What I’m Writing:
I’m not going to lie. Between BFest, moving my office, and working my day job (that is also keeping me crazy busy right now), I wasn’t able to write as much as I wished to this week. That being said, I mainly worked on editing Dreammare some more, and I prepped Violet’s story, which you’ll read more about below. That being said, I did write a new script for my YouTube Channel – Coffee & Cats – and I released the newest video! That’s right, Coffee & Cats is back. This month, we discussed Romantic Female Tropes…We Hate. Next month, I’ll talk about male tropes, but let me know what tropes you’d like to see changed in fiction.
What I’m Publishing:
For those of you who missed out, Violet’s story released on the Bad Bloods Prequel via Wattpad. Why is Violet’s story particularly special? Well, Violet is directly connected to The Timely Death Trilogy, and you can now read how and why. You might also figure out why I never wrote an epilogue for The Timely Death Trilogy. Despite many requesting a happily ever after scene, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. The more and more I analyzed what would happen to Jessica and Eric after Death Before Daylight, the more I realized their lives would only continue to get more and more complicated. Even a wedding would’ve been a political sway. So, you might hate me. You might hate Violet’s story. But it is true to her. And I just had to share it, so when you read Bad Bloods, you will understand what she is. For those of you who read it way back when it was originally published in 2007, Violet was originally named Kati.
I was so happy to receive my first book review of the Bad Bloods duology from Crazy Beautiful Reads! (She included some of her favorite quotes, too!) I’ll share them in the near future, but you should check out what she said:
“The best duology I’ve ever read! Action packed. Fast paced. Heartbreaking. The ending brought me to tears and made my heart melt.”
If you’re interested in reviewing Bad Bloods on your book blog, send me an email at shannonathompson@aol.com!
The #1lineWed theme was “page 6, 16, or 160” so here is your weekly preview: (from page 16)
“Are you all right?”
“I am,” I managed. “Physically, I mean.”
“You’ll be all right, you know,” he said. “Mentally, I mean.”#1lineWed— Shannon A. Thompson (@AuthorSAT) June 15, 2016
Pre-Order Bad Bloods
November Rain, Part One, releases July 18, 2016
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, Goodreads
November Snow, Part Two, releases July 25, 2016
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, Goodreads
Visit the Pinterest and Facebook Pages.
What I’m Reading:
Like my writing section, my personal reading time was also shot this week. But I’m in a bit of a reading tornado. I’m currently in the middle of Genesis Girl by Jennifer Bardsley, Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake, and Sea of Stars by Amy A. Bartol. AND I just bought Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee, The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater, and Salt of the Sea by Ruta Sepetys during Barnes & Noble 3 for $30 sale on YA books. Save my wallet from me. All on top of the AWESOME sneak peeks Barnes & Noble handed out during BFest. UGH. So much to read, so little time.
Barnes & Noble is having a 3 for $30 sale on YA books. @BNBuzz pic.twitter.com/Zc1nL1Eoih
— Shannon A. Thompson (@AuthorSAT) June 15, 2016
What I’m Listening To:
Amy Winehouse, you stole my heart.
What I’m Watching:
I watched A Girl Like Her on Netflix, which is a mock-documentary about a girl who is bullied then attempts suicide because of it. The film slowly unravels why and how everyone is involved in her life. While the film has received a lot of criticism over the cliché plot—the popular girl/shy girl situation—I think the cliché allowed the film to concentrate on the emotions of such a serious situation, because a cliché allowed it to be everyone rather than one specific character’s story. I really enjoyed it in an uncomfortable, emotional way. Definitely recommended, but could probably be triggering for some since it is shot, at times, from a first POV style of the girl being bullied.
I also watched a few episodes of The Hunt with John Walsh. He is one of my heroes. How he handled such a tragedy and set out to help the world because of it is beyond me. I’ve been watching him since America’s Most Wanted, and before that, I loved Unsolved Mysteries. (I used to get in so much trouble for watching Unsolved Mysteries in secret and would then have nightmares…because, you know, I was five and not even allowed to watch TV. But that’s another story for another day.) If you’re interested in crime mysteries still needing to be solved, I definitely recommend this show as well.
What I’m Baking, Making, and Drinking:
I’ve been making my little library. Okay. So I know I normally use this section for food, but I spent almost all week organizing my new library in my house…and it’s everything this author dreamed of. You see, when I went to college, I couldn’t afford to keep the books I had to buy for my English classes, so I’ve always wanted to get my collection back…but in 18th and 19th century editions. Two wonderful people surprised me with a HUGE collection I could never express my never-ending gratitude for. And they added a new kitten picture to my wall décor. I am in cat-book heaven.
What I’m Wearing:
Heels! And my feet feel it.
What I’m Wanting:
Thirteen Reasons Why is a life-shattering novel. If you haven’t read it, trust me, read it now, especially before the 13-part Netflix series releases! This week Kate Walph signed on to Thirteen Reasons Why Adaptation, and I cannot wait.
What I’m Dreaming Of:
A lot of dreams about bobcats and book signings. I’ll have to consult the dream experts on this one.
What Else Is Going On:
I hosted an author’s panel and book signing at TWO Barnes & Noble stores in the Kansas City area for BFest, and it was a blast! Special thanks goes out to the Barnes & Noble staff in Oak Park Mall of Overland Park, KS, and to those in Zona Rosa of Kansas City, MO.
~SAT
Shannon A. Thompson 
I loved your video! You make a lot of really great points. In particular, I like what you had to say about the virgin trope. I feel like I sort of fall into the middle of that category. On the one hand, I’ve always been very introverted and have had limited dating experience, so as I’ve just turned 26, I feel a tad awkward never reading female protags in adult lit who have a more conservative background and aren’t just totally sleeping around all the time. But then on the other hand in more YA lit, as you said, it seems absurd that some female protags can’t even look at a guy without falling a part. I may not have dated a ton in high school, but I certainly knew how to interact with guys! I definitely feel like a lot of balance in this area is lacking.
Another trope that bothers me too is the virgin female getting with the player boy and having this wildly romantic first time that changes her entire world and makes him into this straight laced, good guy. It just doesn’t seem realistic at all to me. I’m glad that we’re starting to see girls in YA lit who have some experience behind them even if it’s not always something I personally am able to relate to, ya know? Again, balance.
I’m looking forward to your male tropes video next! Gonna be great. 🙂
Yes, yes, yes! Like you said, I have no problems with girls who are inexperienced in YA, because it definitely happens all the time. What I have an issue with is the extremities of the representation (how every girl in YA seems to be experiencing a boy for the very first time who also happens to be her main love interest – oh, and the boy has a crazy amount of experience). So, I’m glad you brought up the scenes where inexperienced girls seem to set experienced boys “straight.” That is extremely destructive. You’re basically teaching young readers that there is a “certain way” to be, rather than just telling them to be safe, AND you’re suggesting trying to change someone is the ultimate goal when no one should ever try to change anyone. I remember reading “A Daughter of Smoke and Bone” by Laini Taylor and LOVING how the protagonist female had a previous boyfriend before she finds the love interest of the story. And I know that the book gets a bit more complicated than that, but I just loved that there was another person, even though it wasn’t deep nor worked out between them…and she moved on! (Imagine that.) I thought that was really great. Thank you for bringing up such awesome points! I love discussing these tropes in literature, and I hope that we can get more variety because of it. I’m planning to make a male romantic tropes video next month, and while I think all of these tropes work for both genders, I separated them because of the amount that trope happens to that specific gender. Looking forward to talking about those with you, too.
Thank you for watching and commenting,
~SAT
Fantastic, Shannon! I think you’ve explained it perfectly. It’s really just the extremities of the writing that are the problem, but I think overall YA lit is moving in a better direction where that is concerned. Hopefully, it keeps on going that way. Looking forward to the next vid and to see what tropes you call out for the gents!
Agreed! Like Laini Taylor’s book, I’ve seen wider spectrums of characters in regards to all situations and backgrounds. It’s great to see YA grow! I figured since I did a book boyfriend video before I did a book girlfriend video that the ladies were up to go first this time. 🙂
~SAT