Author: Susan Uhlig

cover of To Catch a Killer
Posted in So Many Good Books, YA Novels

To Catch a Killer

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

To Catch a Killer (Tor Teen, 2017) by Sheryl Scarborough is one of those compelling hard to put down books.

The story opens with seventeen-year-old Erin in the back of a police car pulling into the police station. Someone has killed her biology teacher and Erin found her. She’s here to give her statement. But once they learn Erin’s full name there’s concern whether this could have anything to do with her mother’s murder thirteen years ago. It can’t possibly, right?

Rachel, Erin’s guardian and her mom’s best friend, doesn’t talk about that time or even about Erin’s mother. Or who Erin’s father could be. The biology teacher was helping Erin narrow her potential fathers down with DNA. Her last words to Erin were “be careful.” Turns out Erin’s crush, Journey Michaels, was also being helped by Miss P. Even though they’ve never spoken before, the two band together to solve both crimes.

The novel is full of forensic facts–Erin’s been reading her Uncle’s books (he’s an FBI agent), suspense, secrets, betrayal, and danger. I’m excited to learn the book has a sequel.

Read about author Sheryl Scarborough here and read her forensic facts blog here.

Posted in So Many Good Books, YA Novels

The One Memory of Flora Banks

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

memory of flora banksThe One Memory of Flora Banks (Philomel, 2017) by Emily Barr is such a heart-breaking story. Here’s the opening line: “I am at the top of a hill, and although I know I have done something terrible, I have no idea what it is.”
Flora has memory problems. She writes herself reminders on sticky notes, and on her arm to help her navigate the world. But often she is surprised that she is not ten–the age she was when she had surgery to remove a brain tumor–but seventeen and wondering why she is in an adult body. However, the night she kisses Drake, her best friend’s boyfriend, everything changes. She can remember this memory without written reminders. Of course, her best friend Paige is angry at her. Flora lets her parents leave for Paris to go take care of her brother with them thinking Paige will be with her, but Paige isn’t coming. Flora keeps reading “be brave” on this journey that changes her life.
This is British author Emily Barr’s first novel. The book is available in 26 languages! Her second novel for young adults, The Truth and Lies of Ella Black, is a thriller that came out in 2018.
Emily Barr is also an adult book novelist. Read more about her on her website.

Posted in So Many Good Books, YA Novels

My Lady Jane

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

My Lady JaneDespite being set during a sad time in English history (post Henry the 8th and all that), My Lady Jane (HarperTeen, 2016) by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows is a laugh out loud book. I laughed so much my husband read the book when I was done.
The authors’ dedication gives you some insight into what’s coming:

For everyone who knew there was enough room for Leonardo DiCaprio on that door.
And for England. We’re really sorry for what we’re about to do to your history.

We’ve all wanted to rewrite the ending of a story. These ladies have rewritten the whole story and with great verve in their alternate version. But yet there are moments that reflect the familiar story. And some people who really existed, although maybe not quite in the same way…
The novel is about sixteen-year-old Edward King of England and his sixteen-year-old cousin Jane Grey and G, who is a horse by day and a man by night. It’s about Edians (I don’t know how to force the special character for the d) who are “blessed (or cursed, depending on your pint of view) with the ability to switch between a human form and an animal one.” And Verities who thought animal magic was “an abomination that needed to be eradicated immediately.”
This book has ompelling page turns, humor, pathos, anger, tongue-in-cheek humor (yes, I know I said humor twice), betrayal, a giant bat (yes, you heard me) and even love.
The three authors have also published solo books. Cynthia Hand is a New York Times bestselling author–read about her books here. Brodi Ashton is also a NY Times bestselling author. Read about her here. Jodi Meadows writes scifi and fantasy and you can read about them here.

Posted in Craft, The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing

Rushing to Submit

Posted on by Susan Uhlig

girl-2786277_1280.jpgRecently I was asked to judge a writing contest.
Some of the common problems I found were:

  • The story didn’t fit the genre
  • Confusing or awkward beginnings
  • Unclear who the main character was
  • Unclear how old the main character was (some hint would have been nice)
  • Overuse of other dialogue tags besides “said” and “asked”
  • Punctuation errors
  • Telling, telling, telling (I’m not talking about transitions or other appropriate places to tell)
  • Poor proofing
  • Too much description
  • Head hopping
  • Large chunks of backstory
  • Clichés
  • Inconsistent verb tense
  • No sense of setting
  • Overuse of “as”
  • Main character was only an observer
  • Too many characters which caused confusion
  • Dialogue punctuation errors
  • Sentence fragments
  • Unclear audience
  • Not following directions

There was usually more than one of these problems. The result was I didn’t want to read on.
Here’s how I work at avoiding these kinds of issues:
1. Set my writing aside for several weeks. When I come back to it, I can read what it actually says, not what I think it says, and revise.
2. Know the rules of punctuation, point of view, verb tenses, etc.
3. Know what my weaknesses are. Whether it is overuse of words, not including enough introspection, etc., I search for them in my writing. I know I have trouble with some rules and refresh them periodically.
4. Read my writing out loud to my critique group. Sometimes I hear my own errors. Often, I find something I thought was perfectly clear in my writing is not clear to my critique partners.
5. Revise again.
6. Set it aside again. Edit again. Take back to critique group if necessary.
7. Do specific market research. (Have been doing general market search all along.)
8. Read the submission guidelines and make sure I’m sending appropriately. If my piece, story, or book doesn’t fit, I go back to market research.
Rushing to submit, whether it is to a contest, a magazine, an editor, or an agent, usually backfires. At the best, it is a waste of your time and the time of whoever is receiving your piece. At the worst, they may never want to look at what you send again.