Jay Asher: Laughs and Inspiration


Tonight I had the pleasure of hearing Jay Asher speak at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT, author of the best selling YA novel THRITEEN REASONS WHY.

Besides finding Jay far from depressing and darn dry-witted, I learned his writing career began with a review of Vanilla Ice (Ice baby), his first kiss tasted like hotdogs and mayo (uh-yuk), and if in need of a creative jolt one might try visiting Las Vegas where his idea for Hannah’s tapes originated.

Wit aside, the story of his road to publication was fraught with highs and lows, but his steadfast perseverance and dedication to his love for writing (along with a few tears of encouragement from his wife and a bit of praise from his mom) are some of his reasons for never giving up on his dream.

“Everything affects everything,” is the line Jay Asher writes below his signature inside his books. So I'm at my favorite cafe, which begins with an “S,” (by myself), mug raised, toasting Jay: “Thanks for your inspirational and motivational effect tonight.

Cough, cough, er—okay, people are staring at me now, better get back to writing.

To read my review of THRITEEN REASONS WHY chek out the January archives.

At least Jay takes a good pic


To read more about Jay Asher, visit his blog here.


The Magic Thief: Lost

“The lizards are watching.”

Written in Wellmet’s Runic Alphabet, author Sarah Prineas penned this coded message beneath her signature of my signed copy of THE MAGIC THIEF - LOST, the second in the series. This is but one example of the creative, personal touches readers will find throughout her novels: From her unique writing style, to the recipes in the back for Benet’s Biscuits.

Enter a world where wizards rely on a living-magic power source and locus magicalicus stones to cast their spells and protect their cities. Connwaer, a wizard’s apprentice, thief, and master lock picker, needs a new locus stone (having lost his in book one) to speak to the magic. Until then, he uses pyrotechnics to hear the magic murmur, despite Master Nevery’s warnings. With each explosion the magic warns of a threat to Wellmet, and all he holds dear. THE MAGIC THIEF – LOST takes Connwaer out of the only place he’s known, to the city of Desh where he must use his wits and will to save the people and the city he loves.

Sarah mixes a pinch of the familiar with equal parts original and extraordinary, creating this wonderful story of magic, belonging, adventure, and friendship. Nothing simply moves, it: jink-clink-kajink, tap-taps, shuffs, or scritch-scritches. The main character, Conn, so consistently honest, even when it is to his disadvantage, breaths freshness and humor into this story.

But it was the number of twists, dangers, and precarious situations Conn finds himself in that had my mouth dropping with each turn of the page. I thought, this has to be the low point for Conn, surely things will start to turn around for him, right? Not so. Again and again, trouble threatens to bury Conn until, honestly, I had no idea how he would ever get himself out from under. This, in combination with the vivid images of darkness, shadows, and the “dreaded magic” makes this tale one any lover of fantasy will stay up all night reading.

To read more about the author, visit her blog here.