Book Club Discussion Questions: Royally Crushed

Since the release of Royally Crushed, which includes all three books in the Valerie Winslow trilogy, I've received a number of e-mails asking me to post discussion questions for book clubs and reading groups who've selected the book.  I've also received several e-mails asking for ideas for book report topics.

First, I want to say THANK YOU for choosing Royally Crushed for your book club or book report!  Second, here are the promised questions.  Feel free to add your own in the comments.  I'd love to see what topics have captured your interest.

Book Club Discussion Questions:  Royally Crushed

1)  In an early scene in Royally Jacked, Valerie and her friends are smoking behind Wendy's.  Cigarettes come up again later in the story.  While we often see characters smoking in fiction, it's not usually in a romantic comedy meant for teens. Is it ever appropriate for teens to smoke in fiction?  Does the fact that Royally Crushed is comedy change your answer?

2)  The entire series (Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over) is told in Valerie's point of view.  How might the story have changed if some scenes were written in Georg's point of view?

3)  It's clear in the early chapters of Royally Jacked that Val thinks of herself as open-minded; she even states that she doesn't care whether a person is gay or straight.  However, Val has obvious issues with her mother's sexuality.  Is Val as open-minded as she thinks?  Do her issues stem more from the divorce itself than from the fact her mother is gay?  Would her distrust of her mother have been any different if her mother left her father for a man?

4)  Schwerinborg is a fictional German-speaking country.  Did it seem real to you?  What about the descriptions made it seem that way?

5)  Who is the better match for Valerie in the long run, David or Georg?  Is she better off alone?  What makes you feel that way?

6)  In Spin Control, Valerie's mother and Gabrielle drop her off at a PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meeting without telling her about it first.  Was this appropriate?  Was it a valuable meeting for Valerie?  Were the situations and reactions of the others attending the meeting reflective of the real world?

7)  Royally Crushed is a lighthearted romantic comedy, yet the characters deal with some serious issues in the story (divorce, relationships, sexuality, politics, media.)  Is it appropriate for such issues to appear in a romantic comedy, or should these issues always be addressed in a serious manner?

8)  How does the media change the nature of Valerie and Georg's relationship?  Do you think they should be more open with their friends at school?

9)  How does Valerie's relationship with each of her parents grow and change over the three books?  There are times where she's confused about each of their actions, times when she's angry, and times when she appreciates them.  Are her reactions appropriate?

10)  Some of the communication between Valerie and her friends is via e-mail.  Many YA books have e-mail exchanges between characters.  Does it change the nature of the story when some interaction between characters is in person and some is online, and they can't see each other's faces?  What do you think of e-mail exchanges in fiction?

11)  The author wrote a bonus short story, Reality Check, for readers of Royally Crushed who wanted to see more of popular character Jules Jackson.  What do you think of "bonus" chapters in books?  What about the new trend of publishers posting prequels to popular series?

Book Report Time

You probably came across today's blog because you did a Google search using the term "Book Report" and then either "Niki Burnham" or the title of one of my books.  Since I can only assume you typed in those phrases because you're actually writing a book report, I hope you find today's blog useful.

I decided to write about book reports because I can pretty much guess what time of year it is by the subject lines that pop into my e-mail inbox.  If I'm getting e-mails with headers such as, "Help! Book Report on YOU!" or "Royally Jacked Questions" or "Sticky Fingers--Very Important!" I know that it's the week before Thanksgiving (when many book reports seem to be due), one of the last two weeks in February (ditto) or the week before April break.  Such is the cycle of the school year and projects.

While I am truly flattered that you chose one of my books for a report (I'm going to assume you chose it, because if you were assigned the book and didn't want to read it, I don't want to know), and I am glad you took the time to find my website and e-mail me, it's not the best way for you to get information for a book report. 

First off, book reports usually have a due date.  My inbox doesn't, so when I'm traveling or on deadline, it's easy for me to get a few weeks behind on reading and responding to e-mail.  By the time I see your e-mail, it's quite possible your deadline will be long past.  Second, if I answer one person's book report questions I'd feel obliged to answer them all, and I don't have time to write, eat, AND answer book report questions.  (I'll admit it, it's mostly because I like to eat.)  Finally, there are a lot of questions I can't answer, even if I want to answer them.  "What's the theme of Goddess Games?" is a question only you, as a reader, can answer.  And I couldn't begin to tell you about symbolism.  Again, these are for the reader to interpret.

That being said, I don't want to leave you frustrated!  There are a few things you can do to help with your reports:

   1)  If you're writing about a specific book, go the main page of my website and click on the link for that book.  There is an excerpt (which you should have already read, since you have the book and read the whole thing) and a section called Behind The Scenes.  The Behind The Scenes might be helpful to you. 

   2)  You can go to the About Niki page of the website to find out more about me.  Anything that you see there is fine to use in your report.  There is more biographical info on the Press Kit page, but that requires downloading a PDF file.

   3)  There is a page on the site called FAQ with answers to common questions about each book, about my writing process, and about where I get my ideas. 

   4)  You can always search this blog by clicking on the keywords at the bottom of posts.  That will bring up all the other posts on that topic.  To help you, I put the titles of all my books in the keywords at the end of this post.  Click the one you want, and it will bring up every blog about that book.

Hope you find that helpful!  Again, as much as I wish I could explain themes and motifs, if I took the time to answer every e-mail I receive about book reports, it would mean that no more books of mine would be published, because I wouldn't have the time I need to write them and would miss my own deadlines.  Which, in turn, means I would not eat.  (Did I mention that I like to eat?)  I work hard to meet or beat my deadlines, just as I know you work hard to turn in your book reports when they're due.

However, if you think this is rather uncool of me and that an author should simply write your book report for you (because admit it, some of you who have e-mailed me in the past were hoping for this!)  I urge you to check out author Pete Hautman's website.  He's the author of several phenomenal books you may have already read, such as Godless, Blank Confession, and Hole In The Sky.  Pete has an entire page of book reports ready to go, right here.  I think you'll get a better grade if you follow my suggestions, rather than going for Pete Hautman's reports, but that's your call.  Good luck!

Royally Crushed

Happy news this week:  my publisher, Simon Pulse, has decided to re-release all three books in the Valerie Winslow series (which includes Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over) in a single volume with the new title Royally Crushed.

Royally Jacked, the kick-off book to the trilogy, was an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers and was named to the New York Public Library's list of Books for the Teen Age.  As you can imagine, I'm thrilled to see these books released as one volume (especially in time for the royal wedding in England...how fun is that?)

Best of all, the book also has a gorgeous new cover.  What do you think?

If you've had a hard time finding any of the books in the series, or were waiting to get one until you could get all three to read at once, this is the volume to grab.  It will hit store shelves on March 22.  In the meantime, if you'd rather pre-order online, here are links to booksellers now offering the book:

•  Amazon.com
•  Barnes & Noble
•  Books-A-Million
•  Borders
•  Buy.com
•  IndieBound

Note:  Some booksellers have the wrong cover art displayed...if you click on on one of these links and it displays a cover that says Take A Chance on Me, that's still Royally Crushed.  Some websites are still updating to show the new cover (which I adore!)

Party In The U.S.A....Or Schwerinborg

Fan mail is one of the best things about being a writer. I've had thirteen books and two novellas published, but never fail to enjoy the "squee!" moment of opening each day's fan mail.

Lately, however, a huge percentage of my mail has contained various forms of the same question: When will there be a movie based on the Royally Jacked books?

The answer is: I don't know. I am a writer living in Boston, not the head of a movie studio. However, I do have an agent who handles these sorts of things, so you never know! A movie or TV show is always a possibility. And it's definitely fun to think about.

I'm not sure what spurred the recent deluge of When-Is-Val-Going-Onscreen mail (do you know something I don't?), but it's been fun to read all the suggestions you have for casting.

Judging from your e-mails, the number one pick for Valerie is Miley Cyrus. I can see that--she has that clean cut, yet edgy vibe you get with Val. And, of course, there's the whole relationship with her dad (which is a huge part of the Royally Jacked series.) So that gives Billy Ray a role, too.

Miley's not the only name to hit my in-box, however. Here, some of the suggestions that have been made recently:

Valerie Winslow: Ashley Tisdale, Taylor Swift, Shailene Woodley, and Jennette McCurdy (quite a range there!)

Prince Georg: Joe Jonas (LOTS of e-mails for Joe), Daniel Radcliffe, Daren Kagasoff

David Anderson: Chace Crawford (the top suggestion), Jesse McCartney, Jason Earles

Christie Toleski: Taylor Swift (nearly as many e-mails for Taylor to play Christie as for Miley to play Val!), Emily Osment, Dakota Fanning

Jules Jackson: Kristin Stewart, Selena Gomez, Taylor Momsen

Natalie Monschroeder: Demi Lovato, Emma Roberts, Vanessa Hudgens, Miranda Cosgrove

Ulrike: Abigail Breslin, Dakota Fanning

Steffi: Minka Kelly, Nikki Reed

Fun, huh? But the one that made me call my husband to the computer with a "Watch this!" was a YouTube video trailer. Apparently, it's been posted to YouTube for several months, but I only heard about it last week.



(If that's not working, check it out right here.)

So what do you think? Who would you cast? And what about other romantic comedy books--any you're dying to see on-screen?

Too Good For Words

Here's what happens when you start playing around on the internet when you should be writing: You come across the website for your Dutch publisher, and you get to see what your titles become when translated.

So if you were to go shopping for my books in Amsterdam anytime soon (lucky you...ride a bike on cobblestones while you're there!), be aware that Royally Jacked is actually Prince Charming:



Spin Control becomes Confusing Love, which I understand, since the phrase "spin control" doesn't exactly translate:



Ditto Scary Beautiful, which the Dutch publisher titled Too Good For Words:



And finally, Do-Over becomes Second Chance? (with the question mark in the title):



Which title do you like best? Foreign titles better than the originals? (While I like the sound of Too Good For Words, it makes a pretty big promise as a title! Is ANY book too good for words? Wrap your head around that one....)

Heath

As many of you know, Val Winslow, the main character in Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over, has a serious Heath Ledger obsession.

She's seen all his movies multiple times. Her entire theory of male/female relationships is based on Heath's actions as William Thatcher in A Knight's Tale. According to Val, a cute guy will pick the Shallow Princess ("if you love me, you'll lose") over a practical, hardworking Armor Girl every time. Suffice it to say, somewhere in the fictional world, Val is in a mighty funk.

The world is worse off for having lost Heath Ledger. Greatest sympathies to his family and friends.

A Day of Mourning

Tonight, the Golden Globe winners will be announced at a press conference. As in, no show, no dresses, no blingy shoes on pedicured feet for Joan and Melissa Rivers to ogle. With the writers' strike still on, the show is off. (Anyone else want to join me in a community "Waaah!"?)

As a writer, I'm all for it. Hollywood's writers work hard to create the storylines that keep us talking...how much time have you spent debating the plot twists on Lost, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, or Gossip Girl? The DVD sales from those shows stand to earn studios a lot of money, and writers deserve to earn a reasonable piece of that pie.

However, cancelling the ceremony means the actors and shows that win won't get their moment of glory--which is a big career boost. This year, it also means Steven Spielberg won't have an audience as he picks up a well-deserved Cecil B. DeMille Award. And it's not just the award winners who lose out. Calling off the show means a huge hit to the the L.A. economy. Given all that, I hope the strike ends soon, with all sides feeling the conclusion was reasonable, to prevent the same thing happening with the Oscars.

I'll admit, even though my writer side supports the strike...as an awards show fan, I'm in mourning. (I swear, the fact I'm wearing black today is a total coincidence. Really.) I mark the ceremony date on my calendar and even get up early on the day nominations are announced to find out who's up for which award. I enjoy it so much that I decided one of my characters, Val Winslow of the Royally Jacked books, should have an awards show addiction just so I could write about it.

Most years, I have friends over to watch the broadcast with me. As the stars make their red carpet entrances, we discuss their outfits (usually predicting who'll end up on Go Fug Yourself the next morning) and fill out ballots, trying to see who can pick the most winners. (Tip to those of you with awards show pools: nailing the documentary and music categories is what makes the difference!) But who'll be this year's fashion Cher? Who'll be this year's Halle Berry? Hopefully, we'll find out come Academy Awards night. I want to see what Amy Adams, Jodie Foster, and Keira Knightley wear this year.

What about you? Are you in mourning, or is the lack of an awards show no big thing to you? Are you in it for the fashion, the awards, or the speeches? Whose dress did you want to see? Me, I most want my regularly scheduled house party!