FINALLY HERE!! YVONNE VENTRESCA'S NEW THRILLER: BLACK FLOWERS, WHITE LIES!

     Official blurb:  Her father died before she was born, but Ella Benton knows they have a mysterious connection. When an eerie handprint appears on her mirror, she wonders if Dad’s warning her of danger as he did once before. Could her new too-good-to-be-true boyfriend be responsible? Or the grieving building superintendent? As the unexplained events become more frequent and more sinister, Ella becomes terrified about who—or what—might harm her. Soon the evidence points to Ella herself. What if, like her father, she’s suffering from a breakdown? Ella desperately needs to find answers, no matter how disturbing the truth might be.

                      *                                      *                                    *                             *

     Full disclosure: I'm very proud to say that Yvonne Ventresca is my friend.  We've known each other for years through attending SCBWI conferences.  Yvonne has been a big supporter of both me and my writing for a long time, and I hope I've done half as much for her.  But even so, I wouldn't lie about her book!  There won't even be white lies in my review  below!  (And I didn't lie in my review of her previous YA novel, PANDEMIC, either.)

     In keeping with its cover illustration, the novel opens in a cemetery.  Ella is visiting the grave of the father she's never met, and her sadness permeates the reader's introduction to her like a mist and lingers through the pages.  For the almost sixteen years of Ella's life, she's had only one utterly reliable person at her side: her mother.  But in a few days, their two-person team is about to be broken up.  Ella's mom is less than a week away from establishing her own new team; she's getting remarried.  And as much as Mom tells Ella that no matter what, her daughter will always be Number One to her, Ella knows that as soon as Mom marries Stanley, things are going to start changing.
     In fact, the wedding hasn't even happened yet, and things are starting to change already.  Ella and Mom have always talked to each other about Dad, but now when Ella brings up the subject, Mom seems impatient, as if she just wants to move on with her life.  Easy for her!  She's embarking on a new chapter, but Ella has never felt more alone or more vulnerable.  From her perspective, it's not the perfect time for Stanley's son Blake, the new 18-year-old stepbrother Ella's never met before, to arrive from California as a houseguest, just before Mom and Stanley get married and then fly off to Paris for their honeymoon. 
     It's not that Ella has no plans for the week.  She's going to sleep at her friend Grace's house every night, and during the day she'll be continuing with her regular summer activities: working at Mom's bookstore in town and volunteering at the local animal shelter.  And Blake seems friendly and con-siderate; he even seems to want to hang around with her sometimes while waiting for his freshman year to start at NYU.
     Everything is going okay until the night before the wedding, when Blake gets Ella alone and tells her that he wants the two of them to be completely honest with each other.  And to set that course, he reveals a secret that Stanley has told him.  Ella's dad didn't die in a car accident, as Ella's mom has always told her he did.  He died as a patient in a psychiatric hospital.
     Mom would never have lied to Ella about something so important - would she?  Why would Ella believe a stranger over her own mother?  It's ridiculous. But Blake produces proof. And once Mom and Stanley leave for Paris, inexplicable things start happening to and around Ella.  She's always believed in the supernatural to some extent, but these events are terrifying, and they leave her questioning not only Mom's truthfulness, but her own sanity.  After all, isn't mental illness often hereditary?
     Ella goes through what feel like a lifetime of changes during the roughly two-week period that this book covers, but she never for a moment stops being a believable teen character, and the plot never bogs down.  Your heart will be in your mouth as you gallop toward the conclusion, but you'll want to stay in the saddle every step of the way.


_________________________________________________________________________________

     YOU’RE INVITED! Yvonne is celebrating the release of Black Flowers, White Lies with a book launch party at Words Bookstore in Maplewood, New Jersey, on Sunday, October 16th at 2 p.m.  Here's a link to the evite:   http://evite.me/BN1dwfsUjq    


      <sup>But because you won't want to wait until then to buy your own copy of Black Flowers, White Lies, here are the links: Indiebound | Amazon | BHYPERLINK "http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-flowers-white-lies-yvonne-ventresca/1123362575"&HYPERLINK "http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-flowers-white-lies-yvonne-ventresca/1123362575"N | AmazonUK | BAM


 You'll be reading in distinguished company! Black Flowers, White Lies was recently included at the top of BuzzFeed’s new "must read" books: 23 YA Books That, Without a Doubt, You’ll Want to Read This Fall. I quote: "This suspenseful psychological thriller definitely won't disappoint."


















Yvonne's debut YA novel about a deadly bird flu outbreak, Pandemic (Sky Pony Press, 2014), won a regional Crystal Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Her other credits include a short story in the YA dystopian anthology, Prep for Doom, and two nonfiction books.　</sup>

^{To connect with Yvonne: Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads} 

A TO Z CHALLENGE REFLECTIONS POST

     This was my third A to Z Challenge and probably my favorite so far.  I got to not only play historian, but to get creative too.  It wasn't always easy to come up with 21st-century cultural memes that had 16th-century analogues, but I managed.  I guess my underlying goal was to help make people realize that life on Earth has been around for a very long time, that 500 years is just the blink of an eye, and that people who lived in the 1500's thought and felt and dreamed and schemed very much like people of the 21st century do.  It was an incredibly innovative time, bringing huge advances in science, communications, philosophy and the arts that changed the world every bit as much as the Internet has done for you and me.
     But of course, the satisfaction I derived from my own blog posts is only a part of what the A to Z Challenge is about.  The real genius of the Challenge is its focus on interactivity - discovering new blogs and bloggers, reading and commenting on their posts, replying to their comments on your posts.  Because as fascinating as it is for me to discover 16th-century people I'd never heard of, it's maybe even a little better to discover some new contemporaries who love to blog as much as I do.  The Challenge, at its heart, is about creating and sustaining a supportive community, and that's a really wonderful goal.  So once again, I'll thank Yvonne Ventresca, my friend and the very talented author of the Crystal-Kite-winning YA novel PANDEMIC and the forthcoming YA thriller, BLACK FLOWERS, WHITE LIES, due out in October (I can't wait!)  Among the many ways Yvonne has always supported me and my writing career, she was the one who first told me about the A to Z Challenge and encouraged me to participate.  And I want to thank the A to Z founders, hosts, minions and participants for making the month of April so exciting and rewarding!  I'm very proud to be part of this annual adventure.

YVONNE VENTRESCA INTERVIEW

 

 

       As promised, I'm posting my interview with the lovely and talented Yvonne Ventresca, author of the debut YA novel PANDEMIC, which was released in May (SkyPony Press 2014):

 

 

 

 

     As the title suggests, Yvonne envisions what would happen if a deadly strain of bird flu were to strike a single town in New Jersey, and rapidly spread throughout the world.  As soon as the novel launched, both it and Yvonne hit the ground running.  PANDEMIC has earned a 4.5 (out of 5)-star rating from Amazon, and School Library Journal has called the book an "engrossing apocalyptic story."  I've reviewed it here, and here is what Goodreads has to say.

     As for Yvonne herself, she's been a human whirlwind over the pas three months, what with book- signing events -

 

 

 

- panel discussions, readings, school and library visits.... I get tired just thinking about everything she's been doing.  It's really a bonus for authors to have the kind of organizational skills Yvonne has, honed by her previous career in the business world.  And it typically generous YV style (yes, I feel fortunate to be able to say that Yvonne is my friend), she's somehow found the time to answer my interview questions.  So here goes:

 

 

1.              In the beginning stages of writing PANDEMIC, which came to life first for you: the character and backstory of Lilianna, or the public health crisis?  Whichever the answer is, what difficultiesdid you have in integrating that second aspect of the story with the first?

 

The idea of the deadly outbreak came first, but I quickly realized that Lilianna would have an emotional trauma in her past. This became a key part of her character and her ability to cope as the story progressed. It didn’t present any difficulties to integrate, but I did interview both a public health officer (about contagious diseases) and a social worker (about how a teen like Lil might react and recover), to make both aspects of the story as real as possible.

 

2.      PANDEMIC is a work of speculative fiction, but it’s obviously based on an impressive amount of research, and you stick very closely to realistic projections of how such a catastrophe would actually play out.  Were you ever tempted as you were writing the book to stray further into the realm of science fiction or fantasy?  Why or why not?

 

I will admit to not reading much science fiction or fantasy, so writing the story that way wasn’t something I ever considered. My goal was to portray a situation that could actually happen, because in some respects, the reality is frightening enough.

 

3.      Whom (age, gender, interests) did you envision as your ideal reader before the book was published?  Do you have a sense of how much (or how little) that vision now corresponds to reality?  Have you gotten fan mail from readers, for example?

 

I envisioned this as a book that would be interesting to teens girls, but the cover design and the supporting male characters have allowed it to appeal to a wider market. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the feedback from a range of readers, both in gender and age--lots of adults have been enjoying the story as well.

 

4.                In what ways have you been surprised and delighted by the realities of having PANDEMIC out in bookstores and libraries, and on the home shelves of young readers?  Are there ways in which you now feel that you were overly optimistic or naïve?

 

In some ways publication is everything a writer dreams about. I do have published friends who showed me the realities (beyond the dream) ahead of time, so I think my expectations were realistic. When I read reviews from strangers who loved the story, I feel slightly amazed at the people it’s reached.

In terms of being naïve, I knew that promoting the book would be a lot of work, but I didn’t fully appreciate how much preparation and effort various events (book signings, live interviews, etc.) require. It’s been a process of trial and error to work on publicity but not become overwhelmed by it.

 

5.      Has anyone (teachers, librarians, etc.) suggested to you that PANDEMIC might be a little TOO realistic for young readers?  Too frightening for them to handle?  How do you feel about that?

 

This hasn’t happened yet. If anything, I’ve been surprised by the maturity of young readers and the feedback I’ve gotten from some of the parents. If kids are reading THE HUNGER GAMES (which is listed as ages twelve and up), then there seems to be a different level of readership today compared to when I was that age.

 

6.      Now that the book launch is a few months behind you and you’ve been able (I hope!) to get some perspective on the whole process, what would you say has been the best thing that has come about for you personally as a result of PANDEMIC’s publication?   When you look at yourself in a mirror now, do you see the same person you did before, or someone a little bit different? 

 

To quote one of your June blog posts, Susan, “Becoming a published author does not change one's character.  Sure, it changes one's writing goals, and it adds a book launch party and an editor and a contract and a schedule of deadlines to one's life.  But an anxious prepublished author who gets a book published will become an anxious published author; only the focus of his or her anxiety will change.”

 I think this is very true. I’m not essentially different now, although it has been satisfying to achieve a personally meaningful goal. I do think PANDEMIC has boosted my confidence as a writer. As I hit rough patches in my current work-in-progress, I remind myself that I’ve created one successful story, so I should be able to do it again. I hope. J

 

7.      Last question:  Hooray!  PANDEMIC’s out in the world!  What’s next?

 

I’m working on a YA psychological thriller about a teen who fears she either is being haunted or suffering from mental illness. I love the dark stuff! I’ve been enjoying the process of trying to create a mystery without giving away the end, so it’s a new challenge.

 

*  *  *  * 

 

 

 



     Need I even add that Yvonne is also a whiz at social media?  Here's where she can be found online:

 

     Website www.YvonneVentresca.com

Blog www.yvonneventresca.com/blog.html

Facebook www.facebook.com/yvonneventrescaauthor

Twitter twitter.com/YvonneVentresca

 

And just one more thing:  you might be interested to know that Yvonne's fascination with birds is nothing new for her:

 

 

 

Thank you, Yvonne!  Can't wait to read your next one!

SOME SMALL-SCALE NEWS

     I have a couple of things to report.  In no particular order, these are:

1.  I finally got around to submitting interview questions to Yvonne Ventresca about her debut YA novel, PANDEMIC, and her first-time author experience to date.  Please keep checking back here for her answers, which I can guarantee will be worth the wait!

2.  But don't bother checking between August 8th and 16th, because that's when my family will be in ROME!  (Where we'll be doing as the Romans do, naturally.) We're celebrating my daughter's high-school graduation and her upcoming freshman year in art school, and my son will be able to join us for about half the week we'll be there, so I'm very excited about the whole thing!  And I'll take lots of pictures and post some of the good ones when we get back.

3.  I finally got around to doing something that I think every single workshop-giver at the annual New Jersey SCBWI conference kept advising every attendee to do:  make myself some promotional writer's business cards.  I paid My Daughter the Future Illustrator to design a logo for me, and voila!!

    Pretty professional-looking, ay?  I'm pleased.  So far I've given away three of them, but I'm not sure I should really count those because they were to my husband, my daughter, and my mother-in-law, respectively.  But now next time I go to a writing conference I'll be able to network like a rock star!  It was well worth the small investment.

4.  I did my best to plug up the plot holes in my Parrot Book, and then sent the manuscript out to an agent I met at the Conference who had requested it.  Which means nothing, of course... and who should know that better than I?  But try as I might, I can't quite stamp out that last faint vestige of hope...

     So, ciao for the next two weeks or so!  If you're a writer, keep writing no matter what!  If you're a dreamer, keep dreaming no matter what!  And, whoever else you might be: enjoy the next two weeks and then report back to me about the awesome things you did.

REVIEW: YVONNE VENTRESCA'S DEBUT YA, PANDEMIC

  

     Here is both the best and the worst thing about this debut novel (just released by Sky Pony Press): everything in it could absolutely, positively happen.  It's the best thing because the word "credible" doesn't begin to cover Ventresca's characters and plot; it's the worst because the events the book describes are terrifying, and I defy anyone, teen or adult, to read PANDEMIC and not come away feeling at least a little less safe and secure in his/her own cocoon.
     As it happens, 17-year-old Liliana's sense of security has already been plenty damaged.  Not long ago, a well-liked teacher at her high school attempted to molest her.  And when she revealed it afterward, and the teacher was fired as a result, one of Lil's two best friends actually rubbed salt in the wound by blaming her for "ruining [the teacher's] life."  So, as things stand, Lil is down one best friend, as well as one boyfriend: she can't bring herself to confide in Ethan about Mr. B., but she can't think of any other way to explain to Ethan why she suddenly can't tolerate his touching her.  The incident and its repercussions have changed Liliana from an excellent student and the Queen of Community Service at her school to a girl who has (unbeknownst to her parents) started smoking, whose grades have plummeted, and who secretly stockpiles emergency supplies in the hallway closet at home because she now knows all too well that terrible things can happen without warning to anyone, at any time.
     So, ironically, in one sense Lil is better-prepared for disaster than the average teen, in that she owns a lot of canned food and a hand-cranked battery charger.  In every other sense, though, she is in an exceedingly vulnerable situation.  And, just in case this alone doesn't create enough tension, Ventresca ratchets it up by having both Lil's parents be out of town the weekend that news reports about a worrisome strain of bird flu start trickling in.  (Full disclosure: Yvonne Ventresca is my friend, which does not mean that I would lie about her book.  And even if I would,  I don't have to! Check out her Kirkus review.)
     At first, Lil's small New Jersey town seems to be the epicenter of the flu's appearance, but then its reach gradually spreads, first along the East Coast, then through the rest of the country, then through the rest of the world.  Airports are shut down, people are quarantined en masse, and neither of Lil's parents can get back home to her, no matter how desperately they try.  And no matter how traumatized Lil was before the pandemic even started, and no matter how much the pandemic pummels her over and over with new losses, the time comes when she has to move forward.  With her pitch-perfect depiction of Lil, and her two-steps-forward-one-step-back reactions to the global disaster, Ventresca recognizes the fact that sometimes such disasters create opportunities for ordinary people to rise above their own painful circumstances, and rejoin their communities.  Sometimes, disasters can even open the door for such people to become emotionally unstuck, and dare to find love.  But the first step Liliana must take is to ask herself the question spelled out on the book's cover: "Who Can You Trust?"
     Yvonne has promised to let me interview her about the book, but I think I'll try to be almost as good a friend to her as she's been to me, and wait until after the book's actual launch.  Keep checking back here, though!  And here's another interview with Yvonne, just to tide you over, of course.

P.S.  This blog post has gotten almost a thousand hits!  I hope all the people who've read it have then gone on to buy PANDEMIC.  Here's a thought I just had today:  I'm going to be interviewing Yvonne Ventresca soon.  If you have a question you'd like me to ask her when I do, feel free to leave it in a comment to this post and I'll consider adding it to my own list of questions.

Interview!!

Here's the interview I promised, with my friend Yvonne Ventresca.  She doesn't want to jinx her new project by talking much about it, but I think it's safe to say that she has jumped (at least for now) from nonfiction to fiction, and that we're hoping to hear good things on that front soon!

Yvonne Ventresca (www.YvonneVentresca.com)

• When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer? What was your very first effort? Do you still have it in your possession?

I’ve always loved reading and writing. I still have notebooks filled with hundreds of bad-to-mediocre poems I wrote as a child. Sadly, I threw away my opening chapters of a novel called The Flood. I remember writing them by hand on loose leaf paper when I was about thirteen.

•  What is it about writing for kids, as opposed to adults, that most interests/inspires you?

My favorite author as a kid was Zilpha Keatley Snyder I knew exactly where the SNY shelf of fiction books was located in the library. My best friend and I could lose ourselves for hours in books like hers. When I began to write, I realized I wanted to create that experience for other kids.

• Your first published book was about careers, “Publishing.” How did that come about? Ditto for your second book, "Avril Lavigne?"

While I worked on some of my earlier fiction, I also freelanced, writing a series of articles about careers for high school students. Having that on my resume probably helped me land the Publishing assignment, since the book profiled several careers in the book publishing field. I worked for the same publisher (Lucent Books) on Avril Lavigne, which was for their “People in the News” series.

Your website offers a lot of helpful links and advice for new writers. What's the single most important tip you would give someone who's trying to get a start?

For the very beginner, making time to write has to become a priority. It’s helpful if you can train yourself to be creative during odd bits of time (like idling in the school pick up line) instead of waiting for a block of hours to magically become free.

Once you’ve written something, finding a good critique group (or partner) is important. They can motivate you, advise you, and help make your writing stronger. You don’t want an editor to be your first reader. The flaws need to be smoothed out first, and a helpful critique group can kindly point out the weaker points. Critiquing other people’s work in return helps hone your own skills.

I also recommend joining the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

My favorite book about writing is Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird . She shares lots of writing wisdom.

• For you, what's the hardest part about writing? The most fun part?

The hardest part is beginning a brand new project with lots of characters to create and blank pages to fill. There is a certain leap of faith you have to take, hoping that the ideas come together. The most fun part for me is revising once the story has a clear direction. It’s rewarding to watch the novel evolve and become stronger with each revision.

     
     That's it!  Thanks a million, Yvonne!