“I grew up in a community where it was not the exception to be a good girl. It was sort of expected. And all of my friends were good girls too, and my boyfriends were good boys. Everybody was pretty nice. And that affects how I write my characters. There aren't very many bad guys in my novels.” WritingCharacterGuyGirlCommunityBoysNovelNiceGrewGrew UpMy FriendsExpectedExceptionBad GuysMy BoyfriendGood GirlGood Boy Author:Stephenie Meyer
“When I first thought of the idea for 'Sweet Valley High,' I loved the idea of high school as microcosm of the real world. And what I really liked was how it moved things on from 'Sleeping Beauty'-esque romance novels where the girl had to wait for the hero. This would be girl-driven, very different, I decided - and indeed it is.” WorldFirstsIdeasDifferentRealWould BeSchoolRomanceGirlWaitingSleepNovelSweetHeroHigh SchoolDecidedMovedDrivenReal WorldValleysRomance NovelMicrocosmSleeping Beauty Author:Francine Pascal
“Look at Andrew Roe's The Miracle Girl from one angle and you'll see an incisive and insightful critique of America at the millennium and today, investigating where we put our faith and why. The greatest of Roe's achievements in this captivating debut is a memorable feat of intense empathy. Roe inhabits characters who are desperate to believe and reveals to us their needs and wounds and hopes, and he does so with kindness, generosity, and wisdom. This is a novel about what it means to be human, to seek connection and hope and maybe even transcendence in the world around us.” WorldNeedsBelieveHumansLooksMeanDoeCharacterTodayAmericaGirlKindnessNovelAchievementEmpathyConnectionsMiracleWoundsIntenseGenerosityMemorableDesperateInsightfulAngleTranscendenceCritiqueFeatsAndrewMillenniumDebutInvestigatingCaptivatingKindness GenerosityWhat It Means To Be Human Author:Doug Dorst
“When you're reading a novel, I think the reason you care about how any given plot turns out is that you take it as a data point in the big story of how the world works. Does such-and-such a kind of guy get the girl in the end? Does adultery ever bring happiness? How do winners become winners?” ThinkingWorldKindDoeBookEndsReasonStoriesBigsCareGuyTurnsGirlReadingGivenNovelDataWinnerPlotAdultery Author:Elif Batuman
“I suppose as long as novels last, and authors aim at interesting their public, there must always be in the story a virtuous and gallant hero; a wicked monster, his opposite; and a pretty girl, who finds a champion. Bravery and virtue conquer beauty; and vice, after seeming to triumph through a certain number of pages, is sure to be discomfited in the last volume, when justice overtakes him, and honest folks come by their own.” LongStoriesLastsCertainGirlJusticeInterestingNumbersNovelVirtueHonestHeroPagesOppositesBraveryAimFolksVicesMonstersConquerTriumphChampionWickedVirtuousVolumeSeemingPretty GirlGallant Book:The four Georges. The English humorists. Roundabout papers Source: The four Georges. The English humorists. Roundabout papers
“So long as a novelist works selfishly for the pleasure of creating character and situation corresponding to his own illusions, ideals and intuitions, he will always produce something worth while and natural. Directly he takes himself too seriously and begins for the alleged benefit of humanity an elaborate dissection of complexes, he evolves a book that is more ridiculous and tiresome than the most conventional cold cream girl novel of yesterday.” LongBookCharacterHumanityGirlNaturalPleasureSituationNovelProduceColdBenefitsCreatingIllusionIdealsComplexesIntuitionRidiculousYesterdayEvolveNovelistsConventionalCreamCorrespondingTiresomeDissectionCreating Characters Book:Willa Cather in person: interviews, speeches, and letters Source: Willa Cather in person: interviews, speeches, and letters
“A vivid portrait of a teenage girl and her family in disarray. Meredith is a wonderful narrator, witty, feisty, full of yearning, and the story she tells is as complicated as life itself. This is a richly satisfying novel.” StoriesGirlNovelWonderfulWittyComplicatedSatisfyingYearningPortraitsTeenageVividNarratorsTeenage GirlFeistyDisarray Author:Margot Livesey
“Gail Anderson-Dargatz has a noticing eye, a voice as unique as the countryside she writes about, and a heart large enough to love her entire cast of distinct and memorable characters. In The Cure for Death by Lightning she fashions an irresistible song out of the joys and dangers of growing up, the mysteries and wonders of life on a farm, the thrilling terror of trying to outrun the awful unseen force that pursues a growing girl. This novel opens a door to a shining, surprising world.” WorldWritingTryingHeartEnoughCharacterEyeJoySongGirlForceVoiceWonderNovelGrowing UpGrowingDoorsMysteryFashionDangerUniqueShiningCastsTerrorPursueCuresAwfulMemorableFarmsSurprisingLightningUnseenThrillingIrresistibleNoticingCountrysideOutrunWonder Of LifeUnseen ForcesMemorable CharactersGail Author:Jack Hodgins