Book Review Saturday: STRANDED by JT Dutton

Well, life got in the way a bit. As in I got my Haunted revision letter and needed to go into the writing cave for awhile to figure things out. But I've crawled out and now and so it's time for my review of Jen Dutton's Stranded which comes out June 8th, 2010 from HarperTeen and is a book you will absolutely need to read!

Kelly Louise Sorenson is darkly funny, smart, and, as JT Dutton’s second YA novel, STRANDED begins, stuck in Heaven, Iowa, where she’s come with her mother from the more urban – well, relatively speaking – atmosphere of Des Moines. Kelly’s also got a secret. Or rather, her cousin Natalie does. It’s Natalie who’s given birth to the baby found dead and abandoned in the cornfields of Heaven. Only Natalie’s pretending it hasn’t happened. So is Kelly Louise’s nana – she of the cleaning obsessions and the reminders that “Clothes should be hung, not flung.” Heaven, Iowa is not paradise and Kelly Louise is no ordinary girl. The mixture is a potent one. The longer Natalie refuses to admit the truth, the crazier things become for Kelly Louise – named after sexpot Tina Louise – the actress who played Ginger on Gilligan’s Island. Kelly finds herself adrift in a world of church goers and hypocrites, believers and sinners. As she tells us, “What if – I thought a little more loudly – I did what Mom asked and pretended the incident hadn’t happened? Do baby abandoners get do-overs? I offered my soul to encourage God to say yes. I wasn’t doing anything with it. God as usual, said nothing.”

Enter Kenny Stockhausen – “dark but not handsome and far too trigger-happy.” The Stockhausen’s live next door amid “unmowed lawn and rusting cars” and Kelly Louise wonders if they “were messy or just practicing environmental restraint.” Kelly’s feelings about Kenny are complicated – attraction and annoyance and, when she comes to realize that he may also be keeping Natalie’s secret, grow more complicated still.

As with most characters in JT Dutton’s novels, Kenny is not easily defined. Kenny is raw, rude and tightly coiled. But there’s a tender confused core under there, a streak of decency even during an ill-fated scene in his under-filled water bed where he helps Kelly Louise lose her virtue as she finds that keeping Natalie’s secret is taking its toll. “But then again, how could Kenny have perceived the real me when I hadn’t exactly locked that one down myself?” Kenny may or may not be helping his meth-dealing uncle. Kenny may or may not have helped Natalie give birth to Baby Grace in the Iowa cornfields. But unlike most of the denizens of Heaven, Kenny is real.

Dutton’s novel alternately amuses, horrifies and fascinates. Kelly Louise is a gem of a narrator – both self –aware and naïve at the same time. My heart ached for her as often as I laughed aloud at her descriptions. Heaven, Iowa, is certainly not heaven at all. Kenny is definitely not boyfriend material. Natalie is not the virgin princess she pretends to be. Nana is not quite as crazy as she seems. Okay, maybe she is, but I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt here. Plus there’s Dutton’s take on middle America - equal parts wasteland of Croc-wearing true believers and simultaneously lost and steady-hearted souls such as Mr. Gruber, the principal of Heaven’s Carrie Nation High (gotta love Dutton’s naming skills) and the man to whom Kellie Louise finally trusts her secret.

I applaud Jen Dutton’s STRANDED for its humorous yet unblinking glimpse into the secret lives of imperfect people. Kelly Louise – part Margaret Mead anthropologist detached observer of those who name their school mascot the Fighting Soybean and part confused girl in search of love and acceptance – leads us into their world, stranding us all for awhile and making us contemplate the nature of good, evil, and life itself.

Til next time... and if you haven't read my interview with Jen, two posts back, please do!

Review still on the way!

Okay, so I said I'd post my Stranded review yesterday. And now it's today. And I have critique group in - oh - 30 minutes. And life has been quite crazy - good crazy, not bad. So tomorrow. Really, Jen Dutton! And the rest of you. Tomorrow.

til tomorrow...

In which I chat with YA author JT Dutton

Full disclosure - Jen Dutton is awesome! She's my class of 2k9 pal, my email buddy, and one of those people who share my quirky sense of humor and warped world view. We've commiserated about writing, life, and child-rearing. We laugh a lot. Interestingly we do this all in print, but that's the glory of the writing life! Jen's debut YA was Freaked (HarperTeen) and her second novel, Stranded (HarperTeen) will be out in June. I had the privilege of getting to read the ARC and I'll be reviewing it tomorrow for your reading pleasure. (hint: I loved it) But today, Jen and I are sitting down (picture it, people!) to talk about writing, Stranded, character creation, and other stuff.

So - welcome JT Dutton!!

Joy: Both Freaked and now Stranded are filled with dark humor. Does this reflect the actual JT Dutton?

Jen: I think I keep most of my weirdness in my head but I’m not sure. I get strange looks sometimes, when someone sees me talking to my dog. I don’t try to hide my weirdness completely because I live way out here in rural Ohio, where you know, every town expects a crazy person.

Joy: I've heard you say that while Kelly Louise is your narrator, you really see Kenny Stockhausen as your main character. Can you elaborate on this?

Jen: I set out to write a “girl” book, but I was frustrated by the many books for teen girls that end with a boy to validate the resolution of the conflict. I believe that there is something “true” in this arc—that girls see themselves in relationship to others. Plus, a hot romance makes for a very satisfying read. But in real life—where the heck is that boy? There are many, many literary and real girls like Kelly Louise who are funny, plucky, intelligent, and courageous. But there aren’t many boys in the real world like Edward in Twilight. Or if there are—no, there just aren’t any boys like that.

So here comes Kenny, bursting into my imagination. Fully human, fully boy—sort of an inside out of the Vampire model. And it’s his presence in the book, his likeable but sort of repulsive realness and his inability to keep a damsel in distress from becoming distressed that acts as catalyst for Kelly Louise’s story. A side message of this book, at least in my own head, is that it is better to love things as they are than to love them for what you want to them to be. Illusions are ultimately soul-destroying because they breed disappointment. Kenny is way sexier than Edward, if not in looks and suave vampire aloofness, at least in real flesh and blood deliverable vibrancy. You can find boys like Kenny working in the back of any restaurant kitchen. I believe that he exists and I believe Kelly Louise matures and evolves when she recognizes and relates to his realness instead of seeking out the Vampire.

Joy: Where did the idea for Stranded come from? Are there certain things that inform your writing more than others?

Jen: A friend recently called me a transgressive writer, probably what I get for hanging out with smart people. I had to go the dictionary to figure out the definition of the term. What he meant was that my stories are informed by people who develop moral codes outside the bounds of society (as a result of transgression). And I guess that’s true. Stranded was inspired by a series of news stories and editorials I read concerning a young girl who had abandoned an infant, gotten caught, and gone to jail. The public reaction included fury at her behavior. Was she a monster? Was she a victim? The question triggered something in me. I felt emotionally connected to her story, like there were lessons in it.

Joy: Why Iowa?

Jen: It’s more a question of why not Iowa? Babies are just as apt to wind up in cornfields in Tama County as they are dumpsters in Cleveland. People sometimes forget that, but maybe it’s better if we don’t. If we equalize our conceptions of place maybe we can take care of everyone and be less divided about who owns the right to call themselves citizens of Heaven.

Joy: So what is it about these bedraggled, stoner, morally ambiguous guys that attracts you to create them as your characters?

Jen: Some of these guys have impressive careers in the arts or restaurant fields after their periods of disaffection. Some keep smoking pot. Either way, they’ve made a break and rebelled against the machine.

I’m equally attracted to Principal Gruber and Knees, quieter men in each of my books who have also chosen to take the road less traveled by. They are themselves in a world that wants to rubber stamp them. They seem to do this without anger, as if they would hang on tighter to society, if society would hang on to them.

People should write their own moral codes, think for themselves about the rightness and wrongness of things. Humans have an instinct for good and I believe the quality is one of those mysteries of the planet that is larger than ourselves and the societal definitions we would inflict on it.

Joy: Chocolate or peanut butter?

Jen: Both should always be used in the same sentence. A person should never choose between the two. They are the yin and yang of existence.

Joy: Pop culture influences? Were you in fact a fan of Gilligan's Island reruns?

Jen: Recently I watched a Mad Men episode in which the characters talk about Marilyn Monroe vs. Jackie Kennedy. Good girl vs. bad girl. Betty vs. Veronica. It’s one of those weird archetypes. The Ginger vs. Marianne dynamic stuck with me as I coped with the differences between Natalie and Kelly Louise. I was forced to watch many, many, hours of reruns of Gilligan’s Island because my parents only let us near the television between 5 and 6 pm on weekdays. I am also programmed to think of life in terms of Hogan’s Heroes, Mash, and Star Trek. Over-aired television has definitely shaped my world view.

Joy: Stranded is a slightly risky endeavor - as it touches on religion, hypocrisy, underage sex, loss of virginity, homosexuality and other juicy topics. Do you consider those risks as you write, or do you just tell the story that needs to be told?

Jen: I love the line in The Lorax where the Onceler says “Now listen here, Dad, all you do is say bad, bad, bad.” Because it’s true. That Lorax is a freaking broken record of doom and gloom.

But somebody has to save the Trufalla Trees.

We don’t really want that Lorax to go away.

If social change can happen via the wit of a teenage girl who is obsessed by sex and scandal, why not let it?

I might toss bad, bad, bad into my storyline, but all I want is good, good, good, to come out of it. Sometimes that’s how discovery works.

Joy: What are you working on next?

Jen: I decided to write a novel narrated by Kenny Stockhausen. I just couldn’t leave that guy alone. Fleeing the law for a crime he only sort of committed, he gets himself a job in a horse barn at an all girls’ summer camp in Maine. I’d let you in on more, but I think I better leave it at that and give the full elevator pitch at the end of the summer—the lessons he learns, the drama he faces.

Joy: Anything else about JT Dutton that you'd like readers to know? Like where the JT came from, perhaps?

I chose just J. Dutton first, but I liked the ring of J. T. (even though J. T. is the name of my neighbor’s dog.) When people ask me about the T, I tell them it is short for Tiberius like Captain James Tiberius Kirk. All of my initialing is just a crazy attempt to obscure my real identity.

Please feel free to just call me Jen.

Joy: Thanks, Jen! Some of the best answers I've ever gotten! And it explains why we get along so famously - I too, spent time lying on the carpet watching reruns of Star Trek. So what I should have asked was: favorite Star Trek original series episode. For the record, I have two: Trouble with Tribbles and City on the Edge of Forever. (gotta love that Joan Collins. and Spock in a cap. and William Shatner over-acting during the tragic ending...)

Tomorrow, we'll talk Stranded review. Admittedly you've gotten some hints today!

Til next time...

And until then, check out this video from Harper Teen, where Jen chats some more about Stranded!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPPFfdn-nrQ&feature=youtube_gdata

Sunday stuff... and did you know?

Really should be finishing my stack of censorship essays, but some tasks are too depressing to complete all at once. And here I thought everyone would have an opinion... possibly having an opinion is hard work. Wouldn't want to work now, would we, kiddies?

Tons of stuff that should also be commanding my attention: am I going to SCBWI LA? Do I need to make my hotel reservation now for Orlando NCTE? I really should be subbing another HuffPo piece. What the heck is my quiz for part one of Fahrenheit 451 going to look like? When am I going to get those copy edits for Haunted?

Speaking of which - guess since it's public now, I can chatter about the newest change in my world. Editor Dan has moved to Harper Collins, where he is now grand master of Intellectual Property for teens and children's books. (cool, eh?) And although I miss him madly, I do get to work with one of my other favorite people - Kelly Barrales-Saylor, who had also been part of the Dreaming Anastasia team and is also an all around very cool hipster girl who has worked quite hard the past few weeks on my behalf. Publishing = change. On a very regular basis, it seems.

No ALA for me this year. I will still be semi-radioactive, I think, from the last steps toward making the big bad cancer go poof. So if anyone stops by the Sourcebooks booth - tell Publicist Paul or Publicist Kay how excited you are about Haunted. Too bad Joy's not here, you should say. Oh how we miss that snarky woman. No clue if we'll have ARC's out by then. But I'll let you know.

Later this week - my interview with Jen Dutton and then my review of her upcoming Stranded. I'm very excited to share this interview with you. Jen ROCKS!! Seriously- the woman is deep! And one cool mama.

til next time...

And the Wolfy Swag Winners are

Thanks to everyone who participated in the "Who's your Favorite Werewolf" contest in honor of the release of Judith Grave's debut YA, Under My Skin! Lots of werewolf love going out to Shiver's Sam, with some mention of a couple of old favorites like Buffy's Oz and Michael J Fox as Teen Wolf from the classic and kitschy (who doesn't love some good kitsch?) movie of the same name. And my pal Beth gave a great shout out to the uber cool not quite a wolf but definitely a shape shifter Sam Merlotte, from True Blood. Gotta love that dog boy, don't ya, Beth?

Anyway, tossed the contestants in the magic sorting, um, contest hat. Shook it up real good. And the winners are:

Jessica Kennedy - for her choice and explanation of Derek from Kelly Armstrong's The Reckoning series. Jess - you win the UMS choker set! Whoot! Or rather - howl!

Caitlin - for her choice (a popular one) of Sam from Shiver by my fellow ABLA girl, Maggie Steifavater. Caitlin thinks Sam is sweet and she loves the way he interacts with Grace. Well, me too, Caitlin. Interacts is such a good general term for all the angsty werewolf nookie, drama and trauma going on in Shiver. Caitlin wins the set of UMS character cards! Wahoo!!

Speaking of which, boy oh boy! Do you know that people have been asking to buy my obviously coveted ARC of Linger?! Crazy stuff going on out there. And they say people aren't reading. Obviously, they are wrong.

But back to the winners: Jessica and Caitlin - please email me at joy@joypreble.com and let me know where Judith should mail your prizes! Who knows, she may throw in some extra swaggy goodness while she's at it. Did you hear that, Judith?

Congrats! Thanks for playing.
Coming soon - my review of JT Dutton's fabulous upcoming Stranded. And possibly an interview. Gotta see if she has the time to let me chat her up.

Til next time...

Welcome Judith Graves and Under My Skin

Today I'm welcoming Class of 2k10 co-prez, Judith Graves, whose YA paranormal, Under My Skin, has just released from Leap Books! Judith and her cohort in crime Kitty have been my mentees (is that even a word?) this year. (Oh, yeah, cause 7 1/2 months of a book on a shelf makes me a freakin' expert!) But I digress. And once I un-digress, make sure to read to the bottom because we're doing a VERY COOL giveaway in honor of UMS!! Check. it. out below!

First, a little about the book - and check out the simply gorgeous cover!

All her parents wanted was for Eryn to live a normal life... Redgrave had its share of monsters before Eryn moved to town. Mauled pets, missing children. The Delacroix family is taking the blame, but Eryn knows the truth. Something stalks the night. Wade, the police chief's son and Redgrave High's resident hottie, warns her the Delacroix are dangerous. But then so is Eryn--in fact, she's lethal. But she can't help falling for one of the Delacroix boys, dark, brooding--human Alec. And then her world falls apart. A normal life? Now that's the real fairytale.

Here's what I found out when I picked at Judith's quite fertile and creative brain!

1. Welcome Judith! First, a little about you. How did you get here? I'm always curious about debut author journeys. Some highlights and basics of yours?

I started off as a rather nerdy (yet cool!) kid playing her guitar in the hallway by her locker when she should have been in physics class. I joined a few bands, recorded a few indie CDs. Went to college, got hitched, played in said bands – toured around Alberta, worked full time – but always….I wrote. Short stories, flash fiction, lyrics, poetry, and eventually novels.

I lucked out and landed a contract with a small press for my first book, Under My Skin (UMS), but it had to go through some major edits. There came a time when writing fiction, working full time, and performing as a musician brought me to the breaking point. I might have seemed pretty together on the outside, but inside I was a trainwreck, a run-away mining cart from The Temple of Doom. Since I needed my day job to help my hubby feed and house our three fur kids (it’s all about our two labs and our blond bombshell tabby!) – I had to choose between writing and music.

Since I made that decision (and it was a heartbreaker – I LOVED being a part of a five-piece band), I have two more books in the works, I’ve joined the Class of 2k10 and will be touring NYC with them in May during Book Expo America, I’ve been booked for writer workshops and conferences, and will be touring schools and libraries across Alberta – possibly Canada in 2011.

Wow. I just shake my head at all the opportunities that have opened up. It’s like a dream. Follow your passion, people!


2. Why werewolves? And wolven - what exactly are they - and is there a difference? Tell us about the alternative world you've created for Under My Skin.

UMS is an exploration of different mythological creatures vying over one small town on the edge of civilization. The beasties in UMS are fairly traditional and follow the usual lore. Where things get interesting is in the mixing of humans and paranorms – or paranorms with other creatures of magic, etc. Most of the main characters in UMS are mixed bloods trying to deal with the limitations and abilities of their dual natures. Throw in a battle for the town and the humans in it – and there’s loads of conflict, romantic tension, and dark humour to be had.

That being said, in UMS, werewolves are soulless beasts at the mercy of their master (they are created not born), while wolven are wolves with the ability to shapeshift into human form (they are born not created). Eryn, the main character in UMS, is half human / half wolven.


3. Having read your first couple of chapters, I'm really liking feisty Eryn McCain. Can you tell us a little about how you came up with her as a character? Is she influenced by any other characters that came before her? And a fun question - If I rifled through her purse, what would I probably find?

Eryn arrived on the set pretty much as is. Her dry humour and sarcasm, her sass, her inner turmoil. I wanted a female lead who was strong, yet vulnerable – a girl who could take care of herself, but one who hoped that someday she would have others in her life to help shoulder her burdens.

Eryn doesn’t have purse – that’s too girly. But she does carry a backpack to keep up appearances – it’s filled with schoolbooks she never opens and a smattering of makeup – just the essentials. All Eryn needs is her silver athame tucked away in its leather shoulder holster and she’s ready to rock and roll.


4. Why fantasy? What do you like about writing the genre? Is this the only genre you write?

I love paranormal fiction, both adult and YA. As a library technician in an elementary school, I’ve even found some amazing gothic-ish picture books and MG novels to adore. I am fascinated by the mysterious, the supernatural, the unexplained.

All of those elements can still be found in contemporary fiction – the magic is more internal – the bond between family, friends, and the odd experiences we go through in this crazy life. That’s why I also write edgy YA contemporary fiction and hope those stories will soon find homes.

5. Loved your book trailer! Can you give us any hints about the Eryn/Alec romance?

Thanks! Madison at M2 Productions created it for me. All her trailers are marvy.

There’s actually a love triangle in UMS. Eryn is attracted to Alec, a human hunter, but is also drawn to Wade, a vampire with magical abilities. They represent her duality. The light and the dark….but there are shades of gray in all the characters. Falling in love is not always an easy breezy thing.

6. Writerly influences?

Ray Bradbury, John Wyndham, Margaret Atwood, Robertson Davies, L. M. Montgomery….and sooooo many more.

7. Chocolate or peanut butter?

Oh…I usually ask a similar question – crunchy or smooth PB? (I’m smooth, BTW) But this question can only be answered like this…BOTH! ;)


8. Buffy or Edward? Who'd win that smackdown?

Lol….oh, Buffy would kick Eddy’s sparkly ass. (Not that there’s anything wrong with sparkly).


9. Where do you write? Can you describe a typical writing session for us?

What my writing day looks like: wake up at 5:30am, get coffee, take dogs out, write until 6:30, go to work, write on lunch break (jot ideas down in notebook always by my desk. Toilet paper also works.), get home, burn supper, revise stuff I wrote that morning. Go to bed at precisely 9:07pm. REPEAT.


10. Advice to those who'd like to have their own book on a shelf some day?

Writing is an emotional outlet, yes. Writing involves some kind of inspiration, yes. But if you want to get published, you have to push through times of emotional upheaval and can’t wait around for inspiration to strike. You make it happen – every day at your laptop or writer’s den.


You must be sooo excited! Cheers to Under My Skin! And okay, I agree - chocolate AND peanut butter. (have you ever put a dollop of peanut butter on top of chocolate pudding?) And yes - Buffy would indeed kick Edward's sparkly ass. Just sayin...

Thanks Joy – I can’t wait to read Haunted and see how Anne and Ethan’s romance develops….cause they get together, right? Right?!

AND NOW!!! The giveaway!! Judith has graciously donated some swag related to the novel: a choker set AND a set of character cards, both of which are pictured here. Thus we will have TWO winners. So here's the contest and let's get wolfy and creative about those answers!

Other than Twilight's Jacob Black (yes, I'm taking him out of the running; it's just too easy and too obvious. And it's my contest so stop griping!), who's your favorite pop culture werewolf and why? (tv, movies, songs, comic books... everything's game but you know who) Post your answers on my blog between now and Monday night 4/26 and I'll put you in the contest hat. Remember there will be two winners, one for the choker set, the other for the character cards!

Til next time...

And now the TLA pictures

If you ask, you receive! And so I did - pictures from TLA. Thanks to Tanya Adams at Follett for sending along the first one of me signing a few extra books for them and to Stephanie Pellegrin for the second one!

Me at the Follett Booth - right before they gave me the three chocolate bars
Me and Steph Pellegrin... and what's that book called again?

Tomorrow, I'll be interviewing Judith Graves about her debut, Under My Skin, so drop by the old blog to find out how things are going for her. Hint: Terrific!!

In future weeks I'll be revving up my hosting skills - hope to be telling you about Janet Fox's Faithful and Jen Dutton's latest - Stranded. And more after that, to be announced as I set them up. Definitely in the mood to pay it forward for awhile. And so I will.

Til next time...