STATUS: I’m back from vacationing Down Under! And it’s official. Australia has the cutest animals on the planet. There is just nothing to compare to the Koala, Wombat, tiny Blue Penguin, and the Wallaby. Squee. I couldn’t contain myself there was so much cuteness.
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? SOMEONE LIKE YOU by Adele
While down under, I met with quite a few Australian Editors so I have some interesting notes to pass along to my readers. I promise I’ll do that tomorrow.
Today, I just have to take a moment to say CONGRATULATIONS Simone Elkeles for hitting the NYT Children’s Series List this week (#8).
I couldn’t post the news last Thursday (Wednesday in USA) because I had literally just come off the The Great Barrier Reef where I had been snorkeling. A text message was waiting for me and alas, no internet connection.
Hitting this series list is tough to do–especially when you only have 3 books that have to compete with total sales from series with more than 4 or 5 books in them.
So take a moment to revel in it Simone!
Simone also hit the USA Today bsl coming it at number 77. Since that’s ALL books in all any format, that’s huge too.
All for a series that editors told me wasn’t “big enough” while on submission because it was a contemporary YA with no paranormal elements. I don’t know about you guys, but feeling big enough to me. *Grin*
Congrats to you and Simone. So happy to see real world fiction making a big comeback. My students love these books.
Beck McDowell
Congrats to both you and Simone! 😀
I love Simone! I met her at Wis-RWA and she is hilarious, but she is also a brilliant writer. The way she described the same event from two different perspectives and they were truly two different accounts in the opening of PC was incredible.
Congrats to both of you.
Huge congrats! This is so deserved. I still remember the first time I read Perfect Chemistry, freshman year. Totally changed the way I look at contemporary YA. =]
(Also, Adele is amazing!)
Congratulations to you both! 🙂
Yay for contemporary! Students need a bit more novels on real life, methinks.
That is awesome news. And way to go sticking with your author and the story. You’ve shown how an agent can really be the one to push things forward.
Cool beans 🙂
Congrats to you both!!! I’m so glad you saw some of the cute animals, which they sure are, but what about some of the nasties?!
I’ll never forget the eight foot python that came through my window on my very first week there! Not so cute! : )
Congratulations to you both (and much envy of your meetings with cute animals)!
Ha ha! Way to stick it to ’em! :)Congrats on the huge succes! Marking it “to read”!
Incredible! I’m so glad to see contemporary YA doing so well lately, and Ms. Elkeles deserves all her success, and so do you. Congratulations to both of you!
So glad you’re home safe. Sounds like you saw just about all our local fauna (except the nasties :-)) Thanks for visiting downunder. You were a wonderful guest and a huge hit with our members.
omg! CONGRATS to Simone!! (and Australia sounded like a blast)
What wonderful news! I am missing the contemporary in YA, too, and am having a hard time finding a home for the one I’ve written, so I’m thrilled that Simone’s novel has cut through the paranormal. Cheers to both of you!
Congratulations Simone! That’s big time.
Congrats to Simone! That’s fantastic–Perfect Chemistry is one of my favorite contemporary YA novels.
Simone’s book doing well when it wasn’t supposed to is a great thing. It is also a great message for writers who keep getting told that what they write “isn’t a good fit”.
There are many writers who don’t have an agent and or don’t have a publisher. Cheer up, I say, and never stop writing. If you just have to tell a story, tell it. You will find an audience, even if you have to self-publish.
-Wendy Tyler Ryan
Fire’s Daughter
It takes me forever to jump on any YA bandwagon (I read Twilight after the series was complete), but I’m officially putting Perfect Chemisty on my to-read list now.
Glad you had a good time here in Australia, Kristin. It was great to meet you… and why is it that good writing news ALWAYS seems to come when we’re in our snorkelling gear? What’s with that?
The Perfect Chemistry series is awesome. It’s a little sad that editors feel this way. That tells me there are probably great stories being overlooked and going unpublished because of this perception 🙁
Wonderful cover art. Seems kind of hot for a children’s book, though.