Spoiler: I am one of the writers interviewed. I highlight the important differences between listening to voices that come from inside and outside your own head.

ALAN: [...]]]> I’m interviewed today by my neighborhood pal Alan Silberberg. Alan is a middle-grade author, cartoonist, and TV writer whose latest book, MILO is coming out later this summer. I’m really looking forward to reading it. He interviewed me about everything from food to writing… and then things got a little personal.

ALAN: Did you have a one-way crush back in junior high – and how did you deal with it?

JILL: Wait. Hang on. Are you telling me there are also two-way crushes?
In the junior high years I dealt with crushes in the same way that I dealt with everything else: I hid in my room and waited to be 20. I have to say, it didn’t really work, and I’d recommend that kids today try something else.

Read the whole thing on the Silberblog!

“It definitally[sic] made me wonder if a lot of celebrities I’ve heard of are actually like they portray themselves on talk shows and in interviews or if they’re just playing a part for publicity [...]]]> A recent review of Rhythm and Blues focused on the celebrity aspect of the book. Fifteen year old Kayla said:

“It definitally[sic] made me wonder if a lot of celebrities I’ve heard of are actually like they portray themselves on talk shows and in interviews or if they’re just playing a part for publicity reasons.”

I’d extend that thought and ask: Do you think it’s only celebrities who present an idealized version of themselves for society? Or can you think of ways that every day people play different “roles” to fit in?

A term used towards the end of the piece raised another question for me: Is being gay an “alternative lifestyle”? If so, what is it an alternative to? An alternative to being honest about and proud of who you are? An alternative to living according to your fear of what others might think of you? What do you think of the term “alternative lifestyle,” and do readers need warnings?

Update:
There’s lots of discussion about this post happening on Facebook:
on my profile page & on my “fan” page

Check it out, or jump in on the comments, below.

Last weekend, I was part of a great Blue Metropolis Literary Festival panel on breaking into the kidlit market with my fellow authors, J.L. Scharf, Alan Silberberg, and Raquel Rivera. Alan’s got [...]]]> I just wanted to take a moment and share some links to stuff going on elsewhere on the intertubes:

Last weekend, I was part of a great Blue Metropolis Literary Festival panel on breaking into the kidlit market with my fellow authors, J.L. Scharf, Alan Silberberg, and Raquel Rivera. Alan’s got some photos up on his blog.

And there’s a new YA blog in town. If you like reviews, contests, and a view of YA that expands beyond the strict confines of the Teen section at the bookstore, you’ll enjoy Melissa Montovani’s YA Book Shelf.

That’s it for now. Have a good Wednesday!

We talked about everything a YA author wants to talk about, and some things we don’t: what defines YA, how much variety there [...]]]> I had a GREAT time at CKUT radio’s Queer Corps yesterday, and I’m not just saying that because the host, John Custodio, assumed I was not long out of my teens.

We talked about everything a YA author wants to talk about, and some things we don’t: what defines YA, how much variety there is in the field, from literary to genre fiction, what you can or should “get away with” in YA in terms of sex and other shenanigans, from Philip Pullman to C.K. Kelly Martin, and my personal dreaded question: how do I accurately assume contemporary teen voices?

I don’t know how to answer that question in a satisfying way. I honestly believe that if you can remember what it feels like to be a teen struggling to gain control of your life in face of the conflicting expectations of so many adults and peers, then it’s not necessary to worry about how “current” teens talk to each other. As a writer, you can simply focus, as intimately as possible, on the individual that your character is at heart, and write from that single, unique perspective.

And this is the advice I’d give to any writer sitting down to tackle teen “voice.” Don’t worry about the horde of young people out there you imagine to be cooler than you. They are you. You are them. Kids have wisdom and grown-up writers have immaturity. The edge you have over your audience is 5, 10, 15 or more years of experience in how it all turns out. They don’t need you to be cool for them– they have enough of that already, all around them, and having to be cool can actually get quite exhausting.

What they more likely need from you is reassurance that someone understands what it’s like, that although they are unique, others have been through similar struggles, and that whoever they are, whatever they value, whomever they love, they’re going to survive high school and find something amazing on the other side.

As I said before on Deborah Kerbel’s blog, most people (and I’m not just talking about teens here), are struggling with a lack of confidence, not a surfeit of conviction or cool. I think if you examine my books closely, you’ll see that the characters who are trying the hardest to act and sound cool are, in fact, extremely not cool. Mostly they come off as desperate, mean or silly.

To hear the full interview, you can stream it here. Or download it here. I’m the first guest at the top of the show. You can also keep an eye on the Queer Corps Facebook Page, where they’ll be giving away a signed copy of Rhythm and Blues!

Despite the snow, it’s great to be back home. I was in Toronto for a week, and I had an AMAZING book launch. Andrew Tolson took some marvelous photos, and you can see them over here on the Quill & Quire blog. A BIG thanks [...]]]> Hello from snowy Montreal!

Despite the snow, it’s great to be back home. I was in Toronto for a week, and I had an AMAZING book launch. Andrew Tolson took some marvelous photos, and you can see them over here on the Quill & Quire blog. A BIG thanks to everyone who came out. It was fantastic to see you all.

I also spent some time in California, visiting my pal & fellow YA writer, Cecil Castellucci, who has this amazing, crazy Comic Book Opera opening next week in Montreal. Les Aventures de Madame Merveille: 1 writer, 4 comic book artists + one avant-garde Belgian composer = something I’m excited to see.

Then I was at the Specialty Coffee Association of America 2010 Event, to do some research for a future project. I’ve decided to start a coffee blog to deal with everything I have to say about that project. Check it out if you’re as addicted to the stuff as I am.

Lots more to come! I’m just brimming over with blog posts today.

My interview with My Ever-Expanding Library is now live. I got to talk about dancing, inspiration and the open-mindedness of teens, so I had a lot of fun. Here’s my answer to a question I liked, about the challenge of writing a second novel, compared [...]]]> Online interviews are sprouting up like daffodils this week!

My interview with My Ever-Expanding Library is now live. I got to talk about dancing, inspiration and the open-mindedness of teens, so I had a lot of fun. Here’s my answer to a question I liked, about the challenge of writing a second novel, compared to a debut:

“Every novel I complete and then see through the editorial process teaches me something– a lot of things. This makes it possible to grow as a writer and make entirely new mistakes on each new project. Rather than getting easier, it remains infinitely difficult. This challenge is what’s appealing, and hopefully it means my writing is getting better all the time.”

The second part of my Ultimate YA Reading Group interview is also up. In this one I give my advice to young writers, talk about wearing snowpants in San Francisco, and insist again that I don’t do writer’s block.

“If I’m having trouble with something, I just write myself a note like “[between here and the end of the chapter, she needs to make it clear that she really cares, and she’s not just doing it because she feels like she has to]” and then I’ll go work on some other scene that strikes me as more inspiring or easier to deal with. I know I’ll eventually go back and fill in the gaps, and that if I’m struggling, there’s probably something I haven’t learned about the story or character yet, that I’ll work out by writing ahead.”

“Murray really nails the voice here, and the plot is anything but trite. I want to read more by this author, and was delighted to learn this book is actually a sequel. Recommended [...]]]> The first review of Rhtyhm and Blues has come in from Queer YA: Fiction for LGTBQ Teens, and… it’s a hit!

“Murray really nails the voice here, and the plot is anything but trite. I want to read more by this author, and was delighted to learn this book is actually a sequel. Recommended for all public libraries, all high school, and most middle…”

Mild spoiler alert– if you’re the kind of reader who doesn’t want to know ANYTHING about the story, you might want to wait ’til after you’ve read the book to see what the first part of the review says.