In his first adult book, The Lover’s Dictionary, author and editor David Levithan wrote “the story of a relationship told in the form of dictionary entries.”

Levithan (pictured next to an espresso book machine) read at McNally Jackson Books earlier this week. He explained that he used The New York Times’ Book of Words You Need to Know to pick out words for the book. While writing, he followed the dictionary format, telling the story in a non-linear way.

After the reading, the author fielded audience questions. When asked to pick his favorite word, Levithan said “wonder.” He concluded the night with an encore reading of one of his favorite entries in the book,  ”elegy.” What is your favorite word?

Ally Condie (pictured, via) published several books before she came out with her recent New York Times bestseller, Matched.

We caught up with the author to find out how she landed an agent for her young adult manuscript–straight from the slush pile. We also found out what it takes to write dystopian fiction for a YA audience. Highlights from the interview follow below.

Q: How did you find your agent?
A: I sent out queries to agents who represented young adult fiction. I found their names online at agentquery.com and then researched them at Publishers’ Marketplace and online to make sure they would be a good fit (i.e., I wasn’t sending young adult fiction to those who didn’t represent it!). A friend clued me in to all of these websites—things had changed a bit since I originally queried my first book in 2004!

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