[Do you have an idea for a future Mind Meld? Let us know!]

This week we asked about rebranding adult novels as YA:

I’d like to hope they already have been rebranded, but two of my favorites are part of larger series. Mercedes Lackey’s Arrows of the Queen trilogy is possibly the most YA of her early Valdemar books. And Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonsong trilogy is a great introduction to the Pern universe. I’d like to see both reissued with updated cover art, in hardback, for a YA audience.

I’d also add two books that are the first in their respective series but stand well enough alone as YA. Mary H. Herbert’s Dark Horse, and Cherry Wilder’s A Princess of the Chameln both include one of my favorite plot points: a girl disguising herself as a boy.

Last, I think The Forgotten Beasts of Eld would make a great rebranded YA book. Although the protagonist isn’t technically young enough, she has an isolated innocence that makes her seem young. Also Patricia McKillip’s writing style is so atmospheric, like a fairy tale, I think younger readers would really appreciate her style.

Read the rest of this entry

We’ve already covered first science fiction books, now it’s time to flip the coin with this week’s panelists. So we asked them:

Check below to see their responses. And tell us what book got you hooked!

The first fantasy I was ever given was Tolkien. For many, perhaps, that would be the end of the story. But I wasn’t a terribly good reader at the time, and though I read and enjoyed the The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings was like a big brick wall. I slammed right into it and couldn’t get past the barrow scene.

And so, I figured fantasy was boring stuff and went back to video games. (Atari 2600–state of the art.)

The real breakthrough came when I hit 8th grade. A teacher assigned me to do a book report, and I tried with all my conniving little heart to get her to let me do mine on one of the Three Investigators novels (which I’d enjoyed reading in second or third grade.) The result of this little power struggle was me, sullenly slinking to the back of the room where she kept her cart of books, bearing the instructions that I HAD to pick one of those to read.

And there, sitting in full Michael-Whelan-Covered-Glory, was Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly. I think angels might have sung (though it was probably the school choir class next door.) Anyway, that was beginning of the end for me. I LOVED that book; and right next to it in the card catalogue at school was a listing for Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey.

Eddings, Melanie Rawn, and Williams came next. I was thoroughly a fantasy super-geek by the time 1990 rolled around, and Eye of The World was published.

Read the rest of this entry

• Interviews & Profiles:
  • Here’s a rare an audio interview with author Leigh Brackett, conducted by film reviewer Tony Macklin. [via Marooned]
  • MentatJack interviews Rose Fox and Josh Jasper of Genreville.
  • @The Dragon Page: Alma Alexander.
• Listen to Harlan Ellison’s Dramatic Reading of the Seussified “I Will Not Read Your F***ing Script”. Obviously NSFW. [via Genreville]
• Speaking of asking writers for favors, John Scalzi rants On The Asking of Favors From Established Writers: “It looks like it’s time to do a little more head-knocking regarding the life of a writer, so let’s just start knocking heads, shall we…” Jason Sanford responds: “And the word laughed and proclaimed, ‘It’s nothing personal, but that’s life. There are always going to be distractions, people you’d prefer not to deal with, and things you’d rather not do. If any of that bothers you, simply grow a spine and say no once in a while.’”
• Angry Robot signs John Meaney and Matthew Hughes.
• J.M. McDermott writes in to tell us that Apex Book Publishing has picked up the eBook rights of his well-received debut, Last Dragon.
• Shattersnipe has a theory on Why Paranormal Romance Is No Fad
• The Official Star Wars Blog tells us that a man in Norway named Andreas Jankov has legally changed his name to Julius Andreas Gimli Arn MacGyver Chewbacka Highlander Elessar-Jankov.
• Gary Farber sees parallels between Ronald Regan and Vladimir Lenin…and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
• A new trend? Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. [via MobileRead]
• Alien and Frodo as Garbage Pail Kids. More here.
• Lists:
  • @BestScienceFictionStories: 5 Science Fiction Stories Set On The Ocean.
  @Cinematical: 7 Superheroes Without Costumes.
  • @Newsarama: 10 of Fiction’s Biggest Brains.