Linda Leschak

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Linda — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 02:40:46 +0000

Jay Asher’s novel starts two weeks after its main event – Hannah Baker’s suicide. Through a series of tapes, she speaks to each of the thirteen people who have prompted her decision to give up on life. It’s sad and powerful. It will make you look differently at the troubles our kids go through as they work out the emotional roller coaster(s) of growing up.

The book is amazing on a number of levels. First is that it’s Asher’s debut novel! Like Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, I’m always amazed when a writer nails it right out of the starting gate. This is precisely what Asher has done. Breaking the normal “rules” and setting his own stylistic atmosphere.

Second is that, not only does Asher get into the head of Hannah Baker, a discerning and sensitive teenage girl. But he delves equally well into the emotions of Clay Jensen, the teenage boy who responds so deeply to Hannah’s death.

I’ve read that it is hard to write from the perspective of the opposite sex. I recall my first published short story which was written from a male perspective. Somewhat of a tomboy my whole life (well, okay . . . a huge tomboy), it didn’t seem much of a stretch for me. But I found myself wondering how Asher perfected both the angst of a teenage girl and boy. And done it so masterfully!

If I were the type of person to recommend a book, Thirteen Reasons Why would be one of them. Not to overly influence you, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on it when you’re done!

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Linda — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 18:58:58 +0000

Most times I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the books I read. And I do with this one too! It sucked me in from page one and I could hardly put it down. You know the kind of book where you read at red lights, read way too late into the night, read when you should be doing other things . . . like feeding your family – stuff like that.

Well, that’s what happened to me when I read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. The story was incredibly told with vivid descriptions and engaging characters who grew and developed and learned.

The thing that I found to be disappointing was the ending. There was a bit of foreshadowing early in the book that I expected resolved. And I was thinking all things would be tidied up and finished in the end. When I realized I was a mere twenty pages from the end and there was no way on earth Riggs could resolve everything in those short pages, I got a little bummed.

I see that there’s a Kindle edition of the “Untitled Sequel.” But I’m the kind of person who hasn’t yet made the leap from paper to digital reading yet. Sure I’ve done a little. But I just prefer a real book, made of real paper with a cover and a back. And by the time the sequel comes out in that media, I’ll have been swept away by some new love interest. You have to admit, there are plenty of awesome YA and MG books out there to sweep one away!

So, I suppose what I’m saying is that I ended up with somewhat of a love/hate relationship with Riggs’ book. I’m not sorry to have read it. And you won’t be either if you pick it up. I’m just a tad disappointed that I may never find out what that foreshadowing was all about.

If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Sometimes I wonder if it’s just me and the expectations I have that might be a tad different from others. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to. It really is exceptionally written.

Moon Over Manifest

Linda — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 22:51:49 +0000

As you can tell, I have not written anything here for quite some time. It’s not like I haven’t been writing or reading. It’s just that it’s been . . . well . . . elsewhere. Which is good, right? Maybe.

Anyway, I recently read a book that a good friend got for me at the the L.A. Conference. Signed and everything! She’s such a sweetheart. And yet we still haven’t had a chance to chat about the book. Darn it.

I’ve never read historical fiction but now that I’ve read this one, I think I’m hooked. It’s Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool.

I don’t know how authors actually become the characters they write but Vanderpool has it mastered. She is Abilene Tucker right down to the lingo, the pre-teen angst, the feistyness, the mixed emotions.

Claiming that he can’t keep her with him any longer, Abilene’s father sends her alone to the strange town where he’d grown up. Abilene quickly finds herself caught up in a mystery about her father’s past (along with some other strange goings on). And she manages to make a couple friends who become just as interested in solving the mystery as she is.

I loved how the story wove in and out of the past. I totally appreciated all the research Vanderpool put into learning the different ways of life around early and mid 1900. And how she blended them together with a story that is really hard to put down! I’m a slow-as-molasses reader but I simply burned through Moon Over Manifest.

In fact, I liked it so much I bought a copy for another friend as a birthday gift!

If you’ve already read it, let me know what you think. If not, pick up a copy. Read it. I hope you like it as much as I did.

Five Movies all Writers Should Watch

Linda — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:49:45 +0000

Okay . . . so five movies everyone should watch! At least in my humble opinion.

But really. Don’t good movies give us a feel for great characterization, awesome sub plots and just drop dead dialogue? As writers, we pay attention to everything. Everything has a story in it, from the small, little gesture made by a stranger, to the way airport crowds move with herd mentality. So we pay attention. And when I watch a great movie, I always think, “Wow, there are layers and layers of elements here and how would I ever get that much intensity into my own stories and writing?

So, without further ado, here is my list (in no particular order) and the reasons why I chose it.

First up is The Green Mile with Tom Hanks (who is also on my top list of male actors) along with a tremendous cast. The Green Mile is one of Stephen King’s inventions and is so rich with lessons in life that you won’t even know where to start. Good vs. Evil, life’s difficult choices, and a few incredible miracles along the way. I’ve read many of Stephen King’s books but I have to confess, this was not one of them.
From a writing perspective, I think this is one of my favorites because of the growth in character. They are already so rich and deep and layered. But, as the story unfolds, they all change and grow. I think it’s nothing short of brilliant.

Next up is Crash with Matt Dillon, Terrance Howard, Brendon Frazer, Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock. I could go on. Here’s a movie that just defies everything I can fit into my brain about interconnected plot lines. I doubt I could ever manage to get so many connections into one incredible story. Again, the cast is phenomenal. The interwoven stories need to be watched a couple of times to really see all their layers. Crash makes me think of the “six degrees of separation,” how each of us is connected to another in only six steps or fewer. This movie brings that to light as lives intertwine in unthinkable ways.
If you haven’t seen it, watch it. If you’ve only seen it once, watch it again. I guarantee there’s something you missed the first time.

Of course I have to include As Good As It Gets. But I’ve already talked about it at length here so I’ll just let you go there if you’d like: http://laleschak.com/2012/05/03/as-good-as-it-gets/

Then there’s Steel Magnolias with Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Olivia Dukakis, Tom Skerritt, Dolly Parton, Shirley Maclaine, to name a few. Okay so yeah . . . it’s your ultimate Chick Flick. But c’mon! The characterization is incredible! All the little oddities about each and every one of them. We, as writers need to be able to create those quirks in our own characters. Not to mention building that great tension between certain personalities: Ouiser and Drum, Ouiser and Clairee. Well, I suppose it was Ouiser and everyone really! The bonds between the women become such an integral part of the plot that sometimes I think they under-emphasize the male roles. Other than that, the movie is phenomenal.

Finally, finally . . . and only because I want to limit this to five, is The Shawshank Redemption with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman (also on my list of favorite actors!) There has to be more than one reason why I chose this movie but right now I can only think of one. It’s just such a darned good story! And that should be the premise of all our writing, right? I mean, if the story’s not there, then all we’re doing is putting words on paper. The story has to grab you and make you love (or hate) its characters. It must make you sympathize with their plight and want to walk their journey with them. And that’s what I found in The Shawshank Redemption. Here’s a guy, quiet, smart . . . really, really smart, claims to be innocent of the crime he’s serving two life sentences for. You want to believe him; you want to see what he’s going to do about it. And over time, if your as patient as he is, you do. It’s a story of hope and endurance, of friendship and redemption, and of life’s hard choices. Even in the face of crippling limitations.

You might be thinking how all my movies are somewhat old and, gosh . . . don’t I like anything new? Well, yes, I do. But these five have stood the test of time in my book. They’re the ones I’ve come back to over and over. Cried and laughed again and again. They’re the ones I think of as really great movies, movies whose building blocks I should think about when writing my own stories.

But maybe I’m missing some. Do you have a few you’d like me to add to my five? Or maybe you’r own five. I love a good movie. So . . . if there are any you think I should check out, let me know!

Two Book Blog

Linda — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 04:39:12 +0000

Well, I haven’t been all that faithful to my Friday blog, now have I? Things have just gotten in the way! Important things, mind you, but still distracting.

Yet I have had time to read a few things. Two of which I thought I’d share today.

First was a Marissa Meyer’s Young Adult novel, Cinder, a quirky twist on the old Cinderella tale.

I picked up a signed copy at the Teen Con Book. Got it signed and everything! Which means it’ll be gifted to a niece at Christmas (gently read, mind you).

In Cinder, you still have your evil step-mother who hates her. And you still have her two step-sisters. Although one of them is really not awful! She actually likes Cinder. But, unlike the real Cinderella, Cinder is a sixteen year old cyborg working as a mechanic in New Beijing where her best friend is a robot. And here, there’s a deadly plague that’s threatening to devastate the population (enter the time crunch factor).

It’s an interesting and creative fairy tale retelling. Which seems to be a popular thing these days. My husband and I were treated to a showing of Mirror, Mirror while visiting the SFA campus for orientation a couple weeks ago (yes, my baby is off to college in another month! Yikes — empty nesters!) Anyway, Mirror, Mirror stuck to the main premise of the original more than Cinder did.

I still enjoyed it. Enjoyed them both really.

Ah, but I digress. This is about two books! Not movies that are (or are not) like them!

So second up is Gayle Forman’s Where She Went, sequel to If I Stay.

I’d read the first book a while back but still remember how much I liked it. How much I appreciated Forman’s command of music lingo, both rock and classical. Not to mention near death experiences and hospital protocol. If I Stay was hard to put down.

I wish I could say the same for Where She Went. Forman wrote it from the perspective of Mia’s boyfriend, Adam, the guy who wanted her to stay when she was almost killed in book one. For reasons I won’t go into here, he was not a very pleasant person to be around. It took me a long time to actually like Adam. Almost half the book really. But I have to admit, it was Forman’s writing that kept me going. She got his angst tuned as tightly as his guitar was! And I’m so very glad I stuck with it! I loved how she ended things up. And again, I loved her command of music, both rock and classical.

It was well worth the read! And if you find that you don’t like Adam in the beginning, give him some time! He’s been through a lot of stuff that you’ll learn about later.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Linda — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 04:23:14 +0000

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again . . . I love Le Guin’s writing. I already talked about the book she wrote ABOUT writing. Here ’tis if you haven’t read it: Steering the Craft. I can’t remember who suggested it to me. If it was you, THANKS!

And I can’t remember who recommended A Wizard of Earthsea either. Again, if it was you . . . THANKS! It was the first book I picked up after burning through Scorpio Races which sort of ruined me for other books. Since I had to have something awesome, I figured Le Guin would do the trick.

A Wizard of Earthsea was also my Buddy Book while I was having my fabulous “Hospital Vacation.” I’m writing about those interesting turns of events here.

But Earthsea, the first of several in the series, did just the things I wanted it to: it took me away from the place where my body was stuck for a whole week. It introduced me to another exquisite story. And it confirmed my belief in Le Guin’s writing.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll not like Ged, “the greatest Sorcerer in all Earthsea.” Not in the beginning at least . . . he’s not a very likable character. Which is hard to do as a writer – build a dis-likable character and bring him (or her) out of that place before the reader gets frustrated and sets the book down. Le Guin’s timing is great in that regard. In one incredible scene, Ged moves from the cross-hairs of your eyebrows to a place in your heart. At that point, you can’t wait to set off on his journey with him.

On my wishlist now are the other books in the series. I’ll read them soon. I just hope it won’t be as a captive!

When did I become such a grammar snob?

Linda — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 02:50:20 +0000

I was driving toward The Heights the other day when an old Michael Jackson song came on. It wasn’t sung by the late, great but by some other group instead. They managed to do it justice and did not change it’s lyrics or melody as some re-makes are known to do. So of course I knew all the words.

But I’m not sure I scrutinized them as much as I did the other day.

“If you should ever find someone new, I know he better be good to you. ‘Cause if he doesn’t, I’ll be there . . .”

I thought, wait a minute, . . . ’cause if he doesn’t?” Doesn’t what? Doesn’t be? That just doesn’t sound right. Shouldn’t it be “’cause if he isn’t, I’ll be there?”

So I sang it aloud the proper, grammatical way and realized that it’s a tad harder to sing that way. From a musical standpoint, the abuse of grammar just sounds better. Try it . . . I’ll pretend not to listen in case you’re shy about your singing voice.

Done? See what I mean? It’s just a little kludgy using the right words.

Then I got to wondering how many other songs sacrifice grammar so the words sound better sung? And how come no-one ever said anything to five year old, Michael as he publicly showed his lack of command of the English language?

Oh, wait . . . it sort of worked out for him at the time, didn’t it.

Um . . .

nevermind.

Scorpio Races

Linda — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 06:07:06 +0000

If you’ve read my previous posts about the books I’ve read, then you’ll know I don’t really write reviews. The way I see it, there are enough people who are far better reviewers than I am, writing far better reviews than I would so I don’t. What I do write are personal responses to the books I’ve loved.

Like Lynne Kelly’s Chained

And The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Maybe Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

My friend Kathryn Magendie’s Sweetie

Admittedly though, this one’s more of a review that my others were – I just couldn’t help myself. So without further ado, preamble or hoopla . . . here goes.

I read The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater who I saw at the Teen Book Con.

I’d never read anything by Stiefvater before and to be honest, if I hadn’t seen her at Teen Book Con and her book hadn’t been recommended by my friend Vicki, then I probably would not have read it now. And boy, would I have been missing out! I usually pick up another book as soon as I close the final page of one. But, having just finished it a few days ago, I felt as if other books might just suffer in comparison. Like reading another book right away would have paid Scorpio Races a disservice. And it’s way too good for that. In fact, my Facebook status announced how I was “ruined for other books” after reading it. So I’ve let Scorpio Races linger, simmering alone in the back of my memory like a visit from an old friend.

I’m a fairly discriminating reader, spoiled rotten by excellent writing. It’s why I can’t bring myself to read some of the recently wild successes. I’ve heard that the stories are great. But story alone doesn’t do it for me. The writing has to be good too. I suppose I’m a bit of a snob in that regard. But I sure didn’t have to worry about that with Scorpio Races! The writing itself is incredible with beautiful, rich descriptions of the setting, the people, the animals. Written in a dual first person point of view the story alternates between the voices of Puck and Sean, each remaining so distinct that it is impossible to confuse them. The way Stiefvater introduces their personalities a little at a time, the way she has each of them develop and evolve during the course of the story, the way she is light on physical description but heavy on their inner workings is just plain genius writing. Her supporting characters are all round and full and quirky or serious. Exactly what you’d expect to find in a small community.

The community is on an island, the island of Thisby, famous for the races that are held every year on the first of November. Up until now–up until Puck–the races have never been run by a female, nor by a hay-burning horse. Rather, it’s the men of the island, ones who’ve managed to capture and train a water horse, also known as capaill uisce (pronounced Copple ooshka). Unlike land horses, the uisce are flesh eaters. And the people of the island are some of their favorite fare. Getting one to carry you along a beach at breathtaking speeds while the jaws of a dozen more uisce snap at you from both sides . . . well, that can be a tad challenging. Meanwhile, your mount wants nothing more than to return to the ocean and dragging you along with it would be an acceptable trade off. Not everyone makes it to the finish line. Not everyone makes it . . . period.

So Puck loves her land horse, Dove and Sean loves his uisce, Core. But together they build a third relationship, a touching romance that moves slowly and surprises them both. It’s such an incredibly good book I really don’t want to say any more about it or I’ll say everything about it. You just have to read it yourself. Pick yourself up a copy at B&N before they go away! If you don’t want your own copy to keep, check one out of the library. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Christie Craig – author, essayist and all around funny lady!

Linda — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 03:38:58 +0000

Just when I was feeling frustrated with my own writing. Just when I started to think it’s a tad pointless, along came Christie Craig.

Christie was guest speaker at Monday night’s SCBWI chapter meeting. Her topic was “Genre jumping and finding your voice.” She talked a bit of her own career and how she started writing in ’84. It took ten years for her to publish her first book, thirteen to publish the next three and she just recently hit the NY Times Bestseller list! Which says a lot for perseverance and tenacity! She admits that she knew nothing about writing when she first started but kept reading books on the craft. She also studied each genre carefully (which I think translates to reading . . . a lot!) And she paid attention to what makes a good essay. Then to what makes a good romance novel. And finally, to what makes a good Y.A. novel. Christie’s latest project has been her paranormal trilogy, the Shadow Falls series.

Three things Christie said and did will stick with me for a while . . . well four things really. The first was the fact that it took her ten years to publish her first book! I’ve not been at it that long and I feel as if I’m still learning. Next was when she shared how, over the years she’d met many writers whom she thought were far better than she was at the craft. One by one they became disillusioned (hmmmm) and they quit writing. She also said to ignore the notion of mastering one genre. Rather, be a jack of all trades. I liked this advice . . . I’m a lover of the short story, my first prose publication was a short story! Lately I’ve been thinking about jumping back into it again. It’s comfortable to me.

The last thing Christie did was to roll out one of those traveling suitcases. She opened up a large white envelope and started pulling rejection notices out of it, dropping them into the suitcase. Once that envelop was empty, she took up another and did the same until the suitcase was littered with bad news. She must have had over a thousand rejection notices. She laughed when she held up a 1/4 sheet, saying how she hadn’t even been worth a full sheet of paper to this publisher!

By the end of her presentation I’d abandoned my own little pity party and thought that, if she can stick with it through all that, well then, so can I.

I also figured I’d better start working on improving my paltry little collection of rejection slips!

Now where I’d put that darned modifier . . . ?

Linda — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 02:44:32 +0000

“She stood in the yard on her head.”

That was the sentence that popped into my own head the other day as I was walking the dogs. Misplaced modifier and all.

I actually like the occasional misplaced modifier. They make me think twice about what I’m reading. Oh sure, maybe not in a particularly positive way but at least I think twice about them! I’ll wonder . . . “Hey, did I just read that right?” So I’ll back up, read it again and sure enough, I did read it right. Just that someone else didn’t write it right.

And we need to write our stuff right so that people understand us. Right? Right.

So the modifier, when misplaced or even dangling, is not our friend. We need to put our modifiers as close to the things they modify as we possibly can in order to foster understanding. Not trailing off like a favorite blanket drug behind a sleepy two year old. Or stuck to the wrong object like a magnet gone horribly awry.

“Peggy thought she saw an owl riding her bicycle to Lucy’s house.”

Really? Who?

“He ate a tuna sandwich and a pickle driving to school.”

Wait a minute. What?

Some of them are easier to spot than others. But they’re all sort of funny when you stop to ponder them. Which, apparently, I do. Often enough to write a post about them. And string them together in my head as I walk the dogs.

“Weary from a long day of travel, Sidney’s enthusiasm was tepid, to say the least.”

Here I’ve modified Sidney’s enthusiasm which can’t feel weary. It really can’t feel anything. Maybe say something like: “Weary from a long day of travel, Sidney felt his enthusiasm wane.”

I know we all know not to do this any more. I know we all know how not to misuse our modifiers. But you have to admit, it’s a fun exercise to hang one out there once in a while just to hear the goofiness of it.

Or maybe I’m the only one who thinks so. Maybe I need to get a life that involves a different form of entertainment . . . something other than spending my Saturday nights pondering the misuse of the English language.

Ya think?