Happy Friday, everyone! Are you glad it’s the weekend? Today I’ve posted a review of   Rebecca Stead’s young adult novel, When You Reach Me. If you enjoyed Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, you’ll LOVE When You Reach Me.

-Kaiti Ballenger
 
Synopsis: “Four mysterious letters change Miranda’s world forever.

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.”
Genre: Young Adult—contemporary, light sci-fi, time-travel

First Sentences: “So Mom got the postcard today. It says Congratulations in big curly letters, and at the very top is the address of the Studio TV-15 on West 58^th Street. After three years of trying, she has actually made it. She’s going to be a contestant on The $20,000 Pyramid, which is hosted by Dick Clark.” I must admit, this book didn’t grab me from the very opening. Once I kept reading for a little while, I slowly got into the book more and more. The voice is what kept me going, even when in the beginning the plot didn’t keep me intrigued. For those who plan to read it, I suggest that you don’t give up and set it down too quickly.

Brownie Points: I love Rebecca Stead’s voice—it was strong from the very beginning and by the end of the book I really felt like I knew the heroine, Miranda. She and her friends were compelling and interesting. Also, despite that the story takes place in 1978, I never once felt as if the time period of the novel was being thrown in my face, which I find can sometimes happen with historical novels. In When You Reach Me, the setting and time period comes second, as it should, to the characters, plot, and overall story. Because of this, the setting only added to the novel; it did not detract.

Beefs: Directly after I finished When You Reach Me, I was so pleased with the ending that I didn’t have any beefs with the book. However, looking back now, I wish the plot in the beginning had been slightly more compelling. This is just a matter of personal taste—though I ultimately adore character driven novels, I like action packed plots, and at the beginning of this novel there wasn’t quite enough action for me.

Ending: The ending of this book was PHENOMENAL!—by far its best part. All the mysteries of the novel became clear in the end in a way that was totally unexpected to me. I could not have predicted the ending, but I also couldn’t have been any more pleased with it. One of the testaments to Rebecca Stead’s abilities is that she’ll keep you guessing throughout your whole reading experience. Though I was sad for the story to end, the ending was my favorite section of the book.

Recommendation and General Comments: This novel is truly like a puzzle. At the beginning, you see all the scattered pieces and you might not be very interested in working to get to the finish line. But if you keep going, the picture starts to slowly come together, and you become more and more intrigued until at the very end you’re on the edge of your seat, waiting to see the whole picture. When You Reach Me may start out on the slower side, but the strong voice of the novel hooks you and will keep you reading until the grand finale.

I loved this novel and I recommend it to all who enjoy the young adult genre, especially those interested in light sci-fi and time-travel. Despite that the novel pays homage to Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, even if you didn’t enjoy L’Engle’s work, you’re sure to love this one.

If you’ve read the novel and would like to include your input, or if you have a recommendation for a similar novel, please share your thoughts with us in the comments! =)

Happy Wednesday! It’s our first post of the month and it’s my pleasure to introduce my friend and agency sister, author Melissa Landers. Melissa and I first became acquainted through our agency’s email loop–we share the same fabulous agent!–and right off the bat the first thing I learned about Melissa is that she, and her writing, have an amazing sense of humor. I think you’ll find her post shows just that. My response to Melissa’s question: personally, I am an overachiever, always have been and always will be. Can’t wait to hear your responses to Melissa’s question in the comments too. Enjoy!

-Kaiti Ballenger

Academics vs. Slackdemics by Melissa Landers

The end of the grading period—otherwise known as Reckoning Day—was always a tense scene in my house. My mother would scowl at the perfectly respectable sampling of B’s and C’s on my report card and proclaim, “You could be making straight A’s if you applied yourself!”

I’d blink up at her innocently and argue that I wasn’t smart enough to achieve such a lofty goal. I’d claim math was too hard, or the teacher didn’t like me, or I lost my textbook. Of course, my mother was no dummy. She’d scold me for my lack of effort and ground me Until Further Notice. (Which was a crazy long time.)

In all honesty, Mom was right. I could have made straight A’s if I’d wanted to. But you know what? That would have required the dirty, dirty W-word: work. Bleh!

I simply wasn’t motivated by letters on a piece of paper, and let’s face it—who prefers poring over essays and homework assignments to playing outside, gabbing on the phone, or watching TV? Not this gal. So for the rest of my public school career, I continued my pattern of academic mediocrity, otherwise known as Slackademics.

But as karma is wont to do, it kicked me in the caboose. I graduated from college, earned my teaching license, and spent the next decade attempting to educate hundreds of slackers just like myself. Don’t get me wrong—I had some phenomenal students over the years, but the majority were content to do the bare minimum, and that drove me nuts. What goes around comes around, eh?

Cara Sweeny, the main character in my YA debut novel, ALIENATED, is my polar opposite. A hardcore overachiever who takes competition to a whole new level, Cara stages an “academic ambush” to secure the title of valedictorian. Little does she know the title comes with the responsibility of hosting the nation’s first extraterrestrial exchange student, the alluring and mysterious Aelyx from planet L’eihr.

See what happens when you apply yourself? J

How about you? Were you an overachiever, an underachiever, or just an achiever?

  Melissa Landers is the author of ALIENATED, a seriously foreign exchange coming in 2013 from Disney Hyperion. You can learn more about Melissa on her website, and she’d love for you to add ALIENATED to your Goodreads bookshelf!

   In addition to YA, Melissa writes romantic comedies for adults under the name Macy Beckett. Sultry with a Twist, her debut, releases October 1^st from Sourcebooks and is now available for pre-order.

By Sheryl Kaleo

Last Friday, K&T Sheri talked about keeping goals, and it got me thinking about making them and what kind. I do set big goals, although I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to write a check to myself for a million dollars like Jim Carrey. But it took a lot of confidence to get me past the point of self-doubt and the nay-sayers.

I’ve had some amazing things happen in my life to give me that confidence to shoot for the brass ring even when the odds are against me. One such incident was a kick-butt moment in my life that has stuck with me to this day.

I’ve blogged about learning how to ride a motorcycle in college. So some of you know I’m not the daring, adventurous type. Not then, not now. Roller-coasters terrify me, and I’m an accident waiting to happen on a bicycle. But after I got my first taste of riding a motorcycle, I felt like the coolest klutz ever to rumble around the college-lined streets of Boston. Except for the day of my, ahem, moment.

On a bright summer day, mid-afternoon, I was out running errands. At one stop, I parked my bike in the only available parking spot—on a slope between two cars. Not that I wanted to, but I made an impression. There were a bunch of guys hanging out in front of a convenience store. I know it sounds wimpy, but at the sight of those guys, I almost left immediately.

See, there are two things that happen when a girl pulls up on a bike—guys stare, then they wait for you to walk by so they can make those delightful comments that construction workers call entertainment. Many guys act like they think it’s hot that a girl rides a bike, but unless they ride a bike themselves, they’re usually not really excited about it.  What’s worse is—I was definitely built like a girl, and the muscle bike I rode would have been big for a high-school football player.

I had about eight pairs of eyes on me as I got off the bike, shoved my helmet on my forearm, smoothed my hair into it’s tie, turned to walk away . . . and forgot to put the kickstand down. That’s the little thing on the side that holds the bike up.

The sound of that bike crashing to the ground frightened birds and small animals away, I imagined. It also invited more guys to exit the convenience store to stare.

Did I mention that bike outweighed me by the heft of a small elephant? Now, I’ve seen this happen to other biker guys, and usually someone would run over to offer a hand. This pack of guys didn’t budge. They didn’t laugh either, but I swear I saw a few of them settle against the wall, arms crossed, as if waiting for a show . . .or for me to ask for help.

The only thing going for me? A few minutes of instruction from the motorcycle-training course that showed us how to pick up a bike, even if it’s bigger than the rider. They claimed it was all about using the right muscles and leverage. Good, because I was not a muscular or big girl.

The problem was, the odds weren’t in my favor. I was parked on a hill, between two cars, and I was shaking so hard, my hands were a blur. And never having had anything like this happen before, I didn’t know for sure if I could do it. While those courses tell you how to do it, they don’t exactly let you practice putting scratches on the training bikes.

I remembered what the instructor had said, “There are going to be times when you’re going to need to do this ‘cause you’re all alone.” I just hadn’t realized all alone meant there’d be a dozen guys standing watch thirty feet away. They also say, “Before picking up your bike, ask for help.” Yeah. Right.

Here’s where my moment began. I put down my helmet and turned my back to the bike—I know doesn’t sound right, does it? Then I bent at the knees, making sure my feet were securely under me, gripped my hands on the frame and fork like they’d shown me, then straightened my knees. Not looking at the guys. Not thinking about how much heavier this bike was than me. Not thinking about how much worse this could be if the bike went sliding down the hill under the next car, I kept going.

Seconds passed, but they stretched like hours. I felt the bike lift, lighter than a backpack full of my freshman year college books. Inch-by-inch, I righted the bike. Once it was up, I turned, lowered the kickstand, and finally exhaled.

My knees were still wobbly, but right at that moment I could have jumped up and yelled Huzzah!

But not me. Not with the pack staring. I straightened my jacket, tucked my helmet back on my forearm and swung my hips as I walked by the pack, not sparing any of them a glance. No one said a word.

I felt from that day on, that if I could lift a bike heavier than me, on a slope, by myself, without putting a dent on the two cars beside me—well, I really could do anything, couldn’t I?

So how about you? Can you point to a moment when the odds were against you, when others obviously thought you couldn’t do it and you did? Am I alone in dreaming big and setting big goals? Do you set your sights, put your back into it, and heave?

For more on learning how to ride a motorcycle the right way, visit the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Website for courses near you.

Hey, everyone! We have a  review of Ally Condie’s young adult dystopian novel, Matched–the first novel in the Matched trilogy. I hope you find my review enlightening if you’re interested in the series. Enjoy!

–Kaiti Ballenger

Goals… to dream or not to dream.

~ Sheri Adkins

“You must have long term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short term failures.”

Charles C. Noble

     So, what’s your goal? Your dream? Do you write them down or do you keep them locked away in your heart? I’m only asking because I’m really struggling with my goals. I want to do better about setting them, living them and hopefully achieving them.
Personally, I don’t write down my goals. I worked at this place once (a terrible sales job where I was supposed to sell memberships to an RV campground—don’t ask!) where the sales staff had to write down our sales goal for the week. I thought it was really stupid, but I did it because I had to. My boss would say, “A goal not written down is only a wish.”

I have to say I was one of the more successful sales agents there, so maybe there was something to that writing down of my goals.

 
But now that I have true goals—not ones I just made up for my boss—I can’t seem to follow through with them like I want to. Other than the continued blessing of health and happiness for my family, I want nothing more than to be a published author—to hold a book in my hand that has my name on the cover. Yes, writing is its own reward. But creating characters and stories that only exist in a file on my computer is like making a meal that no one will ever eat.

 
I’ve made significant steps toward my goal, but I keep getting sidetracked by so many things. I can’t stick to any sort of discipline that would help me achieve my goal. As I’ve mentioned here before, my hubby and I run a funeral home. I never know what my workload will be. Ten people could die this week. Or no one could. Who can know? It makes it hard to stick to a daily writing schedule. Not to mention the kids, with their homework, sports and other activities. Friends call and I want to talk to them, of course. They wouldn’t understand if I said I couldn’t chat because I was writing, right? The school calls because they can’t get anyone else to volunteer as Junior Achievement Instructor for my son’s class this year—well, what kind of mother would I be to say no? Even my local writing chapter, the members of which would all understand the value of writing time, needs a volunteer to coordinate our annual conference and after much grumbling, I agree to do it. Why? Why do I sabotage my goals?

 
Why…WHY…WHY!!!

 
A very astute friend of mine made an observation the other day, which was the catalyst for this blog post. I was commenting on the frustration I feel at myself. “Why,” I asked her, “Can’t I stay focused on my writing goals? Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by things that don’t benefit me at all, things I’ve committed myself to but I don’t even enjoy. I almost don’t recognize my own life sometimes.” She told me to think of a goal as a missile—something zooming through the air toward a target. If that missile is off course by even one degree, it won’t reach the target. You don’t really even notice the one degree at first, but if the error is not corrected, if the missile is not brought back on course, it will just fly off into space. Into nothingness. It’s so much harder to bring the missile back to its target once it’s way off course—you have to pull it back as soon as you detect that one little degree.
In other words, nip these obstacles in the bud!

 
This really resonated with me. I fly off course in almost every aspect of my life. Even when I’m cleaning. I’ll say to myself, “I’m just going to get the living room straightened up.” But then I take something to one of my kids’ rooms and see something in there that needs done, so I do it. Before long I’m cleaning up their mess and I never actually get the living room straightened. I even do this when I’m running errands—a trip to the dentist leads me to think of ten other things that I should do while I’m out. Before I know it, a simple appointment turned into an all-day excursion. I have no discipline!

 
So, I have a new determination. I have to bring my missile back on course. I’m going to start writing down my goals (who knows, maybe that old boss was onto something!) and I’m going to think of my goal as a missile. That’s why I’m writing this blog today. I seriously want input! Give me some advice on how to stay on track, how to keep my goal-missile on course. What do you do to make your goals and dreams become reality? Help me!

There are three things on this earth that Olivia Jane Kalb loves: books, baking, and her two fairly unlovable cats. Since the sight of blood makes her faint, being a veterinarian is out of the question, which leaves two possibilities for her future career: editor at a New York publishing house or a bakery owner. Fortunately, she is also a year-round volleyball player, making all that reading and baking manageable. She very much hopes you read Going Too Far because she’s quite sure you’ll fall in love with the characters as much as she did.

~Olivia Jane Kalb

“Going Too Far” is not your average romance or teen rebellion book. 

Jennifer Echols has written a believable and relatable tale about two people, a 19-year-old cop and rebellious 18-year-old girl, falling in love while running from their painful pasts. But what really makes this book so memorable is that it’s focused on a railroad bridge.

Written in 2009, “Going Too Far” is Echol’s third young adult romance; the first two being “Major Crush” and “The Boys Next Door”, which are both romantic comedies. Echols also writes adult romantic comedies.

“Going Too Far” is about Meg, who has led a very troubled life since she was 13-years-old, and a cop named John, who is obsessed with the railroad bridge in town because of a past incident.

One night John finds Meg on the bridge with a few of her acquaintances and her boyfriend Eric. He sets out to teach them about the dangers of trespassing on the train tracks by forcing them to ride along with the firemen, paramedics, or him during their spring break.

And guess who John chooses for himself? You got it. Meg, who, as you can imagine, is oh-so-happy to be missing her spring break.

At the beginning of the book, Meg was just your average outcast. She purposely didn’t have friends, her dad wasn’t very nice, and she was extremely snarky. But as the book went on I got to see beneath that hard exterior and see the damaged, scared girl beneath the tough outer shell. Seeing who she truly was really helped me to empathize with her.

One thing I definitely feel sorry about is her dad, because in my opinion, he is a huge jerk. But I guess that he has a bit of a right to be one. I mean, she’s put him through a lot, with arrests, drugs, and alcohol, and she doesn’t seem the slightest bit repentant to him.

During their night rides, Meg and John connect through fun times at her parent’s restaurant “Eggstra, Eggstra,” arresting drug traffickers, pointing out all the places to “Park,” and through his final lesson where he shows her a horrific car accident.

Through these nights and events, Meg and John help each other finally let go of their pasts and start living life to the fullest (please excuse the corny cliché).

I really loved how Echols created their romance through the way they interacted. They are pushing and sparring with one another. The characters felt real to me; they would be confident one moment, then awkward and self-doubting the next.

Their relationship was not only funny, but it was also adorable and passionate. One of those passionate parts I loved was when John found Meg in a car with Eric, her non-boyfriend boyfriend, and his reaction, a mix of hurt and anger, had me swooning.

My favorite time reading about John, however, was when he met up with his friends at Mickey D’s. Most of the time, he’s pretty mature. But in this scene, he’s so adorably 19-years-old.

“Going Too Far” is a truly wonderful book. It’s witty and filled with real characters that I can actually relate to. Echols did one heck of a job on this book. Sigh, oh, how I want my own John — and Meg as my friend, of course.

As if I didn’t love Jennifer Echols enough, I was lucky enough to score an interview from her. Jennifer Echols is the author of romantic dramas for MTV and romantic comedies for Pulse. She currently lives in Birmingham. Visit her on the web at www.jennifer-echols.com

7 Fun Facts about You:  

I am running my first marathon this Sunday! I am very stressed out about this. I would like this to count as 5 facts, which works out to 1 fact every 5.24 miles.

I never played sports in high school because I was a band geek (and I’m still very proud to call myself that).

I was born in Atlanta, not Alabama, which proves that Wikipedia is sometimes wrong. I have been a lot more leery about Wikipedia since I discovered this error!

Now a little deeper…

I’ve never read a Young Adult Romance like ”Going Too Far” before. Where did you get the inspiration for such an intense story? Did you get ideas for the book from real life situations you’ve been in or people you’ve met?

The girl who sat next to me in the oboe section in band was dating a very young cop when she was a junior in high school, and I guess that stuck with me. I made sure there are towns that employ 19-year-old policemen before I wrote that into the story. I’m always on the lookout for places where adulthood and childhood clash, because that puts a lot of stress on the characters an creates an interesting novel.

I noticed in your acknowledgements you said your editor, Jennifer Heddle, pushed you where you were scared to go in ”Going Too Far,” I’m curious what you meant by that. Curious to know what the original manuscript looked like and what changes she encouraged you to make? Would your book have been so deeply emotional or would the characters have had such serious issues like their fears about death, through the bridge for John, and cancer for Meg, if it hadn’t been for your editor?

The main change I was talking about was that she told me to add the beginning of chapter 14, in which Meg tells John (and the reader) what actually happened when she was diagnosed with cancer. I always knew this happened, but I didn’t write it in the original manuscript because I thought readers would not empathize with Meg and would be turned off by how she acted. My editor and her assistant both felt otherwise. They really wanted to see this scene. After I wrote it, I knew they were right. I think it makes the book more powerful.

You write two distinctly different styles, both which I happen to love equally. Do you have to be in a particular mood to write either, or does your editor tell which mood you’re going to be in?  Do you prefer either style over the other?

There are three genres, actually. I write teen romantic drama (like ”Going Too Far”) and teen romantic comedy (like my latest book, “The One That I Want”), and I have some adult romantic comedies coming out next year. What I’m writing has nothing to do with my mood and everything to do with what the editor has purchased. Here’s what happens: when you finish writing a book and turn it in, you write a proposal for a new book in the same genre. The proposal usually consists of the first three chapters plus a description of the whole book. If your editor buys it, you write it. If your editor doesn’t want it, you don’t write it, or you try to sell it to a new publisher. It is like constantly being threatened with getting laid off. This is why, when people tell me they want to be novelists, I make sure that they have also considered majoring in engineering.

Do you get attached to your characters or do you forget about them once the book is done? Because John and Meg stayed with me for a long time after reading the book!

I get so attached to them while I’m writing them that they’re with me all day, even when I’m not putting pen to paper. But after I’m done, I try very hard to move on to the next project. I never go back and read my finished books unless I absolutely have to.

I’ve had the privilege of knowing and working as a writing partner with romance author Lisa Sanchez since mid 2008. If there is one thing I know about her, its that she is always good for a laugh. Whether in-person or in-writing, Lisa never fails at making people smile with her quirky, upbeat and fun humor. You can see evidence of this in all her adult novels, which you can check out here–please note the books I’ve just referenced are for ADULT audiences only. Because Lisa, and her writing as well, is so upbeat and fun, I know that when she does choose to discuss some serious, difficult issues that what she has to say is important. Today, she is going to be discussing a serious teen issue addressed in her upcoming young adult novel, Ex Factor. Thank you for discussing this difficult topic, Lisa.

-Kaiti Ballenger

Dictionary.com defines the word “invincible” as: incapable of being conquered, defeated or subdued. This particular adjective is often used to describe our favorite characters in defining moments during battle, as well as the darkest moments of despair. Oftentimes, in fiction, and in real life, we see something I like to refer to as the “Live Forever Mentality” sitting right alongside the aura of invincibility. These character traits make for great reading in our favorite books, both adult and

YA. We love to see our favorite hero/heroine charge into a situation outnumbered, out-gunned, with no hope in sight, and against all odds, come through the circumstance on top, most often with their love interest at their side. Of course, we love these types of stories, or I should say, I love these types of stories because they buck reality, give me a short reprieve from the hard truths life throws at us. Because the truth of the matter is, no one is invincible, and as much as we’d like to think otherwise, we aren’t going to live forever.

My oldest daughter is seventeen and recently graduated early. Her senior year was a happy one, and marked with many memorable events, save one. Midway through the year one of the boys in her class got behind the wheel of his car after drinking a heavy amount of alcohol, flipped his car, and died. The student body was devastated, the city full of grief over the loss of one of their own at such a young age, and I was reminded, once again, just how short this life we’re given really is.

As mortal beings, the grim reality is this: we risk our lives every time we take a step outside our doors. It’s a crappy truth, but one we need to give credence to, nonetheless. This holds especially true for teens. I watch my daughter while she’s behind the wheel of her car. I see the fearlessness in her eyes, the excitement blazing in her brown peepers when she steps on the gas. I remember well the feeling I see coursing through her: power. Power to make her own decisions. And freedom. In gaining her license, she feels like she’s gained an all-access pass into the adult world.

But, just like that old dude said in Spider Man “with great power, comes great responsibility.” Truer words were never spoken. As adults, and as parents, it’s our job to make sure the younger generation can safely harness the new “power” and “freedom” they’ve been granted, and use it in a way that won’t harm themselves, or others. Driving fast is reckless and risky. Driving while under the influence is downright deadly.

It was this type of “Live Forever Mentality” that prompted me to start my current WIP, a contemporary YA that deals with the heavy issue of drinking and driving. Tentatively titled Ex Factor, the story is told from the heroine’s point of view (Nev), and follows her as she recovers from the loss of her father to a drunk driver. Floundering in a new town and a new school, Nev forms real friendships for the first time, and finds she has more in common with the hot guy who’s been mean to her than she could have ever imagined.  I’m currently about 30k words in, and hope to finish in the next month, barring any major interruptions. With three girls and a busy schedule, anything can happen, lol!

Thanks so much for letting me share my thoughts on such a heavy issue with you all. Weigh in with a comment and share your thoughts on the topic.

–Lisa Sanchez

When I first heard about Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, I’ll confess, I didn’t have any intention of reading it.  Come on, I thought.  A book where teens are chosen for a reality television fight to the death?  How could the author possibly pull that off?

But after the 532nd person told me the book was awesome, I figured I should give it a try, if only to see why no one else realized how ridiculous the premise was.  So I got the book.  This just happened to be during a time in my life when I was incredibly sleep deprived and had an attention span of about two seconds.  But once I started The Hunger Games, I couldn’t put it down.

I loved many things about it, but the one that really stood out was Katniss.  I loved how strong, smart, and unapologetically pragmatic she was.  I’ve written before about my deep, deep hatred for heroines who are too nice, like the author is afraid that if the heroine dares stand up for herself, the reader will think she’s mean.  Katniss definitely didn’t fall into this category.

Because I loved the book so much, I rushed off to see the movie on opening night.  Despite watching the trailer way too many times, and telling everyone I came in contact with how good it looked, I was worried the movie wouldn’t live up to the book.  I was especially worried they wouldn’t get Katniss right.

For the most part, I was happy with the way Katniss was depicted in the movie.  In fact, I thought the movie was amazingly true to the book.  Those people from the capital looked exactly the way I pictured them.  And Lenny Kravitz as Cinna?  Inspired casting.

SPOILER ALERT–IF YOU’RE ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE WHO HASN’T READ THIS BOOK, DO NOT SCROLL DOWN.

But there was one part of the movie I had a teeny, tiny issue with, and that was Katniss’s relationship with Peeta.  I loved the complexity of her feelings for him in the book.  The way she appreciates him for saving her life with the bread and resents that feeling of debt.  The contrast of pretending to be head over heels in love with him for the benefit of the audience when she’s only just beginning to trust him.

I felt like a lot of that got lost in the movie.  Part of it is a matter of the format–in the movie, unlike the book, we can’t hear what Katniss is thinking.  But there is one place where I thought the movie could’ve benefitted from following the book a little more closely.

I’m talking about the scene just after Katniss and Peeta think they have won, when Claudius Templesmith announces they’re changing the rules yet again and, actually, only one tribute will live, not two.  In the book, Katniss sees Peeta taking out his knife, and she reacts by instinct, pulling out her bow and arrow and aiming for his heart.  And then she realizes he wasn’t trying to kill her–he was throwing his knife into the lake.

From there on out, the book and movie are similar, with Peeta telling Katniss to kill him, Katniss refusing, and then, finally, the gamble with the berries that wins the victory for both of them.

It’s only a few paragraphs in the book, but in my mind, it was a huge change.  Because  the book showed Katniss’s strength.  Yes, she had started to develop feelings for Peeta, but that didn’t mean her survival instincts disappeared.  Love didn’t make her stupid.

What about you?  If you’ve read the book and seen the movie, how did you think they compared?  Is there anything you would’ve done differently in the movie?  If you’ve only read the book, are you planning to see the movie?  If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, what’s stopping you???

Ushering in the month of April and our theme of Final Exams is our special guest Eileen Cook. I happen to think Eileen is adorable. If you don’t believe me, read her books or, for the moment anyhow, check out her author page on her publisher’s website, here.  Her latest book, Unraveling Isobel, is “a darkly comic novel that blends paranormal mystery and romance with humor.” And an earlier book, Unpredictable, is being turned into a movie! You go, Eileen!

                                                           ~Suzanne Kaufman Kalb

Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in six different languages. She spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer.  Her latest release, Unraveling Isobel came out in Jan 2012

You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com.  Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.

EILEEN COOK ON FINAL EXAMS

I’ve always been a worrier. The curse of a vivid imagination is that you can almost always imagine something that would make the situation worse. This is great for writing fiction, but tends to make my real life a bit anxiety filled. If there is a sudden lurch on a flight, you can count on me to grip my armrest, mentally picturing the wing suddenly falling off of the plane.   Strange noise in the middle of the night? Zombie apocalypse.  Hacking cough and sniffle? No doubt the beginning of Ebola. Knowing how I can take worrying to a professional level, you can imagine how I might have dealt with final exams.

No matter how well I did in a class I was always certain that the final exam would be my undoing. At long last it would come out that I hadn’t learned a thing all term. It might even be worse; it might prove that I actually didn’t know anything at all. I would be one of those medical freaks where they would do a brain scan and discover that all I had was a stunted brain stem. Doctors would be shocked I had the capacity to remember to breath in and out on my own let alone attend school.

Even though exams freaked me out I learned one of the most important things from them. It happened when I was in college. I’d stayed up until the wee hours to study fueled by copious amounts of caffeine- laden drinks and fear.  I’d finally collapsed to sleep for a couple of hours before planning to get up again and cram a couple more hours before the actual test. When I rolled over I was surprised that I felt as well rested as I did.  Then I saw the clock.  I’d slept through the alarm.

The exam had started FIVE MINUTES AGO. I was missing it.

My heart stopped beating for two or three seconds. I leapt out of bed, shoved on my shoes, grabbed a couple number two pencils and bolted out the door.  I ran full speed to the classroom dressed only in my pajamas. This might not have been all bad if I slept in cute or sexy nightclothes, but instead I looked like a homeless person.

My instructor didn’t seem surprised to see a frantic, jammie-clad, no makeup, hair a mess- student in the door gasping for breath.  He calmly passed me the test and indicated that although I was late, I would not be given any extra time.

I don’t remember exactly how I did on that exam, but I did okay. That’s when I realized that the secret to life is that it is okay to be scared or worried, but the important thing is that you show up anyway.

I still worry. Worry comes second nature to me, but when I find myself starting to freak out about things that haven’t even happened yet I remember that final exam. You can’t accomplish anything unless you show up.  The zombie apocalypse may never happen, but if it does I’ll at least come out swinging.