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Bright Things in Books

SilverDishThis may be just me, but I need occasional bright things in books.  Once, when I read a string of YA dystopias back to back, the physically dark settings had me feeling like I lived in a cave, and I needed a break.  By contrast, I was rereading Levine’s Ella Enchanted this spring, and I actively noticed the happy scenes of friendship, which were just as nourishing as physical brightness.  Of course, it made the contrast all the worse when Ella lost those friendships and had… Continue reading

Birthmarked in Turkey

Birthmarked is out in Turkey!  “Dogum Lekesi” translates, I believe, to “Date of Birth.”  Many thanks to my Turkish translator, Zeynep Yeşiltuna!  What does it feel like to be published in Turkey?  Pretty amazing.

Below is the Turkish description, and you can discover other Turkish titles from publisher Marti Yayinlari on their Facebook page.

Geleceğin dünyasında insanoğlu ikiye bölünmüştür.

Bir yanda son derece ihtişamlı ve korunaklı hayatlar yaşayan üstün bir ırk,

diğer yanda bu ırkın varlığını sürdürmek için görevlendirilmiş, zor koşullar altında yaşayan… Continue reading

Stepping Back

Sometimes, when my plot has become snarled in a traffic jam, I think of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men with its straight-forward, train-wreck focus, where we start steadily down a track and accelerate fast toward a visible and unavoidable disaster.  Lennie kills a mouse, then kills a puppy, then crushes a man’s hand, then kills a woman, and each time we try to forgive him and search for someone else to blame because we believe he is an innocent at heart.

FerrisWheelI look at this plot, this driving plot… Continue reading

The Rejoicing

SillyHatManI attended a unique earthling ceremony this weekend.  The main participants dressed up in extraordinary hats and flowing black gowns, men and women alike.  Restless spectators filled the pavilion to listen to a series of speeches, impatient for their chance to make noise.  At last, while each individual participant was called for a victory lap (Gampel5.11.3) around the arena floor, their family groups howled from the stadium.  Howl after howl went up in a stream for an hour, no family quite able to… Continue reading

Revisin’

LittleStreetAnother, complete world exist in my computer now, right there in the file behind this one.  I don’t know how to describe it or explain it to people, not the book itself nor my process of working on it.  When friends ask if the draft needs big changes or if I’m working line by line, I feel the novel world suck me out of the now toward rainy plains and a silent window and the blue glow of night glass.  Depths, colors, and currents swirl there. … Continue reading

Fun Was Had: Teen Book Con, Houston

Let me pass along a few favorite photos from my very happy weekend in Houston when I attended  Teen Book Con, April 20th.  Thanks again to Blue Willow Bookshop for throwing the stupendous event, and to MacKids for sending me down.  To see hundreds of teens excited about reading and writing was completely inspiring, and I’ve been writing in a blue streak ever since.

Festivities and friendship began the night before at Valerie Koehler's Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX.

Festivities and friendships began the night before at Valerie Koehler’s Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX.

From the writers' perspective on stage, we saw hundreds of readers fill the auditorium for opening remarks and Chris Crutcher's Keynote Address.

From the writers’ perspective on stage,… Continue reading

 

Ari & Milo, my serial novel, is now up on Wattpad! I drew illustrations to go with each chapter, and best of all, it’s free! Because of problematic themes, this novel is for mature readers age 17+.

Caragh's Latest Favorite Reads

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Every Day
The Dog Stars
The Reinvention of Edison Thomas
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
The Fault in Our Stars
Two of a Kind
Until It Hurts to Stop


Caragh's books »

Audio Books

The audio books of BIRTHMARKED, PRIZED, PROMISED, and THE VAULT OF DREAMERS have been released by Tantor Audio. They're available through Tantor, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Audible.com.
Book Trailer for Promised