You missed it! YA Scavenger Hunt runs each spring and autumn, so perhaps we'll see you next time.

For years, I’ve had a cadre of early readers: a computer programmer, a YA librarian, a middle-school English teacher-turned-attorney, and one author. The Four have edited each of my manuscripts, first as the story is forming, and then as I am polishing the last draft. These people know all my writing tics and weaknesses, and together they spot every mistake.


I love them dearly.


Lately, though, they aren’t enough. The Four are professionals with families and—you know—their own stack of books to read! It would be unfair to ask them to read every paragraph I revise on a whim (except my spouse. Sorry, 1977.)


This summer, in my search for something more, I sought local writers who were willing to read YA and adult contemporary work. Lucky for me, my Seattle neighborhood teems with writers of all stripes.
Now I am one of six. We submit work to one another monthly and gather to critique and talk craft. Together, we write fiction, memoir, and creative nonfiction. We’re penning novels, essays, short stories, book-length memoirs, and personal histories.


If you are a writer, find a critique group. Right now. My critique world has changed my (writing) life.
Each month, five other writers review 2000 – 5000 words I have written. When a character veers off course, they know. When I contradict myself, they know. When my writing is unclear, imprecise, offensive, or plain, they know.


Having another writer critique a manuscript in progress is invaluable. Five others is heavenly.


We five writers approach the table with completely different perspectives. I bring the grammar, syntax, and spelling (and, let’s be frank: those things can be taught.) Kristina sees the world in images and metaphors; I’m trying to borrow her glasses. Meg is a deeply-feeling person, and is emerging as the sounding board for emotionality in a piece. Ruth focuses on structure and story, so she harnesses the big picture. Elisabeth knows when I’m breaking rules and challenges my characters’ motivation. Mary Jean knows details—what is superfluous, what is missing, and what could add to a character or story.


We complement each other. Participating fully forces me to abandon my word-count goal two or three days each month. That sacrifice is absolutely worth it.


Each month, I send my words off into the void and file the work I receive in return. For ten days, their work is a gift. When I need a break from my characters, or when I cannot write another word without clearing my head, I can read a short story, an essay, or a chapter written by these women I now call friends. And we all are better for it. Our work is better for it.


My manuscript in progress is now a whole different beast. In addition to being grammatically correct and character driven, it has feeling. It boasts a strong and nuanced structure. It includes—GASP—metaphors and imagery. It is rich and full, without overflowing. And I couldn’t have done that alone.



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This post originally appeared on the Team Rogue YA blog.

While cleaning up my blog categories, I realized I used to tag many posts "cake." That must have been before the whole author thing got real. (Since it "got real," my life consists of family and book-related stuff, and why-the-hell-am-I-doing-anything-not-related-to-this-book-or-the-next-book? Anxiety reigns.

But this week, there was cake. This Tuesday, I turned in my final edits for Life Before, and I celebrated with coconut cake. I'd tasted this cake at our school auction last weekend, and NEEDED more. . .but I didn't need the coconuts all over the outside. Turns out, the coconut is for show, but cardboard on the lips.

Live and learn. There will be no coconut cake at the launch party. (But there will be cake. From http://www.rosellinisweets.com/ no less. Come for the chitchat, stay for the cake.

Elegantly written and heartfelt, Tell Me Three Things is Julie Buxbaum's YA debut.

Her characters are complex, their histories are heartbreaking, and the weight of their losses anchor the first half the book.

What I most want to say would spoil the book, so instead: read this book. It's lovely.

Barely two years after her mother's death, Jessie relocates to Los Angeles to live with her new stepmother and attend an elite school with her stepbrother. Jessie has no allies until a secretive classmate contacts her online. Her mystery friend becomes her confidante and, eventually, something more. But who is he?

From Goodreads:

What if the person you need the most is someone you’ve never met?  
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

The best relationships change your life. Shannon M. Parker’s beautifully written debut demonstrates that the worst relationships are just as powerful. Any teen who wants love in their life would do well to read it.

From the first few pages, readers know where Zephyr and Alec will wind up. Frankly, I questioned Parker’s choice to preface the story with a scene from the very end, but now—weeks later—I realize she’s brilliant. Because readers know where they’re headed, the book becomes a case study on abusive relationships.

Readers will feel Zephyr’s agony acutely. Zephyr’s missteps—sometimes subtle, sometimes overt—will compel readers to lead her by the hand away from Alec. Readers will want to befriend Zephyr.

Parker’s prose is great. Her friendships ring true, and she strikes the right tone throughout. In addition to being a good read, the book is two things: a cautionary tale to enter relationships with eyes wide open, and a love letter to teens who have experienced abusive relationships. The book is, itself, a hand reaching out to them. ​


From the Publisher:
In this gripping YA debut, high school senior Zephyr Doyle is swept off her feet—and into an intense and volatile relationship—by the new boy in school. THE GIRL WHO FELL is a powerful and important read that School Library Journal calls, “(a)n invaluable addition to any collection. (SLJ *STARRED REVIEW* January 1, 2016)

His obsession.
Her fall.

Zephyr is focused. Focused on leading her team to the field hockey state championship and leaving her small town for her dream school, Boston College.

But love has a way of changing things.

Enter the new boy in school: the hockey team’s starting goaltender, Alec. He’s cute, charming, and most important, Alec doesn’t judge Zephyr. He understands her fears and insecurities—he even shares them. Soon, their relationship becomes something bigger than Zephyr, something she can’t control, something she doesn’t want to control.

Zephyr swears it must be love. Because love is powerful, and overwhelming, and … terrifying?

But love shouldn’t make you abandon your dreams, or push your friends away. And love shouldn’t make you feel guilty—or worse, ashamed.

So when Zephyr finally begins to see Alec for who he really is, she knows it’s time to take back control of her life.

If she waits any longer, it may be too late.

Starting in mid-November, our calendars and hearts are chockablock full: Thanksgiving, three family birthdays, gingerbread houses, baking, gift choosing and wrapping and giving, advent calendars, endless treats, homemade gifts, projects, school plays, parties, family visits--and that's on top of our normal, weekly activity.

Among all the holiday activities, the Book Angels Program is my favorite.

We invited patrons to choose books, and then the magic happened.

People in our neighborhood opened their hearts and wallets to provide books for children in need. Many customers bought multiple books for their chosen children. All told, people gave more than twelve dozen books to local children.

We had piles and piles of books! My dear friend, Kristina Cerise, accepted pizza and beer as payment for helping wrap all those gifts. (Kristina blogs--often hilariously--about motherhood here.) 

Nine days before Christmas, I delivered those precious parcels to an elementary school, a middle school, and a K-8. 

The best gifts aren't "things" at all. Feed your recipient's heart and soul with an experience instead. 
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Soul
If you can go all-out, with an unlimited budget, send yourself (and your sweetie, of course,) to   Whistler, B.C. for a week. The scenery is breathtaking, the skiing spectacular, and pizza (at Fat Tony's!) is fabulous. Whistler also boasts a fabulous little bookstore, Armchair Books, that has everything you could possibly need for cozy nights in.

Community
If I'm being honest, I have everything I need, and your sweetie might, too. Consider instead making a donation in his or her name to help people aren't as lucky as we are. People in our country and aroudn the world are in constant need of food, water, and shelter. If you don't enjoy research and just want to give, try Heifer International, which is working to eradicate poverty and hunger through sustainable, values-based holistic community development. Or donate to my local food bank in Seattle. 

Last week, I prepared a brief reading for Ballard's It's About Time writers' series. I usually choose fiction for readings, but I wrote a short nonfiction piece for this event. (My on-the-spot comments are in parentheses.)
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​COMPANY OVERVIEW
I am Michele Bacon. My people--who are scattered across the globe--include computer scientists, attorneys, librarians, nonprofit executives, a playwright, an author, a doctor, a college student, expats, and a mother-of-three who I befriended at the beach when we were six.
 
I relocated to Seattle 19 months ago with my husband and three children. Eighteen months before that, we moved from the Midwest to Christchurch, New Zealand knowing literally no one and—bonus—my youngest was three weeks old. Prior to that, we lived in Wheaton, Illinois, one of the most conservative, and religious cities in the country. (I am neither conservative nor religious.) Prior to that, I lived in four cities in Ohio, briefly in Provo, Utah, and for years in Chicago.

As culture bifurcates and our interests diverge into niche markets, it becomes more difficult to find people who fit. For the better part of two decades, I have engaged in an endless loop of befriending amazing women in an effort to find a best friend in my back yard. (It’s worse than dating.) I have made many friends in Seattle, and am presently looking for "the one."
 
JOB TITLE
Best friend
 
REQUIRMENTS

• Female
• Approx age 32 – 45, preferably with young children.
• Height, weight, hair, eyes, ethnicity, education, culture unimportant.
• Compulsion to geek out over at least one of the following: board games, writing, Sherlock, Harry Potter, numbers, science, The Amazing Race, novels, or projects—all types
• Passion for something, no matter the subject.
• Reasonable cache of interesting, lewd, or hilarious life stories
• Faults and vices may be numerous, but should not include chemical addition, chronic complaining, cheating, cutting down other women, or committing grammatical atrocities
• You must not be a jerk.

 
RESPONSIBILITIES

• Engage in friendship largely in person and via email; phone conversations will be a rare occurrence.
• Tolerate my obsessions and peccadillos (They are many. I am sorry. My partner will commiserate with you, probably over beers.)
• Accept that we will not, under any circumstances, go to the gym in tandem. (And don’t ask. I go to the gym alone and hate every minute of it. And if you see me naked in the locker room, please do not initiate a lengthy conversation.)
• Spend long days at Golden Gardens or similar, digging for sea creatures, building dams, splashing in the water or attempting to converse while chasing our children around said activities.
• Accept that I have a complicated relationship with my family of origin.
• Entertain my wild ideas for upcoming manuscripts (They may depress or anger you. It’s okay, though; only something like five percent will become real books.)
• Commit to regular meetings, or occasional meetings, or meetings whenever we can squeeze them in. (I’ll meet you for tea at 7 a.m. or for 29 minutes between when you drop off one kid and pick up another. Whatever works.)

 
COMPENSATION

• A mad problem solver at your disposal
• Excellent conversation, with very occasional humor (I can be very, very funny, but only twice a year.)
• Small surprises delivered to your front porch or back porch or mailbox. Include with your application a delivery point for your surprises. (And then act surprised, okay?)
• Generosity of spirit, time, heart space, and listening ears (or problem solving, your choice.)
• Ample baked goods, to include: brownies, croissants, lasagna from scratch, and flourless chocolate cake
• Long days at play, tolerance for your obsessions, partnership in your wild ideas, and understanding that your relationship with your family of origin also is complicated. 

 
PROCEDURE
Apply at michelebacon.com. I will evaluate candidates on a rolling basis. Cover letters that include the word “irregardless” or promise to “give 110 percent” to our friendship will be shredded and recycled. Candidates must live in Seattle. I will give special consideration to qualified applicants living within a 20-minute walk of my house.