Tell us a little about yourself.
Rhonda Stapleton started writing a few years ago to appease the voices in her head. She lives in northeast Ohio with her two kids, her manpanion, and their lazy dog. Visit her website at rhondastapleton.com.
What got you started writing? What brought you to YA?
I started writing because I had this urge to try my hand at a novel. I expect a lot of people get into it for that reason! But I didn't try YA until one of my friends told me I had the voice for it and totally had to give it a whirl. I hadn't read contemporary YA in a long time--she gave me a book to read. And from there, I was hooked.
Tell us about your most recent/ upcoming release? 
Here's the blurb about Stupid Cupid, the first in my trilogy: Felicity Walker believes in true love. That's why she applies for a gig at the matchmaking company Cupid's Hollow. But when Felicity gets the job, she learns that she isn't just a matchmaker...she's a cupid! (There's more than one of them, you know.) Armed with a hot pink, tricked-out PDA infused with the latest in cupid magic (love arrows shot through email), Felicity works to meet her quota of successful matches. But when she bends the rules of cupidity by matching her best friend Maya with three different boys at once, disaster strikes. Felicity needs to come up with a plan to set it all right, pronto, before she gets fired...and before Maya ends up with her heart split in three.
Do you plot out in advance, or just start writing and see where things go from there?
I do plot in advance. I'm totally a plotter. I like to actually create a list of scenes so I have a general road map...it helps the process be less intimidating. I can tackle the book one scene at a time, knowing I worked out the bulk of kinks beforehand. Takes a lot of pressure off!
Many authors have told me their characters talk to them, and sometimes even have different ideas of where the story should go than the author. Do you hear your characters?
Occasionally. My heroine is very, very overdramatic. I love to hear the crazy things that fly into my mind and beg to be put on paper. She's a lot of fun to listen to...haha.
Who is your favorite character (of your own)?
Ooooh, tough call.Absinthia. She's a fortuneteller. I hadn't planned on writing her at all--she just came to me, but I loved adding her.
What hobbies do you have when you're not writing?
I looove reading, singing, photography, and eating.
If you had not become a writer what would you have done instead?
Probably a singer. I'd love to be one!
Where can readers find you online?
http://www.rhondastapleton.com/
Your turn. What question do you have for readers of Want My YA?
Ooooh good question! Tough one...I want it to really count. Okay, how about this: what book is at the top of your re-read list, the book that's a total classic for you, and why?
WRITING FOR THE YA MARKET
YA, what is that? It’s the young adult market which ranges from ages 12yrs to 18yrs. If you write for ages 12yrs to 13yrs realize that parents may be heavily involved in their child’s reading selections, so in most cases if you want to promote your book to this age group – keep it a bit clean. Ages 14yrs and up, will usually mix it up a bit between reading YA focused books and adult books. You can use most of the taboos that you can’t for the younger age group with kids 14yrs and up. There are also many sub-genre to consider when writing YA. Those include: adventure, romance, humor, mystery, historical, contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, and so on.
PREPARE TO WRITE YA
Take time to observe the group you are writing about. When writing for teenagers realize that they are very picky about sounding old or goofy. This is easy for me because I have four kids, and two of which are within the age group in which I write for. They are the best resources of information on language, what’s interesting, what not to say, how far to push it and so on. Not to mention, I also observe their interaction with their friends, siblings and adults. It is enlightening and it has given me great material.
USE KIDS TO BETA YOUR WORK
The best feedback I have ever gotten for my work came from my kids’ friends. I allowed many of them to beta for me. I even bribed some with free movie tickets in order to get them to do it. Getting feedback from this group is invaluable. I gave them a checklist to fill out, and a facebook page to update with question or comments, and also invited them to give me feedback on my cover. The results were outstanding.
SOME OTHER TIPS FROM MY BETA-READERS
- Don't bore them. Keep the story moving.
- Don't write for them as if they are idiots.
- Don't write characters that they don't identify with.
- Lastly, don't bore them (I was told this was something I did well with my writing by my YA)
- Don't assume that they all curse, use drugs, swear, or have sex on the brain all the time.
These tips were given to me by many of my Beta - Readers of whom I asked for a big list of No-No's in books that they didn't like.
ASK KIDS WHERE THEY BUY BOOKS, OR IF THEY WILL HELP YOU MARKET YOUR PRODUCT
Several of my teenage betas loved my book so much that they offered to start an email chain about my book. They also posted it on their facebook and myspace accounts. I was floored, because I didn’t even ask for this. They offered it.
Remember, if you are writing for young people, the best judge of how your book will do in the market comes from your market group. Also, when acquiring an agent or publisher you can refer to the large amount of young betas that had reviewed your work. So grab your nieces, nephews, kids, cousins, or anyone who has kids and write that YA novel.
by: LM Preston, author of EXPLORER X - Alpha (coming out 2/2010) http://www.lmpreston.com/
Forced to the fringes of society, Lia joins others like her. But they are looked at as freaks. They are hated...and feared. They are everything but human, and according to most people, this is the ultimate crime -- for which they must pay the ultimate price.
my thoughts:
This book was amazing! When I first started reading Skinned I flew through nearly half of the book before I put it down once. After just a few chapters I purchased book 2, Crashed because I knew I'd have to read that one too. The only reason you're just hearing about this book now is because my reading took a break for NaNoWriMo, but last night I was just in the mood for a good read. I
finished Skinned in one sitting before falling asleep.
Aside from the fact that I find Skinned to be very original, I love the way it actually made me think. It makes you wonder about what truly makes someone human. I also found the society that Lia inhabits to be fascinating. Technology has taken over so much it makes you wonder if everyone is really better off or if they should be longing for the good old days.
I highly recommend Skinned; I absolutely loved it and I'm sure you will too. I can't wait to read Crashed (though I think I'll need to get a little further through the review pile first). Robin Wasserman has definitely made my author list and I'll be looking for more books from her.
ps: Don't forget to vote in my polls! You can have a say in what gets reviewed at the blog. Skinned is a readers' choice review. :)
