Kindle Daily Post

Q&A with Rainbow Rowell, author of "Eleanor & Park"

Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell’s YA debut, is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. Eleanor & Park is already a favorite among best-selling authors; Gayle Forman calls it “A sexy, smart romance” and John Green said “Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.”

What inspired you to write a misfits-in-love story like Eleanor & Park? 

I have always, always wanted to write a first love story. I feel like, when you’re 16, you have the greatest-ever capacity for romantic love. You fall in love with every cell of your body. But, at the same time, at that age, you have so little to offer the person you love. You don’t belong to yourself quite yet—you still have school and your parents, you don’t even have your own space…

And you also know that what you’re feeling probably won’t last. First love usually doesn’t. There’s a built-in tragedy to falling (truly) in love when you’re 16. It’s like every 16-year-old in love is either Romeo or Juliet. That is what I wanted to write about.

Eleanor & Park covers a lot of ground, from difficult family situations to the way music can open up a new world. But most of all, it’s about first love. Is that what you set out to write about?

My motivation was to make people actually feel love, to give them a realistic view of it. If they’re young and never been in love, for them to know – yes, this is how it feels. And if they’re older and they have, to feel it as a sense memory.

Eleanor and Park don’t necessarily look like conventional YA main characters – Eleanor is bullied because of her weight, and Park is smaller and the only Asian kid in the neighborhood. What was your thought process behind creating them that way?

Well, they’re not conventional in that they don’t look like the models that usually end up on teen magazine and book covers. But who does look like that? Nobody I’ve ever been attracted to.

I think the whole idea of conventional beauty and attractiveness is a lie. You can say that Ryan Gosling is handsome, or that Natalie Portman is beautiful. But does it matter? When you look at the person you love, you see that person in a way no one else can. Attraction is what happens between you. 

Eleanor and Park were both attractive to me; when I was writing this book, I was half in love with both of them.

Your first book, Attachments, was an adult novel -- why switch to young adult now?

I didn't do it consciously. This was just the story I wanted to tell next -- the only story in my head, at the time -- and I didn't even realize that Eleanor & Park would be YA, at first. But once I started working through that with my editor, it felt like a good fit. I've always read a lot of YA, and I'm drawn to movies and TV shows about teenagers. (Freaks and Geeks is my all-time favorite.) I think maybe I'm still trying to process everything I felt/saw/survived from 13 to 20.

What can you tell us about your upcoming book Fangirl?

It’s about a girl who doesn’t think she’s good at life—but she’s really good at being a fan. She feels more comfortable in fandom. She’s been writing fan fiction about the same two characters—Simon and Baz—since she was 12, and she’s gotten kind of famous in that world. 

The book is about her first year of college. She’s got a mean roommate (with a too-friendly boyfriend). Her twin sister’s ignoring her, her dad’s a mess, her writing professor is pushing her too hard…She keeps having to rise to the occasion, but all she really wants to do is stay in her room and write more Simon/Baz.

Also, she falls in love. (Because, in my books, somebody always falls in love.)

 

10 Best Kindle Books of October, 2012

Our editors' picks this month include mothers and sons, terrorists on the run, novels ranging from heartwarming to bone-chilling, and more great choices for every reader as the days get shorter and crisper.

Introducing our selections for the Best Books of October:

 

 The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

 

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan

The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden by Mark Bowden

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

 

Live by Night by Dennis Lehane

 

The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg

 

The News from Spain: Seven Variations on a Love Story by Joan Wickersham

Muck City: Winning and Losing in Football's Forgotten Town by Bryan Mealer

 

Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe

 

 

May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Holmes

Guest Blogger: Robin Sloan, author of "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore"

So I think this is the place to finally write down the story I've told in person a hundred times--about the origins of my new novel, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, and the unexpected inspirations that led me to it.

I got my first Kindle in late 2008. At the time, my writing was almost 100% for the web. I loved the way ideas could spread and mutate there...but I was increasingly aware of the tradeoffs, too. My browser had a minimum of twenty tabs open at any given time. Very few things ever received my full attention --and so, I reasoned, very few of my words ever got anyone else's.

When I got my first Kindle that winter, the thing that really struck me was the screen. It didn't look like a computer. It was matte and dun-colored, like paper; it didn't glow at all, not one bit; and--most strikingly--there were no scrollbars, no tabs, no toolbars. In short: no distractions. When I looked at text on this screen, it seemed to exist in a realm apart from the web, a realm with different rules. It required and received a different quality of attention.

Suddenly, I wanted to put text of my own on that screen. So, the Kindle itself was my first inspiration.

One of the wonderful things about the web is the culture of sharing your struggles. Very often, when someone has wrestled with some problem or some process--making a soufflé! reprogramming the router!--they'll write up what they learned and post it, knowing that others will find it and perhaps save themselves some trouble.

Well, back in 2009, after the screenwriter John August released a short story in the Kindle Store, he wrote up a Kindle publishing tutorial to go with it. That tutorial was my second inspiration, because it convinced me I could, in fact, put some words on that screen myself. As soon as I finished August's tutorial, I opened a blank text file and started to build my own e-book.

I spent all my spare moments in the first few months of 2009 writing a short story and, at the same time, coding it up for the Kindle. I would rewrite a section, tweak the formatting, reload it on my Kindle... then make more tweaks and reload it again. And again. And again. Finally, in June, it was done. There were even a couple of illustrations. When I published it in the Kindle Store, I wasn't sure what to expect, but regardless, I was happy. It was satisfying to see the story --called Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore--on my own Kindle's little screen.

As it turned out, Penumbra found an audience. It was a story with one foot in the world of books and old secrets, and the other in the world of technology and new possibilities... and it turns out there are a lot of readers standing in pretty much the same place these days. The story struck a nerve. I heard from people who were excited about the premise. So I kept writing.

Today, a little over three years later, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is a full-length novel from Farrar, Straus and Giroux, available in both physical and electronic editions. I love the physical book deeply -- the jacket glows in the dark! -- but I will always have a special fondness for the e-book, too. Because that's where this story began.

Now. The truth is, when it comes to the web's culture of sharing, I haven't held up my end of the bargain; I haven't posted my own tutorial yet. For now, this post will have to suffice. And when some new writer goes searching for Kindle tips, maybe she'll find this -- and at least she'll know it's possible to go from a blank text file to a full-length novel that glows in the dark.

--Robin Sloan

October's Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less

For great books at a low price, browse this month's 100 Kindle books for $3.99 or less, a diverse offering available all month. These deals expire on October 31, 2012. Here's a selection of our favorites from October's great collection:

 

Literature & Fiction 

When It Happens to You: A Novel in Stories by Molly Ringwald, $3.99

General Nonfiction 

All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew, $2.99

 

Kids & Teens 

The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick, $1.99

 

Mysteries & Thrillers

77 Days in September by Ray Gorham, $1.99

 

Romance

Wild Montana Sky (The Montana Sky Series) by Debra Holland, $1.99

 

Science Fiction & Fantasy 

American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition (Enhanced Edition) by Neil Gaiman, $3.99

Biography & Memoir 

The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA by Antonio J. Mendez, $0.99

Guest Blogger: Dennis Lehane, on "Live by Night"

This is a guest post from Dennis Lehane about the inspiration for his "gangster novel," Live by Night.

I split my time between Boston and Tampa–St. Petersburg because my wife and snow don’t get along. One Sunday morning last year, I went to meet a friend in the Ybor City section of Tampa and arrived early. I killed time by walking around aimlessly and in a bad mood because I wanted to write a gangster novel and I couldn’t figure out how.

Back when I was eight or so, I spent several Saturday evenings watching the Jimmy Cagney Double Feature on Channel 38 in Boston with my uncle, and it set the hook in me. The problem, however, with writing a gangster story—at least for me—is that Boston was relatively quiet during the Prohibition era. I have zero idea why this was—we’re on the eastern seaboard, we’re pretty close to Canada, we’ve got a bit of history when it comes to gangsters doing gangster stuff, but for some reason, Boston spent a lot of the Roaring Twenties meowing. The other issue that gave me pause was that, as a genre, the gangster story has been done a lot. Or at least part of it has—the whiskey part. Whiskey came in from Canada and so when you think of all the great gangster novels or movies, or now—with Boardwalk Empire—gangster TV, you’re usually thinking of the whiskey trade and the cities that came to embody its illegal import—such as Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, New York, Atlantic City.

The illegal rum trade, however, was not something I’d seen explored in much depth. Rum came into the U.S. in a few ways—often it came in from the Leeward or Windward Islands or Jamaica, and reached American soil somewhere between Key West and Miami. Or, just as often, it came from Cuba and crossed the Florida Straits to Miami. But once the authorities got hip to that, a lot of loads got lost. So what was the enterprising bootlegger to do?

Ship the rum to Tampa.

With the exception of one touristy section of Sacred, I’ve never written about Tampa–St. Pete. Part of the reason is because I’m an urban writer. I write about cities. Old cities with old architecture and long memories. Part of St. Petersburg’s appeal for me, as a person, is that it’s not old and it’s not crowded. Traffic flows, parking spaces are easy to come by, all the buildings have central air conditioning. But as a writer, I’m fascinated by industrial things and crumbling things that have a history. They don’t wait for things to crumble in Florida; as soon as the paint begins to peel; they knock the building down and build a Hooters over the grave.

Except in Ybor City. Ybor is sometimes referred to (though never by locals) as Tampa’s Latin Quarter. Tampa is right across the Bay from St. Pete. During college, I misspent a few nights in Ybor because that’s where all the cool Indy clubs were. From the first time I saw it, I thought, Baby New Orleans. It’s a neighborhood of beaux-arts buildings and wrought iron terraces, stately oaks that drip Spanish moss, faded red brick walls and casitas, and small shotgun shacks where the cigar factory workers lived back when cigar manufacturing was the city’s main industry. What struck me about Ybor as I walked through it that quiet Sunday morning was how nothing had changed. Remove the Priuses and the SUVs from the streets and replace them with Model Ts and Hudson Super Sixes and you would immediately be transported to 1925.

Speaking of 1925, Ybor is where rum entered the U.S. from Cuba. How did they get it in? Well, first they bribed everyone they could. And then they built tunnels. At sea level. (A fact that I still can’t wrap my head around.) Every now and then, to this day, someone knocks down a building on the edge of Ybor and finds remnants of a tunnel. They’d run the booze or molasses in through the tunnels, distill it, if need be, in the rooms behind the restaurants, drugstores, or barbershops, then truck it across the state to Jacksonville and run it up the eastern seaboard.

Here, I thought, on that quiet Sunday morning in Ybor, is the story and the city I was looking for. Here is my gangster novel.

--Dennis Lehane

Top 10 Kindle Books of September

Our editors' picks this month include the real Count of Monte Cristo, new fiction by Junot Diaz and Zadie Smith, a riveting take on data-based forecasting (truly!), and more great choices for every reader as we balance on the cusp of fall.

The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail--but Some Don't by Nate Silver

 

 

 

 

Mortality by Christopher Hitchens

 

 

 

 

This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

 

 

 

 

The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss

 

 

 

 

Sutton by J.R. Moehringer

 

 

 

 

Every Day by David Levithan

 

 

 

 

500 Days: Secrets and Lies in the Terror Wars by Kurt Eichenwald

 

 

 

 

My Heart Is an Idiot: Essays by Davy Rothbart

 

 

 

 

NW: A Novel by Zadie Smith

 

 

 

 

 

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

 

 

Top 10 Kindle Books for August

This month's editors' picks include cheerleaders, double agents, and a trio of marvelous debuts, as well as more new choices for every reader in the dog days of summer.

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

When a childless couple in an isolated Australian lighthouse discovers an infant on the beach, the choices they make have a profound impact on their lives, hearts, and souls.

 

 

 

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

Hig survived the flu that killed most everyone else. Now this solitary pilot must follow his instincts to survive in a world where nature--not human connection--is the only real solace.

 

 

 

Double Cross by Ben Macintyre

The story of D-Day has been told from the point of view of soldiers, tacticians, and generals. Now a master of nonfiction offers a new take on this epic event: How did a band of oddball spies pull off the greatest double cross in history?

 

 

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

Award-winning novelist Megan Abbott explores the dark side of the all-American girl in this taut, suspenseful tale of a head cheerleader knocked unceremoniously off her throne.

 

 

 

When It Happens to You by Molly Ringwald

This smart, moving series of eight interlinked stories captures the rupture of a marriage, the onset of an affair, and the eminently breakable bonds between loved ones.

 

 

 

Winter Journal by Paul Auster

At nearly 64, one of our greatest modern writers is feeling his age. As he chronicles shifts in his body, mind, and passions, Auster paints a vivid, intensely personal portrait of what it means to experience the passage of time.

 

 

The Double Game by Dan Fesperman

In Dan Fesperman's sensational new thriller, a failed writer turned PR man finds himself on the trail of a fellow novelist who once hinted at a side career in Cold War espionage.

 

 

 

Dreamland by David K. Randall

Journalist David K. Randall's unexpected foray into sleepwalking inspired this thoughtful, entertaining exploration of what happens to us when we slumber.

 

 

 

We Sinners by Hanna Pylväinen

Two flawed parents, nine quirky kids, and one extreme sect of evangelical Lutheranism--what could possibly go wrong in this debut story of an exceptional family?

 

 

 

City of Women by David R. Gillham

In World War II-era Berlin, most men have joined the fight. One woman left behind faces desperate choices, finding new lovers and friends as she makes an attempt at salvation.

 

August's Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less

 

Looking for great books at a low price? Browse this month's 100 Kindle books for $3.99 or less, a diverse offering available all month. These deals expire on August 31, 2012.

Literature & Fiction 

The Magic Kingdom by Stanley Elkin, $2.99

Written with deadpan humor and poignancy, this striking and honest portrayal of life and death follows a grieving father's epic trip to Disney World with seven terminally ill children.

 

 

General Nonfiction

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, $2.99

First published in 1968 and written while Abbey was working as a ranger at Arches National Park outside of Moab, Utah. It's a rare view of one man's quest to experience nature in its purest form.

 

Kids & Teens 

Favorite by Karen McQuestion, $1.99

After young teenager Angie Favorite narrowly escapes a kidnapping attempt, the culprit's mother seeks to apologize. Angie allows the gesture and learns this woman may hold the key to her mother's disappearance.

 

Mysteries & Thrillers

Solo by Jack Higgins, $1.99

This classic thriller follows piano virtuoso and skilled assassin John Mikali. After he kills a young woman while fleeing a murder scene, the woman’s father, a British special-forces soldier, seeks vengeance and begins hunting down Mikali.

 

Science Fiction & Fantasy 

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman, $3.99

Acclaimed novelist Kim Newman explores the darkest depths of a reinvented Victorian London in his best-selling novel, a vampire tale that deftly combines horror, politics, mystery and romance.

 

 

Biographies & Memoirs

Heart in the Right Place by Carolyn Jourdan, $2.99

Carolyn Jourdan, an attorney on Capitol Hill, thought she had it made, but when her mother has a heart attack, she returns to the mountains of Tennessee where her father is a country doctor. With great humor and great tenderness, Jourdan shows that some of our biggest heroes are the ones living right beside us.

 

Cooking

The Healthy College Cookbook by Alexandra Nimetz, $2.51

Written by students for students, this collection offers hundreds of simple and healthful alternatives to dreary cafeteria fare. Even the most discerning young palates are sure to appreciate these tried and true recipes.

 

Be sure to browse August's entire selection of 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less to discover great fiction and nonfiction titles catering to all tastes.

 

Note: Deals expire on the last day of each month. Individual books may have additional territory restrictions, and not all deals are available in all territories.

Top 10 Kindle Books for July

This month's editors' picks include astronauts and cyclists and violinists (oh my!), as well as more new fiction and nonfiction for every summertime reader:

 Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer

In this singularly powerful love story that balances between two worlds, an astronaut on a perilous mission tries to save his fraying marriage to his soul mate.

 

 

 

The Long Walk by Brian Castner

Brian Castner served three tours of duty in the Middle East. When he came home, he fell apart. This is his unflinching account of the toll war exacts on those who fight.

 

 

 

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Picking up where her sensational debut left off, the second volume in Deborah Harkness's All Souls Trilogy transports you to a land of alchemy, time travel, and magical

 

 

 

The Absolutist by John Boyne

Set in the trenches of World War I, this wrenching tale of passion, jealousy, heroism, and betrayal explores the deep connections--and rifts--that form during times of trial.

 

 

 

The Last Policeman by Ben Winters

Why bother solving crimes during the countdown to the apocalypse? Detective Hank Palace may be the only one left who cares, but he refuses to let anybody get away with murder.

 

 

 

Office Girl by Joe Meno

On the cusp of the 21st century, two frustrated artists find each other. Their chemistry warms a brutal winter, sparks creativity, and gives them hope--for a few minutes, anyway.

 

 

 

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

Harold Fry, recently retired, decides one morning to walk across England. Along the way, he redefines his own strength, his failings, and what it means to truly remember.

 

 

 

Gold by Chris Cleave

Cyclists Kate and Zoe met at 19 in a national training program. Now 32, they're facing their biggest race. Each wants to win gold--and each has more than a medal to lose.

 

 

 

Broken Harbor by Tana French

In her mesmerizing fourth novel about the Dublin murder squad, best-selling author Tana French delivers her signature blend of police procedural and psychological thriller.

 

 

 

The Violinist's Thumb by Sam Kean

Sam Kean unlocked the mysteries of the periodic table in "The Disappearing Spoon." Now he turns his scientific storyteller's eye to DNA, the tiny building blocks that map our talents, our physicalities, and our future.

July's Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less

It's the middle of summer, and July's selection of 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less promises to help you make the most of the season. Here are some of our favorites:

 

Literature & Fiction 

Night of Knives by Ian C. Esslemont, $2.99

The small island of Malaz is a sleepy backwater port, expect when the Shadow Moon appears. It's an occasion that brings forth demon hounds and other, darker things.

 

 

History and Biographies & Memoirs 

Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic, $2.99

Kovic's best-selling anti-war story features a new introduction that puts his powerful and moving Vietnam War experience in a contemporary context.

 

 

Mysteries & Thrillers 

Box Nine by Jack O'Connell, $1.99

Gritty narcotics detective Leonore Thomas, with a few addictions of her own, wages war against a deadly new stimulant that induces giddiness, confidence, and sexual euphoria—with a side effect of murderous rage

 

Romance 

The Frog Prince by Elle Lothlorien, $1.99

Sex researcher Leigh discovers the handsome “someone” at her great aunt’s wake is Prince Roman Habsburg von Lorraine of Austria. What will she do with this European noble living in self-imposed exile in Denver, Colorado?

 

Kids & Teens 

Garbage Pail Kids by Art Spiegelman, $3.99

Garbage Pail Kids - a series of collectible stickers produced by Topps in the 1980s - combined spectacular artwork and over-the-top satire. This collection includes 206 rare and hard-to-find images.

 

General Nonfiction 

Lives of the Trees by Diana Wells, $1.99

Diana Wells has a remarkable ability to dig up curious and the captivating facts and stories about our deep-rooted relationship with trees, reminding us of just how innately bound we are to these protectors of our planet.

 

Self-Help 

We Are All Weird by Seth Godin, $2.99

This book is a refreshing celebration of choice and recognizing that everyone deserves the dignity and respect that comes from being heard.

 

 

Cooking/Home & Travel 

Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lukas Volger, $2.24

Whether you already subsist on veggie burgers or just enjoy them occasionally, Volger's cookbook is the one you'll use over and over again.

 

Be sure to browse July's entire selection of 100 Kindle Books for $3.99 or Less to discover great fiction and nonfiction titles catering to all tastes.

 

Note: Deals expire on the last day of each month. Individual books may have additional territory restrictions, and not all deals are available in all territories.