Teens@Random

The Buzz

Archives for Jun 2008

• Sweet Valley High Memorabilia Design Winners!

  Jun 30, 2008

  Random Buzzers called all designers to stage last month with a contest for creating cool memorabilia items for students of Sweet Valley High.

  There were many great submissions with some neat unique designs such as sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats and more. There are quite a few of you who have the creative eye for apparel design - I'm thinking that we'll be seeing some of your designs on the runways and fashion magazines in the not-too distant future!

  Although it was hard for us to pick just three, we are glad that we had so many wonderful submissions to pick from. Check out all the designs that you've created at the Sweet Valley High Gallery and rate and comment on the ones that you think are ones you'd add to your collection! Who were the three winners? Winners were selected based on a combination of unique item and design. Without further ado, the Sweet Valley High: Double Love book winners are:

  

  design by: andsheremembers

  

  design by: edward1918

  

  design by: GirlwiththeBraids

  Congratulations to you three!

  by HeadBuzzer | 9 comments |
  Filed under: Sweet Valley High

• Random Hour #6: Summer Plans

  Jun 25, 2008

  As of this past Saturday, it is officially summertime! While it can sometimes be a pain to have to deal with the sticky and overwhelming heat of summer, you’ve got to admit that it’s nice to have a break from school and more time on your hands to do what you want: reading and writing more, spending more time on Random Buzzers (obviously!), hurling water balloons at your buddies, eating ice cream until you feel like you’re going to throw up…the possibilities are pretty much endless.

  The summer is your oyster, so to speak. So with all this free time and all these possibilities, what are you planning on doing this summer?

  Personally speaking: besides reading and writing as much as I possibly can, I’ll be starting some summer college courses next week. While I’m not looking forward to spending my sunny summer afternoons cooped up in a classroom, at least one of my classes—Advanced Fiction Writing—will be fun. Still, I hope that we’ll hold at least a couple class sessions outside in the park.

  In the meantime, I’ll live vicariously through you! I’m looking forward to hearing how you’ll be spending your summers. And I’ll try not to get too jealous.

  by je55 | 23 comments |
  Filed under: Random Hour

• Random Hour #5: Borrow Another Buzzer’s Pen

  Jun 18, 2008

  I’ve been in uber-literary mode lately: when I’m not reading, I’m writing, and when I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing. It’s enough to make my brain ache by the end of the day! Still, I’m enjoying myself way too much to stop. So like the great big geek that I am, I decided that I wanted to talk to you in this week’s Random Hour about writing—your tried-and-true strategies, your happy successes, your not-so-happy failures.

  But as I learned in the “Age-Old Question” installment of Random Hour, not all of you are short story writers like me. Some of you write songs, some of you write poetry, and some of you write other things entirely. And even though we share a lot across these different media, our overall experiences remain quite different.

  So as a nerdy-but-fun way to overcome these differences, I thought we could borrow another Buzzer’s pen, so to speak, and experiment with his or her craft of choice. If the Buzzer you pick is a poet, write a poem. If he or she is a songwriter, write a song (you’ll totally get a virtual chocolate chip cookie from me if you record it and share it with us!). No need to write something long (unless you want to!), just keep it short and sweet and have fun with it!

  I’ll start. I pick Ladytron, a journalist. Here’s my journalism piece, I hope you like it!

  UNICORN FOUND IN ITALY

  It may not be nearly as majestic as its romanticized depictions in classic art, but it’s still extraordinary nonetheless: a real-life “unicorn” has been born in captivity in the Tuscan town of Prato.

  The one-year-old deer, aptly nicknamed “Unicorn,” owes its newfound fame to a genetic abnormality. Other deer in its breed, including its twin, commonly have two horns, while little Unicorn only has one. Experts say that while there have been prior cases of single-horned deer, what makes this animal particularly exception is its location at the center of its head.

  Source

  P.S.: Sharing your preferred writing medium here will help make this game easier for your fellow Buzzers!

  by je55 | 35 comments |
  Filed under: Random Hour

• Likely Story – Book a Day Giveaway!

  Jun 16, 2008

  Oh, the drama! There have been so many great soap opera personality profiles that you have been sending in along with the zany and drama-filled plotlines and they have been amusing to say the least. If you haven’t had a chance yet, go check out what Random Buzzers are writing about in the Likely Story: Soap Opera Drama activity.

  There have been some great character profiles that have been coming in that need to be shared with you all. Here are just a few of the fun character profiles for Likely Story: Perfect Soap Star:

  Isabella DeCosta - Isabella is an 18 year old star, and she won't let anybody forget it. She makes sure that she is always waited on. Her hair always has to look perfect and her clothes have to be designer. Her brown ringlets are never shorter than her lower back. She is extremely rich and snobby, but under her hard exterior is a fragile girl too afraid to let anyone in.

  Character profile by: fieldhockeyluver25

  Micah McSteamy - Micah McSteamy would be the ultimate hearthrobe. I mean were talking drop dead gorgeous here! With his auburn curls and deep set blue eyes this guy is certain to capture the hearts of the young and old alike. Micah is the guy who the main girl has an affair with. Yes, we all want to hate him for his homewrecker status, but gosh those eyes, how can we?!? Not only is he having a secret affair with the lead girl, but he's best friends with her husband, steam...definitely! In short Micah McSteamy is one that everyone will lust after, but no one wants to date!

  Character profile by: andanotherbookread

  Allison Harris - Allison has dark brown hair. (At the moment) she loves to change her hair color and has alot of funky cool outfits. She lives with her mother who is never home. Her father died when she was young and left her and her mother VERY wealthy. She would be the girl to never make up her mind. One week she would be in love with "Jacob" and then the next week it would be "Lucas". All the guys would love her but she would be known as the heartbreak because of her not being about to make up her mind.

  Character profile by: stringbean8904

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  Still need your own copy of Likely Story? You’re just in luck! We will be giving out copies of the book all this week and next and all you have to do is simply answer the daily question on the forum and you could be 1 of 10 winners!

  Want to see what today's Likely Story question is? Go HERE to start answering and see what others are saying!

  by HeadBuzzer | 7 comments |
  Filed under: Likely Story

• Random Hour #4: Do we read enough?

  Jun 11, 2008

  Way back in the day (or so I’ve been told), the idea of “leisure” was synonymous with plopping down on a comfy chair and reading a book after a long day of old-fashioned hard work. While that definition still holds true for some, we can’t ignore the fact that we live in a different world today. Books now have to compete with television, video games, and the computer, among other new technologies.

  Out of sheer curiosity, I did a little Googling to get some sort of grasp on how much modern society reads. Some sources were a little more pessimistic, such a New York Times article in which Apple CEO Steve Jobs stated that “people don’t read anymore…forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year.” At the other extreme, I also found a local news article that declared that we live in the “golden age of young adult literature.” Personally speaking, I’d much rather believe what the local news article says, but I have no idea if what it’s saying is true. I know just as many people who read as those who don’t.

  What do you think—do teens read enough today? Do you agree that we’re living in a “golden age,” or are books just a dying medium? If you believe the latter, what do you think we can do (if anything) to revive society’s interest in literature?

  by je55 | 22 comments |
  Filed under: Random Hour

• Random Hour #3: Inspired by Books

  Jun 4, 2008

  Feeling nostalgic for my favorite YA books of yesteryear, I just reread Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. While I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I did the first time around (ten years ago!), I was struck with the uncanny resemblance it bore to my own "novella" I mentioned in previous posts. This wasn't a huge surprise, though; just about every story I wrote when I was in elementary/middle school was basically an exercise in taking the plot of a book I liked, tweaking it a little, and renaming the characters. I like to think of this as a necessary component of my growth as a writer...uh, rather than full-out plagiarism, that is.

  I still get many story ideas from books, but in a far subtler manner. I'll notice a theme, certain qualities about a character, etc, that I'd like to explore more on my own. I'm not alone in using books as more than just a form of entertainment; I have a friend whose drawings and art pieces are largely inspired by what she reads—she created a beautiful painting that incorporated several themes from her favorite book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. On the other hand, I have a couple of friends who read just for the fun of it, and nothing more.

  Where do you stand: are books purely a source of entertainment, or do they have other uses, too? One of my favorite things about reading is that the story can affect us in ways the author may never have intended. Books inspire me to write, they inspire others to create art; do they inspire you, too? How? Are there any books in particular that have been especially inspiring to you?

  by je55 | 18 comments |
  Filed under: Random Hour

• Enroll in the Vroengard Academy!

  Jun 3, 2008

  First and foremost, we’d like to welcome all new members who have enrolled into the Vroengard Academy and found their way to Random Buzzers! We are very glad to have you on board with us!
  
  If you don’t know what the Vroengard Academy is yet, you can go check it out HERE. As many of you know (and are quite excited about), Christopher Paolini’s next installment to The Inheritance Cycle, Brisingr, will be coming out later this summer and we here at Random Buzzers want you to be in on all the latest buzz about the highly anticipated book. Vroengard Academy is an interactive online game that you can play all throughout the summer as you gear up for the release. You will be tested in a series of trials that will test your mental, physical, and magical knowledge – get through them and not only will you be rewarded as an individual but you’ll also earn points for your team! What team, you say? Join the game NOW to find out!
  
  Remember to head on over to the Vroengard Academy forums to discuss and share your revelations as you journey throughout the game this summer!

  by HeadBuzzer | 90 comments |
  Filed under: brisingr Inheritance Cycle Vroengard Academy

• Rosemary Clement Moore Joins the Buzz!

  Jun 2, 2008

  Rosemary Clement Moore, author of Prom Dates from Hell will be joining us starting TODAY as the next featured author! Please help us welcome her to the Random Buzzers community where she will be answering questions you may have for her regarding her writing, works and her outlook on life as an author.

  If you haven’t already taken a look at the Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series, read an excerpt HERE to see what strange happenings Maggie encounters in Prom Dates from Hell. Have you taken a look at what your fellow readers are encountering in their own nightmare proms? Check out the latest activities for Prom Dates from Hell to see the spooky proms and ghastly dates that other readers have dreamed (or nightmared) up!

  
  Want a copy of Prom Dates from Hell? Come by and chat with Rosemary Clement Moore while she’s with us as the featured author and you may very well win a copy of the book. 5 lucky members who participate in the discussions will be entered into a drawing for a copy of the book!
  Before Rosemary Clement Moore officially joins us as the featured author, she wanted to share a little note with you:
  
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  Dear Random Buzzers,
  
  I’m thrilled to be able to chat with you here at the Random Buzz. Thank you so much for inviting me. I love talking about books--about reading them and about writing them!
  
  Sometimes I joke about having told stories my whole life, but this isn’t far from the truth. I can’t remember when I wasn’t making stories up in my head. In my house, “I’m bored” was the worst thing you could say, because my mom would find something for you to do and it probably wasn’t going to be an fun. But Mom was also the one who told me to make up daydreams in my head. They all starred me (who else?) and became more and more elaborate as I got older, and I started writing them down. Eventually the main character stopped being “me” and became much more interesting. She was a fighter pilot or a princess in disguise, who had to rescue the kingdom from an evil usurper and… Well, you get the picture.
  
  I admit that all my characters--the good ones and the bad ones--still have a little bit of “me” inside them. One of the things I love about writing supernatural books is that its very satisfying to create a big, huge, possible-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it problem, and then kick its booty. Problem in real life are often more complicated, usually less black and white. But experiencing things in books --even bizarre, off the wall, fantasy-type things-- can sometimes help us think about how we handle our own problems.
  
  Plus, it’s fun to play make-believe inside the covers of a book! Here’s to daydreaming, on and off the page.
  
  Best wishes and happy reading,
  
  Rosemary Clement-Moore

  by HeadBuzzer | 7 comments |
  Filed under: Prom Dates from Hell Rosemary Clement Moore