There’s a lot going on in book world right now. Specifically there’s this:

Yup, that’s a box of books. A box of books that all have my name on it. They’re here, and the only reason I’m not going to let you look is that I’m doing an official cover reveal on the YA Books Central website on October 24th. Mark your calendars people because not only can you see the actual book on that day, but you can enter to win one of two advanced reader copies.

I’d like to say they’ll be worth millions one day, but what I can guarantee is that owning one means you’ll get to read the book before anyone else does. The real thing is now set to launch into the world on March 1st.

If you’re a super kidlit dork (like me) then you might recognize the title of this blog post as a riff on Tamora Pierce’s Alanna books. The 3rd in the series is called Woman Who Rides Like a Man. The series was one of my favorites in 6th grade and featured a young woman who dresses up like a boy so that she can train as a knight and generally be a badass.

Though I do not ride like a man -I like to think I ride like a suburban woman on a two hour trail ride, I do sometimes write from the perspective of a teenage boy. Now that I’m starting to consider new writing project ideas, I’m thinking about POV.  I know there are a lot of people who struggle with writing from the opposite gender’s perspective, but I really enjoy it.  I find it easier especially when I try to separate a character’s ideas from my own.  When I write from the perspective of a girl or woman, I’m much more concerned about whether or not I’m voicing the character’s thoughts or my own. When I write from the male POV it seems obvious that these are not my thoughts. Gender is probably less of an important distinction than our society makes it out to be anyway. (Soapbox issue for another post)

A.S. King and A.M. Jenkins are two female writers I admire who write the teenage male voice with notable aplomb.  Do you know or admire any women who write like men?