Author Archives: jody sparks

Please Advance To Search Engine Journal

Today I had the pleasure of writing a guest blog post for Search Engine Journal. The subject is actually guest blogging for Search Engine Optimization purposes. That being said, it also focuses on good writing practices, so even if you don’t know what the heck search engine optimization is, you may still find a fewContinue reading “Please Advance To Search Engine Journal”

Off My Printz Game

I’m off my game, people! I normally try to predict the Printz winners and honors for the year, but the awards have been given and I haven’t posted! The Micahel L. Printz Award (< click for the complete list) is given annually to the best young adult book — like the Newbery Award, but forContinue reading “Off My Printz Game”

My Life As a Book Cover (4)

I think this would be a rad book cover. I’m totally this guy right now: A dopey-grinned, coffee-drunk, cartoon penguin. Mmmmmmmm. I have finally finished the…let’s call it…the Landing Zone draft. The one where you know the story is finally in place. For me this one took three false starts. I’d get 45,000 words orContinue reading “My Life As a Book Cover (4)”

Book Review: Gender Blender

I was really slow getting on the Blake Nelson train. I just read Paranoid Park last year. Didn’t even know it had been a movie. Still haven’t seen that, but I was in love his writing from the start. When I think of edgy YA fiction, I think of Paranoid Park. That book was dark,Continue reading “Book Review: Gender Blender”

One Of My Favorite Moments of Marriage

I haven’t blogged about family recently, and I truly think my best posts are the family stories. This one is about Josh and me, last year. I believe he had just matched for his medical residency and our time was winding down in Michigan. We were out at the pub with Lisa and Evan, ourContinue reading “One Of My Favorite Moments of Marriage”

Response To: A Question of Character

Over break, one of my college friends tweeted me this link to a snippet from an interview with Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, regarding character and likability in literature. Go ahead and click over and read it. It’s short. And it should open in a new tab so you can easily come back when youContinue reading “Response To: A Question of Character”

The Hunger Games series: Why It Worked (For Me)

I’ve been trying to write a blog post about this series for over a week now. The problem is a) my YA author friends have all read this and are probably exhausted from so many posts concerning this series and really what could I possibly have to say that hasn’t been said, while b) myContinue reading “The Hunger Games series: Why It Worked (For Me)”

Book Review: Virgin Territory

This is the first book I’ve read by James Lecesne. Now that I know his first one, Absolute Brightness, was a Morris Award nominee, I’ll be hoping to read that, as well. Virgin Territory is rich with metaphors and layered with imagery I enjoyed. That probably makes it seems purply-prosey, but make no mistake, theContinue reading “Book Review: Virgin Territory”