LIKE MANDARIN by Kirsten Hubbard

In Like Mandarin, 14-year-old Grace Carpenter would give anything to be like Mandarin Ramey. Mandarin is seventeen, self-assured, irreverent and mysterious; the notorious wild girl of their small Wyoming town.

From Grace: Sure, maybe most of the attention Mandarin got was negative. But it wasn't the kind of disdainful brainfreak attention I got, when I got any at all. Hers was lust. And jealousy. Because even as they condemned her, every single girl wanted to be her.

But nobody more than me.

I want to be beautiful like you, I thought, as if Mandarin were listening.

I want apricot skin and Pocahontas hair and eyes the color of tea. I want to be confident and detached and effortlessly sensual, and if promiscuity is part of the package, I will gladly follow your lead. All I know is I'm so tired of being inside my body.

I would give anything to be like Mandarin.

Grace's fascination with Mandarin borders on obsession. When they're paired together for a project, their explosive friendship rocks Grace's world – which makes Mandarin's betrayal even more devastating.

Okay, I loved this book. There is something strong and sad in the writing. Something powerful and real in the relationships. Something amazing.

And it got me thinking: Was there somebody I would have given anything to be like when I was a teenager?

I had to think hard (and you all know how I feel about that). And I finally came to the conclusion that me, in my insane self-confidence, was fine with who I was. I didn't feel this great need to be someone else, fit in with another crowd, or anything like that.

It's only been later in my life that I've felt this "I wish I could be like her." Or "Wow, my life is so far from hers! What would it be like...?"

And this, of course, leads to dangerous ground. Which is why LIKE MANDARIN will resonate with teenagers and adults alike. We can journey with Grace as she walks the treacherous path; we can examine our own lives and find our solid ground; we can realize the beauty of ourselves.

And that's why LIKE MANDARIN is fabulous.

So what about you? Was there someone you would have given anything to be like when you were a teenager? What about now? Why did/do you want to be like this person?

Let me know, and you could win LIKE MANDARIN! Kirsten has her blog tour going right now, and at the end, she'll be drawing winners for LM. Find out more here.

Anyone who leaves a comment here on this post, will be entered to win a super-sweet LIKE MANDARIN swag pack (signed bookmarks + magnets + postcard). And you're tweeting your posts, right? Or your #IWantToBeLike stuff? Because LiLa Roecker and I are giving away two copies of Like Mandarin from that feed--this Saturday!

Check out what the other Bookanistas are up to this week at the Reading Room.

Or on their blogs:

• LiLa Roecker is sweet on Like Mandarin
• Christine Fonseca purrs over Save the Cat
• Shelli Johannes-Wells explores Dark and Hollow Places
• Carolina Valdez Miller gushes over Will Grayson, Will Grayson
• Bethany Wiggins is enchanted by My Fair Godmother
• Shanna Silver praises Possum Summer
• Carrie Harris falls for Head Games
• Rosemary Clement Moore travels Across the Universe
• Katie Anderson goes Retro
• Corrine Jackson celebrates Where She Went
• Stasia Ward Kehoe sings about The Mockingbirds

I Would Have Given Anything To Be Like...

Okay, well, there's no way I can beat LiLa's post from yesterday. I'm not even going to try. But today is the NON-blogfest! I hope to see a lot of "I Would Have Given Anything To Be Like..." posts out there today!

It's not too late to participate, AND you don't have to read LIKE MANDARIN to know what's going on. (But you should order it and read it, because it's fantastic.) You can click over to Kirsten Hubbard's blog to find out more, but basically, she's asking who you would have given anything to be like when you were a teenager.

You know me, I rarely follow rules. So instead of focusing on teen-Elana (cuz that's SCARY), I'm going to go for Elana-as-she-is-now.

I would give anything to be like Matthew Rush. He is funny and helpful and all around fantastic. He helps other people. He lets them learn from his mistakes. And he always emails me back.

I would give anything to be like Candace Ganger. She faces life with more backbone than anyone else I know. She isn't afraid to breathe, and breathe deep. She lets us in. She is powerful to me.

I would give anything to be like Shannon O'Donnell. She has more enthusiasm than anyone I know. She teaches and parents and laughs and just is the epitome of "comfort" for me.

I would give anything to be like Ally Condie. She is a brilliant writer, and so, so sophisticated. The kind of sophistication I can only dream about. And eloquent. She'd never use the word "dude." (#crap) But she's super-nice to me when I do.

I would give anything to be like L.T. Elliot. She simply "gets" me, and doesn't try to make me be anyone other than who I already am. She is strong. She is funny. She is who I want to be when I grow up.

Lastly, I would give anything to be like my husband. He never gets bugged by stuff. He is a great teacher. He is caring, and kind, and patient, and he puts up with me. (He's also going to make his blogging debut next week! Get excited.) He is slow when I'm fast, right when I'm wrong, strong when I'm weak.

I hope you've been tweeting with the #IWantToBeLike hashtag! You can win a copy of LIKE MANDARIN this Saturday. And dude, your post on who you would give anything to be like, is like, the perfect twitter fodder.

Who do you admire right now in your life?

And the winner of the super shiny, tasty, luscious MANDARIN glaze lip gloss is: C.K. Bryant! Congrats, Christine! Email me, okay? Okay.

Wyoming, Wherefore Art Thou, Wyoming?

Okay, so I'm not the best example of camping or anything, but there's something about wide open spaces that appeals to me. I love feeling the vastness of the universe, like the weight of the air could smother me, press me into the earth.

Thus, when I read LIKE MANDARIN, I fell in love with the setting: the badlands of Wyoming. It's not your typical setting, but it is gorgeous--and it becomes a character all it's own. I've driven through Wyoming, and it is breathtaking in it's own way.

Let me illustrate:

The badlands

LOVE this barn!

Okay, this makes me like winter a little more.

This is the road to anywhere.

Okay, so I like cowboys. Sue me.

And be sure to read Kirsten's post on The Serendipity of Setting. It's beyond awesome.

Where do you love to visit? If you could go anywhere, where would it be?

Leave a comment with you answer and you could win this:

That's right! MANDARIN lip gloss for those blistery Wyoming winds. I just want you to know the label says "super shiny tasty lip gloss." That's a selling point right there.

Oh! And I've been tagged on Christine's blog. So go check that action out.

Writing & Illustrating For Young Readers (and other cool stuff)

The Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference is back for another incredible year! Spearheaded by author Carol Lynch Williams, the conference aims to “lift” the craft of writers nationwide by providing a forum for interaction between industry professionals and published and/or aspiring writers. The 2011 year will feature a bevy of workshops with nationally best-selling authors and illustrators, afternoon sessions with publishing professionals, the opportunity to interact with agents and editors, writing contests, and much more.

Registration is now open for the 2011 conference; however, morning workshops are filling quickly. Novel classes with publishing luminaries such as Martine Leavitt and Holly Black have already sold out. The faculty roster also includes nationally-renowned Kathleen Duey, A.E. Cannon, illustrator Kevin Hawkes, and Claudia Mills, among others.

If you live anywhere near Salt Lake City, or can get into Salt Lake City, this is one of the best conferences ever! And hey, we could meet and do lunch!

Find out more at the WIFYR facebook page, their twitter, or their YouTube channel. And stay tuned for some crazy-exciting stuff from none other than one of my all-time favorite authors, Kathleen Duey! *tiny squee*

Other Cool Stuff: Stasia Ward Kehoe's AUDITION cover was released last week. All I can say is "Yum." Stasia is an amazing person, and she's doing some fun things on her blog. Check out what her "Year of Auditions" is all about.

Happy book birthday to LIKE MANDARIN by Kirsten Hubbard! You guys, you'd love this book. I'm not going to give away too much, but make sure you check in every day next week for some amazing amazingness that's all related to LIKE MANDARIN!



What kind of cool stuff do you have going on around you? Do share.