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I’ve turned in the editorial changes for Memento Nora, which my editor seems to have liked. And, she said the book’s on track to come out in Spring 2011. (I was under the impression it was going to be in July.) Happy dance.

Some of you may have seen that I joined the Elevensies (http://community.livejournal.com/2011debuts). The 11sies is an online community of YA and MG novelists whose first novels debut in 2011.  Here’s the bio/interview I did: http://community.livejournal.com/2011debuts/46876.html .

I also joined the Class of 2K11; in fact, I’m now one of the secretaries. (We decided to divvy up duties between 3 heads—thus our new nickname: Cerberus.) This is a collective marketing effort by YA/MG debut authors with books coming out next year. (Most of the 2K11’ers are also members of the Elevensies.)

Ours isn’t the first YA/MG collective. The Class of 2K idea started in 2007. I remember reading about it in the 2008 Children’s Writers and Illustrator’s Market and thinking (a) what a brilliant idea and (b) if I ever got a book deal for a YA novel, I’d join in a heartbeat. Well, I did and I did. (I couldn’t find the CWIM article, but here’s a very similar one in Publishers Weekly: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/408717-Power_in_Numbers.php.)

The Class of 2K11 is just getting down to business, so we don’t have a web site or blog yet. You can check out the previous years’ sites below:

• http://www.classof2k10.com/
• http://www.classof2k9.com/
• http://www.classof2k8.com/
• http://www.classof2k7.com/

If anyone is interested in joining 2K11, check out this post on The Elevensies’ site: http://community.livejournal.com/2011debuts/53300.html.

A few months ago, Megan Crewe, guest blogged at Tor.com. She gave us her recommended YA science fiction novels:  Tor.com / Science fiction and fantasy / Blog posts / Young Adult Science Fiction: A Reading Guide.   I’ll admit I haven’t read some of her picks, but I definitely agree with these two:

• City of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau.  Three of the four books are set in a post-apocalyptic world. They  feature  strong girl characters (and equally strong boy characters).   The series is actually more middle grade than young adult, and the movie — not so good.
• Feed by MT Anderson.  Feed is an exceedingly smart post-cyberpunk tale.  In this not-so-far-flung future, everyone is hooked into the Feed. The main character starts to question things when he meets a girl whose connection to the Feed is killing her. SPOILER ALERT. The book may frustrate some readers because it doesn’t have a sappy, we’ll-fix-the-world ending.  I like that. So many writers underestimate kids. YA doesn’t have to have a happy, fully resolved ending.

My recommended reading list would also include:

• The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  Hunger Games and Catching Fire are easily the best YA science fiction books of the last few years.  (The third book, Mockingjay, hasn’t come out yet.)  In the far, post-whatever future each District has to randomly pick one boy and one girl to compete in the Hunger Games.  Think Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” meets the Running Man–with the main character being a smart, head-strong girl who volunteers for the games to save her little sister.   I pre-ordered the third book even before it had a title.
• The Uglies and the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld. The Uglies series culminated with the Extras, which came out in paperback last year.  Leviathan is the first book of his newest series. Uglies is set in the far future, and Leviathan is set in an alternate Steampunk reality.  Both series  feature strong teen/tween girl heroes. The Uglies is ultimately about overcoming your societal programming.  Leviathan is just plain fun.

• Participate in a new authors’ marketing group (Y2K11) for Memento Nora
• Finish and sell Forgetting Curve
• Start next book
• Develop better author web site / blog

Earlier this fall, I scribbled a reading list of new (new-ish) books on a green post-it note. I’ve scratched off most of them so far.

• Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
• Prophet of Yonwood, Jeanne DuPrau
• Diamond of Darkhold, Jeanne DuPrau
• Frostbitten, Kelly Armstrong
• Touch of Dead, Charlaine Harris
• Grave Secret, Charlaine Harris
• Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld
• Magician’s Elephant, Kate DiCamillo
• Odd & the Frost Giants, Neil Gaiman
• The Magicians, Lev Grossman
• The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown
• How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman

I’ve just started Odd and I’ve yet to read the Magicians and the new Dan Brown.  I got both of those from the library but had to take them back because I didn’t get to them in time (and other people wanted them). So, I’ll transfer those to the next post-it.

The Winter post-it so far:

• Episodes: My Life as I See It, Blaze Ginsberg
• The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood
• Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater
• Dani Noir, Nova Ren Suma
• Fire, Kristin Cashore
• Hush, Hush, Becca Fitzpatrick
• Inside of a Dog, Alexandra Horowitz
• Superfreakonomics, Steven Levitt
• The Magician’s Book, Laura Miller