YA Author Crush: Kiera Cass

I've recently developed a little bit of a crush on Kiera Cass, author of The Selection. I fell in love with her cover first, which features a redhead in a beautiful gown and this tagline: "35 girls. 1 crown. The competition of a lifetime." I adored it for about three months before I was able to save up the money to purchase the book, and it was worth every penny.

The Selection is dystopian meets The Bachelor meets the Queen Esther story*. A fun combination, right? It ended up being both frightening and indulgent. The book is about a girl named America; the only girl in the nation who doesn't want to be drafted into the reality show to win Prince Maxon's heart. But what if the opportunity provides her with a life and a purpose greater than she could've imagined? What if the royal family and the country need someone just like her?

Cass' world is compelling and deeply layered with the history and societal structure of her Illea (America's country). America is a girl you can genuinely like and root for. And both Aspen and Prince Maxon have dream-worthy qualities. I happen to be a Maxon girl myself--his desire to do the right thing and his treatment of America as a lady won my heart. Sure, America may have tons of chemistry with Aspen, but that respect Maxon has for her? It makes me swoon.

Okay, stopping. This post is about Kiera not her characters :)

After voraciously reading The Selection in one night, I hopped online to see when book two comes out. (It's a trilogy like most YAs). What I found was one of the most delightful author sites I've looked at. There aren't cutesy graphics or flashy extras, just one really fun lady. When I read her bio, my first thought was "She talks like me and Erynn, we could totally be BFF." She's also really cute. She has great musical taste. And she's down-to-earth and completely approachable.

Also, The Selection has been picked up as a CW pilot. How cool is that?

Kiera was in Winston-Salem last weekend for the Bookmarks Festival. I had planned to go, meet her, and get her to sign my book, but alas, my own writing goals got in the way, and I was majorly bummed. I do, however, plan to stalk . . . I mean, meet her sometime this fall. Even if I have to make a trip to Charleston in November for YAllfest. I'm not above it; that's how cool I think she is.

Suffice it to say that I could go on and on. Instead, I'll just link you to her website and let you decide :)



*Full disclosure: this is my own description. I have no idea whether Cass intended the Queen Esther allusions or whether I'm just reading them into the book.

Killing Me Slowly

Vein by gerard79 (sxc.hu). Used by permission.

Like a lot of Americans, I'm overweight. Partly because of my CFS symptoms but mostly because I unabashedly love milkshakes, hamburgers, and french fries. And croissants. And soda. And . . . well, you get the idea.

My motivation to lose weight and give up the foods I love has been pretty low. Until I saw my blood under a microscope last week. Pretty red blood cells, active white blood cells, and a lot of yeast. A lot. My doctor asked me if I craved bread products. Do I ever! She let me know: you aren't craving those carbs or sugars, it's the yeast. The yeast rapidly multiplying in my system. The yeast that will kill me if I let it continue.

Suddenly, those old favorites seem a little less appealing. Don't get me wrong; the smell of fresh-baked bread or the sound of a coke can popping open still make me salivate. But knowing that food feeds what wants to kill me? I think I'll pass.

Those foods aren't worth the risk for me.

The same is true for us spiritually.

Sin is a disease. Sure it looks, feels, or tastes good at the time, but it feeds what is killing you and I (Jam. 1:14-15). Those moments of indiscretion, that "slip up," that "just one more time" mentality? They're allowing sin to multiply within us and suck us dry.

We have to kill it. Every moment of every day.

Why We Connect With Dystopian Literature

I'm continuing with the theme of introducing you to authors smarter than me tonight with a link to a post of Kim Vandel's. Kim is a YA AND Speculative author who blogs book reviews and writing craft thoughts. Back in July, Erynn introduced me to Kim's blog, and I must tell you, it is both fun and thoughtful.

I really enjoyed Kim's thoughts on dystopian lit and why it connects so strongly with teenagers (and adults). She says the genre is growing because readers want to believe that one person can make a difference in a dark, broken world, and I completely agree. I believe it's the reason dystopian lit never really disappears. In fact, the premise for my The Free and The Brave series is--One can save them all. Noah's introduction into Maddison's world, and his subsequent salvation, changes everything for an entire nation, and I hope readers will fall in love with my dystopian world and the characters that inhabit it.

Do you read dystopian lit? If so, why does it appeal to you?  And what is your favorite? (You can pick out a classic like 1984 or Brave New World or a new best-seller like The Hunger Games, Divergent, or Uglies.)

Speaking Of Heroes . . .

My brain's been percolating with thoughts and ideologies on heroes for the last two months in preparation for my upcoming series. (Don't worry, a percolating brain is not as dangerous as it may sound :)

On Monday of this week, Pepper Basham, one of the fabulous ladies at The Writers Alley, blogged about why we bond with a flawed hero. I love her philosophy and thought the post could serve as an introduction for you guys, so your brains can start ruminating as well.

Once you've read, let me know--do you prefer your heroes flawed or not? And is there room in your heart for both? (I sure hope so ;)

P.S. Per Pepper's post, I'd watch a Cyclops movie . . . if he weren't dead. *shakes head* Still angry after all these years. Am I the only one?

A 360 Degree Makeover

If you are reading this post by e-mail or via a blog reader, you won't have noticed, but Relentlessly Pursued has a whole new look. In fact, Relentlessly Pursued's been retired. It's a bittersweet change, but one that's been coming for over a year now.

With the change comes additional content, a new design, tagline, and web address (don't worry, subscribers, nothing should affect you). Every piece of the site is streamlined for your reading ease, I hope.

Why the change? Well, I just can't contain my YA love any more, and I'm hoping to connect with other YA readers and authors, especially those awesome dystopian ones. I'll continue to post my devotional journey thoughts from time to time and any writing updates I may have, but I'll also be incorporating more YA Crush posts (to build up that Websites to Visit tab and to introduce you to my favorite YA authors and books). Add in a feature on dystopian lit and a series on heroes, and I couldn't be more excited!

Speaking of, the new tagline for my fiction is Everyone Wants A Hero. I've always been a fan of heroes, super or otherwise, and if you ask me to choose between pulling for the steady good guy and the tortured bad boy, and I'm going to pick the good guy 98% of the time. While I hope the heroes in my fiction are both good and realistically flawed, I've never been known to put down a book or shut off a movie because the hero was "too good." Something inside me—and, therefore, in my fiction—identifies with the timeless good vs. evil battle. Sometimes I wish someone would swoop in and rescue me. 

I don't think I'm the only one.

There's an inherent longing in each of us to be rescued from something. Every now and then, we all want a hero. Or, we want to be one.

The good news is — we have a Hero.

And He can make us heroes as well.

This is no fairy tale. Welcome to reality.

Scattering Shadows

Shadows of Gates by Everywhere (sxc.hu)

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay. . . ." -2 Corinthians 4:6-7a

Like most dystopian literature, the world can be a dark place—and not only the world but our hearts as well. I know mine is full of shadowy hallways.

But that is only half of the story.

God sent light into the darkness at the beginning of time, and He has not stopped. He continues to shine light into oppressive regions and shadowed souls. (This truth is one reason I wanted to write a dystopia with a christian worldview). God is out to flood our lives with light and overwhelm the lies, bondage, and sin within. 

Even more, He doesn't just send light; He sends Himself. Throughout Scripture, Jesus is characterized as light (Jn. 1:5, 8:12; Rev. 22:5), and in Him "there is no . . . shadow" (Jam. 1:17). The Father of lights comes to defeat the darkness in and around us.

For the believer, we have this light, this Jesus, in our frail hearts. "Whom should [we] fear?" (Ps. 27:1). The God of the universe has chosen to live in us. What reason do we have to be insecure or afraid?

His light makes all the difference. It's true for Noah and the cast of The Free & The Brave. It's true for you as well.

You "have this treasure" (2 Cor. 4:7).

YA Site Crush: Go Teen Writers

Last month, I facilitated my first teen writers' workshop. Seven boys and I hunkered down to talk about our favorite books, plot, character, and their very unique novel and comic ideas. From paranormal fantasy to anime to post-apocalyptic fiction, we covered it all.

In preparation for the afternoon, I scoured the web for writer resources for teens and stumbled upon Go Teen Writers. I'm so glad I did; GTW has quickly become one of my go-to resources. Stephanie Morrill, Jill Williamson, Rachel Coker, and Roseanna M. White (all published authors) do a fantastic job of providing plotting, editing, and publishing information for teen writers. They also host contests for writers under twenty-one each year.

If you're a teen writer (or an adult writing YA), you won't regret subscribing. Posts about finding a literary agent, writing sticky situations, creating book proposals, and avoiding writer burnout were all published this week alone.

No pressure, but what are you waiting for? Check Go Teen Writers out!