Teens and Tweens - The Next Generation of Readers

There are 1000+ comments debating Stephen King's comments in the USA Today article referenced in my blog below. In the comments section, many of the adults dismissed the young readers who defended Stephenie Meyer. I think these adults missed an important phenomenon. These kids are reading!

Reading isn't dead after all. We should rejoice. Because if we can hook them now, they are more likely to become lifetime readers. And the way to hook tweens and teens is to make books available that resonate with them. That's exactly how I got hooked on reading way back in the stone age - a time when academics and parents feared television would be the death of reading.

When I was in the 7th grade, my small town junior high school conjured up an experimental idea. The school decided to mix kids of all reading/writing levels in English classes, thus eliminating advanced English. They reasoned that the on-level kids would catch up to the advanced students by virtue of exposure. In addition, they believed that the smarty pants kids would help the others. They were so confident of the success of this new program that they put two classes together and had two teachers team-teach. This meant about 45 kids in one giant jungle, er, class. Of those 45 kids, about 8 were at an advanced level.

Yes, I was among the smarty pants kids. We were bored, bad, and disruptive. The teachers did not know what to do with us. Finally, they sent us to the library (since parents would complain if they threw us in the parking lot). Of course the librarian objected because we threw spitballs. The teacher realized she'd better find something to entertain us. No dummy, she found books that she thought would interest us. For me, she found Victoria Holt. I fell in love with 19th century England (which probably explains why I write Regency historicals). After I gobbled up all of Holt's books, I found another book set in 19th century England. I didn't know Oliver Twist was a classic. Dickens led to Poe (scary tales are hot stuff when you're 12). The point is that my experience with those first gothic novels led to a lifetime love of books.

Beyond the touchy-feely reasons for getting kids to read, there are dollars and cents involved. Dollars and cents that could boost an ailing publishing industry. In May 2007, CBS Evening News reported that children aged 8 to 12 are spending $30 billion of their own money each year. Little wonder marketers are shelling out $17 billion annually targeting them. That of course means that there are lots of products and services out there competing with books for these dollars.

Ah, but a number of publishers are paying attention. PW reported in September 2007 that Little Brown, Putnam, Scholastic, Random House, and Harper are all targeting the teen market with programs. I've no idea whether the publishers have cut back on these programs due to the recession, but it's an interesting article worth reading. Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/ddc3nk

Happy reading!

Can't Write Worth a Darn...

Is it wrong for a writer to diss another writer's novel in public? What is the difference between bashing and critical analysis? Where do you draw the line when discussing another writer's books?


On February 2, Stephen King said in an interview with USA Today that Stephenie Meyer "can't write worth a darn." He added, "She's not very good." For a writer of his caliber, he showed an embarrassing inability to articulate his comments. Furthermore, he failed to substantiate his opinions with evidence. Telling the world that a writer is "bad" is so vague it communicates nothing useful.


Interestingly, he acknowledged that the pacing contributed to the appeal of Twilight. However, his assessment of the tame sensuality in the book falls short. Granted, the young readers (and their parents) do find the sexual tension non-threatening, but King failed to recognize that Meyer provided excellent motivation for why the characters used caution when touching. I cannot think of anything more deadly than a man's fear he might inadvertently kill the young woman he loves.


The stakes are life and death. That is what makes Twilight so compelling.


Now I have a confession. After seeing all the publicity for the movie, I decided to read the first page of Twilight at the bookstore. I did not expect to like the novel. After all, I wasn't the target audience. So I turned to the Preface and read five short paragraphs. Chills erupted on my arms. I shut the book, walked straight to the counter, and flipped out my debit card. One week later, I finished the last book in the series. Then I gave the books to my daughter who is in college. She rarely reads for pleasure. One week later, she finished the entire series.

Stephenie Meyer is not a perfect writer. None of us are. And her works do not appeal to everyone. No book does. But prior to Twilight, I cannot recall the last time I could not put a book down.


Tell me what you think of King's interview. Here is the link to the article: http://tinyurl.com/d5ld3d


The image is courtesy of: http://twilightersanonymous.com/

Ho Ho Ho - Happy Holidays

I went to my fav Xmas party Friday night. West Houston RWA has an annual pot luck and white elephant gift exchange. Returns and hilarious dud gifts are encouraged. This year, I reluctantly returned the reindeer antlers with lights. My entire family modeled those antlers for photos last year. My daughter Amber Rose may never forgive me - that's her in the above photo.

Since the year is almost over, I thought I'd post once more. 2008 has been a wild year with exciting writing news. First, I finaled and won several contests. But, the most exciting thing happened in October when three agents offered to represent me. I'm so elated to have signed with Lucienne Diver of the Knight Agency!

I'm no longer traveling for business. My last Euro trip in January 2008 was a great way to end it, though. I spent six days in Paris and visited Versailles, Notre Dame, and the Musee D'Orsay where the Impressionist paintings are located. I walked to the Eiffel Tower to see the lights at night, too. Then it was off to London where I took an out of city tour to Oxford, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Warwick Castle. While I'm happy to give up my flying days, I saw some incredible monuments while traveling these last three years.

I am thankful in these difficult economic times to be employed and to have so many wonderful friends and family. May the magic romance fairies be with all of us in 2009.