Super Fan

I have this Superfan named Michael. It's always nice to know someone out there reads--and loves--my books. He took upon himself the task to make my books easily available to others. He had to special order my new book, Minority of One from his local Barnes and Noble  because they don't carry it. And then, he persuaded them to obtain copies and put them up for sale. He spent several weeks having meetings with people at his local B&N to get them to give the books more than just a listing in the catalog.

Here they are, Pull, Being God and Minority of One, all on a Florida B&N stack among the Top Teen Picks. Even more, he's talking to local kids about the books, especially kids of color.  He'll soon be  sporting a brand new BABinns fan T-shirt. He'll also have info cards to spread out, in the store and local hang-outs for kids.  I'm proud of him, and proud to see that at least in this store, the top teen shelf shows diversity.

This was one of the suggestions from a multicultural discussion at the CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center) listserve earlier this year. We developed action items and tangible ways to do more to get diversity into the hands of kids. Michael, I salute the work you did.  Barnes & Noble, I salute you for giving this a go.

#weneeddiversebooks

Blog Hop winner!!

Announcing the winner of my Feb/March blog hop for Being God - Cagmom.  She stopped by four times at various blog posts,  during the hop and her persistence paid off in a $25 Amazon gift card.

But, she never left contact information.  So, Cagmom, come to me now and let me know you are you and claim your reward.

You can email me at binns [at] babinns [dot] com.

Interview with Barney, heroine of Being God

Today we are interviewing Barney, the younger sister of David Albacore, and Malik Kaplan's not-quite girlfriend in Being God the sequel to the award-winning Pull.

1. Who are you and what is your story?

Barnetta Murhaselt. Barney to the people who care about me. The girl who is six-feet tall with two left hands, so no basketball team for me.

I was born. I was happy until my parents started fighting. I was miserable when they divorced, but at least Mom could get on with her life. Until the night he came back and killed her. I tried to kill myself after, but the doctors convinced me that was wrong. Now I live with my younger sister and my aunt. I try to do my best in school. Maybe even find a future.

Name five items in your purse, briefcase, or pockets.

Papers, pens, my cell phone – I can’t give that up. Oh, and pepper spray. I’ve been told we moved into a dangerous neighborhood so I should never to leave home without it.  But no matter how dangerous things are, it’s not as bad as what my home turned into.

If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you rather be stranded with, a man or a woman?

A good book

I did hear that you liked school and were a model student.  But that wasn’t one of the choices.

But I don’t like your choices. Fine, then could I be stranded with my brother and sister? No? Then let me just be alone. I don’t think I trust people anymore. Especially  not guys.

Do you have a hero?

My brother, he’s like the best brother anyone could ever have. Of course, he is bossy, and always thinks he knows how I should live my life. Like, he wants me to stay away from Malik. I know Malik causes trouble, but I swear, sometimes I think I see something more in him. I know he could be more, if he would stop drinking.

God, does that make me sound like my mother? She kept hoping my father would change.

What do you think about Malik Kaplan?

He’s like the most confusing person ever. Like someone took the pieces of two puzzles and tried to force them together, there’s so much that doesn’t fit. The stories about him grow more impossible every day. They say he robbed a bank, tried to kill his enemies in their sleep, and even planned to blow up the school. I know what he’s like. After all, we dated for two weeks before he stole my diary and tried to blackmail me. But I can’t believe any of that stuff.

Malik blackmailed you?

He tried to, in Pull. Just when I thought he liked me. Malik hated my brother, but he didn’t know I was David’s sister, no one did. So when he acted nice at first, I thought he really liked me. I mean, why else would he pay any attention to me at all?

Was there a major turning point in your life?

I think my life will always have two parts. Before Dad lost his job, and after. Before he began drinking, before the divorce, before he came killed Mom.

I’m sorry. I guess you don’t have much to do with him now.

Guess again. I live with my aunt, my father’s older sister, and I have to go with her when she visits him in prison. She says I should forgive, but then, it wasn’t her mother he killed. I just wish I were strong enough to tell my father what I really think of him.

Do you believe in forgiveness?

I used to. Back when I was little. But I’m grown up now. I'm fifteen. Okay, in two months. But I feel older. So much has happened in my life.

Does that mean there's no chance you would ever forgive Malik?

He has never, ever asked me to forgive him.he doesn't care about me. Not one bit.

For more about Being God check out the review at http://www.thepiratetree.com/2013/02/14/being-god-by-b-a-binns/

Being God review

The Pirate Tree, a group of Children's and YA bloggers, selected Being God to review for Valentine's Day. The reviewer, J. L. Powers, admits the book is "an unlikely choice for Valentine’s Day but a good one nonetheless."

The review says:

I would hate to see this complex novel reduced to any of the “issues” it tackles in nuanced and unusual ways—alcohol abuse, violence, teen pregnancy, gangs, bullying, deteriorating urban neighborhoods. This is not an “issue” novel (thank goodness, I don’t really like reading “issue” novels). In fact, what I love about this novel is that there isn’t a singular, unifying “idea” or “theme” or “truth” that runs throughout it, emphasized in multiple ways. Instead, just like real life—and certainly, real life as teens experience it—the messages that Malik receives and the messages that he sends are confusing, contradictory, and ambiguous.

I love that the reviewer got what I wanted to display.  I hesitated trying to call Being God a novel about a teen alcoholic, or about a bully, or teen pregnancy, that always seemed to reduce it just a notch to me.  It's about a life, and a teen needing to decide just what he wants to be when he grows up...and he doesn't have much more time to make his decision because he's growing up right now.

You can read the full text of the review at The Pirate Tree blog. And like every other post in my Being God tour, leave a comment for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift card. A winner will be selected on March 17.

Blog Hop for Being God

Come join my mini-blog tour celebrating the Feb 1 release of Being God.

Follow me around the blog-o-sphere

Read an excerpt from Being God at Dragon My Feet: http://dragonmyfeet.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/excerpt-from-being-god-a-contemporary-ya-novel-by-b-a-binns/

Get up close and personal when Being God's protagonist, Malik Kaplan, is interviewed at Pat bertram Introduces... http://patbertram.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/malik-kaplan-lead-character-in-being-god-a-contemporary-ya-novel-by-b-a-binns/

Find out more about the process that created both novels in the Farrington High series, Pull and Being God when Librarian Crazy Quilt Edi's interviews me - http://campbele.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/interview-b-a-binns/

Check out my Feb 10 spotlight on the Brown Bookshelf  a Black History Month celebration of Children's Literature.

I'll talk about outreach to reluctant and at-risk readers on the RomancingTheGenres blog on Feb 13

I'll have a Character Interview with Being God's leading lady, Barnetta Murhasselt, right here on Feb 17.

I reveal some inner secrets and my workaholic nature on the Spunky Senior's blog on Feb 21

Look at the Being God reviews, from J. L. Powers, author of This Thing Called The Future, and  from Medeia Sharif author of The Best Ramadan Ever..

I discuss my publishing journey, both traditional and self-publishing, on For Love of Books with Eliza Knight on March 4

Follow me around and comment for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate in March.  Everyone who comments will be entered into the drawing.

Go to the dogs winner!!

Hey Juanita, you are the chosen one.  Juanita Fisher has given my dog a name, Roxie. Now all I need is Juanita's information so I can send her her winnings.  Get in touch with  me, I want to thank you and send you your winnings.

In addition, I have begun an impromptu Blo tour for Being God. Head over to http://dragonmyfeet.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/excerpt-from-being-god-a-contemporary-ya-novel-by-b-a-binns/ and see my first stop on DragonMyFeet. 

Much love.

Release Day!!!

It's here. I can't believe it, but the wait is over. Being God is available on amazon.com.  TGIF, because tonight I go an party in a way my poor 17-year-old character can't. Or at least, he's not supposed to, because Malik Kaplan knows how to party.

I stop in the men’s room, pull off my glasses, and stare into the mirror. I’m not Horst the rapper. I don’t look like him. I barely look like myself. In the strained light of the single bulb hanging from the ceiling, my face is distorted. Usually, I feel exposed without my glasses, but the girl was right. I was a fool to wear them tonight. The glasses go in my pocket; this place is my disguise.

“Let the fun begin,” I mutter, and head for the dance floor. Give me a few drinks and I won’t care about either of those girls.

Being God, copyright© 2013 by B. A. Binns

Teen reviews for Being God (feedback from Chicago High School students based on reading advance reader copies)

Job, age 17 - I want to start off by saying that your your character depictions for "Being God" were exact. I love the relationships Malik and Cesar had, although they were not related or from the same background. I really liked how you incorporate the family issues Malik was faced with. As teenagers, a problem we face is probably getting along with our parents, and witnessing all the issues Malik had with his dad gave me a sense of knowing that I wasn't the only who sometimes hates his father.

Overall, "Being God" was a great book, highlighting an African American boy's journey of living above the influence.

Louis, age 17 - The book BEING GOD was really good! I was able to relate to what the main character was going through. This book shows that there is always a way out of trouble, and also how the decisions we make can affect us in the long run. I loved it.

 You can love it too.

Enter the contest for a chance at one of three prizes. Purchase copies of Being God on Amazon.

   

Countdown to Being God

Backcover blurb for Being God:

My first blow is an uppercut. A crack sounds in the cold air, the impact shivering up my arm as his head snaps back. I bend, move in close, and get in a second blow. He stumbles and steps backward.

I’ve boxed before, in a ring, facing trained fighters. I start to relax. I’ll put this dude down in no time. With Barney as a witness, this fight will provide a major boost to my rep.

Then Deadlocks pulls a knife.

The knife changes everything.

This isn’t a fight anymore. It’s combat, and only one side has a weapon.

Dreadlocks is out to kill.

Screw pride, screw anger, screw everything except survival. I grab Barney’s hand and yank her to her feet. We start to run, but she’s limping. I don’t have to turn to know how fast he’s closing on us. We get maybe four steps and she falls.

Time slows.

Two choices flash through my head. Leave the girl and run like hell. Or turn to face him, knowing there will be blood.

Most of it mine.

Being God, copyright© 2013 by B. A. Binns

Being God is the sequel to the award-winning Pull published in 2010. The book becomes available in paperback and eBook on Feb 1, 2013, and I can barely keep from nibbling my fingers to the knuckles. As hard as it is to change a bad guy in real life, I think it's even harder to do it in fiction. I was supposed to control the pages, but this character frequently seized control and made things happen his way.

 

But now it's over. There is nothing to change, nothing more to do except flip the switch and make things live on Thursday night. Which leaves me antsy. Luckily, I do have a few things I'm supposed to be doing.

• Like prepping for a workshop on diversity in YA literature I have been asked to give at the Virginia Hamilton conference at Kent State University in April. (I know that sounds like a lot of time, but I know from past experience deadlines come sooner than I expect them to)
• Sprucing up the series of lectures I will be giving for the Man Talk online class I start teaching  next week (gulp!)
• Prepare for the initial session of a library sponsored writing workshop I begin leading in two weeks. (Did I really say yes?)
• Start working on the speech I will be giving at the summer ALA meeting as part of YALSA at the ALA on ways to reach reluctant male readers (I actually asked to make this speech)

 

Oh yes, I also have to work on the next book.

 

Give-aways

In the meantime, I am giving away copies of Being God. The name my dog contest runs until Feb 1, when a winner and name will be chosen. Leave me a comment with a name, that's your entry fee.  I am also planning to give away books at the Chicago Principals conference on Feb 7, and to hand out books at my old high school, Hyde Park.  I have been asked to judge the entries submitted during the Poplar Creek teen holiday writing contest, and I will give everyone who entered a copy of Being God.

 

I am also sending copies of all three of my books to the Denney Juvenile Detention Center school in Washington. There my books will help many reluctant and at-risk kids. I would like to do more. I hope to donate books to at least four other facilities. So if you know of any deserving juvenile facilities, youth centers, alternative schools, or other groups that help needy kids who could use additions to their libraries, let me know. I would like to chose some to make donations to.

 

Why I write

Being God comes out Feb 1. The book represents my commitment to writing quality books designed to attract both eager and the reluctant teen readers.

Especially the kids known as reluctant readers.

I truly believe that most kids who are reluctant do not deserve that name. They are just kids who have not yet found the right book for them.  How many of us eagerly sit down to read a book on a subject we have no interest in, or maybe one written in a foreign language that we have yet to learn?  I know, because I tried, and that experience helped awaken me to some of the issues with so-called reluctant readers.

A few years ago I was very eager to read a book written in French.  This book has never been translated into English. Hundreds of pages of a totally foreign language. But as a long time fan of the Angelique series (I am a long-term member of the Friends of Angelique), I was desperate to read the untranslated Angelique in Quebec. All 826 pages of it. 

So I tried the mission impossible thing and set down to teach myself to read French. It's the kind of thing that can give someone new insights.

I managed to stumble through the book, and it was worth the effort. But, the experience showed me just how daunting reading can be to a reluctant reader handed something above his or her grade level and then given an assignment and a deadline.  Had I not been desperate to complete the series I would easily have given up a dozen times. The sight of the book still intimidates me (it is the biggest thing on my bookshelf).

So I write for teens who need to have the joy of a good book awakened. I expect them to be reluctant, so I give them openings designed to hook harder than the average. I give them short chapters, so they have natural points where they can put the book down and still feel they have accomplished something. I add in lures, devices to make them want to come back. Or, better still, to make them decide to read just one more chapter (only a few pages, after all) before they stop.

The reluctant reader remains an under served population. They don't want books, so publishers and authors can't expect to get rich from courting them. But they need books, so I keep writing with them in mind. Books take us places movies and video games cannot. The let us experience moral dilemmas and other people's lives from the safety of our home. They help the development of conscious, compassion and self-esteem.  I talk at teacher and librarian conferences, and the professionals all agree on the importance of these benefits, and want more ways to give them to reluctant and at-risk readers.

People ask me why I write Young Adult. What more do I have to say?

Being God is the second book in the Farrington series. Coming from allthecolorsoflove on Feb 1, 2013.

Go to the Dogs and win a Prize

I need your help. There is a prize waiting for one lucky commenter.

Go to the Dogs

I kind of, sort of, acquired a dog for Christmas.

My niece originally got her from a shelter for her daughter, and then discovered the dog was more than they could handle (surprise!). She turned the dog over to her aunt, my sister. My aunt and her son took the dog as protection for their house, and she does bark up a storm when someone comes to the door. She also gets fierce when she sees another dog, or a runner, and I am already dreading what will happen in Spring when the squirrels come out.

Why am I dreading this, you ask, since she belongs to my sister? Because I ended up taking her home. I spent the night, my own fault, and listened to her complain about the dog, the trouble involved in caring for her, watched her and her grown son argue about who should take the dog out, etc. Meanwhile, the dog acted friendly, well-behaved, really nice. The challenged me to take her home "temporarily" and try her out. I have no clue why I said yes. Especially since they forgot to mention they had not walked her that morning and let me put her in my car for an hour drive home. Needless to say the back seat of my car was baptized.

But she is a nice girl. She doesn't even chew on my stuff when I am not at home!! And she is  housebroken, I can tell she regrets the mistake mother nature and her former owners foisted on her. (They just laughed and gave a meek "sorry" when I told them about the accident.) Her one real crime is a tendency to lunge when I walk her and she sees something interesting. And she barks when I leave in the morning, but I know that's just because she wants me to stay.

See, like babies, a nice, well-behaved, I just want to lay down at your feet, or with your shoes, dog can make you fall in love.

The PRIZE

So here she is, and I already know she isn't going back. Which means she needs a name. I have enough trouble naming the characters in my books (trust me, each one is a laborious event) So, can anyone give me a name? And a way to keep her from dislocating my wrist when she goes lunging after something interesting?   I am open to all suggestions. And if I pick your name I will reward you with a copy of one of my books, Pull, Die Trying and other stories, and the upcoming Being God to be released Feb , 2013.

What have you got to lose?

Give me a name, come on, what do you have to lose? Don't forget to leave contact information, or check back to see if you win. I will chose a name on Feb 1, 2013.

Contest results

The GoodReads contest for copies of Die Trying and other stories has resulted in three winners. Anna, Annika, and Pamela, your autographed copies are on the way.

If you missed out on that contest, don't worry. January 2013 will bring a new contest, and a chance to win copies of Being God. 

Spring Fling

Last weekend brought the biennial writers conference presented by the Chicago North chapter of RWA - Spring Fling. This year the exciting event was held in a new venue, Marriott at Hoffman Estates.

Things began with two-hour master class on pitching presented by Carrie Lofty. She gave us a great overview on pitching graciously stayed at least an extra hour, well into lunchtime, to ensure that she read and critiqued every practice pitch people gave her.

On Friday afternoon, I presented an abbreviated version of my MAN TALK online class. I had a full room of ladies, and one male, who listened attentively, asked questions, and, I hope, went home with ideas they will be able to use while creating and editing their manuscripts to make their male characters appear more realistic. 

BTW, the male ringer in the class sat in the back with a sneaky smile as I talked. After the session, he came and told me I was spot on in a number of points. 

He and his wife became two of my newest fans, and we spent a lot of time together during the rest of the conference. I got a lot of new information on REAL MEN from him as well. We determined we were both INTJ types on the Meyers-Briggs personality scale, and sat around observing other conference participants.  He also let me know he was the Chief archetype.
 

I have to admit to loving the "Hot Night" feature of the program. I was part of the "sweet romance" group, and read a selection from Being God, my next novel, that is currently being edited, and got some great feedback. We enjoyed all the readings and as midnight approached we had to be chased from the room.  And, we had another male romance writer joining us to read a hot wedding night scene from the guy's POV.

The headliners were all spectacular and filled our heads with stories of hope and encouragement. Special thanks to Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Diana Love, who both stepped in at the last minute when earlier headliners had personal emergencies.

Hope you were there, the fun, and knowledge gained, was awesome.