#justina chen

[mercerislandbooks]

Book Notes: A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic

My reading in the first quarter of this year has had an inadvertent theme of suffragists and polar exploration. I haven’t gone out searching for them; these books keep finding me. Which was made all the more obvious when I picked up Yi Shun Lai’s YA historical, A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic.

Clara Kettering-Dunbar is 18 years old and the sole female in a British expedition to the Antarctic in the close of the year 1914. An American veteran of the suffrage movement in Britain, posing as a Canadian, Clara knows she is already pushing the boundaries of what women are societally expected to do. She does have supporters amongst the expedition crew, namely the captain, but just as many who expect her to fail. It will take all of Clara’s strength of will, and an ability to reach beyond her own well-earned beliefs, to see the lessons to be learned from the Antarctic and from her fellow crew.

The account is told as journal entries, and Clara lays bare not only her various experiences, but also her unvarnished feelings in these circumstances. She slowly reveals her unconventional upbringing, her complicated parents, and how she became involved in the suffrage movement. In all that she faces, Clara boldly stands up for her beliefs. Despite coming up against unrelenting misogyny from certain members of the crew, she will not relent in demonstrating her fitness to be part of the team. And then there’s the cold. I could feel it in my bones reading about all the many layers Clara puts on to keep herself warm, and the constant juggling required to keep the crew marginally protected and fed. Let’s just say that the Antarctic is something I’d much rather read about than actually experience. If you’re looking for a YA historical (that’s not World War II) taking on an unexpected pocket of history, give A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic a try!

And if you’d like to meet the author in person, you’re in luck! We’re happy to welcome Yi Shun Lai to Island Books on Saturday, April 6th at 4:30pm. She’ll be in conversation with Justina Chen, and it’s sure to be a fascinating talk. We look forward to seeing you!

— Lori

[something-overnothing]

To dream is to starve doubt, and feed hope.

Justina Chen Headly - North of Beautiful

[masterjedilenawrites]

List of books below, taken from the Star Wars wiki. Only included: Original Novels, Novel Adaptations, Script Books, and Young Adult Novels. Please no comments about books that are missing from the list... it is what it is.

The High Republic: Convergence - Zoraida Cordova

The High Republic: Path of Deceit - Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland

The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha - George Mann

The High Republic: Path of Vengeance - Cavan Scott

The High Republic: Cataclysm - Lydia Kang

The High Republic: Into the Dark - Claudia Gray

The High Republic: Light of the Jedi - Charles Soule

The High Republic: The Rising Storm - Cavan Scott

The High Republic: Out of the Shadows - Justina Ireland

The High Republic: Tempest Runner - Cavan Scott

The High Republic: Midnight Horizon - Daniel Jose Older

The High Republic: The Fallen Star - Claudia Gray

The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness - George Mann

The High Republic: Defy the Storm - Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland

The Vow of Silver Dawn - His Majesty the King

Dooku: Jedi Lost - Cavan Scott

Padawan - Kiersten White

Master & Apprentice - Claudia Gray

The Living Force - John Jackson Miller

Queen's Peril - E.K. Johnston

Queen's Shadow - E.K. Johnston

Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade - Delilah S. Dawson

Queen's Hope - E.K. Johnston

Brotherhood - Mike Chen

Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel - James Luceno

Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising - Timothy Zahn

Dark Disciple - Christie Golden

Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good - Timothy Zahn

Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil - Timothy Zahn

Ahsoka - E.K. Johnston

Thrawn - Timothy Zahn

Lords of the Sith - Paul S. Kemp

Tarkin - James Luceno

Most Wanted - Rae Carson

Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition - Mur Lafferty

Rebel Rising - Beth Revis

Crimson Climb - E.K. Johnston

A New Dawn - John Jackson Miller

Jedi: Battle Scars - Sam Maggs

Lost Stars - Claudia Gray

Leia, Princess of Alderaan - Claudia Gray

Thrawn: Alliances - Timothy Zahn

Thrawn: Treason - Timothy Zahn

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Alexander Freed

Battlefront II: Inferno Squad - Christie Golden

Heir to the Jedi - Kevin Hearne

Doctor Aphra - Sarah Kuhn

Battlefront: Twilight Company - Alexander Freed

The Princess and the Scoundrel - Beth Revis

Alphabet Squadron - Alexander Freed

Aftermath - Chuck Wendig

Shadow Fall - Alexander Freed

Aftermath: Life Debt - Chuck Wendig

Victory's Price - Alexander Freed

Aftermath: Empire's End - Chuck Wendig

Last Shot - Daniel Jose Older

Poe Dameron: Free Fall - Alex Segura

Shadow of the Sith - Adam Christopher

Bloodline - Claudia Gray

Force Collector - Kevin Scinick

Phasma - Delilah S. Dawson

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Alan Dean Foster

Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire - Delilah S. Dawson

Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition - Jason Fry

Resistance Reborn - Rebecca Roanhorse

A Crash of Fate - Zoraida Cordova

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition - Rae Carson

[swede1952]

Good morning. ☕🍵🫘

27 September 2024

Let's ramble about coffee.

How do you like your coffee? ☕ I drink mine black, but for years I added a little sugar to it, I did that until sugar became something to avoid, then I used sweetener until that also became something to avoid. Now I just add a coffee cup underneath when I pour. It is an acquired taste and tasted best when the coffee is piping hot. I'm a bit of a junior coffee snob. For example, when I take my car in for services, I take my own coffee because theirs is horrible 😝. I didn't notice that until I started purchasing and grinding coffee beans. You might say even bad coffee is good, but I am not of that opinion, really bad coffee is really bad coffee.

“Adventure in life is good; consistency in coffee even better.” - Justina Chen Headley, North of Beautiful

[cleverwordsandotherstuffilike]

When the creative impulse sweeps over you, grab it. You grab it and honour it and use it, because momentum is a rare gift.

Justina Chen

[khamishassan]

„Abenteuer im Leben sind gut; Konsistenz im Kaffee noch besser.“ – Justina Chen Headley, North of Beautiful.“ *Das Erwachen von Unknown Wundervolles Wochenende an alle.

[diversityinkidsbooks]

The Patch By Justina Chen Headley

The kids at school want to know why Becca is wearing glasses and a patch. Instead of telling them she has amblyopia, Becca leads her friends on imaginative adventures to explain her new fashion accessory. Mitch Vane's illustrations capture the spunky exuberance of this resourceful heroine.

[nobeerreviews]

Getting lost is just another way of saying going exploring.

-- Justina Chen

(Bistrita, Romania)

[mercerislandbooks]

With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei: A Conversation with Justina Chen

Island Books is delighted to host our longtime friend and author, Justina Chen, for the release of her brand-new middle grade novel, With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei, on Tuesday, May 7th at 6:30pm. Not only is this inspirational and heartfelt book set in Seattle, but it's also filled with characters that bring home the issues of our times.

I loved this book from start to finish. Dessie Mei has always known she's adopted from China. When her family has to move to Seattle to help a grandparent with memory issues transition into assisted living, she is uprooted in the middle of the school year to a new school. Hopeful that making a new friend in 6th grade won't be too hard, imagine Dessie Mei's surprise when she walks into her first classroom and finds a girl who looks EXACTLY like her. Donna is also adopted, and the two form an immediate bond. They look so much alike that they can't help but wonder... are they twins?

With that intriguing start I was completely hooked, and I’m so glad Justina Chen was able to take the time to sit down with me and talk about her wonderful new book!

Lori: Welcome Justina! I absolutely loved With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei. Can you tell us about the inspiration for your book?

Justina: My beloved Mama—who we lost a few months ago—was such a beautiful force of community. I saw that in the way she embraced my two stepdaughters who were adopted from China into a white family. She scooped them to her heart. So when one of my dear friends told me in close conversation that she and her daughter—both adopted, one from Korea, the other from China—had never felt welcome in the Asian American community, well, that was a dagger in my heart. With the rise of anti-Asian violence, the need to write this story became urgent. We’ve become so good at calling people out at a time when we must be exceptional at calling people into community. That’s the heart of this book. I hope that every reader who picks up With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei knows with utter conviction at the Mama-level that: YOU BELONG.

L: I love that, “calling people into community.” I really saw that as I read. You are delving into quite a few challenging topics. What was the hardest part to write?

J: I knew I was handling the most sensitive material in my entire writing career: adoption and adoptees. So I listened intently to the people I love most in the world who are adopted. I found a counselor who’s adopted and who works with a number of adolescent adoptees. She gave me an incredible reading list, and from there, I dove into abandonment and belonging, complex PTSD and attachment theory, identity-formation and community-building. It was important to me that adoptees were represented in my entire team: my agenting team to my editorial team, including my authenticity reader.

L: As a reader, it was so rich to see the contrast between Dessie Mei and Donna’s adoptions, in a way that made clear everyone has a unique experience; there’s no one “right” way. So, what was the easiest part to write?

J: The story itself came to me in a flash: I knew the emotional throughline. I heard the characters and I saw the plot so clearly, I wrote the first draft in an eight-day fever dream. Aside from North of Beautiful, words have never poured out of me that fast. So fast, my fingers could barely keep up with the paragraphs that were falling out of me fully formed. Of course, the second draft took a good year to write. In that draft, I had to make sure that every word was nuanced, every sentence finessed, every idea stood on solid research. L: The care you took with your polishing really shows. I loved that you said in your author’s note that this was the book you wrote for your 10-year old self — I've read your YA and wonder if you could talk about the difference in voice between writing YA and writing Middle Grade?

J: Such a good question! In my mind, the YA voice can be snarky, but the MG voice is sassy. There is a delightful indomitability in that middle grade voice that I relish—and as a grown woman who is still growing, I strive to recapture and live that middle grade spirit. L: That is a good distinction! I can see that in Dessie Mei: she really has a willingness to try to find a way, no matter the circumstances. The title of your book is so distinct, can you share how you came to it and the meaning of "with twice the love"?

J: It took forever and a day to come up with the title, and that phrase represents so much. The long-lost twins. The love of all their different families. The expansiveness of love itself. And of course, for Dessie, it is the perfect sign-off to an important and brave open letter she writes.

Thank you so much Justina!

Join us on Tuesday May 7th at 6:30pm to see Justina Chen in conversation with Shari Leid and celebrate the publication of With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei!

— Lori

[paigeypaige19]

The pressure of his touch through my jacket and my sweater was more assurance than any promise ever made to me. It was a touch that said, I have your back and I am here for you. If a girl wasn't careful, she could fall in love with a touch like that.

Justina Chen, North of Beautiful

[readingbooksinisrael]

[image id: the cover of ‘Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies)’ by Justina Chen Headley.]

7 Covers in 7 Days

Rules: Each day, I will post the cover of a book that I love and nominate someone new to start the challenge.

@booksandghosts if you’d like!

[-outofcontext-]

Return to Me #OutOfContext

[ireadyabooks]

NaNoWriMo Week #4: Tips on Writing a YA Romance from Justina Chen!

Happy NaNoWriMo, book nerds! In celebration of National Novel Writing Month, every Thursday in November we’ll be sharing novel writing tips from some of our favorite authors. Next, we’re sharing five tips on writing a YA romance. 

5 Tips for Writing a YA Romance from LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP author, Justina Chen!

1.    Worthy of devotion. 

Bonnie Ross, the head of Halo and 343 games studio, talks about creating a world worthy of our devotion. In romance, our challenge is to create a couple worthy of our devotion—worthy of our time, heart, emotional investment. Everything in a romance begins and ends and hinges on two characters who are both willing to grow and face their own flaws so they can become equals ready for each other and worthy of one another.

2.    Meet cute. 

Who doesn’t love an epic “meet cute” moment—a couple’s memorable first encounter? Everything about that first meeting should spark with physical attraction! But also, importantly, it should hint at their sine qua non—that absolutely necessary condition that both of them need in a true, meaningful relationship for the ages.

3.    Talk is cheap, but banter is everything. 

One of the most delicious aspects of writing romance is the couple’s banter. Through banter, we fall in love with the couple before they fall in love with each other. So create dialogue that brims with wit—and readers will feel the couple’s kinetic energy. Work to make each conversation a revelation where the characters can tease each other—and tease out each other’s private thoughts, wounds, and worldview. Flirty banter creates that coveted inner sanctum, that special place for just the two of them. In that safe and private sanctum, our couple can be vulnerable with each other, and we get to watch as their trust, respect, and love unfold and deepen.

4.    Turn up the tension. 

The central question in romance is: “Will they or won’t they get together?” So constantly crank up the sexual tension—and show how the two characters spark whenever they’re so much as within sight of each other. And then pump up the conflict that prevents them from getting together immediately. As readers, we should worry that the couple will be in a state of happily ever never—because the cost or danger of loving each other may be too great (even though it’s not!).

5.    Moments that go “ahhhh.” 

We all have indelible moments in real life where we believe that come dementia or death bed, we will remember forever. So create high impact, deeply romantic, unique moments for your couple—moments that reach right into your readers’ minds, settle into their hearts, and replay in their memories weeks and months after they read the last word.  

A photo of author Justina Chen’s vision board for LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP, which she created before writing a single word of the novel.

[justbeingnamaste]

“Come on, don't you ever stop and smell the coffee?”    

[litcelebrasian]

I read YA just shared: “ COVER REVEAL #6: LOVELY, DARK and DEEP by @JustinaYChen. A romance about learning to live without the sun while fighting for life & love.”

[luxaofhesperides]

yalit meme: [1/9] quotes - north of beautiful

You grab it and honor it and use it, because momentum is a rare gift.