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41 posts tagged Teen Ink
Interview: Journalist Bill Hemmer
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Journalist Bill Hemmer
By Darina S., Warren, NJ
While studying journalism at Brown University this summer, I was fortunate to score an interview with Bill Hemmer of FOX News Channel.
What did you major in at Miami University?
I was a broadcast journalism major. I was able to take advantage of a fairly large media market, which was critical tome. As a sophomore, I had an internship at Channel 5 in Cincinnati and,as a junior, got hired primarily to work weekends. I took
a producer’s job and worked there for almost three years. The lesson is that it’s
very important to understand the value of an internship - whether it’s TV or anything else, people hire those they know. When it comes time to fill entry-level positions, if they’re familiar with you as a person, people will reach for you and you will be in a position to get the job.
How did you get to CNN?
Author Interview: Wendy Mass
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Author-Wendy Mass
By TheJust, Ellenton, FL
Her most popular book is probably “A Mango Shaped Space”, but author Wendy Mass has written many other novels for pre-teens and young adults, including “Leap Year”, “Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life” and her fractured fairy tale series, “Twice Upon a Time”.
I was recently given the opportunity to interview Ms. Mass for Teen Ink.
***
RH: When did you first get interested in writing?
WM: I wrote my first short story in 5th grade, and was hooked! I co-wrote it with my 2 sisters and it was about our cat who turned into a goat and broke into the neighbor’s house!
RH: When did you know you wanted to be an author?
WM: By the time I was in high school, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I spent most of college writing short stories, and then when I graduated I got a job in publishing, so even though I wasn’t the one writing the books, I got to have a hand in bringing them to life.
RH: What was your inspiration behind “A Mango Shaped Space”? Do you actually know someone like Mia?
WM: I didn’t know anyone with synesthesia before I started writing the book, but as I went along I met many. I think it’s a lot more common than people think. Just start asking your friends the colors of various letters and I bet some can tell you!
Book Review: Mockingjay
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
In anticipation of Suzanne Collins’ third and final Hunger Games novel, Mockingjay, I was among the crowd of impatient fans ready to flip through the pages at a papercut-worthy speed. Which is why, as I grew closer to those fateful last pages of the series, I felt disappointment pushing through my thoughts.
Mockingjay wasn’t at all what I expected. I knew the story would have to be dark like its predecessors (more so, since it was about war),
but I had no idea how dark it could be.
By the end, Collins writes of so many horrific deaths in such a short time that there is no breather. Her message is pounded into our minds with each slaughter: war is bad, War Is Bad, WAR IS BAD! And yet her writing lacks grace or subtlety. What should have been a sad yet sincere conclusion transforms into a contrived, deliberately alienating story with no regard for the characters who originally brought the books to life for readers.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
If you have ever had a dog, you will love this book. If you don’t have a dog, you will want one before you reach the last page. I enjoyed The Art of Racing in the Rain from beginning to end. Told from an interesting perspective, it makes you think in a new way. While some parts are sweet and tender, others are deep and dark. You may want to keep a box of tissues nearby.
How To Train Your Dragon
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
How To Train Your Dragon
By Maddy S., Cannon Falls, MN
I say “sit” and my eager puppy drops her bottom to the floor. I give my horse a nudge with my heel and he takes the hint and begins to move. I call to my dragon and … wait, I don’t really have a pet dragon, but after watching the suspenseful, heart-tugging movie “How to Train Your Dragon,” I wish I did.
Hiccup, a scrawny young Viking, grows up in a place where dragons are known as dangerous countryside pests. The way to win fame and respect within the community is to fight and kill dragons and to do it well. For Hiccup, this couldn’t be more difficult. Know as the town clown, he tries to make a mark for himself by capturing and killing the most feared, never-before-caught dragon, the Night Fury. In attempting to do so, Hiccup has the adventure of a lifetime.
Author Interview: Dana Reinhardt
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Author Dana Reinhardt
Having written four books, Dana Reinhardt is no stranger to the writing process. She currently lives and writes in San Francisco. I was lucky enough to interview her about her experiences. In her newest novel, The Things a Brother Knows, a teenage boy struggles to reawaken a relationship with his brother, who has just returned from serving in the Army.
Alex: First, I just want to say, I am not usually a fan of realistic fiction, but I enjoyed your book a lot. I really like your sense of humor.
Dana Reinhardt: Thanks. I appreciate that.
Your main characters are teens and your book is aimed at a teen audience. Why did you choose to write for teens?
I love to write YA fiction because I believe teen readers are more open to the experience books offer than adults are. I can remember how I felt as a teenager reading books; I plowed through them in a way I think adults simply don’t. As a teen reader, my favorite books were coming-of-age stories – those are the stories I still love to read, and they are the stories I like to write.
Message In A Bottle
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Message In A Bottle by Nicholas Sparks
By Hailey K., Dexter, MI
When was the last time you cried your eyes out reading a book? Message in a Bottle is a classic love story that melts your heart with every word. It tells the story of a divorced woman, Theresa, who falls in love with Garrett, a sailor. On her morning jog on a Cape Cod beach, Theresa finds a bottle with a message inside addressed to “Catherine,” simply signed “Garrett.” The letter warms her soul, so she sets out to find this love-struck man. But what she doesn’t know is that Garrett also lost the one he loved. Catherine had passed away.
Well, believe it or not, Theresa finds Garrett, and they grow close. But what happens next is unexpected and truly remarkable. After fights, twists, and turns, they fall in love.
Friday Night Lights
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
By Skyler M., Sneads Ferry
If you’ve ever been to Texas, you know football is huge. A town there is not measured by its people or how much land it covers, but by the quality of the football program and the number of state championships its team has won. Friday Night Lights tells the story of such a place.
The town of Odessa, Texas prides itself on having the winningest football program in not only Texas, but the entire country. They come into the 1988 season looking for their first state championship under their new and untested coach.
One of the reasons I love this book is that it’s not just about football - it also focuses on race and prejudice.
Interview: Sports Writer Will McDonough
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Sports Writer, Will McDonough
Will McDonough is a veteran journalist with 40 years of service at the Boston Globe newspaper. He is one of the few sports writers to cover the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA on a regular basis. He is the five-time Massachusetts Sports writer of the Year. From 1986-1997 McDonough was on television, four years with CBS and eight with NBC. He was nominated for an Emmy in sports reporting. In 1984, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. He has won numerous writing awards and has attended all 33 Super Bowls.
How did you start your career in journalism? How much did you get paid for your first article?
I was a student at Northeastern University in Boston. They have a co-operative form of education where you go to school for five years. At the start of my junior year, one of my first jobs was at the Boston Globe. I worked in the sports department for the rest of college, six months a year. When I was ready to graduate, the sports editor gave me a job as a schoolboy sports writer. As for a salary, I got 50¢ per inch, which ended up being around seven dollars per article in college. I received $100 per week when I started working at the Globe after graduation.
Where do you see sports reporting going with the Internet?
This has me concerned, because when I started at the Globe 40 years ago,there were seven newspapers in Boston and now there are only two.
Author Interview: Jodi Picoult
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
(Photo via Forbes)
Author - Jodi Picoult
By Ellee M., Boxford, MA
Jodi Picoult has written 13 novels. Her latest is The Tenth Circle. I met her when I was in preschool with her son in New Hampshire. Our families became close and we have kept in touch. I interviewed Ms. Picoult via e-mail.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
In fourth grade, when my teacher gave me an F for an assignment on what we did over the summer. I wrote from the point of view of a piano I’d practiced on and she said she didn’t assign fiction. Of course, she hadn’t assigned nonfiction, either.
Did you want any other jobs growing up?
I dreamed of being a writer, but I never expected to make a living at it.
Book Review: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Hitchhiker’s Guide
By Nathan J., Upper Jay, NY
Reading the series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is like having one long strange dream, except it doesn’t make as much sense. As the series begins, you become enveloped. It seems like you are hitchhiking across the galaxy with Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect with your own copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and a towel (read the book!). The book is complete with interesting and unexpected twists that take you to a variety of planets, and let you meet a variety of beings, including two-headed Zaphod Beeblebrox and the depressed robot Marvin. You are kept guessing what will happen next until the end of each book (and sometimes you are still guessing as the book ends). This, however, isn’t a problem because you will want to read the rest of the series after finishing the first.
Author Interview: Laurie Halse Anderson, “Speak”
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Author Laurie Halse Anderson
By TheJust, Ellenton, FL
Probably best known for her novel Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson has won multiple awards for her writing. With novels like Fever, 1793 and Twisted, she spans genres and tackles unique plots. Her latest novel, Wintergirls, is available now.
Rachel: How were you inspired to write Speak? Was it based on a real-life incident?
Laurie Halse Anderson: Speak is about 10 percent based on the depression I suffered after I was raped, and 90 percent fiction.
Were you involved with the making of the movie “Speak”?
I was given the opportunity to work on the script, but I turned it down because I was busy writing a novel. I was on the set for three days, and had a cameo appearance as the lunch lady who serves Melinda mashed potatoes in the cafeteria.
Are you happy with the final product of the book and the movie?
I think Jessica Sharzer, the director, did a remarkable job with very few resources. Showtime dictated the change to the ending – there was nothing anyone could do about that. But I thought Kristen Stewart and the other actors gave great performances. And I was thrilled to hear so many of the lines from the book make their way onto the big screen!
“The Shawshank Redemption”: A Movie Review
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
The Shawshank Redemption
By Andrea D., New City, NY
Based on the short story “Rita Hayworth” by Stephen King, “The Shawshank Redemption” claims an all-star cast and an ingenious plot.
In this tale of hope, fear and wishful thinking, Tim Robbins conquers all with his incredible performance as Andy Dufresne, a respectable banker convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. Although pleading not guilty, Dufresne receives a life sentence to Shawshank. There, he befriends Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman). Red is a respected inmate who knows how to work the system. Their bond quickly grows and Andy becomes respected by many inmates and even some of the guards.
In time, Andy gets used to his new living arrangement, but still has hope that he will leave Shawshank. He reminds Red to be hopeful, but Red is less optimistic. “Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane,” he tells Andy.
Roller Derby
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Roller Derby
By Molls.xo, natick, MA
I’d never in my life viewed the words Roller and Derby in a sentence together until the promotional event for the talented Drew Barrymore’s film “Whipit.” For those who are not familiar with the term, imagine the toughest, most ruthless contact sport, then add in some tattoos, neon blue fishnets with a tear in the knee, vintage Barbie roller skates and you’ve just defined Roller Derby.
