tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post7166959048781669459..comments2024-03-26T01:03:39.965-07:00Comments on Janette Rallison's Blog: The other thing that bothers me about a lot of contemporary YA literature.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-71491828022678302162012-04-26T19:40:42.769-07:002012-04-26T19:40:42.769-07:00PLEASE WHATEVER YOU DO DO NOT STOP WRITING ROM COM...PLEASE WHATEVER YOU DO DO NOT STOP WRITING ROM COM!! ITS THE SAVING GRACE OF YA LIT!! I CANT STAND MOODY LIT!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-44788818307350380812009-04-03T04:09:00.000-07:002009-04-03T04:09:00.000-07:00I love your books! I am not into fatasy much at al...I love your books! I am not into fatasy much at all. I find it more comforting to read about things that actually happen (its even more of a comfort when the embarrassing stories aren't half as bad as mine!) If I am upset about something I read your books b/c they make me laugh. Fantasy just doesn't have that same effect. Thanks for all your books! I guess i don't care what genre it is THAT much. Please keep writing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-8077838958081263412009-01-13T02:36:00.000-07:002009-01-13T02:36:00.000-07:00Wow, it's really refreshing to hear these sentimen...Wow, it's really refreshing to hear these sentiments coming from someone other than myself!<BR/><BR/>Back when I took a YA Lit class in college, we were assigned a reading list that I think really did a disservice to the students (many of whom hadn't read a YA book since the 1960s). The list was full of award-winning books about psychotic teenagers, mothers who wanted to go into lesbian relationships, and post-apocalyptic futures where killing babies was the norm.<BR/><BR/>Don't get me wrong -- I think there's a place for all of this hard-edged stuff (and I admit I enjoyed reading a few of them) but there really should have been some comedies, romances, or simple escapist fare thrown into the reading list. If the media has been accused of skewing teen perspectives on reality, then this reading list probably skewed a lot of adults' perspective on YA lit. <BR/><BR/>Honestly, I've always gravitated toward more lighter fare myself -- and if current trends in the movie industry are any indication of what type of material people are going to be looking for in their books, then there will always be a place for comedies, romances, and romantic comedies.<BR/><BR/>Nuff said!Michael Junghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13344476072881617570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-9014972293063854402009-01-02T20:01:00.000-07:002009-01-02T20:01:00.000-07:00I've been struggling with this whole issue myself,...I've been struggling with this whole issue myself, Janette. Some days I feel like my days as a YA author are numbered.Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03435959688644291813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-38828410532108845822009-01-02T08:17:00.000-07:002009-01-02T08:17:00.000-07:00Ok well i'm a teenager and I have to say that your...Ok well i'm a teenager and I have to say that your books are a lot more realistic than the others. In my school there are no suicides, pregnancies, etc. I sound like I kissup like Megs, but I really love your books! My humble opinion is that if you want to write fantasy, then go ahead, write fantasy! But don't forget about your other genre too and for the sake of teenagers wanting GOOD, HAPPY, books please write some more of those. :) <BR/>- ArianaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-81728949727013675522008-12-28T23:28:00.000-07:002008-12-28T23:28:00.000-07:00I think this is why I read (and write) fantasy! An...I think this is why I read (and write) fantasy! Angst is an essential teen component, but it's not <I>enough</I>. As for funny: if you can, DO. I think that's the hardest thing to do; if you're not funny, you can't fake it. Funny = good. Keep writing it!Laini Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14064837312936707024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-86617328162647998292008-12-27T12:58:00.000-07:002008-12-27T12:58:00.000-07:00Ummm...has anyone told Meg Cabot that girls don't ...Ummm...has anyone told Meg Cabot that girls don't like romantic comedies anymore? Never fear...here are some good reads for you, my dear! How's that for bad poetry? Keep it in case I'm famous.<BR/><BR/>WHAT WOULD EMMA DO? by Eileen Cook<BR/>REALITY CHICK by Lauren Barnholdt<BR/>BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE A MOVIE STAR by Margaret Pinder<BR/>SAVING JULIET by Suzanne Selfors<BR/>BETTER LATTE THAN NEVER by Catherine Clark<BR/>THE YEAR MY SISTER GOT LUCKY by Aimee Friedman (maybe not a romantic comedy, but a great read all the same)<BR/>PEELED by Joan Bauer (same note as above)<BR/>GEEK MAGNET by Kiersten Scott<BR/>GEEK CHARMING (not out yet, but really good!)<BR/>SUITE SCARLETT by Maureen Johnson<BR/><BR/>Does this cheer you up at all?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-37348860327756366322008-12-22T23:02:00.000-07:002008-12-22T23:02:00.000-07:00One thing I like when I read is sympathetic charac...One thing I like when I read is sympathetic characters--ones I can relate to. I have a hard time relating to some of the over-the-top drama found in so many YA books nowadays. Your books remind me of what high school was really like for me; your characters are real and they make me laugh. At the end of the day, that's what I want in a book--well, that, and a little kissing. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for writing such great books.<BR/><BR/>WendyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-28689888897910942592008-12-22T00:52:00.000-07:002008-12-22T00:52:00.000-07:00Gee, and I was just trying to find a place for my ...Gee, and I was just trying to find a place for my boks.<BR/><BR/>(Okay, I can't really ever make fun of anyone for spelling errors since most of mine are not typos--they're creative ways to spell words.)Janette Rallisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00883483145480893640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-45412895090599629092008-12-21T20:38:00.000-07:002008-12-21T20:38:00.000-07:00I am a writer . . . I really do know how to spell ...I am a writer . . . I really do know how to spell booksJulie Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15311231654035295596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-23675746519382750592008-12-21T20:36:00.000-07:002008-12-21T20:36:00.000-07:00Oh you are singing my tune! After a meeting with a...Oh you are singing my tune! After a meeting with an editor at a big house in New York, I found myself totally shell shocked by the new things coming out that she is soooo excited for. "Someone wrote about THAT?" I wondered. And yet they had. There will forever be a place for your boks Janette. I love a good comedy about love. And like megs, I'm goign to sound like a kiss-up, but I don't care; you're a great writer and i love your books!Julie Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15311231654035295596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-18095337333637656242008-12-20T23:11:00.000-07:002008-12-20T23:11:00.000-07:00Oh, I do hope you keep going with the romantic com...Oh, I do hope you keep going with the romantic comedies. They are wonderful. Though the fantasies sound fun too and I'll read them.. but don't drop the others!Sueyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02926501219758538615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-47605225708562899622008-12-18T16:17:00.000-07:002008-12-18T16:17:00.000-07:00Great article, Sandra! Thanks for the link!Great article, Sandra! Thanks for the link!Janette Rallisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00883483145480893640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-69022573184147830842008-12-17T22:17:00.000-07:002008-12-17T22:17:00.000-07:00Janette, you would be good at any genre you write ...Janette, you would be good at any genre you write in, and I love your romantic comedies! <BR/><BR/>On a related note, I get a weekly email from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)every week with links to news articles related to literacy and education. This week's has a link to an article in The Washington Post entitled "Plot Twist: The Newbery May Dampen Kids' Reading": <BR/><BR/>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/15/AR2008121503293.html<BR/><BR/>The article talks about (depressing) content as well as the types of books kids choose to read on their own vs. the ones that adults choose for them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-15896002397115609662008-12-17T21:23:00.000-07:002008-12-17T21:23:00.000-07:00Oops, I was signed in as my daughter . . . well, a...Oops, I was signed in as my daughter . . . well, actually my daughter's cat if you want to be specific. For some reason she named her black cat, Pepsi. (Perhaps because she doesn't drink Pepsi she has never noticed that cola isn't black. We don't question her methods.)Janette Rallisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00883483145480893640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-56536476876351293422008-12-17T21:19:00.000-07:002008-12-17T21:19:00.000-07:00I agree and why do some YA writer's think that all...I agree and why do some YA writer's think that all teenager's and their parents, and every other character in the book need to use such horrible language? <BR/>Please keep writing!Rachelle Christensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05522589944408062365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-69775290093189533892008-12-17T21:17:00.000-07:002008-12-17T21:17:00.000-07:00Thanks for your kind words! I definitely have two...Thanks for your kind words! I definitely have two more of my "regular" books on the way because one is due out in March and one I sent in to my publisher and I'm waiting on the revision letter. (shudder)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00824645656351382066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-14422844343410947372008-12-17T11:02:00.000-07:002008-12-17T11:02:00.000-07:00I love your happy romantic comedy books so much! n...I love your happy romantic comedy books so much! not all teenage girls like to read depressing stuff. me and all of my friends are obsessed with It's a Mall World Afterall, and books by similar authors such as Meg Cabot. Definitely don't switch genres! what would we read after going through a breakup or something if we cant read a funny book to make us smile again?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-89225144985759184872008-12-16T21:13:00.000-07:002008-12-16T21:13:00.000-07:00I can't read Gale Carlson Levine because she doesn...I can't read Gale Carlson Levine because she doesn't have happy, sattisfieng endings to her stories.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-87509641952123247212008-12-16T20:43:00.000-07:002008-12-16T20:43:00.000-07:00Hey Janette, Hear, hear!Why read stuff that depres...Hey Janette, <BR/>Hear, hear!<BR/>Why read stuff that depresses? Oh sure, some would say that art can be depressing and still be art, but that's only true in two cases: <BR/>1) It has to actually be art, so it has to show real aesthetic quality, which most of these books don't do. Because they're just not well done at all; there are so many holes and such boring characters that they simply suck. <BR/><BR/>2) Art is effective if it points out depressing issues of life, and even disturbs, but it should also shine a light on the redemptive facets of human existence. <BR/><BR/>These books you talk of don't do that. They titillate and appeal to base facets of human existence and society. <BR/><BR/>So they are crap and so on. The take home lesson? Keep doing your work, because it has lessons, entertains, includes enjoyable and fresh characters and puts a smile on readers' faces.JaredNGarretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09811123893472925841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-41210914668692077542008-12-16T12:20:00.000-07:002008-12-16T12:20:00.000-07:00I agree with Tristi. When I look at my high-schoo...I agree with Tristi. When I look at my high-school-age kids' lives, they are much more like Janette's books than Gossip Girl. In fact, they're not in the least like Gossip Girl (thank heavens!). <BR/><BR/>I am so grateful that you write what and how you write, Janette.tenacious dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05441896691841159902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-89323053637907362832008-12-16T08:25:00.000-07:002008-12-16T08:25:00.000-07:00Yes, but not all of fantasies are that way, nor al...Yes, but not all of fantasies are that way, nor all of your books for that matter. And yours does end happily, right? Right? I'm not reading it if you don't assure me it ends happily . . .Janette Rallisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00883483145480893640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-64901548161446098502008-12-16T08:19:00.000-07:002008-12-16T08:19:00.000-07:00(looks at her dark post-apocalyptic fantasy)(decid...(looks at her dark post-apocalyptic fantasy)<BR/><BR/>(decides she's not qualified to comment on the relative cheeriness of fantasy novels)<BR/><BR/>:-)Jannihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08256724217277645321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-53407822643185223532008-12-16T06:14:00.000-07:002008-12-16T06:14:00.000-07:00Yes, sad. If you write another fantasy-type book, ...Yes, sad. <BR/><BR/>If you write another fantasy-type book, it will be great :)Heather Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11634399663804195312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33666188.post-38841406125700071462008-12-16T00:22:00.000-07:002008-12-16T00:22:00.000-07:00What bothers me about these edgy books is that peo...What bothers me about these edgy books is that people say, "But they're so real! They're about real life!" If these are the kinds of books we're reading, then these are the kinds of realities we're making for ourselves. Why not read cleaner, lighter books and create cleaner, lighter realities?Tristi Pinkstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12122250747480013804noreply@blogger.com