Flash Burnout by L.K. MadiganI read this a couple weeks ago along with about 4 other titles. I've heard it said you really need to read the kind of stuff you want to write and you need to read a lot of it. I qualilfy. I've lost track, but I think I have read about 300 YA books since I began this writing quest of mine two and a half years ago. Would I like to write something like Flash Burnout? You bet.
What is the number one thing I like about this book? The male point of view. I am just drawn to the male voice in any novel. I read in the author's website that Blake, the main character of her story, would not leave her alone. She had his voice inside of her and at times felt as if she was transcribing his story. Yes, the author is a she. And her Blake is so real. I hope my male characters are that real. I will have to give you all a sample of Cass soon (Cass is my main character in one of the novels I am writing.)
Summary
Fifteen-year-old Blake has a girlfriend and a friend who’s a girl. One of them loves him, the other one needs him.
When he snapped a picture of a street person for his photography homework, Blake never dreamed that the woman in the photo was his friend Marissa’s long-lost meth addicted mom. Blake’s participation in the ensuing drama opens up a world of trouble, both for him and for Marissa. He spends the next few months trying to reconcile the conflicting roles of Boyfriend and Friend. His experiences range from the comic (surviving his dad’s birth control talk) to the tragic (a harrowing after-hours visit to the morgue).
In a tangle of life and death, love and loyalty, Blake will emerge with a more sharply defined snapshot of himself.
Another Summary
Telephoto lens. Zoom. In a shutter release millisecond, Blake's world turns upside down.
The nameless woman with the snake tattoo is not just another assignment. "That's my mom!" gasps Marissa.
Saturated self-portrait: Blake, nice guy, class clown, always trying to get a laugh, not sure where to focus.
Contrast. Shannon, Blake's GF. Total. Babe.
Marissa, just a friend and fellow photographer.
Shannon loves him; Marissa needs him. How is he supposed to frame them both in one shot?
3 comments:
I am so drawn to a Male POV as well. This book sounds so great, I really must read it.
I love your second summary. The way you intersperse photographic references is great.
thanks, Carmen....but...I didn't write it :( it's from the book jacket -i usually put what's not mine in italics and i usually put where i got it from but i was lazy...gotta make sure i always do it -but gosh i really wish i wrote it!!!!
Post a Comment