Thanks to Canadian Children’s Book News for a lovely review of Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret.
Here’s my most favourite part:
“Vicki Grant’s characters jump off the page. She shows an uncanny understanding of young people’s worries and emotions, the depression they often face, the self-esteem that frequently eludes them, and the acceptance they need most. This is a novel at once humorous, captivating and realistic. A multi-layered novel, a striking read.”
I just read an interview with poet Nick Thran - whose work I’m looking forward to reading, not the least because he introduced me to this dead-on definition of ‘cool’. Here’s what Nick said:
“Every time the word cool pops up I think of this stanza from Berman’s ‘Self Portrait at 28′,
If you were cool in high school
you didn’t ask too many questions.
You could tell who’d been to last night’s
big metal concert by the new t-shirts in the hallways.
You didn’t have to ask
and that’s what cool was:
the ability to deduce,
to know without asking.
And the pressure to simulate coolness
means not asking when you don’t know,
which is why kids grow ever more stupid.”
I don’t know why that number was chosen but I’m delighted, nonetheless, that Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret has made Canadian Parents “17 Books to Give this Holiday Season.“
BTW, if you’d like a copy of Betsy Wickwire (or Not Suitable for Family Viewing) signed personally by their grateful author, please meet me at Chapters Bayers Lake, Sunday November 26 from noon to 1:30. The company will be much appreciated.
Prospective authors often ask me how to write a query letter. The truth is I have no idea. Like most things in my life, I just winged it and, unlike most things in my life, got lucky.
Lena Coakley, though, knows how to do it. Even better, the author of the acclaimed YA fantasy Witchlanders very kindly shared her insights on writing effective query letters. Here’s her very helpful post, A Query Dissected.
Plotting. Planting clues. Killing off your characters. I had to figure out how to do all that while writing Not Suitable for Family Viewing.
Now I’m giving away my trade secrets at an upcoming “Writing Teen Mysteries” workshop.
Thursday, November 17
5:30 to 8:30 pm
1533 Birmingham St Halifax, NS B3J 2J6
$35
This workshop is just for adult writers, I’m afraid. (If it goes well, I’d love to try one for teens as well.)
For more information or to register, contact Woozles.
I was on my way back from my rather wonderful ‘tour’ in Ontario (more about that later) when I spotted what I thought was a nice stack of Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret at a bookstore in the Toronto Airport. It took me a horrified moment or two to realize it wasn’t my book at all but Lauren Conrad’s. Uncanny, isn’t it?
Lauren’s book has a heart-shaped candy on the cover. Mine has a heart-shaped sponge which looks like a candy. They both have a white background and hearts repeated on the spine. They’re both Young Adult novels. Lauren is a “television personality, celebutante and fashion designer” and I’m…Okay, I guess the similarities end there.
But back to the cover. Should I worry? Or is the similarity a good thing? Any chance a few Lauren Conrad fans might pick up my book by mistake and be converted? Stay tuned for updates.
Thanks to Woozles and everyone else who helped launch Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret in style.
I was thrilled with the turn-out. As well as my buddies from the bridge club, book club (s), neighbourhood and Writers Fed, I was graced with the presence of friends from childhood (Heather Booth and Leslie MacLean), my university roomie (Nancy Price), some of my favourite teachers (Nancy Bowe, Diane Peach and Ruth Ann Luke) and of course a number of award-winning authors.
We raised a glass of very cheap wine to Don Aker (The Fifth Rule) and Jill MacLean (Home Truths) who had both just been nominated for OLA awards. Lisa Harrington (Rattled) was there with her beautiful daughter Lexi – and an announcement that she has a contract for her next YA novel. Stephens Gerard Malone (Big Town) was just getting his sea legs after his own successful launch. And Jessica Scott Kerrin (The Martin Bridge Series) even managed to bring her husband along. (That’s dedication.)
I’m very grateful – and flattered – to have had such a lovely crowd.
On Monday, October 17, Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret will be launched at The George Wright House. This stately home at the corner of Young Avenue and Inglis Street in Halifax was bequeathed to the Local Council of Women after George went down with the Titanic. (Money raised from room rental goes towards the Council’s many good works.)
I just hope this launch turns out a little better than the Titanic’s did…
Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret Launch
Monday, October 17
7 to 9 pm
The George Wright House
989 Young Avenue
Halifax, Nova Scotia
All welcome. Woozles will be there, of course, with books.
There is nothing authors like better than to see their books get a celebrity endorsement – which is why I was delighted to come across this photo of my dear friend/editor Hadley Dyer at Toronto’s Word on the Street.
Yes, that’s Betsy Wickwire Hadley has by the spine. And, yes, Hadley did have a few good things to say about it. To wit:
“Dyer says one of HarperCollins bestselling young adult novels right now is Canadian author Vicki Grant’s Betsy Wickwire’s Dirty Secret. The novel is a comedy about a girl who starts a cleaning service and finds love, friendship and self-worth without any fairies, zombies or vampires.”
(The good part is that bit about there being no fairies, zombies or vampires.)
You can read the whole article here. And you can find out more about Hadley Dyer and her own stellar writing career here.
