Losing at Poker

Guest Post Topic from Carol: Why do you write for the young adult audience and how do you choose your subject matter?

I look at Salva.

He ignores me, pretending to focus on his hand of poker cards. I’m getting the distinct impression he thinks someone else should answer this question, but Aurelia, the heroine of my earlier books Aurelia and Exile, is busy dealing. And Robert as well as Aerin and Dane, from Academy 7, wisely declined to join the game. Besides, this is Salva’s blog tour, and he should really take the lead in answering the guest posts.

“Why do I write YA?” I say to him.

He switches around the cards in his hand, then stretches out on the carpet, rolls over on his back, and pretends to be concentrating. “Not sure. You love teenagers?” he pretends to answer.

“That is such BS and you know it,” I say.

He rolls back over on his stomach, trades in a card, and feigns nonchalance. “You find us more of a challenge than adults?” he asks.

To read the rest, join Salva, Beth, Aurelia and I for our guest post at The Paperback Princesses.

Salvation: Character Profiles, Interview, and Giveaway!

Character Profiles

Name: Salva (Salvador) Resendez

Grade in School: Senior

Favorite subject: Salva doesn’t really figure this out until late in the novel.

Hobbies: Football. Student government. Reading nonfiction. Science Odyssey Team. I’m not sure you can call any of these hobbies. Salva is seriously overbooked.

Friends: Pepe & Tosa are his closest friends. Though Salva has kind of a magnetic personality, and he’s pretty good at respecting anyone’s strengths.
To be continued . . .


Name: Beth Courant

Grade in School: Senior

Favorite subject: English

Hobbies: Reading. She loves writing, but she doesn’t consider that a hobby.

Friends: Ni (Nalani) Villetti 

To be continued . . .

To read the rest of Salva & Beth's character profiles and to sign up for the last scheduled giveaway of the SALVATION blog tour, join Salva, Beth, and I at A Life Bound by Books.

Then come join us for today's interview at Stalking the Bookshelves.


Taster question:

I love that Salva is "nice guy" instead of the YA staple "bad boy". Was he always envisioned that way or did the character change as you were writing him?
Salva has always been ethical, intelligent, motivated, and worried about living up to his family’s expectations. His parents and older siblings have sacrificed so much for him to have an opportunity at a great future. He wants desperately to live up to those sacrifices. Without this history, he would not be who he is. I have known so many teens—especially in immigrant and single-parent families—who take on extraordinary responsibilities. Salva is flawed and conflicted; he has yet to determine his own path. But he is, at heart, an incredible human being.

Anne
(who is just home from ALA and has a very happy Simba kitty)

A Volatile Top Ten

By Anne Osterlund (with help from Beth and none from Salva)

The living room has been invaded by guys. Salva; his older brother, Miguel; and Salva’s friend, Tosa, are spread out on the furniture with their eyes glued to the television and—shudder—a football game. The scent of popcorn permeates the room. 

I open the door to the outside world. “Off to Wondrous Reads!” I declare. 

Beth instantly pops her head out from the library room. “Will we be reading?” 

“No, we’re talking about our top ten contemporary YA novels,” I explain. 

“I don’t read novels,” Salva says, failing to get up from the couch. He has about ten books lying around the house and they’re all nonfiction reads like The History of the World’s Most Polluted Places. 

“You can fake it,” I say.

To read the rest, come join Salva, Beth, and I for our guest post today by clicking on the link to Wondrous Reads!