Lori Goldstein's Becoming Jinn Launch Party

I was able to attend Lori Goldstein's Launch Party for Becoming Jinn at Porter Square Books in Cambridge on Monday, April 27, 2015. Can I say that Porter Square Books is at the cutest book store ever? I love the setup of the store and it's awesome how there is a cafe in the front of the store. I have yet to try anything from the cafe but I hope to do so in the near future. The staff at the book store is so nice and helpful.

I arrived to Porter Square Books fairly early and was able to meet up with Molly before the event started. Lori of course looked fantastic in her amazing sage green and white patterned dress adorned with a Jinn bangle around her left wrist. Lori can't grant everyone a wish like Azra can unless it's an amazing book about genies. I loved how she encouraged the audience to write their wish on a white board and take selfies of themselves. They can post them on Instagram and Twitter with #BecomingJinn.

Lori showed the audience a picture of herself when she was younger and showed us multiple inspirational images. One of the inspirational pages had some well known books such as The Outsiders and The Vampire Lestat.  When it comes to television, she enjoys watching shows that have magical elements in a contemporary world. It gives a modern spin to something supernatural and paranormal. Some of her favorites include The Vampire Diaries and Charmed. I was super excited when I heard Charmed. I knew Lori is a big Vampire Diaries fan but I was ecstatic when I found out she loves Charmed too. I grew up on Charmed during my middle school and high school years and it's my favorite TV show of all time. She also likes 90210. Just like 90210, Becoming Jinn has a large ensemble of characters.

When Lori decided to write Becoming Jinn, she started with the main character, Azra. The world building and other characters were created after Azra. Azra's name derives from a baby girl who miraculously survives an earthquake in Turkey. Lori did a lot of research about mythology and she used sources like Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar and Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses. The roots are based on beliefs. Lori then twists and creates something new from these roots. Crane Beach located in Ipswich, MA is the inspiration for the beach in Becoming Jinn.

Before writing Becoming Jinn, her husband encouraged her to write a memoir about being short. She used to write a lot of non-fiction since she majored in journalism and was a copy editor and graphic designer at one point in her life. When Lori saw the words "In Pursuit of Magic" written into the sidewalk, it sparked the beginning Azra's Journey. Lori set a weekly writing goal for herself instead of a daily one. She likes to make a outline of novel before writing. Lori starts early at 8 in the morning but her best time to write is around 3 or 4 in the afternoon since she needs the long lead up time before writing. Lori's editor helped develop the identities of Azra and also the five Zar sisters. Originally, the identities weren't completely flushed out beforehand.

When someone asked about whether the bangle that Lori was wearing is the same one on the cover of the book, she said yes. Lori actually found the bangle at Ten Thousand Villages in Cambridge, MA. She only found two at that location and was able to locate four more at a Ten Thousand Villages store in Portland, ME. Fortunately a friend from San Francisco was visiting Portland at the time and was able to pick up the bangles for her. The bangles are perfect for what Lori envisions Azra and her Zar sisters' Jinn bangles to look like. Speaking of Azra and her Zar sisters, Lori surprised the audience with a small play with teenage girls acting out the birthday scene in Becoming Jinn. I enjoyed the mini play and it was a nice way to incorporate different forms of art during the launch party. Lori's advice to debut authors is to love what you write. You will read what you've written over and over again so choose a topic that you love. Also, don't give up.

Currently Lori is working on two contemporary standalones. Becoming Jinn is part of a duology and the second book's title is something on the lines of Circle of Jinn. However, this is not set into stone. Lori would love to write a spin off with Yasmin being the main character which I would love to read if Lori ever decides to pursue writing in Yasmin's point of view. Lori was certainly not kidding about food, wine and genies being present at the launch party. There were platters of cheese, crackers, strawberries, grapes, olives, wine, water and sodas. And the genies of course were the six teenage girls as Azra and her Zar sisters.

I was able to meet up with Ellie and her friend Lauren before leaving Porter Square Books. I definitely enjoyed the atmosphere of the launch party. It was welcoming and comforting. It was a great way to celebrate Becoming Jinn and to meet new people.

Alternate Realities: Bringing Fictional Worlds to Life

Image from newburyportliteraryfestival.org

I was fortunate to attend the Alternate Realities: Bringing Fictional Worlds to Life panel at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Newburyport, MA. This was one of the panels at the Newburyport Literary Festival on Saturday, April 25, 2015. The panel was moderated by Robin Brenner, Teen Librarian of the Public Library of Brookline. Avi, Myfanwy Collins, Heather Demetrios and Lori Goldstein spoke at this thought-provoking panel. All of the presenters had very insightful things to say regarding world building, writing from experience and about publishing in general.

First, authors shared some of their favorite books. Demetrios mentioned she loves Little Women and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Goldstein shared her love for Stephen King and Judy Blume. Avi enjoys The Wind and the Willows and Treasure Island.

Creating a world depends on the genre of the book that is going to be written. Realistic contemporary has a different approach than a full blown fantasy. Demetrios was able to create her worlds through sensory memory. For Exquisite Captive, Demetrios was inspired by the Arabian Nights and mentioned how sensory details are important and how culture and mythology helped create the world. She also traveled to Morocco in order add the necessary details for Exquisite Captive. Demetrios mentions how the closer you are to the character, the more you're entering the story through their eyes. You give readers a strong character to empathize with. No one is going to care about a flat character.

Goldstein approached the world building differently. Goldstein focused on what the main character is struggling with. What does the character want in life? Goldstein also wrote a book about genies, Becoming Jinn, but it is more of a contemporary fantasy. Researching about the Middle East and North Africa is crucial as well as researching names. Names have power and are important. Names will lead to other names.

Avi talked about the job of the writer. It is important to pull words of time that the reader will love today. By expressing a difference in place and time, it creates a wonderful story. The job of a writer is to make the words of a book intelligible by using language or details that are self-explanatory. If the language or details are not self-explanatory, it is the writer's job to describe such details. Avi also mentioned how historical fiction and fantasy are similar because of the laws of language. Avi describes how writers spend more time doing research and how the hard work has to appear natural within the book. He claims, "Hard writing makes easy reading. There is nothing you cannot find in books."

The panelists discussed about writing from experience and how it shaped their books. Demetrios said her father has PTSD which led to her to write I'll Meet You There. She mentioned that by having something you care about or are obsessed about, it helps the writing process. Reality TV made her angry and that led to Something Real. Goldstein touched upon the journey about helping someone who is alone. Many teens often feel alone. Subconscious things come out while writing which shapes the story. Avi talks about how you have to "take something you have done and use it. Reinvent what you didn't do and give it life."

For inspiring writers, presenters talked about the publishing industry and how to get published. Demetrios mentions how you need to write a lot. She chose to go with traditional publishing because the book doesn't just become her book; it becomes a book shared between her agent, editor and everyone who pitches in to help the book get published. Goldstein tells the audience to work on the craft. You don't need to know someone in publishing to get your book published. Often the editors will request manuscripts from a slush pile. One thing Goldstein loves is how welcoming and generous the YA community is and I totally agree. I have met so many people through twitter and eventually met some of my twitter friends in person. Avi shared how people want to write but many don't want to learn about the publishing business. He mentions how you have to learn the business side of writing because it's crucial. In terms of publishing now and before, Avi touched upon how publishing is more corporate like and more of a business. The editor/author personal relationship is not there. Publishing is very markety and more competitive than before.

After the panel, book signing occurred in the front of the Unitarian Universalist Church. I enjoyed meeting authors before spending the rest of my afternoon meandering around State Street in Newburyport. If you have a chance to visit Newburyport, MA, I highly recommend it. It's such a cute coastal town with a lot of shops and eateries.

MT @glennhmyers: Avi, Myf, & other inspiring authors speak about creating the world of a novel. @NBPTLitFest pic.twitter.com/DnQIEJUb48
— Newburyport Lit Fest (@NBPTLitFest) April 25, 2015

Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein

Title: Becoming Jinn
Author: Lori Goldstein
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Publication date:  April 21, 2015
Pages: 384
Source/format: ARC from Emma of Miss Print

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Forget everything you thought you knew about genies!

Azra has just turned sixteen, and overnight her body lengthens, her olive skin deepens, and her eyes glisten gold thanks to the brand-new silver bangle that locks around her wrist. As she always knew it would, her Jinn ancestry brings not just magical powers but the reality of a life of servitude, as her wish granting is controlled by a remote ruling class of Jinn known as the Afrit.

To the humans she lives among, she’s just the girl working at the snack bar at the beach, navigating the fryer and her first crush. But behind closed doors, she’s learning how to harness her powers and fulfill the obligations of her destiny.

Mentored by her mother and her Zar “sisters”, Azra discovers she may not be quite like the rest of her circle of female Jinn . . . and that her powers could endanger them all. As Azra uncovers the darker world of becoming Jinn, she realizes when genies and wishes are involved, there’s always a trick.

My Thoughts:

Azra Nadira doesn't want to live a life where she is forced to grant wishes. Despite her beauty from her Jinn heritage, she wants to be free. When she turns 16, she is able to tap into her Jinn powers. She does not want a Zar, a sisterhood of Jinn, by her side. All she wants is to live her normal life and to see Jenny again.

Azra hasn't been able to see her father. Female Jinn are allowed to live amongst the humans but males and females who no longer grant wishes reside in Janna. The Afrit control the wish making between the Jinn and humans. They even control who procreates with who and they frown upon attachments with humans.

Lori Goldstein adds depth and emotion within Becoming Jinn. It is sad to read about how Azra's friend Jenny and what happened to her. No matter how much magic Jinn possess, they can not grant a wish from a human that they are not assigned to, cannot heal humans and cannot bring someone back from the dead. The 33th chapter hit me hard. There is so much going within Azra's thoughts and Goldstein does a fabulous job with description. I love the writing of Becoming Jinn overall and the ending of the book is crazy. So much goes on and I want to read more. The only thing that bothered me is the pacing of the book. The first portion of the book with Azra's birthday and the interactions between the Zar sisterhood took forever. Once we got past the Azra's birthday, the pacing of the book was fine.

What I like about Becoming Jinn is the fusion between contemporary and paranormal fantasy. It reminds me of Rebel Belle and how it is a contemporary but has fantasy elements woven into the novel. I love how Jinn have different physical traits and how they celebrate different holidays on a rotating basis. I appreciate how Kalyssa, Azra's mother, makes food without magic. It shows how she is hardworking and doesn't always take the short cuts. It's interesting to see how Jinn love sweets and alcohol but are sensitive to salt. The apporting, means of teleportation, reminds me of the apparating in Harry Potter.

There are difficult decisions Azra has to make throughout the novel. Her mom wants her to choose the Zar sisters over friend Henry and love interest Nate but Azra want to live her life as a normal teenage girl. However, there are consequences for not following the rules that the Afrit has made for the Jinn. What will Arza decide? Pick up Becoming Jinn to find out.