Welcome to the Blogging From A to Z Challenge!
My theme for 2013 is Influential Women Authors.
My definition of influential is any author, classic or modern, who has inspired writers, readers, or the larger scope of culture. Some are personal favorites, or have special meaning to me.
What this list is not: a list of the most influential writers of all time. Rather, this is a collection of influential writers, corresponding with each day's letter.
For the full list of participating blogs, click here.
J: Maureen Johnson
This Young Adult author is known for her little blue envelope series, and most recently The Name of the Star, part of a new series set in modern day London with a Jack the Ripper ghost story.
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| image: Goodreads |
I came to know of Maureen Johnson through her wild popularity on twitter. I tend to agree with her online approach, her use of twitter as a conversation, and her general dislike of the increasingly clunky Facebook experience. Also, she supports YA fiction so thoroughly, that she became sort of a figurehead in 2011 after the Wall Street Journal published a dismissive article on how Young Adult fiction is all doom and gloom or smut (I would link to it but it's too infuriating).
A twitter campaign called #YASaves quickly formed, with Johnson helping to rally other authors who have written books that represent all facets of teenage-dom, from sweet bookworms to depressed and suicidal loners. Their point: we shouldn't shy away from dark topics; books help young readers navigate those dark areas safely, and often, with hope.
Maureen Johnson is also a contributing author to Let it Snow, along with John Green and Lauren Myracle, which last I heard is being developed into a Love, Actually-type teen movie. I just scoured the internet and found no new updates other than the original information from 2011 that Paramount acquired the rights. The name of the movie will be changed since another film already exists with that title.
Here's a link to the author's website!
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She's definitely someone to look up to and says some intriguing, and sometimes funny, stuff on twitter. Love it! ^_^
ReplyDeleteShe's by far one of my favorite authors to follow on twitter :)
ReplyDeleteGreat choice! :)
ReplyDeleteI have yet to read any of her books but I've been following her for quite awhile on Twitter. Let it Snow is one I definitely need to pick up when Christmas rolls around. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for introducing me to a new YA author (not necessarily my genre). However, I do have friends who have children falling into that reading category and I love being able to direct them to a good author, especially one who despises Facebook and its clumsiness! :)
ReplyDeleteSherrey at Healing by Writing
I love Maureen Johnson! I think she was the first person I followed on Twitter, and I agree that she is a big champion of young adults having the right to experience lots of things (bad and good) through the safety net of reading.
ReplyDeleteHer novel The Key to the Golden Firebird is my K entry for this year's A-to-Z on BooksYALove!
Thanks for bringing so many great women authors up for discussion here.