1. What is Something Like Hope about?

It’s the story of Shavonne, a fierce and desperate seventeen year-old who finds herself in a large juvenile lockup hundreds of miles from home. She wants to turn her life around, but her problems seem too big, and time is running out. Amidst corrupt guards, out-of-control girls, and shadows from her past, Shavonne must fight for a redemption she’s not sure she deserves.

2. Was it difficult for you to write this story?

It was. At the time, I was working as a psychologist in a girls’ detention center. It was a violent, chaotic place, and I’d leave feeling tired, confused, and generally hopeless. Questions nagged at me. Like, do we really need to lock up children for misdemeanors and status offenses (infractions that aren’t illegal for adults)? Is it possible to do good work in a corrupt system and not be complicit? And if it’s not possible, what should I do? Quit? Fight the system? There were many other questions, and writing the book became a way to try and deal. I’d stay up late, typing, satisfied that at least I’d given voice to some of the struggles I’d witnessed.

3. Why did you write Something Like Hope with an African American Protagonist?

I thought it needed to be told from that perspective. I had spent many years listening to tragic stories from girls who appeared to be invisible, without power or voice. Most were African American, and had family histories of abuse, neglect, illiteracy, mental illness, etc. And even though the stories were sad, terribly sad, they contained flashes of insight, strength, and dignity. I wanted to capture this, and to do it accurately required a female African American protagonist.

But apart from this formal reasoning, I heard (or imaged hearing) Shavonne’s voice. Other books I’ve written may have started with an idea, an image, or a situation. I say may have because who really knows? But this one, so far as I can tell, started with a voice resonating quite clearly in my head. It was an angry voice, but also intelligent. This last part is very important, I think, because Shavonne’s intelligence is the undeveloped strength that holds the key to her redemption, small though it might be. She can’t really change her past, but she can learn to think differently about it, and that’s how she grows.

4. What were the challenges you encountered in capturing the voice of an African American female teenager?

If I can change the challenges to risks, I’d say the first risk is failure. There are so many ways for a writer crossing gender and race to get it wrong. Unbelievable characters. Stilted language. Forced or shallow emotions. Or simply showing to the world through your writing that you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!

The other big risk is of stepping on others’ cultural toes. I think the question that best speaks to this is, “what gives you the right to write this book?” It’s a good question, a fair question, and perhaps the best answer in this case is, “because no one else was going to write that particular book.” The girls I got to know in lockup read everything they could get their hands on. And yet, there were so few books with characters and stories that reflected their experiences. It’s invalidating, if you think about it. Every kid should be able to find books that speak to him/her, books that offer different perspectives.

5. What kind of response have you received from the African American community in response to Something Like Hope?

People have been very positive. The most frequent comment has been, “I read it straight through, from beginning to end.” This has been seconded by, “I keep thinking about Shavonne; she reminds me of…” Those are good things for any writer to hear, but I have been especially grateful for the openness of readers and critics to allow a forty-year old white man tell the story of a seventeen-year old African American girl. It would be easy to dismiss the whole thing, and yet…people haven’t. I am grateful for this, because the alternative is to write only within the boundaries of our own racial, cultural, and/or gender identities. Imagine if we could only tell stories about people who look and dress and talk exactly like us?

6.  Not necessarily a question, but these very impressive reviews for Something Like Hope:

A Booklist starred review book

“Shavonne’s voice—witty, tender, explicit, and tough—will grab readers. In the tradition of Walter Dean Myers’ and Jacqueline Woodson’s novels, this winner of Delacorte’s 2009 prize for best YA debut gets behind the statistics to tell it like it is.”

School Library Journal

 “Those teens who applauded the urban survivors in Sapphire’s Push and Coe Booth’s Tyrell will do the same for [Goodman’s] Shavonne.” 

7. Are you working on another novel? If so, can you tell us about it?

My next book is called Kindness for Weakness, and it’s a little bit of Catcher in the Rye meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It should be out in summer, 2013, with Delacorte. The title actually comes from a line in Something Like Hope, but it’s a very different kind of book. It lacks much of the drama and emotion, yet I think it’s every bit as powerful. Perhaps more.

Thanks so much, Shawn!

You can read more about Something Like Hope at:  http://www.shawngoodmanbooks.com

“Twenty years of putting on this book fair has reinforced my belief that children will read if you put good books in front of them,” she said. “They will read if they have books they can relate to.”

Over the years, her fair has brought more than 500 African-American authors and illustrators to the area. Thousands of new books have been given away to children in need. With the illiteracy rate and closing of bookstores around the country, her work is even more important now, she said.

“When bookstores close, introducing children to the love of reading becomes more of a challenge,” said Lloyd-Sgambati, who is also a library consultant who helps assess their collections and incorporate new books. “Parents can’t go in and browse. It’s tough to select a book online too. The key to finding good books is knowing who the authors and illustrators are.”

That’s where the African American Children’s Book Fair comes in.

“The African American Children’s Book Fair highlights some of the best books of our generation,” she said. “These authors and illustrators cover every aspect of African American lives.  The books are well-written and beautifully illustrated.  These books will open the door to a love of reading and enlightened children of all ages.  We also stress the importance of having a home library. Our mantra is “TAKE A BOOK HOME.”  Every home should have an area that is the family reading center.  Also getting our children to read means everyone in the family should be reading.”

Nearly two decades ago, 250 people braved the cold to attend the first African-American Children’s Book Fair at John Wanamaker Department Store in Philadelphia. Today, the book fair, held in the gymnasium of the Community College of Philadelphia, attracts thousands. In fact, not only is it one of the oldest single-day events for African-American children’s books, it has grown to become one of the largest too.

For some children, the book fair will be the first time they meet a black children’s book author or illustrator, the first time they receive a personalized book.

“Every time a book is sold that means a story is told,” Lloyd-Sgambati said. “Telling those stories enables the African American book industry to grow. This growth will mean that our legacy, our history is preserved.”

Lloyd-Sgambati said securing sponsors for these non-profit efforts is always a challenge, but those who help support the effort to make sure children have books in the home.  This year’s sponsors include local NBC affiliate, NBC10, PECO, Comcast, Health Partners Foundation and McDonald’s.

“For some children this ownership and the opportunity to meet the person who wrote and illustrated the book make the pages comes to life,” she said.

Along with having authors and illustrators sign books and read excerpts, the fair will feature workshops including one on cartooning led by syndicated cartoonist and children’s book illustrator Jerry Craft. An area called Literary Row will offer free promotional materials and a parent’s book resource section.

“Twenty years is a great accomplishment for any effort, but the success of this event is the community who recognizes that books empower and enrich a child’s life,” Lloyd-Sgambati said. “I also created this platform to support the works of the African American publishing community. Many of the authors/illustrators get no press for their great works, so I use my skills as literary consultant to put them front and center.  The line-up this year has some of the best books of our time.  Talented is an understatement.”

ABOUT THE FAIR:

20th Anniversary African American Children’s Book Fair

Saturday, February 4, 2012, 1-3 p.m.

Community College of Philadelphia (Gymnasium)

17th Spring Garden Street

Free and open to the public

For more information, please call 215-878-BOOK

FEATURED AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS:

Jabari Asim

Tonya Bolden

Regina Brooks

R. Gregory Christie

Bryan Collier

Kerri Conner

Floyd Cooper

Jerry Craft

Nancy Devard

L. Divine

Sharon Flake

Deborah Gregory

Al Hunter, Jr.

E.B. Lewis

Kelly Starling Lyons

David Miller

Walter Dean Myers

Marilyn Nelson

Vanessa Brantley Newton

Jerry Pinkney

Sean Qualls

Deborra Richardson

Amira Shiraz

Javaka Steptoe

Shadra Strickland

Linda Trice

Elizabeth Zunon

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Contact Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati at 215-877-2012 or  vlloydsgam@aol.com.

Visit The African-American Children’s Book Project (host of the book fair) at www.theafricanamericanchildrensbookproject.org.

Click on image for full size poster.

We’re proud to announce our twenty-four authors and four illustrators spotlights marking our fifth annual 28 Days Later initiative, a month-long celebration of veteran and emerging children’s authors of color.

There was a time when we considered doing something BIG to mark the fifth year. Five years is a wonderful milestone. In five years we’ve gained three additional Brown Bookshelf members helping to spread the word on good books, we’ve aligned ourselves with other great bloggers and most importantly, once you add this year’s great batch of creative artists to the mix, we’ve profiled 140 authors and illustrators.

Then we realized that simply bringing you these special profiles was big enough. But we’d like your help making sure the word gets out that The Brown Bookshelf is the place to hit for any reader, parent, teacher or librarian looking for great books by and about people of color. Tell a friend to tell a friend to come back every single day in February and we’ll officially seal the deal on doing big things for kiddie lit.

So without further ado, the 2012 28 Days Later Features:

February 1 – Kwame Alexander
February 2 – Denise Lewis Patrick
February 3 – Noni Carter
February 4 – James Haskins
February 5 – NiNi Simone
February 6 – Keith Shepherd
February 7 – Nikki Giovanni
February 8 – Tracey Baptiste
February 9 – TL Clarke
February 10 – Atinuke
February 11 – Bryan Collier
February 12 – Earl Sewell
February 13 – Debbi Chocolate
February 14 – Lynda Jones
February 15 – Calvin Alexander Ramsey
February 16 – L. Divine
February 17 – Charlotte Riley Webb
February 18 – Bil Wright
February 19 – Pansie Hart Flood
February 20 – Traci Dant
February 21 – Nikki Carter
February 22 – Sharon Robinson
February 23 – Teresa Harris
February 24 – Sofia Quintero
February 25 – Malorie Blackman
February 26 – Alice Faye Duncan
February 27 – Elizabeth Zunon
February 28 – Margaree King Mitchell

Right now, I’m on a 9-day blog tour. At each stop, there  is something special like a review, interview or guest post. You can see the full schedule here, read reviews of Ellen’s Broom here and check out the trailer here.

But I wanted to do something a little different at BBS. Our mission is to raise awareness of children’s book creators of color. So in that tradition, I’d like to celebrate the release of my new book by celebrating others. Below, you’ll find a list of six more multicultural children’s books about weddings.

Please spread the word about these titles and share them with children you know. And if you know of others, please list them in the comments.

Oh, and if you leave a comment on this post or any of my blog tour stops, you’ll be entered in a drawing for the grand prize giveaway – a wedding/anniversary broom donated by Stuart’s Creations and a poster of the Ellen’s Broom cover. Thank you for your support.

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Flower Girl Butterflies (Greenwillow Books) by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard, illustrated by Christiane Kromer. 

The Buzz on Flower Girl Butterflies:

“All of the excitement and anxiety of a wedding day are captured in this charming picture book. When young Sarah is asked to be a flower girl in her Aunt Robin’s wedding, the child is consumed with doubts. She worries that she will forget to throw her flowers. She’s nervous about tripping in front of everyone, getting sick, or ruining her new dress. With the loving reassurance of her African-American family, she calms her fears enough to walk down the aisle. After all, she has to be a “big girl” role model for the little ring bearer. This book is a wonderful celebration of family as the grandmothers and several uncles and cousins come to spend the night before the wedding at Sarah’s house. Sarah’s big moment is a perfect splash of pink background and scattered pink petals with the child’s dark skin gleaming against her white flower-girl dress. The lovely bride, in a frothy white gown, follows. The collage textures added to the watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations give the book a tactile look. A warm, family-oriented story that children will love.”

– School Library Journal

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Jumping the Broom (Scholastic) by Sonia W. Black, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu.

The Buzz on Jumping the Broom:

“Upbeat without being preachy or sentimental, these titles in the new Just for You! easy-reading series tell realistic stories of African American family life with excitement and grace. In Jumping the Broom, Erin’s big sister is getting married. Everyone is happy except Erin, who can’t find the right gift–until Grandmother tells her about jumping the broom, a wedding tradition that started among slaves. The characters are beautifully defined in both words and pictures, and many kids will recognize Erin’s pride in honoring her roots . . .”

- Booklist

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Nikki & Deja: Wedding Drama  (Clarion, debuts March 2012) by Karen English, illustrated by Laura Freeman.

The Buzz on Nikki & Deja:

“Ms. Shelby is getting married! As the girls in Nikki and Deja’s class compete over who
can plan the best imaginary wedding for their teacher, Nikki excitedly throws herself
into preparations for the real thing. But Deja is not so enthusiastic. Her Auntie Dee has
been temporarily laid off from her job, and Deja is worried. What will happen now
that she can no longer afford a new dress and special hairdo? Will Nikki leave her best
friend behind while she shops and primps? Will Deja be able to get over her jealousy
and enjoy the celebration anyway?
This is a charming entry in a chapter book series praised for its accessibility, authenticity,
and humor..”

– Amazon.com

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Snapshots from the Wedding (Puffin) by Gary Soto, illustrated by Stephanie Garcia.

The Buzz on Snapshots from the Wedding:

“There’s nothing like a wedding, and this book about a wedding is not quite like any other. Soto takes readers to a Mexican American nuptial, and young Maya, the flower girl, is the lens through which the action is seen. All the fun of the event is here: the altar boy with the dirty sneakers under his gown, Maya putting pitted black olives on each of her fingers, the kids whacking one another with balloons. There are the more traditional moments as well–the wedding kiss, the wedding cake, and the toast to the bride and groom. The text’s free verse could have been illustrated in many ways, but the choice of three-dimensional artwork was inspired. Created with Sculpy clay, acrylic paints, wood, ribbons, and flowers, the art is displayed in large boxes set against pages covered with lace. The doll-like members of the wedding are exaggerated just enough to be amusing; at times, just a body part or two are highlighted, as when Maya’s feet are shown on top of her father’s while they dance. Just like a wedding album, this will be looked at over and over.”

– Booklist

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The Wedding (Orchard), by Angela Johnson, illustrated by David Soman.

The Buzz on The Wedding:

“Through the eyes of young Daisy, readers experience and anticipate the preparations for her sister’s wedding-”Long dresses, flowers, wrapped boxes, and tissue-paper rooms-with everybody saying ‘Congratulations.’” The simple text follows Daisy and her family as they celebrate and then say a tearful good-bye to Sister. The last page shows the whole family looking at the wedding photos. As in other books by these collaborators, such as When I Am Old With You (1990), One of Three (1991), and Tell Me a Story, Mama (1989, all Orchard), the illustrations portray a warm, loving African-American family. The distinguished collage artwork conveys the action and the whole range of emotions that the day entails. Both text and illustrations work together to create a seamless experience that is happy, sad, and tender all at once. A perfect book for preparing for that special day.”

– School Library Journal

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Here Comes Our Bride! An African Wedding Story (Frances Lincoln), by Ifeoma Onyefulu.

The Buzz on Here Comes Our Bride:

“Far from the reverential, there is a lively mix of the traditional and the contemporary in this photo-essay about a wedding in Benin, Nigeria. Osaere is a doctor; Efosa is an architect. As Onyefulu points out in her introduction, the wedding is a family affair, and the close-up, full-color photos show the formal visits, when the relatives bring all kinds of gifts, including jewelry and foods (kola nuts stand for peace and harmony; schnapps is for the ancestors). After the formality, there is lots of teasing to cement the friendship. Then an old man talks to the ancestors, and Osaere and Efosa are married in traditional robes. Much later, there’s a church wedding (he’s in a tux; she wears a wedding gown), with even more guests, foods, and gifts. A young boy narrates the story, and kids will enjoy learning about the Nigerian ritual while they recognize the universal excitement of wedding pageantry and bonding.”

– Booklist

If enough folk turn their backs on Black History Month because they’re sick of it being the “only” time anyone pays attention to anything African-American related, will it actually make people pay more attention to us the other 11 months of the year?

Answer: NO

Fact:
The contributions African Americans continue to make to society-at-large are significant enough that they should be well-documented and covered in classrooms, on television, in books and anywhere else anytime.

Fact:
There are still hurdles to climb, for recognition,  in every single one of those arenas.

Let’s not pummel the one vehicle that may actually bring new folks to everyone’s attention.

I don’t get knocking BHM-related activities. It’s not like anyone is mandated to do anything to actually recognize Black History Month. Take a poll, we’ll probably find most don’t.

BHM gets more recognition for its controversy and the dickering over whether it should exist at all than for its purpose: an attempt to remedy the significant lack of consistent coverage of African Americans, in a positive light, among mainstream outlets.

On a good day, we’re barely recognized outside of the flavor of the month. In the absence of Oprah, I guess it’s Tyler Perry. And that’s among the mainstream outlets that recognize us at all.

Even the publications designed specially for African American accolades seem to cover the same people over and over.

Check out how often Mary J. Blige has appeared on the cover of Essence magazine as if she’s literally the ONLY female Black singer in the world.

If someone can tell me how we cure our own outlets from ignoring all but the already-popular and over-covered – we can begin working on the mainstream, together.

Black History Month isn’t a cure for our lack of mainstream recognition, it’s a simple way to remind all of us that there are more than three of us who have actually made a contribution.

So let me get on to the real beef here – low-grade grumbling that our 28 Days Later campaign is during Black History Month.

The Brown Bookshelf launched its annual campaign during Black History Month because we assumed (and rightly so, I still believe) we’d get the most bang for our buck among our key audience – librarians, teachers and parents – as they were actively seeking good books about and by authors of color.

Even among the well-intentioned, the same Black authors or at least the same type of books get pulled out and displayed in bookstores and libraries in February. Enough already – there’s a lot more to choose from. Enter The Brown Bookshelf.

We chose the month where the rest of the world, out of obligation or actual interest, turns their attention to African Americans.

Some believe if you build it they will come – no matter where you build it. Well some of us believe that it’s better to build your lemonade stand on the main thoroughfare rather than hope someone will find you out in the boondocks.

Black History Month is a main thoroughfare, whether we like it or not. Utilizing it as a springboard for attention doesn’t mean you support ignoring the rest of the year. It means you’re smart enough to get in where you fit in.

Certainly, turning your back on it doesn’t help things much.

The joy it brings to provide authors and illustrators a little recognition outweighs most else. But it bugs me that said recognition could be taken negatively simply because it’s in February. Must we constantly shoot ourselves in the foot over things?

Race-based recognition is often put under the microscope as if it’s the problem and not a solution to fill obvious voids. It’s not a perfect solution. And I’ll be the first to back flip the day our books are equally as best selling and in equal contention for mainstream honors.

When that day comes, sites like BBS will have outlived their usefulness. We’re waiting as anxiously as everyone else.

I’d ask where books like My Own Worst Frenemy were when I was a young reader, but I already know the answer – they didn’t exist. It’s why I started writing YA, in the first place.

Reviewing books like Reid’s first in the Langdon Prep series is bittersweet for me. On one hand I feel like doing a friggin’ back flip to celebrate their arrival. On the other, I’m so annoyed that it’s seriously taken publishing this long to acknowledge that readers (of color or not) would enjoy a book like this.

So yeah, obviously I liked this book. And sorry a portion of my review was done on a soap box. This issue isn’t just close to me, it formed my identity as an author. It’s tough to sit back and separate the individual book from the overall issue of diversity in YA. Maybe one day…

That said, My Own Worst Frenemy is quite a gem. Readers looking to infuse a little mystery in their lives will love it. Chanti Evans (confession: every time I saw the MC’s name I wanted to call her Chianti – just how my brain works) is from a working-class hood in Denver. Her mom’s an undercover cop who wants Chanti’s academic career to have a fighting chance, so she sends her to Langdon Prep a snooty private school where all schools are in books – across town.

My Own Worst Frenemy is a good first in a series book. We meet Chanti, Bethanie (a sure-fire frenemy in the making), Marco (the future BF) and of course there’s a female and male meanie, Lissa and her twin Justin. Getting to know them all is most of the fun, but this is a mystery after all – so there’s some intrigue and sleuthing involved.

The 4-1-1 breaks down like this:

The Good
Chanti and Marco are full-bodied characters. They feel real and readers will care about them. But note to authors: stop making main characters so insecure. We all know they’re going to end up with dude in the end. Enough with them putting themselves down just to build up the tension revolved around the growing love interest!

Chanti is African-American and Marco is Mexican. I’m fairly certain the other characters are of color too, but the book doesn’t dwell on that. Which is a plus. The reader can assume everyone is brown or not – it’s up to them really.

The Bad
The chapters revolve between the present and flashbacks of how Chanti ended up in trouble and thus at Langdon. The flashbacks were distracting and sometimes slowed down the action. It was obvious Chanti had gotten caught up in something, but since she’s not in juvie or jail, it couldn’t have been that serious. So, really, it almost didn’t matter to me how she ended up there. For the sake of the series, I hope the flashbacks end at book one.

The Ugly
No ugly.

Like most mysteries that involve teen sleuthing, the reader will have to suspend a little belief about just how much knowledge and moxie Chanti has. But that’s the fun of reading mysteries, right? We all want the MC to be a bit more courageous and smarter than we would be in the situation. Chanti’s righteously nosy and observant which makes her a great investigator and ripe to be a new millennium girl-detective idol.

Well, over the years, we’ve found that some authors don’t maintain websites.

I know, hard to believe. But since many of us don’t write “full-time” I understand.

For those authors, when a reader Google’s them, their 28 Days Later spotlight may be one of the few interactive sites that pops up. In other words, they may find plenty of other sites that give a short bio but not many that give them the chance to leave a comment.

Yes, 28 Days Later authors, some of you are totally getting fan mail via comments here.

If any of our regular visitors knows or has access to any of the authors featured here, remind them to stop by and check out their pages now and then. They may be pleasantly surprised to see they’ve received comments from readers well after the campaign ended.

Without doing one stitch of research, I know the author who has received the most comments here and whose BBS page pops up FIRST on a Google search is Dana Davidson. Hey, Dana, stop in and get your love, lady!

The theme is as old as storytelling, but I’m glad to see it rear its head in YA via The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald and Glitz, by Philana Marie Boles. The suspension of belief it takes to go along with the characters as they stay out way past curfew (Glitz) or walk the line of the law (Anti-Prom), is what makes these books fun. Truth is, most of us fear breaking curfew too much to dip a toe, much less our entire selves into a wild night out. So safer to go along on the ride with Ann Michele and the motley crew of Bliss Merino, Jolene Nelson and Meg Rose Zuckerman.

Glitz
There’s a little Ann Michele in us all. The question is, are we bold enough to let our Glitz shine through?

Bored with her straight-laced existence with her grandmother, Ann Michele befriends Raquel, an aspiring singer/rapper with a checkered past. The two share music in common and despite Ann Michele’s grandmother’s concerns – of which she has many, Ann Michele refuses to give up on the friendship. Desperate to live a little, Ann Michele accepts Raq’s invitation to hit up a concert of their favorite rapper. Not only is Glitz, Ann Michele’s quietly sassy alter-ego, born but she sets off on a road trip with Raq, their hip hop idol and his entourage. The trip opens her eyes to what true friendship is about and life behind hip hop’s iced out posturing.

The old school vs. nu school battle that Ann Michele’s family situation provokes is at the heart of the story. Boles could have made the Glitz persona an instantly out of control diva and 180 degrees different from Ann Michele herself. Instead, Glitz is merely Ann Michele out of her shell, a gradual personality-lift born of frustration. All her life she’s been a good student and remained out of trouble, but that isn’t enough for her grandmother. So becoming Glitz is a chin-thrusting “take that” to her grandmother and all parents/guardians who forget they were once young experimenters.

Glitz walks the line between wild adventure and slightly realistic. At first, readers may question the road trip. I did. I mean, in her place would I go road tripping with a bunch of rappers knowing I’d have NO life once I got back home to face the music (no pun intended)?

But given Ann Michele’s circumstances, I just might. Readers will empathize with her thirst for something, anything that allows her to spread her wings. And Boles keeps it real because for every moment “Glitz” throws caution to the wind, Ann Michele spends another ten moments concerned about the consequences.

The Anti-Prom

First thing that came to mind as I read The Anti-Prom – this is Ferris Bueller meets The Breakfast Club. Any teen readers who don’t know these movies need to get a quick tutorial. My God, they’re pop cult faves.

When Bliss Merino finds her boyfriend hooking up with her best friend in the limo AT prom, she sets out to get immediate revenge. Okay, “immediate,” because it takes the entire night and half way through she has second thoughts…so more like eventual, sort-of revenge.

In truth, the revenge itself is beside the point. The Anti-Prom is about the journey on revenge road.

No one can get revenge on their own, so Bliss recruits the help of outcast Jolene and quiet girl, Meg. This is where the Breakfast Club comes in. The girls are from a variety of high school’s walks of life, so as expected they clash over their social differences only to come together when it’s most crucial.

Frankly, I never really got how Bliss’s revenge was truly revenge. Decking the jerk boyfriend and dumping the BFF could have resulted in equally as much drama but I digress.

For the fun of it, The Anti-Prom is an easy and enjoyable read. Nothing wrong with a night living on the edge and realizing that we’re all more alike than different.

Since this is a duel, my nod goes to Glitz as the winner. Where The Anti-Prom is centered around an age-old event that a vast majority of teens have experienced or will, Glitz offers a peek into a world that most of us will never touch. But heck, why not give yourself two wild nights and read ‘em both.

She flew the night skies seeking YA books that contained characters that looked like her, sounded like her and lived the life she lived wrapped in suburbia’s blanket – a warm, comforting sameness that belies the silent struggle that is the everyday existence of a person of color. Flowing effortlessly as the only or one of a few brown faces in a predominately white sea without ever losing the subtle cultural traditions that are, yet aren’t the Black experience.

Finding none, she ZAP, BOOM, POWWED a series that would satisfy the masses craving a world where diversity was just a matter-of-fact, not a political correctness mandate. She is, Character Chick.

*trumpets sound*

Normally, I try and keep my superpowers on the low, but YA Highway’s call for revelation of one’s writing superpowers has encouraged me to come forward. I am, in fact, Character Chick. When I write, I have no idea where the story will go because it’s all about the character. I feel each character in my head and my heart. I know what they’re thinking and why they’re thinking it. The story is about what they’re going to do about it.

Plot? Keep that thing away from me. It saps my powers and brings me to my knees. The second I’m forced to think strategically about the plot my palms sweat. I’m looking left then right trying to find an exit away from its needy questions and insane need to have them answered.

To battle the plot monster, I sink deeper into my character’s head, visualizing their backstory, tapping into what drives them until the words flow once more detailing how they will overcome the obstacle thrown in front of them.

Somehow it comes together. Somehow a theme presents itself and *gasp* the plot emerges, a thin wisp of mist wafting over the characters within and Character Chick can fly away satisfied she’s produced yet another jewel for her beloved teen readers (and not-so-teen lovers of YA).

Please, tell no one. I fear being banned from the writing community as plot is a relatively important part of the story. If anyone knew it was my weakness they might start suggesting things like outlining *shudders* and index cards (all which I’ve tried, by the way).

Maybe one day I’ll conquer the plot monster and actually start a book revolved specifically around it. Until then I’ll fly the skies content that as long as the characters whisper to me, plots will evolve around their strengths, weaknesses and ability to overcome them. For I am Character Chick, and character development is my power!