On November 4, 2015 at Pasadena Central Library, teens and young adults participated in a writing workshop with young adult authors Lori Goldstein (Becoming Jinn) and Charlotte Huang (For the Record).  Whether they were working deep into their novels or just experimenting with writing, everyone tried their hand at developing strong characters.

Goldstein and Huang developed a character interview worksheet.  Writers answered the questions as best they could.  The questions started with “outward” traits (physical) and moved toward the “inward” traits (internal/feelings).  At the end of the workshop, participants asked the authors questions about their personal experiences with writing or getting published.

More about the authors…

lorigoldstein

About Lori:  Lori Goldstein is the author of YA fantasy Becoming Jinn and its sequel Circle of Jinn (due out May 17, 2016). She was born into an Italian-Irish family and raised in a small town on the New Jersey shore. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Lehigh University and worked as a writer, editor, and graphic designer before becoming a full-time author. She currently lives and writes outside of Boston. –from lorigolsteinbooks.com

Summary of Becoming Jinn:

Wishing doesn’t make it so, Azra does. 

Azra Nadira’s Jinn ancestry means magic has always been inside her. But the rules don’t allow her to begin drawing upon it until the day she turns sixteen. The day she receives the silver bangle that releases her powers and transforms her into a genie.

It doesn’t have to be tight like a handcuff to achieve the same effect.

Her destiny is now controlled by the powerful Afrit who rule over the Jinn world, and she must keep her true identity a secret from all but the fellow Jinn who make up her Zar sisterhood.

Though she grew up with these five Jinn “sisters,” they’ve always wanted the one thing Azra never has: to become a Jinn. This fact separates Azra from them now more than ever. When she reconnects with Henry, the human boy across the street she used to play with as a child, she finds in him the best friend her Zar sisters are supposed to be.

The more she uses her powers, the less she feels like a Jinn. Maybe that’s because her focus begins to shift to Nate, the lifeguard with the underwear model exterior and sweet, shy interior.

Her attachments to Henry and Nate and the human world begin to further strain her ties to her Zar and the Jinn. With her attention divided, she skirts the rules, and her genie mistakes begin to mount, along with the consequences.

As Azra uncovers the darker world of becoming Jinn, she realizes when genies and wishes are involved, there’s always a trick.

charlottehuang

About Charlotte:  Charlotte Huang is the author of YA contemporary fiction For the Record.  She is a graduate of Smith College and received an MBA from Columbia Business School, which is clearly something every aspiring writer should do. When not glued to her computer, she cheers her two sons on at sporting events and sometimes manages to stay up late enough to check out bands with her music agent husband. –from charlottehuangbooks.com

Summary of For the Record:

Chelsea thought she knew what being a rock star was like … until she became one. After losing a TV talent show, she slid back into small-town anonymity. But one phone call changed everything

Now she’s the lead singer of the band Melbourne, performing in sold-out clubs every night and living on a bus with three gorgeous and talented guys. The bummer is that the band barely tolerates her. And when teen hearthrob Lucas Rivers take an interest in her, Chelsea is suddenly famous, bringing Melbourne to the next level—not that they’re happy about that. Her feelings for Beckett, Melbourne’s bassist, are making life even more complicated.

Chelsea only has the summer tour to make the band—and their fans—love her. If she doesn’t, she’ll be back in Michigan for senior year, dying a slow death. The paparazzi, the haters, the grueling schedule … Chelsea believed she could handle it. But what if she can’t?