DEFY THE DARK News! Get Published!

Back in January I announced that I was going to be published(!) alongside some of my MOST FAVORITE authors in the HarperTeen anthology DEFY THE DARK, edited by Saundra Mitchell but I couldn't tell you who they all were. Well today I can spill the beans. And what's more, I can also share with you the exciting contest that could make YOU the eighteenth author!

So, first things first, here are the authors appearing in DEFY THE DARK:

• Sarah Rees Brennan
  
• Tessa Gratton
  
• Rachel Hawkins
  
• Christine Johnson
  
• Valerie Kemp (eee!)
  
• Malinda Lo
  
• Myra McEntire
  
• Saundra Mitchell
  
• Sarah Ockler
  
• Jackson Pearce
  
• Aprilynne Pike
  
• Dia Reeves
  
• Beth Revis
  
• Carrie Ryan
  
• Jon Skovron
  
• Courtney Summers
  

So you see why my head basically exploded when I found out.

BUT that's not even the best part, because HarperTeen and Figment have teamed up to hold a contest to find one more story for the anthology. That's right. YOU could have YOUR STORY published alongside those AWESOME WRITERS! The details aren't all out yet on just how the contest will work, but you can sign up here at Figment to be notified the moment they're released.

You can also learn more about the DEFY THE DARK, the writers, and see sneak peeks of their stories at the newly launched DEFY THE DARK website. The sneak peek at my story, STILLWATER is here, you know, if you're interested.

Sh*t Writers Say - The Retreat Version

Always wondered what happens when eleven YA writers hole up on a mountain with no internet? They make videos. About writers. And the things they say (and sometimes the things they wish they could say!)

I said there'd be video of our escapades in Asheville, and here it is. Shot and edited by the fabulous Jackson Pearce. (You should check out all her videos. Just sayin'.)



Featuring - in order of first (spoken) appearance:
Brenna Yovanoff
Me
Victoria Schwab
Saundra Mitchell
Natalie C Parker
Jackson Pearce
Beth Revis
Sonia Gensler
Tessa Gratton
Myra McEntire
Carrie Ryan
Megan Shepherd

Revitalized! (A Retreat in Photos)

So I'm back from a glorious, internet-free writer's retreat. I spent last week in the mountains of North Carolina with some of my very favorite people. I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating: There is nothing better for a writer than spending time with other writers. Seriously.

Aside from the sheer relaxation of being away from home and normal responsibilities, I left this year's retreat inspired and motivated. I would say there was as much writing talk (both business and mechanics) as there was silliness, and that makes for an awesome time.

I got to (finally!) work out the starting place and emotional core of my novel, and have dance-offs with my Dance-Partner-for-Life, Myra McEntire. I got to learn how other writers push through the doubt and keep writing, and hike up a gorgeous mountain (and um, nearly die because apparently, I'm that out of shape.) I got to totally make a fool of myself by getting tongue-tied when the even-more-awesome-in-person Stephanie Perkins stopped by with 2013 debut author Megan Shepherd.

I highly recommend finding yourself a crit partner like my very own Natalie C Parker who finds planning epic retreats relaxing. (No, you can't have her.)

I'm sure it won't be long before you see some video evidence of our escapades, but until then, here's a little photo story of the week that was.


The food.

The turret.

The turret view.

Hanging out. (Photo totally stolen from Sonia Gensler.)

The strange brew.

The signing at Malaprops. (From left: Beth Revis, Carrie Ryan, Jackson Pearce, Myra McEntire, Saundra Mitchell, Sonia Gensler, Brenna Yovanoff, Tessa Gratton, Victoria Schwab)

Commas Can Ruin Your Love Life (and other facts)

So thanks to Jackson Pearce I am now officially on the "Call Me Maybe" bandwagon. (See the video below.) Which means one of my dirtiest secrets has officially been outed -- I have a deep, deep love for perky, upbeat, cheesy, disneyfied, pop music. I may have had this song on repeat for the last day or so... I refuse to be ashamed. It's better than being a serial killer... right? Anyway, onto the grammar lesson, and the importance of the comma.

So this song is called Call Me Maybe. Notice the lack of punctuation there. One could reasonably assume that the singer, Carly Rae Jepsen, would like the object of her affection to call her by the nickname, Maybe. However, a quick listen to the chorus gives us this:

Hey I just met you

And this is crazy

But here’s my number

So call me maybe

(lyrics copied from Carly Rae Jepson's website)

So as you can see, it seems that Carly would in fact, like this boy to call her. Maybe. Now if she had slipped this boy a lyric sheet rather than serenading him, she might have started her relationship off on the wrong foot, or possibly missed connecting with him at all, what with him calling her number and asking for some crazy girl named Maybe. And that would be a shame.

So there you have it. Commas can ruin your love life if you're not careful! And I now present you with a video of the song, featuring of all people, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and many other Disney folks singing along, because once you hear this song, you can't help it.



Also, check out my CP Kristi's blog where today she's giving away the first of her weekly free query crits!

Words I Love

I've noticed that I have a few keywords that get me every time I see them on a book. I can't help but pick them up if any of these words, or images of these words appear on the cover. They are: water, river, lake, magic, and anything that implies winter, such as snow, frost, and of course, winter. Also, summer, lol.

I'm also attracted to covers that hint at these kind of stories. (I suppose it should be no surprise then, that my first book takes place in a town on a lake just as winter meets spring, so there's both snow, and rain.)

Here are some examples of books that had me drooling just from their titles and/or covers.





(^ I have so much love for this title, I can't even...)






What about you? What kind of titles or covers pique your interest?