Joyana Peters, Author at Joyana Peters

NanoWriMo: How Do WE Protect Our Most Vulnerable Authors?

NanoWriMo Young Writers Program

This post saddens me to write, as I have been a long-time supporter and participant in National Novel Writing Month challenges. You may even remember my post (here) from just last year citing the benefits of participating. I still stand by the benefits of pushing yourself to get into the habit of prioritizing writing for a month. But I can no longer say I stand by or respect the NanoWriMo organization or platform as a whole. Here is what is unfolding in this NanoWriMo controversy. (I will use the term allegedly for legal protection where necessary.)

Those of you familiar with the platform know that in addition to your own Dashboard where you create your work in progress and receive your milestone badges there are also a multitude of chat threads and forums.

Last spring, it was uncovered that a moderator of these forums was allegedly using the platform to lure teens to a fetish site that he allegedly owned which showcased content involving minors. There were also allegations made that this same moderator was approving users from that same fetish site into the forum and allowing them to engage with teen NanoWriMo users.

The story gets more upsetting in seeing how long it took for NanoWriMo staff to intervene and take action and in the lack of transparency and accountability the organization has been taking in regards to the situation.

My reasons for sharing this information are two-fold. One- I feel the writing community needs to know about what allegedly transpired and how the organization failed to respond. Especially since they offer a Young Writers Program targeting teens under the age of 18 and K-12 educators.

Two- I feel there is a larger issue here that needs to be discussed. How do we protect young writers who want to participate in writing communities? And honestly, is it even appropriate for teens to be participating in some of these adult writing communities?

Should age play a role in an authors’ journey?

This is a situation where I feel technology and its accessibility has played a role. For instance, I’m involved in a number of engagement groups on Instagram. These are all geared towards authors and bookstagrammers. But there is no limit on genre or content that participates. As a result, there are some very explicit erotica book covers and reviews being showcased.

Not long ago I saw that a thirteen year old girl was admitted to some of the groups since she had written a book. It was discussed in some of the chats that authors were uncomfortable sharing this content with her. I brought it to the attention of one of the moderators and she said she wanted to support the girl in her writing endeavors, but she did understand the concern. Eventually, the girl was removed from the group.

This is where the internet has blurred the lines. If this had taken place in an actual physical setting would we have had a sole child sitting in a room full of adults sharing this content? But with the faceless nature of online presences that incongruous distinction is easier to overlook.

I wish I could say I had an answer to this dilemma. As both a former educator and a once voracious young writer myself, I get it. Teens want support, they want to learn, they want mentorship and community. But online writing communities might not be that answer. In general, online hobby communities might not be the answer. They are too difficult to monitor and there is no way to ensure security.

Instead, look for in-person learning opportunities in your community. Check for school clubs and classes. Many local colleges offer camps and young writing programs. See below for some examples. Try entering young writer competitions- still the broader potential without the online presence.

What are your thoughts on this issue?

Follow up Resources and Ideas-

Young writers workshop

encourage a Young writer day

Washington college

Scholastic art &. writing awards

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Changemaker Spotlight: Get to Know Louisa May Alcott

Meet the Woman behind the Women

Pretty much everyone in society has heard of the classic novel, Little Women. To this day, the March girls are some of my favorite book characters. One of my childhood games was trying to classify which sister would fit someone’s personality. For instance, I’m a total Jo. Who would you be? Along with my love of all things Little Women, I have to love the woman behind the book. So, who was Louisa May Alcott?

Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer and poet. She was born on November 29th, 1832 in Philadelphia. Alcott’s parents were passionate in both their religious and political beliefs. Alcott was mainly home schooled and was a voracious reader. She was especially moved by philosopher Henry David Thoreau, and authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathanial Hawthorne. These inspirations are demonstrated in her writing.

Much like the March sisters, Alcott was one of four daughters and remained close with her sisters through adulthood. She was ahead of her time in writing educated, strong female characters in her 19th century novels. As a result, her writing greatly impacted American literature.

Alcott was first published in 1854 and gained a following of both adults and children even though she published many of her early works under the name A.M. Barnard. In 1868, her publisher asked Alcott to write a book for young women. To do so, she channeled her own experience growing up. Little Women was first published as a series of short stories, but was eventually compiled into one novel. The book was an instant success and immediately cemented Louisa May Alcott as one of the top novelists of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Little Women, Big Impact

Alcott published a few sequels to Little Women in later years. She also became active in the women’s suffrage movement and wrote for a number of publications championing women’s rights.

Alcott never married or had children. She did adopt her niece after her sister died. She settled in Boston and continued to write stories about the characters from Little Women. Alcott unfortunately suffered from poor health which she attributed to mercury poisoning while she worked as a nurse during the Civil War. As a result, she died in 1888 at the age of 56.

To this day, Louisa May Alcott continues to be a household name and her novels remain on best seller lists throughout the world.

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Changemaker Spotlight: Meet Nellie Bly, The Best Reporter in America

Are you familiar with the name Nellie Bly? I’ve mentioned before that Nellie Bly is pretty important to Ruth in her third installment. Today I want to explain why. So, who was Nellie Bly?

Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochron on May 5th, 1864. Her father was quite wealthy and owned a mill in Pennsylvania. However, when Bly was six, her father died suddenly without a will. Unable to maintain their estate, they left the area and Bly’s mother remarried. She unfortunately divorced in 1878 due to abuse.

By the time Bly was 15, the family’s struggles had increased. Bly had been in and out of schools as the family moved around. They finally settled in Pittsburgh and Bly began to look for work to help support the family. Unfortunately due to her lack of regular education and her gender, work was hard to find.

Around that time, The Pittsburgh Dispatch published an article criticizing women in the workforce. Fed up, Bly penned a letter to the editor in response. She called for more opportunities for women, especially those responsible for the well-being of their families. The editor saw potential in her piece and invited her to work at the Dispatch as a reporter. She used the pen name Nellie Bly which she took from a well-known song at the time.

Bly quickly became a popular columnist, but was limited to only writing pieces that addressed women and soon quit in frustration. Wanting to write about more serious topics, Bly began searching for a newspaper that wouldn’t pigeon-hole her.

“While I live, I hope” – Nellie Bly

She moved to New York City in 1886 and soon famously stormed the office of the New York World demanding to speak to Joseph Pulitzer. She offered him a story about the immigrant experience. Pulitzer declined that story, but challenged her to investigate one of New York’s worst mental asylums, Blackwell’s Island. Bly not only accepted the assignment, she decided to pretend to have a mental illness to get herself admitted and experience firsthand how the patients were treated. With this assignment Bly became one of the most famous reporters in history.

Bly’s Ten Days in the Madhouse shocked the public and led to massive overhauls of the institution. In addition, her hands-on approach to reporting led to a new practice called investigative journalism. She continued to expose problems in New York society like mistreatment of domestic workers, a black market for buying infants, and corruption in state legislature. She captivated the public.

Her career hit a new high in 1889 when she decided to travel the world after reading Jules Verne’s popular novel, Around the World in 80 Days. The New York World published daily updates of her journey and she completed her travels in 72 days, a world record at the time.

Bly continued to publish influential pieces and interviewed some of the top labor rights activists, politicians and writers of her time. She then married at the age of thirty and retired from journalism.

A New Chapter in the Nellie Bly Story

Her husband died in 1903, leaving her in charge of his massive manufacturing companies. She became an inventor, patenting a number of products to enhance worker productivity in the oil industry, many of which are still used today. She also prioritized worker’s welfare, offering benefits and insurance. Unfortunately, Bly was not great with handling the financial side of the businesses and eventually had to declare bankruptcy.

She returned to journalism during WWI, again reporting on a number of impactful issues. Bly’s story ends soon after the war when she died from pneumonia in 1922. She was remembered in tributes by many as the “best reporter in America.”

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How to Get Your Book on the Bestseller List

Once upon a time there was a procedure and specific order to everything in the publishing industry. An author would obtain an agent who would shop a book around until an editor picked it up. The book would be launched with a marketing team who would arrange for a publicity tour etc. And then they’d all wait with bated breath to see if the book would sell the magical number to get on the almighty New York Times Best Seller list. But that process has massively changed in recent years. Between self-publishing and cutbacks at traditional publishing houses an author is pretty much on their own for marketing. So in this day and age- how does a book get on the bestseller list?

Note this topic is important for both authors and readers because I want readers to also know that the best seller stamp on the cover of the book you’re shopping, might not mean what you think it means.

In the past, that New York Times best seller stamp truly meant a book was loved by the masses. It was pretty much the only list out there and was a true testament to sales in national bookstores, which were brick and mortar and the only way to get books at the time.

Today, there are obviously many more ways to purchase books, which also makes it more difficult to get an accurate count of books sold. There are also many more “best seller” lists out there. To make the NY Times Best Seller list today, a book must sell about 1,000 to 10,000 copies in a week. Big range there huh?

How Does a Book Get on the Bestseller List?

To make the USA Today Best Seller list- a book must sell about 5,000-6,000 copies in one week. Then there are the Amazon Best Seller lists which are honestly the biggest jokes of all. For one thing, they are updated every hour. So an author can take that picture and brand themselves an Amazon Best Seller after one hour of good sales. And there are a million Amazon best seller lists based on hundreds of random categorical lists. An author can winnow down an Amazon category list to the most obscure where they’re competing against only five to ten books for that bestseller status.

The other important thing to note is that all of these lists are based on a limited period of sales. Again, in the old days there was very little people could do to manipulate the sales period. We didn’t have the same newsletter lists, social media followings and book promotional tools that are available today.

But now, all you need to do is search in Google and you’ll find tons of videos and blog posts about how to get your book on a best seller list in five easy steps etc. There is collaboration and planning that goes into throwing everything you can at getting sales for that one specific week to get your book on the lists.

That one week scope has obviously been taken advantage of over the years. But it has actually been a complaint and shortcoming stemming back to the 1930s when the best seller lists launched. The list has always favored mass sales in a short period of time rather than slower, but steadier sales over longer periods. This means there have always been books that have had long-term larger sales that have never made the list

So are the best seller lists an accurate portrayal of a book’s quality? To me, I have to say no. Because of the above mentioned marketing angles, I do not see how these lists can really be the best judgment of quality.

Now I do see the potential value of aiming to get on a list. There is obviously a tempting marketing angle to that title. But it just feels gimmicky. Like a smoke and mirrors stunt for a one week span. But I’m just one person, what do you think?

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The Ultimate Bookworm’s Checklist: 100 Must-Read Books Before You Grow Up

November 1st was National Family Literacy Day. I love this concept because sharing my love of books is a cornerstone of my childrearing. I remember being pregnant and creating a list of famous children’s books I couldn’t wait to share. My childrens’ first field trips as babies were to the library with mommy.

In addition to fostering a general love for reading, I feel books have become a way to create and share memories. Flipping through pictures of my children growing up, I have sooo many pictures of them reading with every member of the family- grandparents, aunts, cousins, parents, with each other etc. Reading has become a love language shared amongst the most important people in their lives.

There is nothing quite so special as connecting with another person over a book. There are few toys I’ve kept from my childhood, but I have quite a few books I’ve passed down to my children. It has brought me great joy to see their eyes light up with excitement over some of my own childhood faves. Charlotte’s Web, Matilda, Harry Potter, Freckle Juice, it is a magical feeling to hear your children laugh at parts you remember loving yourself as a child. It’s like capturing the joy all over again ten-fold. There’s a reason why these books are on every classic children’s book list! They’re timeless and meant to be shared!

To encourage you all to share some of these childhood faves with the children in your lives, I’ve created a Childhood Favorites Book List. Please enjoy perusing it and I hope it brings some joy to your lives. See you next week!

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Scary Good Halloween Book List for Adults

It’s Halloween and what can be better than some spooky historical fiction reads? In case you couldn’t tell from my post last week, my particular fave are fiction books about witches and magic. What can I say? I love a good, powerful woman. But I promise, I will not allow my favorite witch books to dominate this list completely. My Halloween Book Lists for Adults are adequately weighed with all the spooks and creepy. So here we go!

Starling House by Alix. E. Harrow

This is a brand new book out just this month. It was my Book of the Month pick. I will admit I found Alix E. Harrow because of my witch book obsession with her fantastic book The Once and Future Witches.

Starling House lives up to Harrow’s mastery as well. It can be described as a modern gothic fantasy. See the full description below.

See the full description below:

I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen….

Opal is a lot of things—orphan, high school dropout, full-time cynic and part-time cashier—but above all, she’s determined to find a better life for her younger brother Jasper. One that gets them out of Eden, Kentucky, a town remarkable for only two things: bad luck and E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth century author of The Underland, who disappeared over a hundred years ago.

All she left behind were dark rumors—and her home. Everyone agrees that it’s best to ignore the uncanny mansion and its misanthropic heir, Arthur. Almost everyone, anyway.

I should be scared, but in the dream I don’t hesitate.

Opal has been obsessed with The Underland since she was a child. When she gets the chance to step inside Starling House—and make some extra cash for her brother’s escape fund—she can’t resist.

But sinister forces are digging deeper into the buried secrets of Starling House, and Arthur’s own nightmares have become far too real. As Eden itself seems to be drowning in its own ghosts, Opal realizes that she might finally have found a reason to stick around.

In my dream, I’m home.

And now she’ll have to fight.

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Weyward by Emilia Hart

This was my Book Club pick this month and it was a fantastic read! It also provided a rich conversation and analysis.

See below for description.

“A brave and original debut, Weyward is a spellbinding story about what may transpire when the natural world collides with a legacy of witchcraft.” ––Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The London Séance Society

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family’s grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

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How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

If you haven’t read a Grady Hendrix book yet, you’re missing out. I first became familiar with Hendrix after reading The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. It was disgusting, terrifying, hilarious and absolutely fabulous! How to Sell a Haunted House is Hendrix’s newest book and it very much lives up to Hendrix expectations.

Read below for full description.

New York Times bestselling author Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.

When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. Louise doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.

Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…

Like his novels The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires and The Final Girl Support Group, How to Sell a Haunted House is classic Hendrix: equal parts heartfelt and terrifying—a gripping new read from “the horror master” (USA Today).

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Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas

I love Isabel Canas books. Her lyrical language and supernatural versions of classic genres are no short of pure magic. I first discovered her when I read The Hacienda last year. The Hacienda is Rebecca set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence and was a true gothic story.

Vampires of El Norte is Canas version of a supernatural Western.

See a full description below.

Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.

Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.

When the United States invades Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.

And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.

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What are your favorite haunted reads and which books on my Halloween Book List for Adults will make your reading list?

If you enjoyed this book list, make sure you check out Joyana’s other Book Lists HERE!

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