’t text a photo, she just sends more of herself. And when she realizes that Cynthia, her boss at a Chicago ghost tour company, isn’t joking about making stops more haunted by killing people there, she doesn’t quit her job—she may even help. But who is responsible for the deaths of prominent figures in the murdermonger industry? Could it be the head of the rival tour company? Or could it be someone near and dear to Megan? Soon after she learns that she has an uncanny resemblance to a flapper who disappeared in 1922, Megan receives a warning she can’t ignore: the next ghost on the tour might be her.

The Form of Things Unknown by Robin Bridges Publisher: Kensington Release date: August 30 Natalie Roman isn’t much for the spotlight. But performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a stately old theatre in Savannah, Georgia, beats sitting alone replaying mistakes made in Athens. Fairy queens and magic on stage, maybe a few scary stories backstage. And no one in the cast knows her backstory. Except for Lucas—he was in the psych ward, too. He won’t even meet her eye. But Nat doesn’t need him. She’s making friends with girls, girls who like horror movies and Ouija boards, who can hide their liquor in Coke bottles and laugh at the theater’s ghosts. Natalie can keep up. She can adapt. And if she skips her meds once or twice so they don’t interfere with her partying, it won’t be a problem. She just needs to keep her wits about her.

Poppy by Mary Hooper Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Release date: August 30 England, 1914. Poppy is 15, beautiful, and clever, but society has already carved out her destiny. She will become a servant to the aristocratic de Vere family … and bury her feelings for their youngest son, Freddie. He could never marry a girl like her. But the path for Poppy’s life changes when it becomes clear that the war isn’t going to end soon. England needs every able bodied person to serve in battle, which, for Poppy, means volunteering on the front lines as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse. As she experiences what people are capable of–the best of humanity and the worst–Poppy will discover how to be her own person.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that there are always new YA readers who missed out on learning about the new titles, so older titles need love too! This month’s throwback pick is Love by the Morning Star by Laura L. Sullivan.

Love by the Morning Star by Laura L. Sullivan Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Release date: June 3 2014 On the brink of World War II, two girls are sent to the grand English country estate of Starkers. Hannah, the half-Jewish daughter of a disgraced distant relative, has been living an artistic bohemian life in a cabaret in pre-war Germany and now is supposed to be welcomed into the family. Anna, the social-climbing daughter of working-class British fascists, is supposed to be hired as a maid so that she can spy for the Nazis. But there’s a mix-up, and nice Hannah is sent to the kitchen as a maid while arrogant Anna is welcomed as a relative. And then both girls fall for the same man, the handsome heir of the estate … or do they? In this saucy romance, nearly everything goes wrong for two girls who are sent to a grand English estate on the brink of World War II—until it goes so very, very right!

[authoralexflinn]

Wake The Hollow by Gaby Triana

Add it to Goodreads

What It’s About

Forget the ghosts, Mica. It’s real, live people you should fear.

Tragedy has brought Micaela Burgos back to her hometown of Sleepy Hollow. It’s been six years since she chose to live with her father in Miami instead of her eccentric mother. And now her mother is dead.

This town will suck you in and not let go.

Sleepy Hollow may be famous for its fabled headless horseman, but the town is real. So are its prejudices and hatred, targeting Mica’s family as outsiders. But ghostly voices carry on the wind, whispering that her mother’s death was based on hate…not an accident at all. With the help of two very different guys—who pull at her heart in very different ways—Micaela must awaken the hidden secret of Sleepy Hollow…before she meets her mother’s fate.

Find the answers.

Unless, of course, they find you first.

Thoughts

  Sleepy Hollow is a trip and a half! I spent most of the book on tenterhooks thinking ‘what the frickity frack is going in Sleepy Hollow?!’ I couldn’t figure out what the storyline was or who Mica should trust. All I knew was it was some kind of paranormal story and that’s it (I knew what it was about when I requested it but forgot as time went on) Sometimes going into a book completely blind – not knowing anything except the bare bones of the book (character names, genre/vague plotline) - is the best thing EVER. I loved following the storyline as it unfolded in front of me, rather than knowing what to expect beforehand.

I was as undecided on who Micaela should trust as Micaela herself and I spent the entire duration of Wake The Hollow eyeing every character with suspicion, then second-guessing myself – just like Mica was.  You know it’s a good book when you’re as worried for what’s going to happen as the protagonist herself is. I was completely engrossed in the book and

  I could not have seen that almost-at-the-end twist coming even if I’d tried! I want to say so much more but I don’t want to spoil anything *cries*. It’s been almost an hour since I finished reading the book (yes, I wrote the review straight away, I couldn’t wait) and I’m still thinking ‘the betrayal, oh the betrayal… Why? Why?’ .

The Dane twist though? (I won’t say which one),  yeah, I guessed that one as soon as he was introduced. Although I still can’t figure out if there was something slightly supernatural about his character or not. There seemed to be a hint at the end of the book but maybe it just looked that way to me?

Did I mention how glad I am that this was a standalone –and not part of a series like I started thinking it would be (as I neared the half way point of the book)? I don’t think I could’ve taken the wait ROFL.

  I absolutely loved Wake The Hollow it’s full of mystery and intrigue, a likeable heroine AND supernatural/paranormal elements. It’s a YA readers dream come true!

[authoralexflinn]

Hey, check out Gaby Triana’s new book Wake the Hollow out today. It is not so much a retelling of Sleepy Hollow as based in the world of Washington Irving. It follows a young girl finding out about her mother’s mysterious death. It also explores the lives of Washington Irving and Frankenstein author, Mary Shelley.

I blurbed it: “A chilling, smart mystery. I could almost hear the hoofbeats!”

[authoralexflinn]

I just watched 4.12 of OITNB

I am ended.

[authoralexflinn]

Could you see or would you want any of your other books to be adapted into movies?

It would be really fun to see another of my books adapted for film or television. I’ve gotten nibbles over the years, particularly for Breathing Underwater and Diva.

[authoralexflinn]

Mrs. Flinn, I read your book "Cloaked" and I was wondering where is Aloria was located in Europe. I read that the residents from there had French accents so I was wondering if its somewhere near France. It may be an odd question, but just wanted to ask. Love your books by the way, please answer back soon.

Hi, Anon. Yes, Aloria is a fictional country. Basically, I didn’t want to get anyone upset by implying that their country’s royalty were drunk party girls or, you know, magic and stuff. Also, not that many countries even have reigning monarchs anymore. If I had to guess, I’d say somewhere between France and Luxembourg. It is a really small country. Glad you enjoyed Cloaked!

[authoralexflinn]

Writing Fiction and Social Responsibility

By Rahul Kanakia

Recently a friend of mine, Ferrett, was talking about the upcoming release of the third book in his excellent urban fantasy trilogy, and he was like, I’m thinking of doing less promotion for this book, because, well, with all of the news out there about Philando Castile, and the Dallas shootings, and the Orlando massacre, and the attack in Nice, and the Brexit, and nomination of Trump, it just feels weird to pop onto Facebook and be like, BUY MY BOOK!

And I said to myself, Huh, that’s interesting. Because I genuinely hadn’t thought about it. My debut novel is coming out now. (Today, in fact). And I need to promote it. Was I really going to stand on my soap-box and tell people that my book was worth their attention?

That in turn brought up the larger question: What is the social responsibility of the writer?

There is an easy answer here, and there is a hard one. The easy answer is, “Using our writing, we will inspire people to change the world.”

And that’s great if you’re writing a protest novel—an Uncle Tom’s Cabin or a Native Son—but my novel, Enter Title Here, is not a protest novel.

It’s about a high school valedictorian named Reshma who, after she attracts the attention of a literary agent, realizes that scoring a book deal would be the perfect hook to get her into Stanford. But in order to write that book, Reshma, who’s a cold and brutally effective individual, feels like she has to transform herself into a light-hearted YA protagonist stuff. Which is fine. She can do that (because she can do anything).

But when she’s caught plagiarizing an assignment, she loses her #1 class ranking, and–even as she tries to write this book about her own transformation into a nice, lovable person–she engages in a campaign of manipulation and backstabbing to win back her valedictorian title.

#

I won’t say my book has no social value: it’s nice to see an Indian-American protagonist on the shelves, and the book does contain some examination of racial and economic divides. But…it’s not exactly Native Son. When you finish reading my novel, you will not be full of righteous anger. You will not take to the streets. You will not be spurred to change the world.

That might be a turn-off, but it’s a fact. My book is not for or against anything. It’s a story about a person, and if I’ve done my job correctly then at the end of my story, you will still won’t be sure if Reshma ever experienced true oppression.

Which leaves us…where? Have I fulfilled my social responsibility as a writer? Does my work make the world a better place?

To me, the only intellectually honest answer is that if it is possible to write a book that inspires a desire for change, then writers have an ethical responsibility to attempt to write that book.

And since it seems clear from books and movies and plays like Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or The Jungle, or Angels in America, or Wall Street, or 1984, that writing such a book is possible, then where does that leave me?

Of course it’s easy to twist things around and exculpate me. A person could say: “Well, reading narrative inspires people to be more empathetic, and that makes the world a better place.” But even if that was true (and I’m not convinced it is, since it seems to me that all people, whether good or evil, read or play or watch or listen to plenty of narratives), then it would still leave us with the question: Are some narratives better at inspiring empathy than others? And, if so, isn’t it our responsibility to work to increase the empathy-inspiring portion of our stories, even if it comes at the expense of our other artistic aims?

I cannot answer any of these questions. Not in a blog post, and not in my life. I try to write stories that are truthful and complex and beautiful, and for me—for the stories I write—those objectives preclude the fostering of the righteous anger that inhabits a truly good protest novel. But that’s not because I think that’s the only way to write. It’s simply the only way I’ve figured out.

And the only answer I’ve found is that a lot of these issues seem less important if you approach your work with humility.

It’s too easy to think of writing a book as a form of magic. You write this shit down, and it’s like: oh, I’m beaming this story into another person’s brain, and I’m making them feel emotions. But that to me is counterproductive, because it’s wrapped up in a false sense of power.

I don’t know how all those great writers came up with their great social protest novels. Perhaps they had a power that was greater than mine, or perhaps they were just in the right place at the right time and were able to become vessels for a wave of consciousness that needed to be heard.

But regardless, I am not Ralph Ellison or Richard Wright or Harriet Beecher Stowe or Tony Kushner. I am not a titan. I’m only a human being.

And if I take things down a notch and tell myself I’m just having a conversation with people, then there’s less pressure.

Once I start thinking not in terms of my social responsibility as an artist and more in terms of my social responsibility as a human being, these questions become clearer. As a human being, I don’t assume that other peoples’ minds are mine to change. I tell them what I think, sure, but if they disagree then at some point I leave them to their own views. Because part of our social responsibility as human beings is accepting that other people have their own minds.

So as an author, I stand up for what I believe in, and I strive to portray the world accurately, but I also accept my limits. We are in a world that contains seven billion people, and the natural condition of every person in that world is a tremendous loneliness, and I count it as a victory if I can reach anybody at all. 

Rahul Kanakia’s first book, Enter Title Here (Disney-Hyperion), is a contemporary young adult novel. Additionally, his stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Apex, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, The Indiana Review, and Nature. He holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins. Originally from Washington, DC, he currently lives in San Francisco. If you want to know more you can visit his blog at http://www.blotter-paper.com or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/rahkan

[authoralexflinn]

“Worrying Signs” shows the atmosphere of hate in the U.K. post Brexit

Hate speech against minorities appears to be on the rise in the wake of the Brexit. With that in mind, Sarah Childs, Natasha Blank and Yasmin Weaver created a Facebook photo album of screenshots revealing incidents of hate titled “Worrying Signs.“ One woman recounted the horrifying story of being approached at a London bar by a middle-aged white man.

[authoralexflinn]

This is it! The cover for my upcoming novel, Beheld! I was so excited to write this! It’s about Kendra, the witch from Beastly (though you can totally read it if you haven’t read my other books -- it’s not really a series-series). I always wanted to write about her own love story, like what is Kendra about? Doesn’t she have a boyfriend when she’s helped so many others find love? This book traces Kendra’s life and quest for love from 1692 Salem, through 1813 Germany, WW2 era London, to the present, and we get to know Red Riding Hood (in the form of Salem witch accuser Ann Putnam), Rumpelstiltskin, a young war bride in an East of Sun, West of Moon story, and two ugly ducklings in present-day Miami. Here’s what the publisher says about it:

A love that lasts through the ages . . . I first beheld James over three-hundred years ago. Since then, I have tangled with witch hunters and wolves, helped a young lady spin straw into gold, cowered in London as German bombs fell, and lived through heaven knows how many shipwrecks. I once even turned a boy into a beast in order for him to discover kindness and true love. But you know that story. I have survived it all as a powerful witch. But powers have limits, and immortality can be lonely. I have helped others find love, but my own true love is lost to me. Now, I am in Miami, uniting yet another couple for yet another romance. Still I seek my own true love, looking for the one I have always . . . BEHELD

[authoralexflinn]

Lovely Vanessa Hudgens of Beastly is in a new NBC comedy -- and they’re comparing it to The Office!

Vanessa Hudgens DC Comics superhero comedy is officially launching

Vanessa Hudgens will play a “spunky young insurance adjuster specializing in regular-people coverage against damage caused by the crime-fighting superheroes.” So think The Office meets Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. minus Marvel.

[authoralexflinn]

A Villain is a Hero in His Own Story: Why Villains Need Backstories

I’ve just been answering an e-mail from a college student who is writing a paper on Malificent (or, as I told her, “the old fairy”) in Sleeping Beauty and wanted to know why I gave her the backstory I did in my novel, A Kiss in Time. As I sometimes do, I got a little long-winded and started to reflect on villains and backstories in general, so I thought I’d share it in a blog post.

I chose to give Malvolia (my own, made-up name for the old fairy) a backstory because characters have backstories. No one is just evil for the sake of being evil. There must be a reason. The fairy tale’s ostensible reason,being offended at not being invited to a party is a stupid reason to get so angry that you put a death curse on a baby. There has to be another reason, a reason why she feels wronged, terribly wronged. Also, there should be a reason why she wouldn't be invited to the party. What were the king and queen’s motivations? Obviously, this was a very big party, not a little tea or something, and the king and queen (who have a lot of money) would likely invite all the people (and fairies) who reasonably should be invited. Also, logically, they wouldn't want to offend such a powerful fairy unless they had a very good reason.  So I started to think of what a good reason would be and, also, what would make Malvolia feel so wronged that she would try to take revenge in such a horrible manner. 

In a word, the reason why the villain’s backstory needs to be considered is motivation. There is a saying that "a villain is a hero in his own story." 

I've seen it attributed to Chekov but I've also seen people say that it is unknown who said it, so I'm not sure (though Chekov did come up with that cool saying about the revolver on the mantlepiece, so I like Chekov’s writing advice in general). What that means is, no one thinks he or she is the villain. Like, a criminal would say he had to commit a crime to feed his family, or to get rid of someone who was mean to him or because the system did him wrong and he had no choice. He wouldn't say, "I committed that convenience store robbery, then shot the clerk because I am a terrible person." So I enjoy getting to the bottom of why that person did what they did, whether or not I agree with that person. That person may end up being Jean Valjean (who was justified) or Fagin (who was less so) but every character must have a reason behind his actions. Les Miserables and Oliver Twist are actually both very good illustrations of this principle. In Les Mis, Javert thinks of himself as the hero of the story because he is following the law, which he is bound to do. He thinks of Valjean, an escaped criminal, as the villain. But we, the reader (and the audience for the musical version for decades now) think of Javert as the villain and Viljean as the hero. Maybe not the ONLY villain, and maybe not as bad a villain as, say Thenadier, but a villain. But if there was a musical called Javert! (with an exclamation point after it, like Oliver! or Oklahoma!), we would think of Javert as the hero.

Similarly, Oliver Twist has several villains and antiheroes. Dickens, was, after all, the king of writing antiheroes. He gave us one of the first and best-known books written in the viewpoint of the villain: A Christmas Carol. I realize “antihero” sounds cooler than Ebeneezer Scrooge, but he was really one of the best, and that’s why so many sit-coms have a Christmas Carol parody episode each year. Charles Dickens saw all sides, and his book delved deeply into why Scrooge became the man he became. 

In Oliver Twist, the first villain we meet is Mr. Bumble, who won't give Oliver more food and then sells him to a funeral home. But he would likely say he was a hero. He didn't give Oliver more food because, after all, he didn't have more food. The Parish can’t spend all their money overfeeding workhouse boys. And he sold him to the funeral home because he was making it hard to keep order in the workhouse and, also, selling Oliver provided money for food for all the other orphans. The next main villain we meet is Fagin, who runs a band of boys and teaches them to pick pockets, so he's a villain. But, on the other hand, he also feeds the boys presumably better than they were fed in the workhouse, so he's a hero. The truest villain in Oliver Twist is Bill Sykes, a violent criminal who eventually beats his girlfriend to death. But I wrote a whole book on the psychology of that backstory, and it is called Breathing Underwater, so you can read it if you like. Nonetheless, I do believe Bill Sykes is a true villain. However, I would guess he would still disagree with me on that. He likely had a father who beat him and beat his mother and definitely lived in a time and place where the odds were stacked against the poor, much as they were stacked against Oliver. He would say he's done what he's done to get by (and, I would guess that, had he lived long enough to be sorry, he would also be very sorry about what he did to Nancy). He would probably tell me that, had Oliver not been taken in by Mr. Brownlow at the end of the story, Oliver may well have turned out to be Bill Sykes or Fagin. And he might even be right. We’ll never know. 

A more recent example of a villain who is a hero in his own story is Snape in Harry Potter. I don’t know about other readers, but I suspected Snape’s backstory, or something like it, all through the series, long before it was revealed in Half Blood Prince or Deathly Hallows. Of course he was a double agent, and of course he was heartbroken. But, weirdly, Rowling provides less motivation for many of the other main villains in HP. Dolores Umbridge, for example. Or Bellatrix. However, in my mind, Bellatrix is just some confused Squeaky Fromme (again, not a hero) taken in by a charismatic, Manson-like Voldemorte.

The first time I started thinking about my villain’s backstory was when I was writing an early draft of the book that eventually became Breathing Underwater. The villain started talking to me, and I wrote pages and pages in his viewpoint, with the idea of writing a sequel about him. Eventually, the sequel became the book. I’m not saying that you have to write a whole book about your villain or even pages and pages about his motivation. But you should definitely at least spend a long time thinking about it.