This Week in YA — Issue #69
Welcome to the Voyage newsletter!
It’s another new week and another installment of this newsletter for you this week, my fellow YA enthusiasts. It’s also another new month already. May! How does this keep happening? Time is flying, and spring is well underway, including of course all kinds of new spring books. Read on for plenty of publishing news, as well as an interview with another fabulous YA author/illustrator!
News and Resources
National Poetry Month might be over, but Laura at Kirkus shared one last group of 8 Verse Novels for Teens Who Love Poetry. There were a couple here that were new to me!
The American Library Association has compiled a list of Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022. I hope people are still working to get these books into the hands of those who need them.
This week’s interviewee is featured in 15 New YA Comics and Graphic Novels Coming out April-June 2023 over on Book Riot.
Looking for your next great read? The staff at the Boston Public Library has a great list for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month 2023: 75 Books for Children, Teens & Adults.
Jen at Pop! Goes the Reader just shared Hot off the Press: May 2023 YA Only.
Finally, make sure to clear your schedule this summer because ‘Heartstopper’ Season 2 Premiere Date Unveiled!
The 5 Questions Interview Series
Each week, this newsletter will include interviews with industry professionals sharing insight about the who, what, where, when, why in YA today.
Today we’ve got an interview with author and illustrator Victoria Ying, whose YA graphic novel, Hungry Ghost, just came out last week! I wanted to read this as soon as I read the description. One look at the hauntingly beautiful cover and you’ll want to add it to your TBR too!
5 Questions Interview with Victoria Ying, YA and children’s author and artist
ABOUT HUNGRY GHOST
Valerie Chu is quiet, studious, and above all, thin. No one, not even her best friend, Jordan, knows that she has been bingeing and purging for years. But when tragedy strikes, Val finds herself reassessing her priorities, her choices, and her body. The path to happiness may lead her away from her hometown and her mother’s toxic projections—but first she will have to find the strength to seek help.
This beautiful and heart-wrenching young adult graphic novel takes a look at eating disorders, family dynamics, and ultimately, a journey to self-love.
ABOUT VICTORIA YING
Victoria Ying is an author and artist living in Los Angeles. She started her career in the arts by falling in love with comic books, which eventually turned into a career working in animation and graphic novels. She loves Japanese curry, putting things in her shopping cart online and taking them out again, and hanging out with her dopey dog. Her film credits include Frozen, Moana, Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, and Paperman. She is the illustrator of the DC Comics graphic novel Diana: Princess of the Amazons and the author and illustrator of her original graphic novels City of Secrets and Hungry Ghost.
1. Who: Who are your instabuy, go-to YA authors? And which new talent have you discovered recently?
Gosh, I have so many, it’s no wonder my wallet is a little light after going to a bookstore! Some of my favorite YA authors are Victoria (VE) Schwab, Leigh Bardugo, and Maureen Goo. I also love YA graphic novels and the authors I will absolutely buy everything from are Trung Le Nguyen, Tillie Walden, Emily Carroll, and Jillian Tamaki!
2. What: What was the most joyful moment in preparing to bring Hungry Ghost into the world?
Getting the response to the cover from my team. It was so gratifying to know that everyone was happy with the image. It took me a long time to come up with it and I’m really happy that it’s been getting such a strong reaction!
3. Where: Where is the state of YA right now, from where you sit? Where do you hope to see it go next?
I think there are more readers than ever and they want to have many different reading experiences. I hope that in the future we will see more books by marginalized people that will help build empathy for experiences that are unlike our own.
4. When: Looking ahead to next year (or beyond), what exciting things are next on the horizon for you?
I have a new Middle Grade graphic novel out with Marvel on October the 8th for Shang-Chi and the Quest for Immortality! Beyond that I’m working on a follow up to Hungry Ghost which will also feature my own experiences heavily but will be fictionalized.
5. Why: Why YA? What draws you to writing for this age group?
I love writing for this age group. In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m still struggling with the same kinds of differentiation and identity that happens when people are teens. I find that when I write for teens, I really discover more parts of myself that can be healed.
Writing Inspiration from Kip
As mentioned above (and in case it caught you by surprise too), it’s officially May! Somehow I had my head stuck in the “beginning of the year” zone, but those days are definitely over. Time is weird.
I’m personally slowly getting back into the swing of things these days after my trip last week, which means getting back to the project I was working on when I left. It’s hard to believe this manuscript was just a shiny new idea a few months ago. Every project is different of course, and you certainly never know when or if something will sell, but some things are definitely easier to create than others, and I am really in the zone with this one now.
I know many writers tend to prefer either drafting or revising, and while I really enjoy both, I have to say I do especially enjoy drafting. I love mapping out a new project and spewing out everything, even though I know it’s far from perfect at that stage. But at the same time, I look forward to the point where I have a fully completed draft. There’s definitely something magical about the point where you go back in and make everything shiny.
Best of luck on your own writing this month, whether you’re brainstorming, drafting, revising, or shuffling between projects!
Thank you for joining me on this voyage!