Thank You.

Just wanted to say thank you to all 1870 who joined in for a chance to win the Goodreads Giveaway of Not So Snow White. The contest is over and congrats to the winners who will be receiving a free copy of Snow White in the mail in the near future. It is the support of readers who give authors the inspiration and drive to write on!



Kathryn Long
aka K. Sean Jennkrist
Cinderella Geek
                                           

It's Never Too Soon or Too Young.

How soon or at what age should someone think of taking the big leap and publish a book? Well, times are a changing! Meet Spencer Brokaw. He's twelve AND a published author ( Impenetrable Spy ). Can you imagine? Plus, he maintains a website where he regularly includes author interviews, which is how we got together. I asked and he accepted. So, below is the link to that interview.

Writing and publishing at a young age is what I'd refer to as "dream-inspiring". What self-publishers such as Amazon, Smashwords, and Lulu have done is to make it possible for writers of all ages to display their work in a big way and with an actual product. That's an extrinsic motivator you can't ignore. Before the days of computers and the internet, I recall how elementary teachers would "publish" their students stories, making them into books. Sure, it looked homemade, perhaps with construction paper covers and spiral-binding. But it was something to take home and show to family and friends, thus creating a proud moment for both creator and admirers.

So, I'd say it is a great thing being done, here. Giving young people the opportunity and encouragement to fulfill their dreams. Nothing wrong with that!

Here is the link to my interview, if you're interested. And to all those writers and writers-to-be ... write on!

Interview With Author K. Sean Jennkrist (Kathryn Long)

My alter ego, K. Sean Jennkrist has surfaced and created a new fairytale. Enjoy the magic!                                      
                                          NOT SO SNOW WHITE

NOT SO SNOW WHITE is a modern teen fairytale that's magical, adventurous, mysterious, romantic, humorous, sensitive, and so much more. Winter Snow takes advice from her elfin-sized sidekick she's named Duane and journeys to find her missing dad. She soon discovers she has more than "elf power" to help her. Winter has "witch power". It's an exciting battle with good witches and bad, with school bullies versus the witchy freak, and then of course add in a little romance to comp..is a modern teen fairytale that's magical, adventurous, mysterious, romantic, humorous, sensitive, and so much more. Winter Snow takes advice from her elfin-sized sidekick she's named Duane and journeys to find her missing dad. She soon discovers she has more than "elf power" to help her. Winter has "witch power". It's an exciting battle with good witches and bad, with school bullies versus the witchy freak, and then of course add in a little romance to complicate things and you have Winter Snow's life. The ending will leave you feeling good since Winter gets to discover more about her family and herself. Lots of surprises and lots of entertaining fun. It's CINDERELLA GEEK (the first in this series) but with a magical boost. Only 99 cents in Kindle format.

Reading Trends - Part I: Young Adult

As both a reader and a writer, I find learning about the latest trends in reading to be both interesting and useful. So, I'm going to cover this in at least a couple postings and start with Young Adult readers. This year continues the hot topic of fantasy/paranormal, mainly vampires and werewolves. However, the fantasy realm includes mythological themes such as the Goddess Girls. Multimedia series are also grabbing young readers where they connect online and in video. Two that fall into that category are 39 Clues and Skeleton Creek. Diary and Journal formats are popular as in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which by the way leads to the books where the main characters have special needs, such as Mockingbird and Rules. Graphic novels and Manga continue to hold their place in the top favorites, probably because of the timeless captivation of such stars as Superman and X-Men. And it should be mentioned that though these are Young Adult books, adults are reading them, too. In fact, this trend is on the rise, which I imagine pleases both author and publisher alike.

One more category I'd like to mention is books for reluctant readers. Teaching in this area has given me firsthand experience in the challenges of getting kids to read. I agree with those who say that reluctant readers are ones who just haven't found the type of book that interests them yet. Anyway, here is a list of the top ten picks:

Amason, Jessica and Richard Blakeley. This is Why You’re Fat: Where Dreams
     Become Heart Attacks.

Brereton, Catherine, Philip Steele, and Hannah Wilson. Warriors Versus Warriors:
     Ten Fighters, Five Battles, ONE WINNER.

Elkeles, Simone. Rules of Attraction: A Perfect Chemistry Novel.

Hasler, Nikol. Sex: A Book for Teens: An Uncensored Guide to Your Body, Sex and
      Safety.

Keplinger, Kody. The D.U.F.F.(Designated Ugly Fat Friend).

Neri, G. and Randy DuBurke. Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty.

Rainfield, Cheryl. Scars.

Summers, Courtney. Some Girls Are.

Volponi, Paul. Rikers High.

Von D, Kat with Sandra Bark. The Tattoo Chronicles.

I will end this post with a little anecdote. It addresses the reason why it's important to a hopeful writer wanting to sell his/her work. When I spoke with someone who owns a business and after complaining how difficult it is to find a publisher to accept my work, she asked me, "Well, have you asked them what they are looking for?" Such a simple question, but with not so simple an answer. It's very hard to find the right place at the right time, but knowing what the reader wants to read is what publishers want to publish is ultimately what the author should write ... at least is he/she wants to sell :-)

For more information about Young Adult Readers, check out YALSA .