Thanks to the wonders of Google Alerts, Ink Spells will have an on-going feature that will look at news that may be of interest to Advanced Readers, and the parental units and teachers that guide them. Of course, that old-fashioned relic of the past, the newspaper, can be a great source of challenging reading material.
But this blog post is about news that applies directly to Advanced Readers.
Disney is bringing the e-reading experience (ala Kindle and Nook) to PCs for the elementary set with Disney Digital Books. Disney hopes to tailor the reading experience for varying levels of readers by adding features like Story Builder, which allows kids to add their own pictures and text to the story.
Sounds cool! Can I get one?
So far, Disney does not have a portable reader out, so Digital Books will be available only on the PC, and is unlikely to replace those paper books we know and love. There are some who think novels, as we know them today, are on the way out, but I think stories will always be here, although their form and delivery may change. Soon Junior may have his own Kindle (or Nook, or the oddly name Que). Whether is this is a utopian or dystopian future, I leave to you, the gentle readers, to decide.
Susan,
Thanks for your comments concerning my posting on Nathan Brandsford blog yesterday. Your questions inspired me to write a posting on my blog today.
As to your question about paranormal versus urban fantasy, I can honestly say that chosing a genre for a novel is one of the hardest decisions in the writing process. My novel, as with most others I am sure, seems to cross genre lines. Here is a good resource for you as you try to decide which category best describes your work.
As far as my novel, I have recently put up a website, if you want to check it out.
Thanks again for your interest and good luck!
Thanks for the links! It seems the definition of paranormal is even mushier than I thought! One of the great things about YA, I think, is that it is so expansive and fluid – there is a home for many different genres on that YA shelf. Good luck with your writing! (and the video is cool!)