While I was at BEA, I collected tons of awesome stuff, from adorable tote bags to lots and lots of ARCs for some of the hottest titles coming out this fall.  I decided that to celebrate the new blog look, I’m going to some of these goodies away.  What I did was I assembled two swag bags chock-full of cool writing stuff.  These bags are put together especially for aspiring writers interested in writing Middle Grade or YA literature.  Here’s what’s in the bags:

Each Bag Includes:

• One adorable tote bag
• One iggilicious journal designed by yours truly
• The June issue of The Writer magazine
• One pen
• One eraser
• One button that was just too funny not to grab
  And last but certainly not least…
• TWO ARCs!!!

The only thing that differs between the bags are the ARCs, which are Middle Grade for one bag and Teen for the other.  The ARCs are:

Middle Grade Bag:

• Pie by Sarah Weeks
• The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

YA Bag:

• A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
• Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Because I’m still new to this WordPress interface, I haven’t figured out how to embed the form in the post just yet.  Instead, you can enter the contest by filling out the form here: Iggi & Gabi Swag Bag Giveaway! All you have to do is fill out the form.  If you tweet the contest, you’ll automatically get an extra entry in the contest (please mention @iggiandgabi in the tweet).

Please note: While I try my best to make all my giveaways international, this time I will have to limit the giveaway to the US only.  So sorry to my international readers, but stay tuned because there are plenty of other giveaways coming this summer that will be open to everyone!

Good luck everyone!

Edit: Oops! I forgot to add one important piece of info, the end-date for the giveaway.  Contest closes at 11:59pm on Sunday, June 12. Random.org and I will do our thing and choose the winner for each bag, then I’ll announce the winners.

Welcome to this impromptu post from YA Cafe. As you probably already know, YA Cafe is a place where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature. I’m your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words.  Usually we post on Friday, when we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs.  Sometimes, though, something will happen in the world of teen literature that makes us want to respond right away, even if it isn’t a regular YA Cafe day.  This is one of those days.

You’ve probably already heard about the article titled Darkness Too Visible which appeared in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) yesterday.  Much discussion, disagreement, even outrage has ensued, coming mostly from the teen lit community.  A lot has already been said throughout the blogsphere about the various misconceptions presented in the article, so I’m not about to rehash the subject one more time in this post.  Janet Reid (AKA Query Shark) shared her straight-to-the-point response here. Misty from Nothing Cannot Happen Today raises an important question about the age-range for YA being much wider th an any other age in children’s literature.  The hashtag #YASaves is filled with links to responses from lovers of teen lit everywhere, weighing in on why YA is important.

A lot is being said from the point of view of YA readers, but I’ve been wondering about the writer perspective.  Sure, many authors of YA books have joined the discussion, but it seems the topic is approached mostly from the point of view of the reader.  Why is it important for teens to read YA?  What is the purpose and value of YA?  Why does YA matter?

These are all imp ortant questions, but what I want to know is why do we write YA?  Why is YA so important that as writers we choose to write it above all else?  As a writer, I could pick any genre, really, but why is it that YA makes my voice resonate in a way that no othe r type of writing does?  I haven’t figured out the answers yet, but I want to find out.

Questions like this are why we’re hosting the “Why Do You Write YA” blogfest on Friday.  In light of everything that has been happening in the teen lit community, I invite you all to join and tell the world why you write YA, why it it matters so much to you.  Just as people aren’t going to stop reading  YA, writers aren’t going to stop writing it either.  I know I won’t.

Hello writer friends!

As you can probably tell, iggi&gabi has a new look and a new location!  That’s right.  After about a year of using Blogger, I decided to make the switch to my own url and blog location.  My amazing web designer came up with this fantastic new look for the website and iggi and I are so, so happy with our new home!

On Monday, I’ll be announcing a super-exciting giveaway that I’ll be doing to celebrate this momentous occasion so keep an eye on the blog.  If follow the blog through an RSS feed, you should continue to get updates, but be sure to update your bookmarks, OK friends?

I’m still learning this new platform and there might be some minor goofs and glitches, so please bear with me.  More details on the giveaway will be coming on Monday!

Melissa Paris (Missy) is always stressing to me how important it is to have good posture and to work my core.  Here are some core exercises that you can do right next to your desk and without any equipment.  For more information about Melissa Paris, check out her blog and her Facebook page or connect with her on twitter (@Melissa_Paris). 

The core is the essential part of your body.  It helps you sit up straight at your desk and with proper training can prevent you from getting lower back pain.  So lets get to it!

• Plank hold for 30 seconds
• 20 Back Extensions: face down, hands laced behind head, lift upper body off the ground.
           Repeat 3 times

Plank

• 20 Bicycle Crunches
• Side Plank 15-30 seconds each side
           Repeat 3 times

Side Plank

• 20  Standing Side Bend with towel, 20 each side
• 20 Superman: face down, hands and feet lift off floor for 2 second count
           Repeat 3 times

Thanks for these awesome exercises, Missy! I’ll definitely be using them on my work breaks this week. (Even plank, which you know is my favorite :P)

Remember, you can get more information about Melissa Paris, at her blog and her Facebook page or by connecting with her on twitter (@Melissa_Paris).