Latest Content over at Hunger Mountain Young Adults and Chilren's.

Today my Hawaiian vacation comes to an end but the work over at Hunger Mountain never ceases. This week we bring you some powerhouse pieces. Content just officially went live and our first feature by Ellen Levine has already wracked up 30 comments so far.

Here is info from my Welcome From the Editor letter.

This week The Varying Shade of Shadows adds two more features. The first, When, Along with her Characters, an Author Gets In Trouble by Ellen Levine, whose career is varied with award-winning nonfiction and fiction alike, describes running into a wall of silence with her latest book, In Trouble.

The second, The Monster in Us All, by Dr. Ilsa J. Bick is a precursor to Hunger Mountain’s In Defense of YA, which will feature a round up of voices from teen readers, authors, publishers, and parents discussing their reactions to the Wall Street Journal pieces by Megan Cox Gurdon, asking is “Darkness Too Visible?”  We chose to spotlight Ilsa J. Bick’s thoughtful but cutting response  now as she not only disagrees with Megan Cox Gurdon—she also agrees, with certain points, that is. As always, please feel free to weigh in in the comments section of each piece.

For What My Last Book Taught Me, Monika Schröder advises us to Learn to Drive in the Dark as she takes a trip back to discover what her latest novel, My Brother’s Shadow, taught her as a writer.

Lastly, as all the world is a stage, we offer Jest A Minute, which pokes fun at all the dark/light publishing hullabaloo, with a list of Ten Classics Revamped to Capitalize on the Dark  YA Trend (created by none other than moi) and a second list–of Ten New Titles to Please All by author and humorist K. A. Holt.  Read, respond, enjoy!








And for all content, peruse the entire issue, with more pieces yet to come!

Last week The Varying Shade of Shadows invited you into This Writer’s Life: The Politics of Story by Neesha Meminger author of Shine, Coconut Moon and Jazz in Love. Neesha explored and argued, with great clarity, how writing fiction is and always will be a political act. In our Industry Insider we hosted a Q & A with Anita Silvey, author, children’s literature scholar and the creator of the popular Children’s Book-a-Day Almanac.  We also added to our growing list of new fiction with Quarry, a short story by Kevin Waltman that captured the delight and danger in a trip to a forbidden place.


Don’t miss earlier content: a timely FlipSide, The Light and the Dark of It, highlighting Jennifer Ziegler’s Let There Be Light and Clare Dunkle’s On the Dark Side. Both authors had their pieces well in the works before the June 4th Wall Street Journal article by Meghan Cox Gurdon asked the question: Is Darkness Too Visible?.  Also be sure to check out new fiction: Stone Field, a re-imagining of Wuthering Heights, by Christy Lenzi;  Starcatcher, a unique fantasy by Penny Blublaugh author of Blood & Flowers;  Monsters, a surprising and raw read by Jennifer Hubbard;  The Proposal, fiction by Lindsey Lane that dives deep into the hiddenness of our human natures and our desires to be both safe and loved. You can also read earlier features: an exploration of self and sisterhood by Janet Gurtler in Embracing Shadows;  also  In the Half-Light, an essay detailing the shadowy subconscious that aided Hunger Mountain Sneak Peek author Joe Lunievicz in creating his debut novel, Open Wounds (WestSide Books, 2011); the wickedly smart investigation into the use of elision by Janet Fox in The Shadowy Landscape of Dreams Where Reader and Writer Meet. Our Industry Insider Column offers an interview with Elena Mechlin and Joan Slattery in New Faces at Pippin Properties. Be sure to check out the instructive Toolbox piece, Where the Teens Are: 5 Ways to Freshen Up YA Fiction’s Favorite Places from Deborah Halverson, author of the newly released, Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies, and the In Response essay to the Passion for the Picture Book special feature by the outstanding author Liz Garton Scanlon.

So, please stop back often.  Read, respond, share your thoughts, delight in the darkness and luxuriate in the light. They both offer respite and reward. Go ahead, see for yourselves.

Best,
Bethany Hegedus, Editor
Please note: submissions are still open for The Art & Insanity of Creativity issue for fall 2011, and we welcome submissions through our Submissions Manager.  Look for 2012 themes to be announced this fall.

What's Up and Coming in Hunger Mountain

Beginning mid-May, the Hunger Mountain YA & Children's section will launch new content every other week. Why? Because there was just too darn much packed into one issue and we want to be sure each piece gets its due--from our features, to our regular columns--The Toolbox, What My Last Book Taught Me, This Writer's Life, to our fine, fine fiction, poetry and non-fiction offerings.

Our summer 2011 theme is The Varying Shade of Shadows and we will be spotlighting pieces that focus on light and darkness--internally and externally--and literally and figuratively. Contributors this issue are:

Jennifer Zeigler and Clare Dunkle who tackle The Flipside—two great YA writers influenced by Jane Austen and Emily Bronte. Be sure to check out their piece—The Light and Dark Of It.

Our features this go round are being tackled by Ellen Levine, debut author Joe Lunievicz (HM will also offer a sneak peak into Open Wounds, Joe's first novel which I have read in full and it is a captivating swashbuckling character driven read), Janet Gurtler, Janet Fox. We have upcoming Toolbox pieces by Deborah Halverson over at Deareditor.com and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. 

Here is a sneak-peak into Janet Gutler's feature--Embracing Shadows.

Sometimes shadows reveal more than we’d like them to. I recall being a weight conscious teen and walking side by side with my older sister. My taller sister whose thinness I envied. The dark outlines of our bodies strolled in front of us. I vividly remember being ashamed of my bulkier shadow. I hated it, wanted to squish it under my feet, wanted to run from it. I’d wished my shadow would disappear behind me. It was too large, too stubby and yet there was nothing I could do to get rid of it.  It seemed to mock me.

And yet, at other times in my life the shadows have brought me relief. I’ve taken cover in them, used them to keep myself from being seen by the world. Hiding in shadows can be comfortable for introverts like me. Truthfully I've always harboured a secret envy of my bolder counterparts.  I've always thought the world was an easier place for those who truly thrive in the spotlight. Extroverts generally have an advantage over their quieter counterparts, because by definition, extroverts aren’t afraid to be heard and seen. To shine.

Is it any coincidence that Janet's new novel, I'm Not Her, delves into the sibling relationship and what happens when one sister is cast out of the spotlight due to disease and the quieter sister Tess has to take center stage--like it or not. 

It's been a goal of mine to offer more for illustrators and for those interested in why and how illustrators in the children's book field can possibly create the eye-catching beauty that they do.INKlings this go round offers a sneak-peak into The Little Bitty Bakery written by Leslie Muir and illustrated by Betsy Lewin. The bestselling Cynthia Leitich Smith will share with us some thoughts on writing her first graphic novel, illustrated by the talented Ming Doyle. And Don Tate welcomes us into his Austin studio to get a look at his work on Duke Ellington: Nutcraker Suite. 

Don told me this humorous story and I had to share it here!

My studio is fairly organized considering it looks a mess. I have two drawing stations, three painting stations, and I utilize every flat space, including my floors. Maybe I shouldn't share this story, but after I began my sketches last year, we got a puppy. Her name is Bella, but I call her The Animal. My studio was off limits to her, but she didn't care. After I completed my sketches, and before I could show them to my editor, The Animal wandered in to my studio while I was painting. The few seconds that followed happened in slow motion: She wandered in, looked around, and then squatted on my sketches! I screamed loud enough to wake the dead. But that only scared her and she cut loose, soaking my sketches. Needless to say, after that I had to train myself to keep my studio door closed at all times when The Animal was loose in the house.

Industry Insider interviews feature Elena Mechlin and Joan Slattery of Pippin Properties and Anita Silvey of the Children's Book-a-Day Almanac. We have fabulous new fiction from the likes of Jennifer Hubbard, Christy Lenzi, Penny Blublaugh and more! Much, much more. Hop on over to Hunger Mountain beginning May 16^th for the first off this issue’s offerings. New content will be added until mid-August when all content will then be LIVE until mid-September.

And, don’t forget the Hunger Mountain e-bay auction is going on NOW!  Go ahead and visit http://stores.ebay.com/thehungermountainstore to browse and decide which writer, illustrator, or literary agent inspires you the most!

And, don't miss the Diversity in YA Tour coming to Austin 5/9 at Book People. Help us welcome headliners Malinda Lo and Cindy Pon to town!