When Books Save Lives… And When They Don’t
(warning for discussion of suicide) by Alex Sanchez Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez (Simon & Schuster, 2001) When my first novel, Rainbow Boys, was about to be published my editor asked me, “Do [...]
On Building a Better Tomorrow
by Ellen Hopkins I write contemporary young adult fiction. To date, I’ve published eleven bestselling YA novels-in-verse, and each storyline is unique. I’ve written about addiction, abuse, suicide, prostitution and the drive for perfection, both [...]
Tanuja Desai Hidier’s “Dimple Lala/ GayYA Bday Party Playlist”
4 original songs from Tanuja’s ‘booktrack’ albums When We Were Twins (songs based on her first novel, Born Confused) & Bombay Spleen (songs based on her new novel, sequel Bombay Blues) to celebrate GayYA’s 4th [...]
Author Guest Blog: Kimberly Derting
By Kimberly Derting I have three kids, and I’ve raised them all to be conscientious and loving—to see people as people rather for their sexual orientations or skin colors or religious beliefs. But it’s my [...]
Booktube Needs You!
by Danika Leigh Ellis If you're a bookish person, and especially if you're a fan of YA, you should be exploring the wonderful world of Booktube by now. Booktube is the bookish community of Youtube. [...]
The Love that Does Not Know Its Name
by Elizabeth Wein Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (Hyperion, 2013) Occasionally, in the heat of a conversation and unable to quickly recall this week’s in-favor politically-correct acronym, I find myself saying, “So, [...]
Have You Ever Considered Writing About Straight People?
by Robin Talley Last week I spoke to a group of middle schoolers about what it’s like to be a writer. It was an all-girls school, and the students were earnest, smiling, and full of [...]
Blogathon Schedule: Week 1
May 1st: I'll Write Queer Characters Forever by Francesca Lia Block May 2nd: I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It but not in a Vapid Katy Perry Way Justina Ireland May 3rd: They Turned [...]
They Turned My Gay Teen Novel Into a Movie. Here’s What I Learned.
by Brent Hartinger Geography Club (HarperTeen, 2003) They've turned my 2003 gay teen novel Geography Club into a movie. It came out in 2013 (and it's on Netflix now if you're curious). Since then, people [...]
I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It but not in a Vapid Katy Perry Way
by Justina Ireland The first time I kissed a girl I was fifteen. It was at one of those awkward boy/girl house parties where everyone wants something (beer, weed, sex) but the parents are too [...]