Kaleidoscope by Isabelle

Color Splash from Polyvore.com

It’s true what they say: you can’t miss what you don’t have.

That’s why I didn’t understand it at first. All the hype about your soulmate, and what a big deal it was to find them.

Everyone said it changed everything. But what did I know? All I’d known my whole life was a monochromatic landscape. I didn’t know what I was missing… until I met her. Until the day we bumped shoulders at the little coffee shop on Main Street and she blew my world wide open.

The Night Train by Lisa

Annie woke up feeling tired, like she’d thrashed around a lot in her sleep. Not tired enough to notice she wasn’t in her room, though. She jumped up, heart pounding, almost slipping on satiny sheets. She was in a small, lush room, all embroidered brocade and rich cloth in carefully-coordinated earth tones. Her favorite colors. There was even a small china plate of chocolate chip cookies on a tiny nightstand that was built into the wall. They smelled like they were freshly baked. She herself was in a silky negligee, but it went down to her feet, very classy-like.

She didn’t understand. She didn’t know how she’d come here. But if she’d been kidnapped or something, this was somebody really sick—who treated their hostages like royalty? She tried to remember what she’d been doing last, or at least what she’d been thinking before she’d fallen asleep, but her mind was a blank. She had an impression that she’d been with Derek—that she’d been breathing in his cologne and the smell of the ocean as he’d kissed her neck—but as she ran a hand over the same spot, the certainty skipped away, out of her grasp.

Euphoria by Isabelle

Here’s the truth. I’m a mistake. An accident.

A girl like me should not exist. Not because it’s impossible, (although let’s face it, it is) but because I’m just not cut out for the job.

I had a crappy childhood, like most of those nobody girls in fairytales who end up marrying princes. But I didn’t get a prince. I just became a freak.

Book Geek Wednesday: YA Speculative Fiction Panel

Hey readers!

I wanted to just drop in from the madness that is MayNoWriMo (good madness, as I’ve written over 3k so far, but madness none the less), and remind you all of the panel I’ll be taking part in this weekend, as part of Coyote Con!

Here are the official deets:

Young Adult Spec. Fic.

Join young adult author and librarian Heather S. Ingemar and author Isabelle Santiago as they discuss writing young adult speculative fiction, the current popularity of the category, and the future of YA.

Panel: Heather S. Ingemar, Isabelle Santiago
Moderator: Deena Fisher
Conference Room: Sun Wukong
Scheduled: 11PM EST May 15, 2010

Of course, all of us here share a love for YA fiction, so if you have any questions, book suggestions, or topics you’d like discussed in this arena please feel free to post below so I can incorporate it into my panel on Saturday!  I’d love to hear what you have to say on the matter, as I find myself often falling behind. The YA spec fiction and fantasy genres are growing by leaps and bounds, becoming more insightful and creative with each writer introduced and I just can’t keep up!

Either way, I really hope a few of you will try and make it, despite the late hour (omg, I’m getting old). It’s going to be a really fun time.