I Should Be Writing

ENTHRALLED Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-18T08:03:00.000-05:00

The Research Randomizer has spoken! The winner of the signed copy of ENTHRALLED is:

Willinda

Congrats! Be on the lookout for an email from me soon!

Celebration Giveaway! Win a signed copy ENTHRALLED!

2012-01-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

As you know, last week I announced that I will have a short story in the HarperTeen anthology DEFY THE DARK edited by Saundra Mitchell coming out in summer 2013. (squee!) Now that that's done, it's time to celebrate! And so, I thought, what better way to do that than to give away a signed copy of THIS year's HarperTeen anthology, ENTHRALLED edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong?

If you remember this post, I was fortunate to be able to attend the Smart Chicks Kick It Tour this past October.

Me and the Smart Chicks!

And I got paperback copies of ENTHRALLED signed by all the participating authors! Like Carrie Ryan, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Kelley Armstrong, and Melissa Marr!

And here's the best part, this giveaway is international. I will send this book anywhere in the world! All you have to do to enter is:
1) Follow my blog.

2) Leave a comment below with your email address (spelled out like this: yourname(at)gmail(dot)com to avoid spam.) and tell me which book you're most looking forward to in 2012!

Contest ends Tuesday, 1/17, at 11:59pm ET. I will announce the winner in my post next week on the 18th. For another chance to win, check out my crit group's blog SistersInScribe.com, where I'm giving away a second signed copy!

What I Learned in 2011 and My Goals for 2012

2012-01-08T14:08:00.000-05:00

2011 was a pretty amazing year for me. I had some pretty low key goals set, the kind that would lead me closer to my big goals, and instead I ended up having some completely unexpected, life changing events.

Things I did in 2011:

EVENT: Got stranded in Branson, Missouri with a group of some of the most awesome, accomplished, and inspiring women I've been fortunate to meet.

HOW IT CHANGED MY LIFE: I've said this before, but it really is an amazing experience to spend time with people who have persevered to make their dreams come true, and who truly understand what that process is like. Writing is a solitary thing. And when you're just starting out, it can feel like you're on some crazy wild goose chase all by yourself. Meeting people who have been there, and pushed through to the other side is sort of life-altering. Even though rationally, I know that obviously, people write and sell books; sitting around talking about how hard it is some days, or that yes, they hear their characters talking in their heads too, or just you know, dancing to 90s hip hop, makes a world of difference once you go back home and it's just you and that blinking cursor trying to make your dream come true. I think if there is one piece of non-writing, writing advice I could give, it would be to get together with other writers (somewhere private, where you can be your weird writer selves) it will help carry you through the dark times when the words don't come and you're wondering why you ever thought you could write a book.

EVENT: I wrote a letter to my teenage self.

HOW IT CHANGED MY LIFE: This one was surprisingly cathartic. Really. It brought back a lot of painful memories and then forced me to look at them from the outside, and really think about what I've learned from them. It was an emotional experience I wasn't expecting, but talking to my thirteen year old self really helped me to heal some old wounds I didn't know I still had.

EVENT: I was offered the chance to be published in an anthology.

HOW IT CHANGED MY LIFE: This one still blows my mind, and probably won't seem real until I have a hardcover (!) copy in my hands and can see that yes, they really did put me in it. This is by far the "biggest" thing that happened to me in 2011. And the experience was exciting, and challenging, and scary, and awesome. It's not often that an opportunity you hadn't even dared to dream of yet appears out of the blue. I will touch more on this in a separate post, but suffice it to say that, "Write a short story on anything you want!" is both a blessing and a curse. It took me a couple of months just to decide what I was going to write, and then a couple more to figure out how to do it. I think this event more than any other made my writing improve by leaps and bounds. I didn't want to let anybody down, and so I focused and thought about every single word I used. This story was like pulling teeth, but I love it. It taught me that even when writing feels impossible, it's not. Not at all.

EVENT:I spent six weeks in Europe. Four of them, by myself.

HOW IT CHANGED MY LIFE: This affected me in so many ways. The first of which was reminding myself that I'm brave, something that can sometimes been forgotten when you spend most of your time on your butt in front of a computer. It also gave me some new perspectives on what it's like to be a stranger in a strange land. (Grocery shopping when EVERYTHING is in a foreign language is an adventure all on its own.) I also had a lot of time to just think, about my writing, my writing career, what I want out of life. I know that running off to Europe for a month isn't an option for most people, but I highly recommend taking just a weekend of alone time, somewhere other than your usual haunts. Even if it's just a hotel room in a different part of town, (hey, it worked for JK Rowling!) spending time with yourself in a new place where you can't easily fall into your usual routines is a great way to recharge your creative process and your life.

EVENT: All three of my crit partners signed with amazing agents.

HOW IT CHANGED MY LIFE: I'm a firm believer in, "if you want to know if you're on the right path, look around you." The theory behind this is that if you're headed in the right direction, the people around you will be successful and meeting the goals that you're also striving to reach. I'm SO PROUD of my cps and the hard work they've put in 2011. I know this is going to be a year of big announcements for them, and I trust that with their guidance and support, a little of that success will rub off on me as well.

EVENT: I did NOT write a new book.

HOW IT CHANGED MY LIFE: This year I managed to do a LOT of overthinking, and a LOT of second-guessing of myself. It was a total waste of time. TOTAL. WASTE. I can't stress that enough. I had the best of intentions. It was all about making the right choice and finding the right idea, and basically, that's a load of crap. I am happiest when I'm working on a story. Revising, surrounded by my characters and my world, totally focused on shaping it into the best story it can be. I am least happy when deciding what that story should be. I learned that what I need to do is just write it. So many of the best bits don't even show up until I've gotten a few thousand words in. They're never on the outline or the plan. They're the surprises that keep me going. Not the idea that this is exactly the story I should be writing for (insert reason here).

So that was my 2011. Here are my goals for 2012:

- Be a better blogger. As in blog more frequently, and more personally.

- Write a book that I love.

- Read more.

And that's it. I'm keeping it simple this year and going for the joy rather than the stress. What about you? What are your goals this year? What did you learn about yourself in 2011?

New Year, New News!

2012-01-04T14:39:00.004-05:00

So this is something I've been sitting on for months. Partly because I kept waiting to wake up and find out it's not true. Partly because I wanted to make sure I dotted all my i's and crossed all my t's. And honestly because I was painfully nervous about putting it out in the world and seeing what the reaction would be. So what is this news, you ask?

You might remember this announcement from author Saundra Mitchell about the new anthology she's editing, DEFY THE DARK, a few months ago. Here's a little more info:

DEFY THE DARK is an all-new anthology coming Summer 2013 from Saundra Mitchell and HarperTeen. It features 17 stories by critically-acclaimed and bestselling YA authors as they explore things that can only happen in the dark.

So here's the thing. One of those 17 authors is me. I know. I can't believe it either! My short story, STILLWATER, about a town that's just... not quite right (and kissing), is going to be published. In a book. By HarperTeen. Right next to some of my ALL-TIME favorite YA authors. It still feels like it's not really happening.

Me with my publishing contract!

I can't give you the full list of authors yet (trust me, it will blow your mind), but here's a little taste of the authors who have also announced or posted that they're contributing:

Sarah Rees Brennan
Tessa Gratton
Malinda Lo
Saundra Mitchell
Dia Reeves
Beth Revis
Jon Skovron
Courtney Summers

And that is just the tip of the amazing author iceberg. Basically, if I could have hand-picked a group of authors to all be in one anthology, this would be that group. When I look at the full list, I sort of feel like I stumbled into someone else's surprise party.

And so as 2012 gets started, I just want to say to everyone out there who might be reading this and feeling frustrated with their own progress, IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU TOO. I'm living proof that if you keep working hard on your writing, put your heart in it, and put yourself out there, someone will recognize it. They really will.

Being invited to contribute to this anthology was the last thing I expected. It was one of those dream goals I hadn't even put on my list yet because I felt I had so many other things I needed to accomplish first, before I could even dare to imagine it. And now here I am, hoping to survive the apocalypse and make it til Summer 2013!

There will be much more exciting news about DEFY THE DARK coming in the future - including one really awesome surprise. And I'm still trying to figure out what to do to celebrate and share the love. But for now I just want to say thank you to everyone in the YA writing community who has ever taken the time to share their journey, because without all of your blogs and forums and tweets I would still be trying to figure out how to get started writing a book. I hope that my little bit of good news can help spur you on your path to your own.

I'll do a post later on about how I managed to finally get over my fear and actually write the story. (It was not pretty.)

Also, if you haven't yet, go congratulate my CP Kristi V. Helvig on signing with an agent!

People Have Layers (Or What My Job Has Taught Me About Character Development)

2011-11-30T08:15:00.000-05:00

For the last few holiday seasons I've worked at a book store. One of the things we do every year is a book drive for area children. Our goal is massive, around 400 books. In order to meet this goal, the store has a simple, but effective strategy. Ask EVERYONE. Even if they're frowning, even if they only bought a .50 newspaper, even if they're in a rush, even if they've said "no" to everything else you've asked them.

As a somewhat why person, this took some getting used to, but once I did, I noticed something fascinating. You never know who's going to say yes. Mr. Crankypants might just stop in the middle of his rant about rising costs, blink at you a few times and say "Sure." The sweet grandmother with the kind eyes might scowl at you and act offended you had the nerve to ask.

This is something I keep in mind when developing my characters, and writing my scenes. People have layers. There are all sorts of tiny things that affect them from moment to moment. What they show on their face or their body language might not be a true indicator of who they are or what they're thinking. They might be frowning because they can't remember a lyric to their favorite song, with no idea that they look angry. They might've just found out their kid got arrested while shopping for his expensive present.

So I try to make sure I have little moments like this in my book. Scenes where a character is thinking one thing but showing another, scenes where a character is completely misjudged or misinterpreted, because that's real, and I think it's always interesting to see the difference between the way a person is perceived, and the way they perceive themselves.

What about you, do you have any little tricks or reminders like this when you write?

Flash Fiction Friday

2011-11-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to say that my YA Contemporary Flash Fiction is this week's story post on agent Sarah LaPolla's literary blog Glass Cases! You can read it HERE if you're interested!

Also, if you haven't ever visited Glass Cases before, you really should. It's a great blog!

NaNoWriMo Incentive and Inspiration

2011-11-09T10:52:00.001-05:00

As we move into the second week of NaNoWriMo I thought I'd share a couple of great posts I've read recently that talk about persevering far better than I can.

The first comes from Chuck Wendig and his Terrible Minds blog. I like to think of it as incentive. You know, yes I can so finish my book!(Please note there is a fair bit of swearing in the post, so if that's not your thing, you've been warned.)

25 Reasons You Won't Finish That Story

Number 18 is one that is usually true for me.
18. Haven’t Answered Any Of The Critical Questions

Ask yourself: what is this about? Why am I writing this? Why will anyone care? Asking yourself some fundamental questions before you write — plus several others while you write — can help keep your nose to the grindstone and allow you to feel settled in both direction and purpose.

Also check out his list of those questions. He's got some really great ones.

The second is totally inspirational. It's about sticking with it when you've got that horrible feeling that you have completely failed at writing the book you wanted to write. It's a great guest post by Sara Zarr on Nova Ren Suma's blog:

What Inspires Sara Zarr

I bet you can't guess what it is. Failure. Yep. Go read why. If you've been feeling stuck, you'll be inspired to keep going, I swear.

Giveaway Winners!

2011-11-05T16:29:00.000-04:00

The winner of DESTINED is:

Chingyi!

The winner of THE WHITE ASSASSIN is:

Anita Saxena!

Be on the lookout for an email from me!

Thanks so much for entering. I will be having another giveaway soon!

Destined (House of Night) Giveaway!

2011-10-28T08:30:00.003-04:00

Thanks again to MacMillian Publishers and Zeitghost Media, I've got another book giveaway! DESTINED The ninth book in the House of Night series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. Check out the trailer!

"...Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet – which would be a whole lot easier if the High Counsel saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together – if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow..."

Rules:

This book is being sent straight from the publisher so at their request, unfortunately this contest is for US and Canada mailing addresses only.(But I swear I'm working on a giveaway for all you international folks!)

To enter, leave a comment here with your email address so I can contact you. (Be sure to spell your address out to avoid spam bots! Example: yourname at gmail dot com.) For an extra entry, tweet about this contest (or retweet my contest tweet) and be sure to @ me, I'm @valeriekwrites so I can include your entry.

Contest ends Thursday, November 3rd at 11:59pm PT. I will announce the winner here on Friday, November 4th.

The White Assassin Blog Tour and Giveaway!

2011-10-27T14:22:00.005-04:00

Today I'm excited to be part of the THE WHITE ASSASSIN Blog Tour! THE WHITE ASSASSIN is the second book in the middle grade Nightshade Chronicles by Hilary Wagner.

Check out the trailer:

Ooh, spooky, no? Perfect for Halloween! Here's a little bit more about THE WHITE ASSASSIN:

Book II in the Nightshade Chronicles begins three years after Juniper and his rebel band of rats liberate the Catacombs and defeat their oppressors.

A sense of peace has settled over Nightshade City, but it is a false one. Billycan, the white assassin, has been found. Deep in the southern swamps, he now rules a primitive horde of savage swamp rats eager to overrun Nightshade City and claim it for their king. With the help of an ancient colony of bats and an uneasy alliance with the swamp snakes, Juniper and his Council set out to thwart Billycan’s plans. When an old secret is revealed—one so shocking it shakes both Billycan and Juniper to the core—the fate of Nightshade City and the life of Juniper’s only son depend on Juniper’s decision: should he help his mortal enemy? The past resurfaces with devastating impact in this exciting sequel to Nightshade City, a dark tale of intrigue, deception, and betrayal.

Nightshade City, Book I of the Nightshade Chronicles is a CBC Best Book of 2011 and a Crystal Kite finalist.

I started reading this book last night and let me tell you, it is spooky, and exciting, and mysterious in all the right ways! For example, the book opens with the rats being carried by bats through the dark night to an abandoned church. Doesn't get much cooler than that! The Nightshade Chronicles promises action and intrigue and excitement. Boys will love this series. (Girls too!)

I am especially excited about this series because last year Hilary Wagner held a contest to name one of the characters that would have a small part in THE WHITE ASSASSIN. I won that contest and now, the rat I named, Topher, is going to have a bigger role in book three! How cool is that?

If you love a good middle grade, or know a boy in need of some new books, I highly recommend THE WHITE ASSASSIN! In fact, I recommend it so much that I'm going to give away my very own ARC signed by Hilary Wagner! (As soon as I finish reading it that is!) All I ask in return is that the winner reviews THE WHITE ASSASSIN once they receive it! In a timely manner, of course. Obviously I can't hold you to it, but you don't really want that kind of bad karma in your life do you?

This contest is open internationally. I will ship this book to you wherever you are. As long as you promise to review it. (If you don't have a blog, goodreads is fine.)

To enter:
- Leave a comment here with your name and email address. (Be sure to spell out your address to avoid spam bots like this: yourname at gmail dot com.

- You can get an extra entry for tweeting about this contest. Be sure to @ me, I'm @valeriekwrites

- Contest ends at 11:59pm Pacific Time on November 3rd, 2011. I will post the winner on Friday, November 4th, 2011.

My NaNoWriMo Process

2011-10-26T12:31:00.001-04:00

It's almost that time again, can you believe it? NaNoWriMo starts November first. And after taking last year off, I've decided I have a goal I want to meet, and NaNo is going to help me do it. I'm just getting started with my prepping (well, sort of), so I thought I'd share my process.

Here's what I personally need in order to have a successful NaNoWriMo experience:

- A Notebook (I like Mead 5-star college ruled, because I'm particular like that.)
- SCRIVENER (They have a 30 day free trial! Perfect for NaNo.)
- Write Or Die (I have the desktop edition, but you can also use it for free online.)
- A set block of writing time each day.

And of course, none of this is even remotely helpful without an idea. Which I have.

So, how do I use these things? I've found that NaNo only works for me when I know exactly what I'm writing. (And by "exactly" I mean, I know what my story is about, the basic plot, and usually the beginning and end - all of which may change once I actually start writing.)

I am not an outliner, but what I do is in the months leading up to NaNo, I fill a notebook with plot ideas, scene ideas, and character info. It's a lot of rambling, but it is SO helpful. And I find that handwriting this, rather than typing it, helps in a couple of ways. One, it feels very free. I'm just playing around. I'm not officially attempting to write a book, which is of course, scary, and difficult. Two, I find that when hand writing, I remember things better, and I tend to sort of ask and answer questions, which helps to flesh out my idea.

Once I've done that, if there's still space in that notebook, I write down a brief description of every scene I know is going to go into the book. If there's not room, I start with a brand new one, because brand new notebooks make me happy. I use this list as my jumping off point for NaNo. I find that if I have a chunk of things that I know I'm going to write, it feels much less scary getting started. Usually these scenes skip over many events I haven't figured out yet and sitting down to write them helps me figure out the rest. (Once I'm on a roll though, I try to save any pre-planned scenes for those days when I feel like I can't possibly write at all.) Also, I find it satisfying to open up that notebook each day and see whch scenes I've already written, and how far I've come. When I get new scene ideas I will also jot them down in the notebook just so that I have them and can cross them off when they're written.

And that means that yes, I'm one of those crazy people that sometimes writes out of order. This is where Scrivener comes in! With Scrivener I can organize as I go. I make each scene I write a separate file in Scrivener which makes dragging them around in index card mode (or just regular binder view) very simple. I also make notes on each scene in the "Documents Notes" section that let me know what information I haven't figured out yet, or what effect this scene has on what I've already written.

So how do I get those scenes written? I like Write Or Die. (Write Or Die is a writing app that you type in. It counts your words and prompts you with flashing colors and awful sounds, and even deleting your text if you're brave enough to use kamikaze, whenever you stop typing and start staring into space.) I usually set it at 40 minutes and 1000 words on "Normal". I find if I have a general idea of the scene I'm writing, I can keep writing all the way through, and often I will go over the 1k, or I will write more than one scene to reach that 1k with time to spare. When I'm less certain about what I'm writing, I'll do 500 words and 20-25 minutes. The prompting from Write Or Die is usually enough to kick me back into writing. I find that I can get more done by not stopping and trying to find the absolute perfect word. And a lot of times I discover that by having to write something, I end up figuring things out I would've spent hours pondering.

And that brings me to my final necessity. Time. I have to set up a specific time each day where I do this writing. I like first thing in the morning. I will sit down at the computer with my coffee, and my ideas fresh from sleep and just type those 1666 words until I'm done. I don't go over what I wrote the day before first, although usually I'll wake up with thoughts on what to do next fresh on my mind. And I find if I address those first, I'm more focused than if I've checked my email, and read blogs, and seen what's going on on twitter. I'm not normally this disciplined, but it's something about the idea that it's just for one month, that allows me to do this.

And that's my approach to NaNoWriMo. How do you NaNo? Do you find it easier to focus during that month than other times of the year?

Staying Focused?

2011-10-19T12:05:00.000-04:00

So I've been going through some house drama. My bathroom essentially fell apart while I was in Amsterdam and since then I've had it ripped apart, my house filled with potentially hazardous dust, and have not been able to stay there. FOR THE LAST MONTH. It is extremely frustrating. Especially since where I've been staying doesn't have wi-fi and my macbook won't connect to the modem using the wire. Which means I have to go to my house, and attempt to accomplish things online while workers are stomping through my house, making all kinds of noise and I'm choking on dust. It is... not fun.

Top it off with the fact that I had a pretty important deadline looming, and my nights were filled with anxiety dreams of floods and toxic mold. It's been difficult, and I know my writing has suffered from it. I've been trying all kinds of things to help me focus, such as focus brainwave audio, which is basically the sound of waves crashing on the shore while underneath it tones that stimulates gamma or alpha waves play. I have to say that I was surprised that they sort of seemed to work. I don't know if it was just the fact that it was white noise, or if the brainwave thing was actually happening, but I did find myself able to focus more despite what was going on around me.

What kinds of things do you do to stay focused? I am sort of desperate for more tips. I tried the library, but they don't really have any "quiet" spaces there (plus they're doing construction, hello!) and I'm not so good in coffee shops where there's so much going on. Is there anything special that works for you?

My Life Undecided Winner!

2011-10-15T10:08:00.002-04:00

The random number generator has spoken and the winner of MY LIFE UNDECIDED by Jessica Brody is:

Chen Yan Chang

Be on the lookout for an email from me!

Smart Chicks Kick It Recap

2011-10-12T10:36:00.001-04:00

Last week I went to the the Smart Chicks Kick It Tour at Schuler's Books in Lansing, Michigan. It was awesome. This was the biggest signing I've ever been to. There were 7 YA authors!

Kelley Armstrong
Melissa Marr
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rachel Caine
Melissa De La Cruz
Simone Elkeles
Carrie Ryan

It was so much fun. They gave away tons of goodies, one lucky winner even won an ARC of Jennifer Lyn Barnes' new book Every Other Day! (I was SO jealous, that book looks awesome.)

They answered a ton of questions, some serious, about writing, and some fun, like which character of theirs would they have had a crush on in high school. (Okay, that was my question.)

We also learned lots of info that we're not supposed to share online, such as release dates of upcoming books, and new projects. (Wait til you see the cover of Jennifer Lynn Barnes' next Raised By Wolves book, Taken By Storm!)

One of the coolest things was seeing so many people (there were over 100 there) with massive bags of books to be signed. I could barely carry mine! (And yes, I got some signed for a very special giveaway I'll be doing soon!)

I love seeing YA authors and hearing them talk about their work and their books, but what I love even more about signings is seeing old friends and making new ones. Writing is so solitary, even with the internet, it's always great to see people in the flesh who are doing what you're doing, and understand what it is to love YA. I was especially excited to see Carrie Ryan, who I had not seen since we were snowed in in Branson back in February (and who is made of awesome). I also had a great time getting to know Kristi (The Story Siren).

Below are some pics from the event. I didn't get a picture this time, but I wanted to give a shout out to the very awesome DJ DeSmyter whose first book HUNTED was published by Pendrell Press this summer, and who is still in high school!

Me and the Smart Chicks Authors
(Simone Elkeles, Kelly Armstrong, Me, Carrie Ryan, Melissa De La Cruz, Rachel Caine, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Melissa Marr)

Signing stock.

Me and Carrie Ryan

Me and Kristi aka The Story Siren

Unfortunately (for you, not me) Michigan was the very last stop on the Smart Chicks tour this year. But they're considering possibly doing another one next year.

My Life Undecided Giveaway!

2011-10-06T08:58:00.000-04:00

Thanks again to MacMillian Publishers and Zeitghost Media, I've got another book giveaway! This one looks like a fun one! Check out the trailer for MY LIFE UNDECIDED by Jessica Brody. It's one of the best I've seen in a while!

Brooklyn Pierce, a fifteen year-old girl notorious for making bad decisions, enlists the help of the online blog reading population to vote on how she should live her life. But some things in life simply aren't a choice...like who you fall in love with.

Also be sure to check out this fun website inspired by the book! Undecided about something? Go here: MyLifeUndecided.com

Jessica is on tour right now with the Pen Fatale Tour. Get all the info on the Pen Fatale Tour Facebook Page!

Rules:

This book is being sent straight from the publisher so at their request, unfortunately this contest is for US and Canada mailing addresses only.(But I swear I'm working on a giveaway for all you international folks!)

To enter, leave a comment here with your email address so I can contact you. (Be sure to spell your address out to avoid spam bots! Example: yourname at gmail dot com.) For an extra entry, tweet about this contest (or retweet my contest tweet) and be sure to @ me, I'm @valeriekwrites so I can include your entry.

Contest ends Thursday, October 13th at 11:59pm PT. I will announce the winner here on Friday, October 14th.

Fight Your Way Through

2011-10-05T10:39:00.000-04:00

I love what Ira Glass has to say in this video about that feeling of disappointment we can sometimes get when the vision we have for our work is not what we manage to create, and how the only way to make it what we want is to fight our way through that disappointment, and keep on writing.

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

This backs up something I truly believe, even as I struggle with it. And that's that if you can dream it, you can do it. If you can imagine a book, full of amazing plot twists, and gut-wrenching emotion, and all the things you love in a book, YOU CAN WRITE THAT BOOK. It might feel like you can't. It might feel scary, and hard, and impossible, but trust me. That book is already inside you. It's already written. You just have to sit down and spit it out.

Smart Chicks Kick It In Michigan!

2011-09-28T11:26:00.000-04:00

Michigan people! Have you heard? Next Tuesday, October 4th, the Smart Chicks Kick It tour is coming to Schuler's Books in Lansing (Towne Center)!

There will be an amazing lineup including Kelley Armstrong, author of the Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising trilogies, Melissa Marr, author of the bestselling Wicked Lovely series; Jennifer Lynn Barnes, author of seven young adult novels including Raised by Wolves; Rachel Caine, internationally bestselling author of over 30 books, including the Morganville Vampire series; Melissa De La Cruz, author of the bestselling Blue Bloods series; Simone Elkeles, author of the NYT-bestselling Perfect Chemistry series; and Carrie Ryan, author of the bestselling Forest of Hands and Teeth series.

Including signing their own books, they will also be celebrating the release of the new HarperTeen anthology Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong, which features short stories by several of the authors on the tour. (And many more, like Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Ally Condie, and Jeri Smith-Ready.)

The event starts at 6 pm, but you can get (FREE) tickets in advance over the phone or at the store to reserve your spot in the signing line. Get all the details HERE.

I'm going to be there, are you?

Dreamland Winner!

2011-09-23T16:13:00.000-04:00

The random number generator has spoken once again and the winner is Patsy! Be on the lookout for an email from me Patsy!

Review - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland...

2011-09-22T11:26:00.000-04:00

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

SUMMARY:
Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn't . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.

REVIEW:
What a fun book! It's classic in the best way, reminding me of both The Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland, and it's got a modern touch with issues such as September's father gone to war.

The vocabulary and wordplay in this book is fantastic. I would give it high marks just for the sheer amount of new words a young reader is bound to pick up. Plus, the wordplay adds another level to the story that makes it fun for adults to read as well.

September is a spunky girl and a bit of a tomboy who doesn't quite realize how strong and brave she is, but as her adventures into the world of fairyland continue, her confidence in herself grows. What I loved most about this book is it's subtle way of getting it's "messages" across (I hate to use that word in the sense that it can sound like it's preachy, which it isn't, but I can't think of a better one) without making September's experiences feel like LESSONS. It is truly charming.

This is a great book for parents and kids to read together, especially because younger ones might find some of the words challenging, although I don't think they will be off-putting. If you're looking for a fun classic (in the best sense of the word) story, you should definitely check out THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND IN A SHIP OF HER OWN MAKING!

Does Your Character Have An Arc?

2011-09-21T12:18:00.001-04:00

If you're not following Dear Editor you really should be. She takes all sorts of writing questions and answers them on her blog. Today she's got a great post on Character Arcs. I won't post everything she said, because you should check out her site yourself, but this really stuck out to me. About your MC:

"When he reaches The End, extract him from that last scene and drop him back onto Page 1. He should handle himself so well that you wouldn’t even have a story if this were the guy to really start it."

I thought this was a really great way of putting it. I'd never thought of it quite that way. But I can see this is an easy quick check to see if you've created growth in your character. Not the be-all end-all by any means, because of course every story is different and some characters might change in a way that still doesn't allow them to easily handle the problem, but you can still determine whether or not they would handle the situation differently. Because your character needs to have picked up some new skill, or way of thinking, or understanding that would allow them to take a different approach to the same problem.

I'm going to use this line of thought from now on when plotting. What about you, what do you do to ensure your character is growing an changing? Do you have a trick? Do you plot or outline or whatever you do with the character arc in mind?

Win DREAMLAND (Riley Bloom 3) by Alyson Noël!

2011-09-19T07:44:00.001-04:00

I'm excited this week to have a Middle Grade book to give away! Thanks again to MacMillan and Zeitghost Media for the chance to give out the third book in the Riley Bloom series DREAMLAND by Alyson Noël.Check out the trailer below:

"Riley's finding that the afterlife can be a lonely place when all you do is focus on work. So she goes to the place where dreams happen, hoping to find a way to contact her sister, Ever. She meets the director, who tells her about the two ways to send dreams. As a Dream Jumper, a person can jump into a dreamer's dream, share a message, and participate. As a Dreamweaver, an entire dream can be created in a studio and sent to the dreamer. But Dreamweaving was outlawed decades ago, and the studio was boarded up. Thinking it's her only way to reach out to her sister, Riley goes in search of the old studio. There she finds a ghost boy, who's been creating and sending nightmares to people for years. In order to stop him and reach out to Ever, Riley is going to have to confront and overcome her own fears.

This book is being sent straight from the publisher so at their request, unfortunately this contest is for US and Canada mailing addresses only.(But I swear I'm working on a giveaway for all you international folks!)

To enter, leave a comment here with your email address so I can contact you. (Be sure to spell your address out to avoid spam bots! Example: yourname at gmail dot com.) For an extra entry, tweet about this contest (or retweet my contest tweet) and be sure to @ me, I'm @valeriekwrites so I can include your entry.

Contest ends Thursday, September 22nd at 11:59pm PT. I will announce the winner here on Friday, September 23rd.

All These Things I've Done Winner!

2011-09-16T11:35:00.000-04:00

The Random Number Generator has spoken, and the winner of ALL THESE THINGS I'VE DONE by Gabrielle Zevin is Bookish in a Box!

Congrats! Be on the lookout for an email from me! And everyone else check back. I've got another giveaway coming very soon!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

2011-09-14T11:07:00.001-04:00

This summer, I wanted to do something exciting. Something I'd never done before. So I decided, rather on the spur of the moment, to go to Amsterdam (The Netherlands) for a month. Alone. To explore and to write, and to see if I could.

And I'm so glad I did! I rented an apartment a bit outside the city center with a gorgeous rooftop terrace that, once it stopped raining, I sat outside on and wrote longhand. I had forgotten how much actually writing helps me think through things.

I also met up with the awesome Corinne Duyvis, YA writer and Amsterdam inhabitant. She showed me the city and we even got a chance to do some writing in a coffee shop (the kind that actually serves coffee). The coffee shop had this cute little cubby upstairs where you could sit, but you couldn't stand.

Corinne

When I wasn't writing, I spent time just wandering around, and taking in the city. I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at the canals.

I had an amazing time. I didn't write the Great American Novel, but I did figure a lot of things out, explored ideas, and worked out a solid outline for a story I'm really excited to tell. To me, that spells success. How about you? How did you spend your summer vacation?

Also, my short story THE LAST BEST DAY is up this week at Tangled Fiction!

WIN All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin!

2011-09-12T08:44:00.000-04:00

Once again I have an awesome giveaway thanks to Macmillan and Zeitghost Media! This week I'm giving away ALL THESE THINGS I'VE DONE by Gabrielle Zevin! Check out the trailer below.

ALL THESE THINGS I'VE DONE is a dystopian, set in near future NYC, but to me, it sounds more like a horror novel. Take a look at the blurb and I think you'll see why!

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidentally poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

Did you see that? NO COFFEE!! The horror! I just can't even imagine...

To win this book, you need to have a US or Canada mailing address. Sorry about that, this book is being sent straight from the publisher and that's their condition. I will be doing an international giveaway soon though!

To enter, just leave a comment here with your email address so I can contact you. (Be sure to spell your address out to avoid spam bots! Example: yourname at gmail dot com.) For an extra entry, tweet about this contest (or retweet my contest tweet) and be sure to @ me, I'm @valeriekwrites so I can include your entry.

Contest ends Thursday, September 15th at 11:59pm PT. I will announce the winner here on Friday, September 16th.

Hades Winner!

2011-09-09T12:23:00.002-04:00

The random number generator has spoken, and the winner of HADES is:
Martha Lawson
I will be emailing you shortly for your mailing info!

I will also be posting a new giveaway soon!

Hades Giveaway!

2011-08-31T10:14:00.001-04:00

So I'm back from Amsterdam, and I will post about that soon, but first I had to share this awesome opportunity. Yesterday HADES by Alexandra Adornetto released. HADES is the sequel to HALO. Check out the trailer!

More about HADES:

Heaven Help Her.

Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier?s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can?t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth?s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well.

And now, thanks to Zeitghost Media and Macmillan (Hades Publisher) I get to give away copy of HADES to one of my followers!

This book is being sent straight from the publisher so unfortunately it's for US and Canada mailing addresses only.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below along with your email address written out like this: yourname at gmail dot com. (So you don't get spambots emailing you!)

Contest ends Thursday, September 8th. It's not necessary to win but it would be great if you could tweet or post about this on facebook! I will post the winner on Friday, September 9th.

We're Baaack! (Or Three Things on A Tuesday)

2011-08-16T08:02:00.004-04:00

It's been a bit longer than a month, but Tangled Fiction is back! (Well, almost. We return in September.) Get all the details on our extended hiatus and return on the Tangled Fiction blog.

In other news, I'm back! Not from Amsterdam. No I still have another two weeks or so here. But, I'm excited to say that I am FINALLY back in the writing saddle again with a story I'm wildly excited about. Like, seriously. The kind that keeps me up at night, working out the oh-so-twisty plot. So, yay me! Be on the lookout for that counter on the right to start going up.

Also, also, you should check out my awesome CP Natalie C Parker's equally awesome post on how Writing a Good Hook is like Running a Good Con. You'll be glad you did.

I leave you with a photo of my favorite writing spot, the rooftop terrace of my Amsterdam apartment!

MOAR Contests!

2011-08-12T08:04:00.001-04:00

In case you missed it, we're giving away a signed copy of BAD TASTE IN BOYS by Carrie Harris over at my crit group's blog Sisters in Scribe.

Enter Here Hurry, the deadline to enter is this Sunday, August 14th!

And, Maggie Stiefvater just released the awesome stop-motion-animation trailer for THE SCORPIO RACES! And in celebration, she's giving away a signed and doodled in ARC!

Check out the amazing trailer which she animated herself, and wrote and performed the music for it!

And get all the details on how you can enter to win HERE

Merry Fates Contest Poem

2011-08-11T07:43:00.000-04:00

So the Merry Sisters of Fate are having a prompt contest over at their brand new website. To enter you have to write something, inspired by their prompt image. This is the image, “The Turret Stairs” by Frederic Burton:

And this is what I wrote:

there is only this

this dark corner
between up
and
down

between his
and
mine

but it is an eternity
of sweet
of breaths like caresses and
gentle thumbs against cheeks

of wordless lips
that speak sonnets

it is
the silent cracks that
slice
through my heart
when he moves past

to the place where
he will one day
become king

while i remain
in fractured pieces
scattered along the ground

Winners are randomly selected, so don't be shy. You could win a signed ARC of THE SCORPIO RACES or THE SPACE BETWEEN or a signed finished copy of BLOOD MAGIC. Contest ends Friday, August 12, at midnight CST so get started! Enter here.

This Is Why I Write YA

2011-08-08T07:05:00.000-04:00

The Lying Game Sneak Peek!

2011-08-05T18:20:00.001-04:00

So I was thrilled to discover on Thursday that ABC Family had sent me a surprise copy of Sara Shepard's (author of Pretty Little Liars) new series The Lying Game.

I've been dying to read the book, especially since it was announced that ABC Family was making The Lying Game into a new tv series. Well, my copy of the book had a cryptic message hand-written on the inside. (Seriously, ABC Family is so awesome, they come up with the coolest ideas. I hope one day they make a tv show out of one of my books one day just so I can see what kind of game they come up with for it!)

The inscription read:

"To find the truth, you just need to know where to look."

And okay, yeah it took me a while to figure out it was a clue but when I finally decoded it, I was presented with a search term that lead to a sneak peek of The Lying Game! Check it out:

Ooh, dark and mysterious no?

The Lying Game premieres August 15th at 9pm ET.

Here's the blurb for the book:

Pretty girls don’t play by the rules. They make them.

Abandoned by her mother at age five, Emma Paxton has had a rough life in foster care, always longing for a family of her own. When she discovers Sutton Mercer, the wealthy twin she never knew she had, she leaps at the chance to meet her. But then Sutton disappears. . . .

Mistaking Emma for her sister, Sutton’s friends whisk her away. At first Emma plays along, eager to peek into her twin’s life. Sutton seems to have everything Emma never got—an adoring boyfriend, fiercely loyal friends, and a close-knit family—but as Emma is drawn further into Sutton’s world, she finds that everyone is hiding dark secrets. Worst of all, Sutton may not be coming back—ever.

Now, to find out what happened to her, Emma must keep up the charade. But one wrong move and she could end up missing as well.

Let the Lying Game begin.

Check out the ABC Family website for more info on The Lying Game TV series.

Ki Hong Lee From Nine Lives of Chloe King Answers My Question

2011-08-03T09:52:00.000-04:00

You might remember a while back I played the Nine Paths To Chloe King game as part of the launch of the new ABC Family show The Nine Lives of Chloe King. Well, as part of my prize for completing the game, I got the chance to ask Hi Kong Lee, who plays Paul, a question. Here is the video response I got!

My question was: What's your favorite thing about working on the show?

Where I've Been & Where I'm Going(!)

2011-07-25T08:30:00.008-04:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks for me. I've been preparing to go on a bit of an exciting adventure (more about that in a bit). Plus, last week I got the chance to see not one, not two, but THREE writer friends at their book signings. Talk about inspiring! (Not to mention fun!)

First up was Maggie Stiefvater and Tessa Gratton at the Borders in Novi on July 18th. This signing was bittersweet since July 18th was also the day that Borders announced they would be closing all of their stores. Still, it was exciting; the turnout was massive. Over 200 people crammed into the seating area to hear Maggie talk. I got to see Maggie and Tess for the first time since we were all stranded in Branson this past winter, and I got to meet several other Michigan and midwest YA Authors! I failed to take a pic so I'm pointing you to this post on Tessa Gratton's blog where she has a group photo of Scott Tracey, Leah Clifford, Courtney Allison Moulton, Aimee Carter, and little 'ol me.

Here's the pics I did take though:

Me and Maggie

Me and Tess

Then on Saturday I was back in Ann Arbor for Carrie Harris' BAD TASTE IN BOYS Launch Party! We started the day with several of us writer and blogger types meeting up with Carrie and her Ninja husband for lunch. There was much laughter. And again, I was total picture fail so you'll just have to take my word for it. Carrie read a hilarious excerpt from her book - you might remember I shot a trailer for it -

She also answered questions, signed books, and served up lots of delicious homemade goodies! (Also, Carrie just might have the most adorable and well-mannered children I have ever seen.)

Me and Carrie

I also might just have a signed UK copy of BLOOD MAGIC to give away!

And now onto my big adventure! On Tuesday I'm going off to this beautiful place:

AMSTERDAM! For a WHOLE MONTH! Ever since Stephanie Perkins went to Paris to write, I've had this idea burning in the back of my mind, and finally I decided to take the plunge and GO FOR IT. So for the next month, my posts might be scarce... um, er. But hopefully that will be because I'm too busy writing and being inspired and wandering the beautiful streets of Amsterdam. I am SO excited, you have no idea. All these book signings really reinvigorated my drive to get a book out into the world. I can't wait to spend some time writing in such an awesome place. Wish me luck!

Three Things On A Thursday

2011-07-07T11:29:00.001-04:00

First majorly AWESOME news! My crit partner and fellow Sister in Scribe Lacey has signed with an agent! Get all the details HERE including how you can win some awesome books too!

That's two of my cps getting signed in the last month! (You may remember the equally awesome Natalie C Parker signed with Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary and did a massive crit giveaway in celebration.)

Second there's a very cool book tour with some of my favorite YA writers happening soon and for once, it just may be coming to YOUR hometown. (But not mine, alas.) Myra McEntire, Victoria Schwab, and Beth Revis are doing an Asheville to Nashville Book Tour this August! And, even if you can't attend the tour, you can still win a ton of awesome books just by spreading the word. Head on over to the Ashville to Nashville Blog for details!

And finally, have you been watching The Nine Lives of Chloe King? It's just getting started but already SO MUCH has happened. Get caught up on the show with this video recap!

Reading Day

2011-06-22T12:05:00.001-04:00

It's a cloudy, muggy day, and I haven't spent an afternoon just laying around and reading in months, so I'm declaring today a reading day. I have SO MANY awesome books I've been dying to read just waiting for me to pick them up. The hard part will be deciding which one. Here's just a few that are calling me:

What about you? What are you reading - or wishing you could take the time to read - today?

Middle Grade Giveaway!

2011-06-21T12:47:00.000-04:00

I've been given the opportunity to giveaway a copy of the awesome new middle grade book The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente! Check out the trailer below:

More info:
"Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn?t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful."

This contest is only open to those with US and Canada mailing addresses. Sorry! To enter, just leave your name and email address (be sure to write it something like "yourname [at] gmail [dot] com" to avoid the spam bots!) Winner will be chosen at random on June 28th. I will email the winner. If I don't get a response in 24 hours. I will choose another winner.

There's no need to do anything for extra points, but if you want to spread the word to other MG lovers that would be great!

Awesome News!

2011-06-16T10:15:00.004-04:00

In case you haven't heard, my seriously awesome crit partner, Natalie C Parker recently signed with an equally seriously awesome agent, Sarah Davies of The Greenhouse Literary Agency!

Natalie and I (me?) at the Branson Writer's Retreat

I am SO thrilled and so excited for her. Her book is amazing, and I can't wait for you all to read it!

In all the excitement Natalie has ~~lost her mind~~ decided to give back! And so, she's offering to crit the first 5k of every manuscript sent to her by tomorrow Friday, June 17th. Yes, really! All you have to do is send her your work and she will read it and give you some of her amazing (and sensitivity-level appropriate) feedback.

Get all the info HERE. But hurry, tomorrow's the last day to submit!

No Love For The Present?

2011-06-15T10:07:00.001-04:00

Since I made the switch from screenwriting to novels, I've discovered that some people don't care for present tense. In fact some people have violent hate for present tense prose. I find this curious. I rarely notice tense when I'm reading and the times I do, it's usually because a book written in past tense has suddenly confused me as to when something is happening/has happened. (That whole, "I'm saying it in the past tense but it's really happening right now" thing hurts my brain.)

I tend to naturally write in present tense. I used to think this was because of screenwriting - scripts are written in present tense. But then one day I was flipping through my old journals and I discovered I've always written in present tense. And that made me think about the way people tell stories. I think in our daily lives, we use present tense much more often than you might think.

I'm sure you've had a conversation that went something like this:

"You won't believe what happened to me today!"

"What?"

"So, I'm in the store and this guy comes up and is like, did it hurt? And I go, um, what? And he gives me this big cheesy grin and says, when you fell out of heaven? And I was like seriously??"

(Okay, hopefully you don't have conversations like this, but you get the point.) The story was told naturally in present tense because she's sort of reliving it. It makes the moment more immediate. So with this in mind, I am really curious what it is that those of you that hate present tense find so awful about it. I've read terms like "jarring" and "annoying" and I wonder what about it gives you those feelings.

Catching Up on Chloe King

2011-06-12T11:00:00.005-04:00

I've been on vacation and have fallen behind on posting my updates on the NINE PATHS TO CHLOE KING game. So today you get a massive Chloe King post because THE NINE LIVES OF CHLOE KING premieres on ABC Family in just two days! (That's Tuesday June 14 at 9pm, after the Pretty Little Liars season premiere.)

First up, you can win a very awesome Protection Charm just like this one:

To claim yours, just go to the ABC Family Nine Paths game site HERE and enter the code word DECEPTION in the box on the right hand side, just under the photo of the charm. The first 500 people to enter the code by June 14th get a charm so hurry on over and claim yours!*

So what have I learned about The Nine Lives of Chloe King over the past two weeks?

Chloe King is The Uniter. Only she can save her people, the Mai. The Mai are an ancient race of people rumored to be part God (thanks to the Egyptian cat goddess Bastet) who have cat-like abilities.

This is the Mai symbol for foe:

And Chloe's greatest foe is this mysterious man:

He wants her dead at any cost.

Poor Chloe just wants to be a normal girl. She even has a crush:

But with killers out to get her, and the fate of her race in her hands, it doesn't seem likely she'll get that chance.

I'm so excited to see this show! The ninth and final path begins Monday, I can't wait to see what it is!

* Prize Rules: The Nine Paths to Chloe King Free Gift offer (“Offer”) is valid from 5/24/11 at 8:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time ("PDT") to 6/14/11 at 11:59:59 PM PDT or until supplies last, whichever is sooner. Offer open to residents of 50 US & DC, 13 & older who follow a participating blogger in The Nine Paths to Chloe King Blogger/Journalist Program (“Blogger”) at time of redeeming free gift (“Free Gift”). Each 1 of 3 Free Gifts available is tied to a different code word which will be revealed by Blogger at 3 separate times (estimated to be 5/24/11, 6/6/11, and 6/10/11). To redeem a Free Gift (while supplies last), go to abcfamily.com/ninepaths & enter code. Expect Free Gift within 8–10 weeks from 6/13/11. Limit: 1 Free Gift/person. Void where prohibited.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to persons who are, as of entry, 18 years of age or older, legal residents of, and physically located within, the 50 United States or D.C. and who are bloggers or journalists specifically invited to participate by Sponsor. Starts May 24, 2011 once game boxes are received and ends on June 14, 2011 at 11:59:59 PM PDT. Void where prohibited. Click here for Official Rules Terms and Conditions and complete entry and prize details.

My First Book Trailer! - Bad Taste In Boys

2011-05-26T11:40:00.000-04:00

Before I started writing YA, I was (and still am) an indie filmmaker. I write, direct, film, and edit and quite frankly with all the time I've spent working on my book, I worried those skills might be getting a little rusty. Fortunately, Carrie Harris was there to help!

You might have seen Carrie and I tweeting a while back about a Secret Project. Well,this is it. I shot, and edited the trailer for Carrie's debut novel BAD TASTE IN BOYS and now after much computer drama, I can finally present it to you! So without further adieu, BAD TASTE IN BOYS - The Trailer!

I had so much fun, I want to do it again! So if you're in need of a book trailer, let me know!

The Game Begins!

2011-05-24T14:05:00.004-04:00

I got my Nine Paths To Chloe King game kit today! It came in a gorgeous wooden box complete with the custom iPad 2! It's so cool! It has special apps just for the game. And the rest of the items are very mysterious. (There was even a message from A from Pretty Little Liars letting me know she's still watching me! 0_0) Check it out!

And before I forget, I told you that you'd be able to play along too. ABC Family has it set up so you can join the game, and get a chance to win lots of free stuff, (right now they're giving away the circle charm you see in my box!

To claim one, enter the code word CIRCLE in the box under the "Latest Giveaway Item".) and the Grand Prize is a visit to the set of The Nine Lives of Chloe King! GO HERE to claim a gift and to start playing.

Some of the things here include: a birth certificate written in Russian, with a secret hidden message in it, a pink baby bib, a circle charm, and a wax sealed note that pointed me to my first clue!

And here's a peek at the Mai Uniter scroll we received today! (Click to enlarge.)

Blood Magic Is Here!

2011-05-24T09:29:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to take a moment and celebrate the release today of Tessa Gratton's debut novel, BLOOD MAGIC. Not just because Tessa is an awesome person I've been fortunate enough to get to know in the last year (she is) but because BLOOD MAGIC is an AWESOME book and you NEED to read it NOW. Check it out:

Everywhere Silla Kennicott turns she sees blood. She can't stop thinking about her parents alleged murder-suicide. She is consumed by a book filled with spells that arrives mysteriously in the mail. The spells share one common ingredient: blood, and Silla is more than willing to cast a few. What's a little spilled blood if she can uncover the truth? And then there's Nick—the new guy at school who makes her pulse race. He has a few secrets of his own and is all too familiar with the lure of blood magic. Drawn together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick must find out who else in their small Missouri town knows their secret and will do anything to take the book and magic from Silla.

Why You Should Read This Book: First let me say, don't let the title fool you. There are no vampires (or any other paranormal creatures) in this book! What there is in this book is lots of magic, (it's so real that you can see it like a movie, and you'll want to try it just to see if there's magic in your blood too. Or... maybe that's just me.) There's also steamy kisses, a peek into a fascinating descent into evil, a real girl with real problems who doesn't need a boy to save her, steamy kisses, and my most favorite thing in a book, a plot that keeps you on your toes and guessing all the way until the very end! (And did I mention steamy kisses?) I really loved this book and the world created in it. I'm already salivating for the companion novel!

So if you haven't added BLOOD MAGIC to your must read list you're in luck BLOOD MAGIC is in stores right now! AND I might be giving away a copy soon, you just never know!

The Next Buffy? Summer TV Fun!

2011-05-23T10:23:00.000-04:00

You might remember that around this time last year I was invited by ABC Family to be a Pretty Little Liars Secret Keeper. Those of us selected were sent special phones where we received messages from the mysterious A who had us doing all kinds of fun stuff in order to protect our secrets. It was truly one of the most amazingly put-together and FUN games I have ever played. And for an awesome show.

Well, this year ABC Family has outdone itself. I've been invited to play The Nine Paths of Chloe King a game tied to to their new series The Nine Lives of Chloe King And this year, instead of sending me a special phone to play the game, they're sending me a custom ipad 2! Yes, really! I almost passed out when I read that. They're calling it a MaiPad because we will be playing as members of the ancient and mysterious Mai race.

And the best part is that this year everyone will be able to play the game too. (Albeit without the ipad.)

So what is The Nine Lives of Chloe King about? I wondered that too. It's based on a trilogy of books by Liz Braswell that came out a few years ago.

Judging from the trailer and the description, it sounds a bit like Buffy, which was a show I LOVED so, definitely looking forward to this one. Check out the trailer and the blurb:

Chloe King is looking forward to celebrating her birthday with her friends and single mother, just like every other year…that is until she starts developing heightened abilities and discovers she's being pursued by a mysterious figure. Chloe soon learns she's part of an ancient race which has been hunted by human assassins for millennia —and that she may be their only hope for ultimate survival.

The Nine Lives of Chloe King premieres June 14th at 9pm, right after the summer premiere of Pretty Little Liars. Until then, don't be surprised if you see making a lot of tweets, blog posts, and facebook updates involving the show. The game runs 5/24-6/14.

Is anyone else playing? Can't wait to meet you all!

Fail Spectacularly

2011-05-18T11:06:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite quotes ever (and unfortunately I can't remember where I heard it, a movie I think) is:

"If you're going to fail, fail spectacularly."

And no, that doesn't mean do a crap job. It means go for it. Don't hold back, or play it safe, in the hopes that you won't make a huge fool of yourself if you get it wrong.

If you shoot for the middle, all you'll get is mediocre. That and the knowledge that you could've tried harder but you didn't.

So the next time you sit down to write, or work out a plot, or anything else in life, ask yourself. Am I doing everything I can to make this great? Am I trying to make my story fit in with what everyone else is doing?

Is there a crazy idea you have for a story that in your gut, you know it could work, but you're afraid to try it? Are you shoving it aside to write something more mainstream/"now"/generic? Ask yourself it that's really what you want to do, and if it's not, go for it. And even if you fail, it will be the kind of glorious failure that shows your heart, and what's wrong with that?

The Road To Success

2011-05-11T11:24:00.001-04:00

Today I'm going to point you to an article I read recently and found very helpful:

9 Things Successful People Do Differently by Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D.

Halvorson points out that most of us have a hard time figuring out what it is that makes us succeed when we succeed and therefore that makes it hard for us to repeat the process on each new project or goal. I had never thought about it this way but I think it's so true. When things go surprisingly well, we tend to think we "got lucky" but I truly believe that LUCK = PREPARATION + OPPORTUNITY so that means it's got to be more than just showing up, right? But rarely do we stop and ask ourselves why something we did worked. We just rejoice in it.

One of my favorite things on the list is: Focus On Getting Better Rather Than Being Good

Such a good idea, and SO hard to stay focused on. So if you've got a few minutes, I highly recommend checking out the link!

In Which I Attempt To Shame Myself Into Writing

2011-05-02T11:54:00.000-04:00

So you might be aware, from some of my (sparse) recent posts that I'm starting a new book. Or, attempting to start one, anyway. I have an idea that I'm very excited about but it's a bit daunting in it's complexity and so rather than writing, I've been making lots and lots of notes. And staring into space. And sighing.

I've come to the realization it's time now for me to man up and start putting real words on the page so I've decided the best way to make sure that I do this is to announce my goal publicly so that my fear of humiliation will keep me on task.

So here it is. This month, starting today, I intend to write a minimum of 1000 words every day on my WIP PARADOX (see, doesn't that title just sound complex?), for an end total of at least 30,000 words on May 31st. I'm putting up a little counter on my sidebar so that I can keep tabs on my wordcount each day.

Please feel free to harass me on twitter or facebook and ask if I've done my 1000 words for the day. I'll try to post on my progress, but I'm not sure anyone wants to read the melodrama about all the hair I'm tearing out while trying to get this done.

If any of you out there are looking to do something similar let me know. Maybe we can support each other.

3 Signs That I'm Starting A New Book

2011-04-27T11:20:00.000-04:00

Inspired by Kristi's post yesterday, here's some signs that I'm writing a new book:

1. I can't hear you. What's that? Were you saying something to me? So sorry, I was thinking about that plot twist, and what it's like for my character to experience this whole new world I'm building her, and how I'm going to manage to squeeze in a kissing scene.

2. Flip-flop. Chances are I'm somewhere in the middle of W I D E mood swings from OMG this is the crazy-coolest most awesome idea ever!!! to What was I thinking? HOW WILL I EVER MAKE THIS WORK???

3. Gone missing. You can't find me anywhere. Not on g-chat, or twitter. I'm slow to answer emails. Hopefully because I'm typing away on that story or more likely, because I'm avoiding my computer like the plague.

So there you have it. My dirty little secrets revealed! How about you? Are you better behaved than me when starting a new project?

Pretty Little Liars Sneak Peeks!

2011-04-26T10:44:00.003-04:00

This past Earth Day (yes, I am woefully slow) ABC Family and Pretty Little Liars sent me a nifty trowel, some awesome yard work gloves, AND a special link to another sneak peak of the new season of Pretty Little Liars! Complete with info on whose shirt is coming off, and other vital info. Check out the video below, or go to the special link they sent me here for even more:

http://abcfamily.com/plantinglies

Who else is excited for the new season?? PLUS Did you know there are TWO new PRETTY LITTLE LIARS books coming out this year? I am all kinds of excited about this. These books were my crack last winter I read the first seven in like a week. The first one, TWISTED comes out July 5th, 2011.

So far there's no blurb up yet, but I can't wait to see what it's about and if the show has influenced the new book at all!

When "I feel" Feels Distant

2011-04-20T11:43:00.001-04:00

One of the great things about first person POV is its immediacy. First person takes the reader right into a character's brain, right into the middle of whatever they're experiencing. But sometimes, the very thing that's supposed to pull us into the scene, takes us out.

I think it's easy when writing in first person, to slip into a rhythm where, particularly when we're describing action we're constantly making "I" statements like, I feel, I see, I hear.

These "I" statements can be distancing to your reader. (Not to mention they get pretty tedious when almost every sentence in a paragraph starts out with I.)

Think about it. When I read:

Cold water trickles down my back.

I shiver because I feel cold water trickling down my own back. It's subliminal. We think to ourselves this way, so when reading a sentence that is something we would say in our own mind, we react as if it's happening to us.

Now, when I read:

I feel cold water trickle down my back.

I am forced to take a step back. I picture the narrator shivering as she feels the cold water. Because it's her experience. She's telling me what's happening and I have to picture it. So suddenly, I am sympathetic, and I'm still interested to know what happens next, but I'm not right there in the moment with her.

See the difference?

Of course there are times when you want to create that bit of distance, or an I statement is really the only way to drive your point home, but don't forget to pull your reader as close to the action as possible whenever you can.

Monday Inspiration

2011-04-11T11:32:00.000-04:00

I SO needed this today. How does the universe always know?

"The difference between taking baby steps and acting small, is that one prepares you for success, the other for a fall."
- Notes From The Universe

It's Not Cheating If It Helps

2011-04-06T11:06:00.002-04:00

So I was perusing my copy of The Art of War For Writers by James Scott Bell, looking for tips as I prepare to start my brand new book from scratch and I came across this suggestion from Chapter 20:

"It's the little things that mount up to victory. So make yourself a reminder list..."

Bell suggests that you list the things you know you need to improve in your writing on notecards, or post-its --a sort of cheat sheet-- and keep them where you can see them when you're writing.

Some of the notes that he uses personally include:

Emotion! Emotion! Emotion! - Which reminds him that his primary objective is to give readers an emotional ride.

Be Dialogue Happy - Reminding him to let the dialogue flow, he can always edit it later.

And my favorite:
The Second Right Answer - This one could be a post all on its own. Bell suggests that we should learn to stop at every major creative decision in our story (for example: plot turning points) and think of several options before moving forward. This is because usually, the first idea we have (the right answer) for "what happens next" is the obvious, or cliche, or standard way of going.

This is something I actually do when plotting. I ask myself, what is the obvious expectation here, and what are my other options. Then I pick the one that's most interesting, or surprising, or emotional, that makes sense for my characters and my story.

I think this is a great idea and am definitely going to make up a few reminder notes for myself. Other than what Bell has listed, I know I'll have one that says "Description! Description! Description!" because I tend to leave that out of my draft.

What about you? Do you make reminders for yourself? What would be on your post its?

Getting Defensive: A Cautionary Tale

2011-03-30T10:43:00.001-04:00

If you have not yet seen This Astonishing Post you MUST go read it now. No time? Okay, I'll paraphrase it for you. The link takes you to BigAl's blog where he gave 2 stars to a self-published book he'd been asked to review, and then the author comments several times with angry diatribes, and comments that make it clear she has not understood what the reviewer was saying, before finally signing off with a pair of F*** Off!s. I encourage you to read BigAl's review when you have a chance because I think it's a fair and honest review of the book.

He called the story "compelling and interesting."

He also said "the spelling and grammar errors, which come so quickly that, especially in the first several chapters, it’s difficult to get into the book without being jarred back to reality as you attempt unraveling what the author meant."

Ouch, right? But a fair warning. He makes it clear that if you can get past these, you will find a compelling story, and he did in fact read the whole book, however, the difficulty he had reading it was one of the factors that lead to his low rating.

The author (who I will not name, nor will I post any of her writing samples for ridicule) took offense to the review and apparently misunderstood, or refused to believe that the reviewer was not talking about mere formatting problems within the ebook.

She made repeated negative references to the reviewers character and integrity, as well as his and many other commenters' intelligence.

In response, many commenters apparently went to amazon and rated her book, which previously had 4 and 5 star ratings, with one star.

It was quite simply, mortifying.

And it made me think. My first reaction was one of how can she be so angry? He said her story was good, just the writing wasn't up to par. But then I tried to put myself in her shoes. This was a book she'd put up for sale, as an example of her talent. And I remembered how the first few times I got a critique from one of my crit partners, I could only see the negatives -- the things that didn't work, the should've-been-obvious mistakes, the seemingly insurmountable amount of revision I was going to have to do even though I'd already worked so hard on it.

And then I felt kind of bad for the author.

She had a fairly natural reaction to a negative review, but rather than taking the time to process it, find the good, find the things she didn't agree with and let them go, she took it straight to the internet and sabotaged her reputation, and potentially her book sales and career by lashing out.

So today, I just want to remind us all (including myself!) to STOP, and BREATHE, and THINK before lashing out at those we have asked to help us. Remember that any crit or review is just one person's opinion, but also that there is almost always something worthwhile in a negative critique or review. You can't please everyone at once, but you can always improve.

And those of you going the self-publishing route, I think this author's experience is proof that you must be extra vigilent since you won't automatically have the eyes of a professional editor or copyeditor before your book goes out into the world.

Don't let defensiveness, pride, or hurt feelings keep you from making your book the best it can be!

Chapters Vs. Scenes

2011-03-23T10:55:00.001-04:00

So I was reading this awesome post at QueryTracker today about writing a synopsis and the section on chapters got me thinking.

I don't write in chapters. My brain doesn't understand them. Like, literally - I find it confusing how sometimes a chapter can take place over a period of three days, and another time a chapter ends in the middle of a scene and the next chapter picks up at the exact same place. I can't find the pattern.

I think in scenes and scene sequences - thanks to all my film and screenwriting education, I guess. My first ms is a dual narrative and for the most part each "chapter" is one complete scene or sequence.

H.L. Dyer says at QueryTracker, "Each chapter, like a novel, should have a beginning, middle, and an ending."

This makes sense to me, and I think this is true of my scenes and scene sequences, they are just generally too short to be considered a "typical" chapter. I'm also a fan of the short chapter in fiction, so maybe that says something about me and my writing.

As I'm in the planning stages of my next book, I'm finding the chapter issue interesting. This book will have one narrator and so switching chapters at the end of each scene doesn't quite work with how I want this book to be.

I don't outline, but I do make note of all the major scenes I know need to happen, as well as my beginning through to the inciting incident, and my ending. I'm fascinated by people who use chapter outlines, and know exactly what will be in each chapter when they sit down to write.

I don't know how they do this. But then I also tend to be more fluid with my scenes. I will switch them around and re-order them in order to best build tension, make motivations clear, and keep the story moving forward.

At this point, I feel certain that I will have to write first and separate into chapters later. I will probably but in chapter breaks in places where it feels right, but other than that I won't know where a chapter ends and the next one starts until I finish the story.

What about you? Do you know exactly what your chapters will entail? Do you think in chapters or scenes? Does anyone else split and number chapters after they've written the book? Am I crazy?

Three Things on a Thursday (WINNERS!)

2011-03-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
Don't drink and drive!

1. Look what Pretty Little Liars sent me! A clover plant! How cute is that?

Next Monday, March 21, they're doing a marathon leading up to the Spring Finale! Don't miss it!

2. I wrote a letter to my teenage self for the awesome website Dear Teen Me and it's up today. Read all about My Tragic Youth (And see some rather embarrassing photos of my "fashion sense")! And then read the other letters from some amazing YA authors like Sarah Ockler, Hanna Moskowitz, Shannon Messenger, Jo Knowles, Sara Zarr, Elana Johnson, I could go on and on!

3. Now for what you've been waiting for, the winner of my Back From Branson Giveaway Part 2! They are:
BEA
TRISHA

Congrats to the winners! Look for an email from me soon! Thanks so much to everyone for entering and spreading the word! I have a lot more books to give away now that BEA is coming up! So you've got plenty of chances to win!

Starting From Scratch - Again

2011-03-09T11:42:00.001-05:00

When I first decided to give writing a book a try, I was terrified. Not that my book would be bad - strangely, I never worried about that, don't know what that says about my ego. No, I was scared at the idea over a hundred pages full of words. As someone who had at most written a 100 page screenplay which has considerably less words on each page, and many short stories, the task seemed impossible. Where would all those words come from? What would they be? How could I possibly find a way to use so many of them to tell just one story??

I decided to make my goal simple. Just write a complete story, and make it to page 100. I thought if I could tell a whole story and reach three digit numbers I would know that I was capable of writing a book, which would be all the reassurance I would need. And so I did it, and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

Ah, whoever coined the phrase "ignorance is bliss" was SO right. I look back now and I can't believe that I thought just finishing a book would be enough to turn me from under-confident writer wannabe to seasoned writer extraordinaire. You know, the one that churns out fabulous books and never has trouble with plots or dialogue or motivation. Ha!

Just like I knew that winning the lottery, or becoming mega-famous, or getting plastic surgery won't actually change who you are, I should've known that neither does writing a book.

Sitting down to write the next book is still hard. It still feels daunting to know I have to come up with 200+ pages of words. In some ways it's more daunting because I know how to spot the bad stuff as it's happening. In other ways, it's exciting, because I know this one will be SO MUCH better. I just also know that it won't be any easier.

Maybe one day I will sit down at the keyboard and gorgeous prose will shoot out of my fingertips like a sprinkler, but for now it's just me, a little bit wiser, trying to make the magic happen on my own.

I have a feeling that each book I write will get a little bit easier and a little bit harder at the same time. But I think that's good, because if it doesn't seem hard, I'm not trying to make it the best it can be. And as long as I learn from each book and make the next one better, I can live with that.

What about you? Do you find each book you write is harder? Easier? The same? How do you deal with it?

Contest Winners! Contest News!

2011-03-07T10:03:00.000-05:00

First up, the winners of my Back From Branson Giveaway part 1 are:

Jamie
Victoria Saavedra
Lindsay C

Congrats! I've emailed you. If I don't hear from you by this Friday night (March 11th) I will pick a new winner.

Now, I realize that the info post for the International Part 2 of my giveaway isn't the most informative. I had intended to use a goodreads widget so that you could check out all the books, but for some reason the widget wouldn't display properly so I took a screenshot instead. So, if you're wondering what your choice of books are, here's the list:

Beyond The Sea And Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford
The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Luminous by Dawn Metcalf
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
The Revenant by Sonia Gensler
Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready
Supernaturally by Kiersten White
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
Taking Off by Jenny Moss
The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
Wanna Go Private by Sarah Darer Littman
XVI by Julia Karr

For The Love Of Boy... Books

2011-03-02T13:35:00.001-05:00

I love boy books. For some reason I'm always drawn to books with male narrators. Many of my story ideas come to me with boy as the main character. And even though my current project is a dual narrative, in which one of the narrators is a boy, I never considered it a "boy book" and I've always been a bit hesitant about writing something strictly from a boy's point of view.

Then I read this post by Hannah Moskowitz who has so far written exclusively male 1st person POVs (and they are AWESOME) and I changed my mind. Since then I've written several shorts over at Tangled Fiction that feature boy narrators, and fleshed out some ideas for novels. And I really love it. I have no idea why, but there are several teenage boys living in my head and I think it's only fair they get their shot to appear on paper too.

So today I want to celebrate women writing boys, because there have been some great books lately about boys who are REAL BOYS, not the sweet, fantasized versions girls are supposed to like written by women, and I don't think they get the kind of attention they should.

Here is a list of some of my recent favorite boy books by women who I think totally nailed the voice. If you haven't read them yet, I suggest you get started now.

Break and Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Candor by Pam Bachorz
The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard
The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell
Freefall by Mindi Scott

What about you? Do you have a boy book in your head you've been afraid to write? Do you love boy books? What are some of your favorites written by women?

Back From Branson Giveaway - Part 2!

2011-02-28T12:20:00.005-05:00

It's time for part two of my Back From Branson Giveaway! This one is INTERNATIONAL! (Open to anywhere The Book Depository ships.) With one winner guaranteed to be outside the US!

This time I'm giving away pre-orders to any of the upcoming (or recently released) books by the authors at the Branson retreat. TWO winners will get their choice of ONE book out of the SEVENTEEN awesome books shown below!

Beyond The Sea And Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford
The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Luminous by Dawn Metcalf
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
The Revenant by Sonia Gensler
Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready
Supernaturally by Kiersten White
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
Taking Off by Jenny Moss
The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
Wanna Go Private by Sarah Darer Littman
XVI by Julia Karr

RULES:
- There will be TWO winners. One guaranteed to be INTERNATIONAL. (Any country The Book Depository ships to. See list HERE)
- You MUST BE A FOLLOWER to win. I check.
- +2 if you tweet this contest.
- +5 each if you follow my group blogs Tangled Fiction and Sisters in Scribe
- +5 if you link to this contest on your blog.
- Contest ends March 14, 2011 at 11:59pm ET

To enter, FILL OUT THE FORM. (I will delete any comments left with email addresses in them - you don't want spambots getting your email!)

ENTER HERE

Filling In The (Fantasy) Gaps

2011-02-23T12:05:00.003-05:00

I'm discovering lately that I seem to have missed out on the fantasy phase in my youth. (I was big on horror, sci-fi, and contemporary as a kid, like Stephen King, Christopher Pike.) There seems to be all these sort of common knowledge things for people who have read a lot of fantasy that I have no idea about and I don't like that. It's like I'm missing a whole layer of experience that could enrich my writing so I've decided I'm going to fix it. Here's what I've come up with so far:

The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
The Wrinkle In Time Quintet by Madeline L'Engle (Already read A Wrinkle In Time)
Terrier by Tamora Pierce
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix

I would love some high/alternate world fantasy recs! I've heard good things about Diana Wynne Jones, Shannon Hale, as well as Robin McKinley and Tamora Pierce's other books but they have so many that I have no idea which book to choose. I'm especially attracted to stories based in mythology or folklore, and I love anything with magic, but I'll read anything that's well-written! That includes Middle Grade.

Note: I've already read The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Graceling, and Fire is in my TBR pile, I'm up to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the Narnia chronicles. So please, rec away!

Back From Branson Giveaway! Part 1

2011-02-18T12:29:00.003-05:00

I've been promising a contest for months. FINALLY, here it is! I'm giving away three books!

This is part one of my contest. It's open to US residents (or US mailing addresses) only. Sorry but I'm low on cash and shipping overseas is expensive. BUT next week I'll post part two which will be open internationally!

So here's what you can win:

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater and Signed Bookplate
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff and Signed Bookplate
Across The Universe ARC by Beth Revis and Signed Bookplate

RULES:
- There will be THREE winners. One for each book.
- You MUST BE A FOLLOWER to win. I check.
- Open to US mailing addresses only.
- +2 if you tweet this contest.
- +5 each if you follow my group blogs Tangled Fiction and Sisters in Scribe
- +5 if you link to this contest on your blog.
- Contest ends February 28, 2011 at 11:59pm ET

To enter, FILL OUT THE FORM. (I will delete any comments left with email addresses in them - you don't want spambots getting your email!)

ENTER HERE

Reading To Write

2011-02-16T10:53:00.002-05:00

Lately I've been feeling sort of stymied. The creativity just hasn't been flowing in my re-writes. Not to mention it's getting to the point where I need to start thinking seriously about what I'm going to write next. I have a few promising ideas, but no real inspiration to flesh them out.

As I've been laying around sick these last few days, unable to stare at my computer screen for more than a few minutes thanks to the sinus pressure, it finally hit me. I haven't been reading!

I've been spending so much time revising and thinking about revising and nitpicking sentences that I haven't read just for fun. And I need it. That's when I feel the most inspired, when I'm surrounded by exciting, interesting, absorbing stories. So yesterday, when actual reading was an impossibility, I started listening to an audiobook, and already I feel revived.

(Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, read by Jennifer Ehle who is awesome at the multitude of voices and British accents in the book.)

So what about you? Do you read when you write? I can't read fiction that is similar in topic to what I'm writing but I like to read things that are similar in tone.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

2011-02-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

So I'm like two days late, but you'll forgive me won't you? Especially when I've been sick and I come bearing gifts like this?

Yep, that's right, the mysterious A from Pretty Little Liars has been at it again, catching me by surprise just as I was ready to bash Valentine's Day with this lovely box of chocolates that has so far not proved to be poisonous. (You never know with A!)

If you missed this week's episode due to your own Valentine's Day celebrations (or any others) you can get caught up by watching them online. Hope your Valentine's Day was better than mine, which I spent with Thera Flu and a big box of kleenex!

What Happens In Branson...

2011-02-11T08:08:00.001-05:00

Hopefully, when this posts, I will FINALLY be on a plane home from Branson. After the big winter storm on Wednesday we all ended up trapped in the lodge for another day. I couldn't get a flight out until Friday morning.

Running low on food, and feeling pretty stir crazy, we had a wild last night in Branson, and thanks to Jackson Pearce's video camera, this is the result:

Hope you have a great weekend! I'm going to be catching up on sleep.

Greetings From Branson!

2011-02-08T11:09:00.003-05:00

So, if you've been wondering where I've been the last week, I've been (and still am in) Branson for the AWESOMEST WRITING RETREAT EVER. I don't say this to gloat or make you feel bad, but to encourage you to get together with your writer friends for a few days and just hang, because it is amazing.

Writing retreats are awesome, not because of the inside jokes you come away with, but because you get to spend time with people who get you. People who don't think it's strange that the first thing you do in the morning is turn on the coffee pot and the computer, rather than shower. People who don't judge you when it's 5pm and you're still in your pajamas. People who aren't afraid when you talk about the voices in your head. It really doesn't get better than that.

I honestly can't explain how awesome it is to sit down to write and hear nothing but the soft click of fingers on the keyboard and see this:

(Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, Brenna Yovanoff)

(Kiersten White - below Freddy The Moose - not pictured)

(Victoria Schwab, Sarah Darer Littman, Julia Karr, Jessica Spotswood)

Not only is it inspiring, but it's demystifying. NYT Bestselling authors sit down with their laptops and write, just like me. There's no magic, just hard work.

If there's any wisdom I can offer from my time here in Branson, it's that writers need time with other writers. It doesn't have to be far away at a lodge, or for a week, with 22 other writers. It can be a weekend in your backyard, the results will be the same -- a feeling of kinship that we miss sometimes when we're on the other side of computer monitors.

So go make your own retreat, or mini-retreat, or weekly sit down with another writer. It's so worth it! (And if you can get Maggie Stiefvater to come and bake you cookies from scratch, all the better!)

Don't miss the last live chat from Branson! Tonight at 8pm EST at:
http://www.livestream.com/jacksonpearce
You'll be able to ask questions and hear answers from:
- Maggie Stiefvater (LINGER, FOREVER, BALLAD)
- Jackson Pearce (SISTERS RED, SWEETLY)
- Natalie Standiford (CONFESSIONS OF THE SULLIVAN SISTERS, HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT)
- Jeri Smith-Ready (SHADE, SHIFT)
- Dawn Metcalf (LUMINOUS)

Distractions

2011-01-26T12:24:00.001-05:00

I'm knee deep in revisions today so I thought I would share just one of the many distractions that keep me from getting work done. Whenever I sit down to write, I'm faced with this:

How can I say no to that? (Pay no attention to the messy house in the background!)

Debut Extravaganza

2011-01-19T11:56:00.001-05:00

So you already know I'm a book junkie, but did I you know I have an extra special place in my heart for debuts? This year is so exciting for me because so many of the authors whose journeys I've been following are debuting. Some of them (like Michelle Hodkin) I remember from contest entries, and now they're real live books! So here's a few of the YA author debut books I can't wait to read this year!

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis (debuted 1/11/11)
ANGELFIRE by Courtney Allison Moulton (debuts 2/15/11)
THE LIAR SOCIETY by Lisa and Laura Roecker (debuts 3/1/11)
BLOOD MAGIC by Tessa Gratton (debuts 5/24/11)
DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth (debuts 5/3/11)
HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire debuts (5/24/11)
POSSESSION by Elana Johnson (debuts 6/7/11)
IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma (debuts 6/14/11)
BAD TASTE IN BOYS by Carrie Harris (debuts 7/12/11)
WILDEFIRE by Karsten Knight (debuts 7/26/11)
THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab (debuts 8/2/11)
THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin (debuts 9/27/11)

What debuts are you looking forward to?

Confessions of a Book Junkie

2011-01-12T11:22:00.001-05:00

I admit it. I'm a book junkie. I see books I haven't read lined up on a shelf and I get excited. They're like tiny Christmas presents wrapped up in pretty paper. Each one holds a whole world that I can slip into and discover. And like Veruca Salt I want them ALL and I want them NOW. And that's a problem. If books were food, I'd be 200 pounds overweight.

So this year I've come up with a plan - not a goal, but a plan. I do have reading goals, mainly, to read a few classics. (I started Great Expectations before Oprah chose it for the book club.) But my PLAN is to dig deep into my massive TBR pile. I got a bit overzealous with the book buying last year, and a bit overly optimistic about how much free time I would have. (This is just some of the books I got in December of 2011 - only two are ARCs.)

Last year my goal was to read 100 books. Up from the 80 or so I read in 2009. I thought it would be simple. I'm a fast reader, so two books a week would be no problem. I started off great but then writing, and critiquing became more important and I got WAY behind. I think I finished the year at something like 44. So THIS year, like my Sister in Scribe Kristi, I'm not going to count books. I'm just going to read them.

My rule this year is that I'm not allowed to buy ANY new books (save for a few must have pre-orders I placed last year) until I've read at least 20 of the books I already own. If this takes me all of 2011, so be it. Um. I hope.

What are your reading goals this year?

2011 Writing Goals & What I Learned in 2010

2011-01-05T11:57:00.001-05:00

I don't make resolutions. (Um... anymore.) I think they're too broad, and they don't bend to real life situations. I'm the kind of person that needs to feel like they're making progress, and I work better when I have a set of conditions to meet, so for me it's all about setting goals.

Last year I was coming off the high of finishing my very first complete draft of a novel. I set some HUGE goals that I now know were not just overwhelming, but also misguided.

2010 was a difficult year for me in many ways, and an amazing one in many others. A death in the family left me unable (both literally and emotionally) to write or revise for about two months. I entered into that long dark tunnel called "revisions". Where I learned that no matter how good you think your first draft is, there are always thousands of ways to make it better. And some of those ways take a full revision before you can see the path to them.

So where am I as I start 2011?

After an extremely busy holiday season I am FINALLY reaching the end of what turned out to be an almost complete rewrite. I have learned A LOT about story structure, plot, and character arcs. Much more than I would've thought possible in a revision.

From my revisions I've learned a lot about myself as a writer, my tics, and ways to make my next first draft a much better starting point. (Also, Scrivener changed my life when it comes to story, plot, research, and chapter organization!)

I have felt the pain of killing my darlings and the joy of having a CP fall in love with my favorite character.

I've fought the pull of shiny new ideas, found ways to stay focused (although this will be a continuing battle for me, no matter how excited I am about a project) and discovered that I CAN write on demand and turn out something I'm proud of (thanks Tangled Fiction!)

I have made some truly awesome friends who get my obsession over writing and YA.

And I have been humbled and honored by some very kind and encouraging words about my writing.

So what are my goals for this year?

Last year I wanted to bang out the really rough first drafts of two novels. This year that's not good enough for me. I want to complete one really well thought out, solid first draft.

I want to make my current ms the absolute best it can be before it goes out into the world.

I want to write more short stories and on a regular basis, which okay, is a given thanks to Tangled Fiction. But I want these to be stories I'm proud of, not stories I make excuses for like "well, if I had more than a couple days, this would've been awesome!"

As a whole, I just want to keep getting better at writing by actively pursuing ways to do so. Whether it's conferences, retreats, challenging myself to styles/genres I've never written before, whatever.

And of course, I want 2011 to be the year I sign with the perfect agent for me and my book!

What about you? Are you going full steam ahead with a list of resolutions? Setting small goals? Did 2010 turn out like you thought it would?

Favorites of 2010

2010-12-31T08:21:00.001-05:00

I'm running short on time, so here's a quick (and not very snazzy) list of what I loved in 2010.

WRITING LIFE EVENTS
Winning Secret Agent
Going to BEA and meeting my CP Lacey (and lots of kidlit peeps) in person
Finding my CP Natalie
Going to Kidlit Con and meeting my CP Natalie and the Merry Sisters of Fate in person
Tangled Fiction
Seeing my CPs rough drafts blossom into some pretty amazing books
Finishing my book
Finishing a major overhaul of my book
Guest posting on Nathan Bransford's blog
Becoming a contributing author at Dear Teen Me

READS
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick
Beautiful by Amy Reed
Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
Freefall by Mindi Scott

MOVIES
Inception

MUSIC SONGS & DISCOVERIES
Andrew Belle
Lissie
F*** You by Cee-lo
Florence and the Machine

TV
Dexter
Glee
Merlin on streaming netflix
The Doctor Who Christmas Special
Ashes to Ashes

THINGS I'M SURE I WOULD'VE LOVED HAD I GOTTEN TO THEM IN 2010
Finishing my final revision
Linger by Maggie Steifvater
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows part 1
Tron Legacy
The Vampire Diaries tv show

What were your favorites of 2010? However you celebrate tonight, have a SAFE and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Courage For The New Year

2010-12-29T11:41:00.000-05:00

Wow, three posts this week! Who knew? I just read an AWESOME post on writing from the equally AWESOME Courtney Summers (author of Cracked Up To Be and Some Girls Are two of my favorite reads of 2009 and 2010 respectively, and Fall For Anything, new this month!) and I wanted to share.

So go check out what Courtney has to say about How To Deal With Writing For Publication it's got something for everyone, on every part of the publication journey.

And then, if you haven't yet, go check out her books!

Two-fer Tuesday

2010-12-28T10:13:00.000-05:00

Just three days left to enter the giveaway at my crit group's blog Sisters In Scribe! We're giving away THREE signed brand new finished copy books! What can you win?

The Demon King (Seven Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima
The Maze Runner (Maze Runner #1) by James Dashner
Wake (Dream Catcher #1) by Lisa McMann

So head on over and ENTER! Deadline to enter is 12/31.

Also, Tangled Fiction is taking a break this week, which means you can catch up on the stories we've posted so far! All of our stories are up as full posts rather than in parts. You can find them in Tangles Past: The Story Archive

And if you ever wondered what's going on in our brains when we're writing, check out our first WTF were you thinking? Chat! We posted the highlights this week. We start new stories next week!

Happy Holidays from Me and Pretty Little Liars!

2010-12-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

ABC Family and Pretty Little Liars have done it again! This time A sent me a digital picture frame with some ominous photos already loaded. Check it out!

They also included a link, so you can get a glimpse of the photos they sent me. Go here to see what I saw:

http://abcfamily.com/HoHoHo

Pretty Fricken Awesome Pretty Little Liars!

If you're missing your PLL fix, you don't have long to wait, the new season starts on JANUARY 3rd! In the meantime, be sure to check out the link above and the Pretty Little Liars Blog and catch up on any episodes you missed by watching them online.

I will be back to posting regularly soon. In the meantime, I hope you're all having an awesome holiday season!

Three Things on a Tuesday

2010-12-14T10:45:00.001-05:00

I'm alive! Who knew? I'm super busy these days but I'm still planning to have my end of the year blowout giveaway - just as soon as I get a chance to set it all up.

In the meantime, my crit group blog Sisters In Scribe is having a contest! We're giving away three signed brand new finished copy books! What can you win?

So head on over and ENTER! Deadline to enter is 12/31.

Also, it's a new week, which means a NEW story up at Tangled Fiction! This week's story is started by me, and everyone seems to think it's creepy. I have no idea why.

Check out part one of I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU. It's about love notes in lockers and possible stalkers and creepy boys with bright green eyes.

And finally, I'm looking for some Urban Fantasy recs - YA or adult. I'm looking for some books where magic is the central focus, and a known part of the world, or an urban underworld. The world would be just like our present world, but with a twist of magic. Think WHITE CAT and THE DRESDEN FILES. Something like that. Any suggestions would be awesome!

Music Monday - The WTF? Edition

2010-12-06T08:27:00.001-05:00

I was totally planning on posting Glee's tribute* to me but then I stumbled across this gem from Norway featuring... well, everybody (and by "everybody" I mean semi-famous stars of the 80s and 90s). I'm not sure how old this promo is, but at least a couple of people in it are no longer with us - most notably Leslie Nielsen and Steven Gately from Boyzone. It is sort of randomly awesome. Particularly the way the merge the actual singing of some stars with way over the top dubbed in voices for others.

I've heard that in some countries they are a few years behind in US tv shows and movies, but judging from the "stars" and the movies and tv shows they note them for being famous for, it appears Norway is a couple decades behind. Like say, 1992.

*"tribute" is in the eye of the beholder, and this beholder chooses to see it as such, thankyouverymuch.

Friday Five

2010-12-03T11:37:00.001-05:00

1. It's individual short stories week at Tangled Fiction! I posted mine today, and it's different from our usual stuff, so I'm a bit nervous. It's called LAST WINTER, and here's a teaser if you're interested:

“Come on, Avis,” he shouts at me over his shoulder. His breath is a thick white cloud against the night sky. “California hasn’t made you soft already, has it?”

“Ha. Ha.” I stick my tongue out at him and think how he’s got it backwards. He was the one that made me soft. California has made me strong.

Also be sure to check out Lacey and Natalie's shorts - (HERE on livejournal.) They're awesome!

2. In case you missed it, GLEE did a tribute to me this week by singing Valerie, at sectionals no less! Clearly, they've been following my blog. No video post today though, I'm saving it for Music Monday!

3. I rescued a cat today! He's been hanging out in the neighborhood for the last week or so and he's so sweet. Hopefully I can find him a good home!

4. I'm not sure if any of you noticed, but somehow, it's DECEMBER already! I have no idea how this happened!

5. I had a massive computer meltdown this week, but if there's ever a time to desperately need a new computer it's during the Black Friday sales!

That's all I've got this week. Hope your week was better than mine!

Sometimes Things Just Suck

2010-12-01T10:12:00.001-05:00

It's only Tuesday and it's already been a week full of tragic computer meltdowns, hours of stress and fear, and lots of money I'd rather not spend being spent. (Not to mention a week full of writing goals not being met.) So today I present you with yet another chestnut from The Universe, whose perfect timing helped me make it through yesterday.

"There are only miracles, and to one degree or another they all soothe, pamper, and enrich. However, to avoid blowing too many minds at once, some are disguised as unpleasant surprises, botched circumstances, and twisted acquaintances that can rarely be seen for who or what they truly are until the pendulum has fully swung."

I hope any of you out there having a bad week find this one helpful too! (Also, WTF how is it December already?)

Music Monday - Reason #5685 Why I Love Glee

2010-11-29T13:20:00.000-05:00

*sigh* Careful, watching this might cause your heart to explode with LOVE!

Giving Thanks!

2010-11-24T17:18:00.003-05:00

As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm thinking of all the things I'm grateful for. Since this is a writing blog, I'll share some of the writing related things that fill me with joy and gratitude.

Like Kristi, I'm grateful that I have the time to write and the support of my family who help and encourage me to find and make the time to meet my writing goals.

I'm grateful for the awesome crit partners I've met in the last year and who I'm also fortunate to call my friends. (Lacey, Kristi, Natalie, LOVE you guys!)

And most of all, I'm grateful for the amazing, generous, supportive, open-minded, open-hearted, talented, giving members of the YA writing community. I am constantly overwhelmed and awed by the effort this community puts into helping others whether it's in becoming a better writer, or living a better life. I am so proud to be a part of this group of people and to do my tiny part in helping others and sharing the love of great books to anyone I can.

Since this is a time of being grateful, and the season of giving is just around the corner I wanted to share a link to the Season of Love and Hope Auction benefitting children's writer Bridget Zinn who is battling colon cancer.

TONS of amazing authors and publishing people have donated some seriously awesome things like critiques and ARCs and vacations so check it out if you have the time.

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for reading this blog. I'm so grateful for all of you!

Why I Heart Pretty Little Liars and ABC Family!

2010-11-23T13:56:00.000-05:00

So you might remember last month, when the folks from Pretty Little Liars and ABC Family sent me a pretty much lifetime supply of orange M&Ms (seriously, we're still eating them). Well, they've surprised me again this month and it's AWESOME!

Today the UPS man brought me...

AN APPLE PIE!!

How cool is that? I felt like Oprah or something when I saw the Little Pie Company Of The Big Apple label and opened the box to find a fresh apple pie, packed in ice! Just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Seriously, (it bears repeating) how cool is that?

As if ABC Family hadn't already impressed me by choosing to make PRETTY LITTLE LIARS into an AWESOME TV show, and making me a Secret Keeper, surprise food gifts is totally putting them over the top.

And what would a gift from Pretty Little Liars be without a clue? Want to see another sneak peek of the upcoming Winter Season? Go here:

http://abcfamily.com/gobblegobble

Also check out the Pretty Little Liars Blog where you can enter to win cool prizes, get character low down, read cast interviews and more!

The new season starts JANUARY 3RD but you can catch up on what A's been up to (besides sending me treats) and any episodes you missed right now ONLINE or during the PRETTY LITTLE LIARS MARATAHON on ABC FAMILY also on JANUARY 3RD! If you haven't seen the show yet, you should definitely check it out! It's good ~~clean~~ dirty fun!

In My Mailbox -46

2010-11-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Just one this week. I loved STOLEN by Lucy Christopher so I thought I'd check out her new one even though it's for a bit younger age group.

Flyaway by Lucy Christopher

Save Some For Later

2010-11-17T08:00:00.004-05:00

Now that we've been doing Tangled Fiction for a couple months now and I've had the chance to write two story starts for Natalie and Lacey to finish, I've made some discoveries about plotting and revealing information.

When you're writing something that someone else has to continue without knowing what's supposed to come next your first instinct is to put in enough details to explain what it is you're doing. But you soon realize that if you do that, the next writer either has nowhere to go because you already gave up all the cool info and twists, or is locked into your idea, which is the opposite of collaboration (unless you use James Frey's definition of the word) and what you've written is mostly telling and infodump with perhaps a side of interesting character.

You learn that in order to give the next writer a chance to shine, and to give the story a shot at being all it can be, you have to leave threads dangling and hint at things without explaining them. You have to trust your partners, and your readers to pick up on the subtle cues, and to want to keep reading to find out what they mean.

In a word, you're doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing when you write a book all by yourself!

You know that feeling you get when you're starting a book, (or short story, or introducing a new character) where you feel like you have to get ALL the necessary info out so readers will get what you're doing and LOVE it? Well, that feeling is wrong. Those writing books - the ones that say don't reveal anything until it's absolutely necessary are right.

It took until I had to take an idea, set it up, and then let it go for me to really understand how that works. When I write an opening to one of our shorts, like my most recent one, KISS OF DEATH, I start with an idea:

What if there was a girl so beautiful that every boy who saw her was compelled to kiss her? What if her lips were poisonous?

Then I have to do some world-building, some plotting, and I have to make sure I leave something for the next writer. In the case of KISS OF DEATH I had A LOT of ideas. There was so much I wanted to (and did in the first draft) explain. I knew how Rosemina came to be cursed. I knew what she did all day while she was home alone. I knew what the Queen really thought about her. I knew what happened after my section ended. But I cut all of those things because they would work better if they were revealed later on or in an active way. I trusted that I had an interesting predicament (Everyone wants to kiss her. Everyone that kisses her dies. And because of that, people want her dead.) and that people would want to keep reading to find out what happens next.

This is the key when plotting your story and maintaining your pace. Drop hints. Dangle potential plot twists, make your reader excited and curious to see what happens next. Let them form opinions about why a character says or does something, and then reveal the info when it will be the most active, the most important, the most mindblowing thing that could happen at that moment. Save something for later. (And, as I always say trust your reader It's scary, but you'll be glad you did.

Teaser Tuesday

2010-11-16T09:01:00.001-05:00

It's Teaser Tuesday! I thought I'd post something for a change. Here's the first two lines from my opening of this week's Tangled Fiction short KISS OF DEATH! (Did I mention we're doing them weekly now?)

KISS OF DEATH
"Rosemina first encountered her curse at age five when the neighbor boy chased her behind the rosebushes, pressed his sticky, candy-covered lips against hers and promptly fell down dead. To this day the taste of chocolate and the scent of roses are synonymous with death in Rosemina’s mind."

Read all of Part One on blogger or on livejournal!

Music Monday - In Which I Suck At Blogging

2010-11-15T10:18:00.000-05:00

So I haven't done a real post in over a week! I suck!

It's a hectic time of year for me. I just started an extra seasonal job. (At a bookstore! Yay!) I'm dedicated to finish my revisions by the end of this week. I still have a weekly writing post at Sisters in Scribe. And with Tangled Fiction now doing weekly stories, I'm writing, or thinking about writing, or stressing about writing ALL THE TIME. Which I love, but whew! It doesn't leave me much time to blog!

If you've been wanting to read our shorts at Tangled Fiction but hate waiting all week or reading it in pieces, we now have a Story Archive where you can read each full story in one complete post!

Also for those of you who've been reading and demanding kissing, I deliver with my opening this week. Check it out: KISS OF DEATH Part 1 (or here at the Tangled Fiction Livejournal Community)

Just remember, be careful what you wish for!

In other news, I'm planning on doing another HUGE contest like last year's (but with even more 2010 books!) next month to celebrate the end of the year and the end of my revisions!

And finally, since it IS Music Monday after all, here's a song I've been listening to lately! It's about stripping away things you don't need, and it puts me in a happy revising mood.

In My Mailbox - 45

2010-11-14T08:32:00.000-05:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Just two this week, but both 2011 releases that I'm excited to read! Especially Angelfire since Courtney is from Michigan and Michigan writers rule!

Angelfire by Courtney Alison Moulton
Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer

Friday Five

2010-11-05T09:52:00.001-04:00

The first of our new weekly short stories at Tangled Fiction is complete! I posted Part 3 of IN THE CARDS this morning. (And at the Tangled Fiction Livejournal Community) Check it out and let us know what you think!

I decided to put NaNoWriMo on pause. I'm thisclose to finishing my revisions on IMAGINARY HEART and I don't want to lose the momentum. Once my revisions are done and sent off I'll think about my NaNo project. Good luck to everyone who's pushing through!

I know I need three more things but my brain is on my revisions and I got nothing. Hope you have a great weekend!

Kill Your Darlings - The Movie Musical Edition

2010-11-03T09:59:00.003-04:00

I'm in the midst of serious revisions and feeling a little loopy, which is why this post is about revisions and one of my all time favorite things, random musical movie moments! And um, how those two things relate to each other.

We've all heard that saying "Kill your darlings." (Or murder them, whichever.) Essentially it's saying any time you have something you find especially clever or that's close to your heart DELETE IT because it probably doesn't fit with the rest of what you've written or even belong in your book. This is killing your darlings to the extreme, but you get the idea. I think it's easy when your book is about A, and all your scenes are focused on A, to slip off into tangent B and then think it's brilliant just because it's so different from the rest of the book.

It's at that point that you must stop and really look at the scene about B. Does it have anything to do with the plot of your book? Is it there just to be awesome? Will it stop readers in their tracks as they wonder when this dark thriller turned into a slapstick comedy?

How does this relate to my love for random spontaneous musical scenes in movies? I'll show you!

Take the 80s classic TEEN WITCH. (Shut up. It IS TOO a classic!)

This is the blurb for TEEN WITCH:
Louise is a shy misfit with a huge crush on and no chance of dating Brad, the hunky star of the high school football team. When Louise discovers on her 16th birthday that she's descended from Salem witches, she uses her newfound powers to become the most popular girl on campus! But when sparks fly between her and Brad, how can she be sure it's true love and that he's not simply spellbound?

You'll note that nowhere in the description is the movie called a musical. Yet, fairly early on, we're given this:

(Take a moment to recover from the 80s explosion. I'll wait.) I remember even as a kid, the first time I saw this I thought, WTF is this a musical? BUT IT WASN'T. It was just a movie with a scene where everyone broke out into a choreographed dance routine for NO REASON OTHER THAN THAT IT WOULD BE SHEER AWESOME. And as you can see, it was, but that's not the point.

The point is, as a first time viewer, I was confused. I kept waiting for more dance routines, but there really weren't any. And in the end I was sort of disappointed about that. And I wondered why that scene was in there anyway. Just to tease me with a glimpse at how awesome Teen Witch would've been as a real musical?

So as you can see, if Teen Witch was a book, as much as I love the random dance scene, because I love random dance scenes, that particular darling would have to go. It sticks out and it's distracting because it doesn't really belong.

Do you have a scene like this? So full of awesome it could be it's own book? So unrelated to what's actually happening in your plot? You might have to save it for a different project. Put it in a drawer and when you're sad, take it out and read it and know that it's proof of your magnificent talent.

And now, just in case I have thoroughly depressed you by telling you to take out your favorite scene, here's my all time favorite spontaneous musical scene. I SO wish this would happen while out at a restaurant in real life!

Music Monday - NaNo edition!

2010-11-01T10:36:00.001-04:00

Happy first day of NaNoWriMo! I've already done my writing for the day and got my first 1388 words of GRAVITY down on the page. I'm going into NaNo this year fairly blind so it will be interesting to see how long I manage to keep up my wordcount goals.

Today's song is one featured on my NaNo playlist. It is one of my all time favorite songs from one of my all time favorite movies. It's potentially NSFW (there's a couple f-bombs in there) so listen at your own risk.

Talk Show Host - Radiohead

Also, today is the first day of our new weekly short story format over at Tangled Fiction! Part one of our new story IN THE CARDS by Lacey is up now. Natalie will be posting part two on Wednesday and I'll be finishing the story on Friday. So if you need a break from NaNo, be sure to check it out! (It's also up on the Tangled Fiction Livejournal Community.)

In My Mailbox - 44

2010-10-31T12:03:00.000-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Across The Universe by Beth Revis
Ruined (How to Ruin, #1-3) by Simone Elkeles
I'll Get There. It Better Be W... I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth The Trip by John Donovan

Friday Five - Big Changes

2010-10-29T10:42:00.001-04:00

Exciting stuff this week!

One week ago today I was having one of those magic moments in a writer's life. I was meeting my critique partner Natalie C Parker in person for the very first time!

We met up at KidLit Con and she was every bit as AWESOME as I knew she would be. I've now been fortunate enough to meet 2 of my 3 CPs - watch out Kristi you're next!

I have TWO Tangled Fiction announcements.

First - The final part of our second story UNCHARTED written by Lacey is up!

When we last saw Alex he was faced with a choice. Go home, and leave one of his friends behind, or stay with the mysterious woman in the water and let his friends go free. What will he choose?

Second - BIG CHANGES at Tangled Fiction! We have gone from 4 writers to 3 (Anne Marie will no longer be posting with us.) And we're going to one short story a week! That's right. Tangled Fiction is starting November leaner and meaner, with shorter, faster short stories. Why wait a month when you can get a story a week? We'll be posting Monday, Wednesday, Friday from now on. With some other cool stuff. Read all the details on the Tangled Fiction blog!

I think I've settled (again) on a NaNoWriMo story idea, but I'm a bit fearful because I know so little about my characters and plot this time around. Not to mention I need to seriously research the world of my story. Last year I wrote IMAGINARY HEART, which had been marinating in my brain for several months. I was able to burst out of the gate with several thousand words. This month I think I will be doing a lot of exploration. If you want to be my NaNo buddy, I'm here: valeriekwrites.

Also, have you checked out Scrivener yet? I LOVE this program, and there's now a windows option that is free to use for NaNo! Plus the new Scrivener 2.0 for Mac. Check it out: Scrivener for NaNoWriMo

Pretty Little Liars Goodies!

2010-10-28T09:47:00.003-04:00

You may remember that earlier this year I was a Secret Keeper in this awesome game from ABC Family and the TV show Pretty Little Liars. Well, yesterday they sent me a surprise Halloween present!

There was an adorable pumpkin candy dish filled with orange M&Ms that read Trick or Trick? and A. Plus a flashlight and a clue hidden in a photo that read Trick or Treat Witches! The clue leads trickortreatwitches.com where you can see a sneak peek at the new season!

It looks like we're in for some more fun times with Pretty Little Liars! The show returns on January 3rd. I know where I'll be then!

Critique Your Critiques

2010-10-27T13:57:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I was fortunate to attend KidLit Con 2010. Where the Merry Sisters of Fate (Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff) gave a presentation on critique groups.

First let me say that KidLit Con was AWESOME! Really well put together, lovely venues, and great panels. Every time I attend a conference I'm reminded how awesome it is to be in a room full of writers. When the time came for Q&A with the Merry Sisters, every single question asked was about writing!

They talked about many fascinating and insightful things, but the one I want to focus on today is a comment they made about getting a critique.

Maggie was talking about editor's notes, but it really fits for critiques from crit partners and beta readers as well. She said (I'm paraphrasing), sometimes you might get a note back saying "I don't like that thing with the pickup truck at the convenience store, can you do something else?" And she said what you need to know is, the editor (crit partner, beta reader) isn't really talking the pickup truck. They're responding to something in the scene that isn't working. So if you like the pickup truck you don't necessarily need to take it out. You need to figure out what about the scene isn't accomplishing what you intended. You need to, in effect, (and this is me talking now) critique your critique.

Before you get all panicked and start slashing things, (or angry and defensive, whichever is your MO) really read over the entire critique and try to get a sense of what the critiquer is and isn't getting from your story. The things that tend to stand out to people are the things that are easily identified. So a reader might say "the pick up truck thing" but what they really mean is "I just didn't get why she suddenly went from sad to happy in that scene where he offers her a ride in his new pick up truck. It just didn't feel real to me, and it threw off what happened in the next scene."

These are the kind of comments the Merry Sisters work on together, and it's the kind of thing you can do on your own or with your cps. A lot of times a few in depth questions can help you figure out what's missing and what needs to be changed.

Before you start asking questions, be clear on what you want the scene to accomplish. Then work to figure out what it is and isn't accomplishing. The fix might be as simple as adding one line of dialogue or as huge as deleting the entire scene and starting from scratch. You might even find that what you were trying to get across isn't the best choice after all.

The thing I took away from the Merry Sisters' talk more than anything is when you get a critique that says something other than "that's brilliant!" Stop. Breathe. Read it, and then read it again. Take another deep breath, and then begin a dialogue either with your cp, or with yourself. Every crit is helpful no matter how basic it is. Try to find the useful bits and use them to make your ms shine.

"So" Unnecessary

2010-10-20T10:05:00.002-04:00

I've come to form the opinion that there is almost no need for the word so. In narration anyway.

Why? Well I'll tell you!

SO makes for wordy complicated sentences. Also, it's explain-y.

He knew he was in trouble so he hid in the bathroom so the teacher wouldn't see him.

Um... yeah. See? Wordy. Long. Complicated. Telling. You could say all this much more actively and with less explanation.

Footsteps in the hall. This was it, if the teacher saw him he was busted. He jumped into the nearest doorway, the girl's bathroom, just as she rounded the corner.

SO frequently states the obvious. It strings together two sentences that are often better left apart.

It was raining out so I grabbed my umbrella on my way out the door.

Since we were just told that it's raining, we KNOW WHY she grabs the umbrella. So makes the sentence almost feel condescending. And it would be better said in two short sentences.

Rain pounded on the roof. I grabbed my umbrella on my way out the door.

When you juxtapose two things together, (it's raining, grabbed umbrella) readers make the connection on their own. It doesn't need to be spelled out.

SO is lazy. It's like "and then".

Chances are good that if you're using so somewhere other than dialogue (where it can make for lovely, awkward conversation), you're telling. Which is lazy. Also, whatever you're telling about is probably boring and unnecessary.

He was tired so he went upstairs and took a shower so he wouldn't smell like french fries when he woke up.

This is just a list of things he did with explanations about why. It's not particularly interesting and the purpose of it is really just to say that he went to bed so that we can move on to the next scene where something actually happens. Boring and unnecessary.

I was hungry, so I went downstairs to get a snack. Then I was attacked by a ninja!

Is it really necessary for us to know why he went downstairs? Isn't being attacked by a ninja the important part here? In this case the so sentence is being used as set up and that's exactly what it feels like. Like we're being lead to something rather than experiencing it as it happens.

I was staring into the fridge trying to find something that wasn't expired when out of nowhere, ninja attack!

So... the next time you find yourself using SO stop and ask yourself, is it really necessary here? Am I telling? Can I say this more succinctly? Can I say this more actively? I bet you'll find a better way to get your point across!

Teaser Tuesday

2010-10-19T10:24:00.000-04:00

Part Three of UNCHARTED by Natalie C Parker is up at Tangled Fiction! When we last saw Alex, he was on the run from the extremely creepy woman in the pond. What happens next? Check out this teaser:

"With every step, I focused on two words: Get out. Get out. Get out. Branches and saplings, too small to see in the dark, slapped against me. They snatched at my skin, stinging my arms, my face, my legs. I stumbled and felt pain snap through my hand like fire, but I didn’t stop. I ran to the refrain on endless repeat in my mind: Get out. Get out. Come back."

You can also join the Tangled Fiction Community on livejournal!

Music Monday

2010-10-18T10:31:00.002-04:00

I really like Haven on the SyFy channel. They use a lot of great moody music - (not to mention Nova Scotia is gorgeous to look at!). Here's a recent favorite I discovered thanks to the show. It's already made its way onto my WIP playlist!

Dotted Lines - Sweet Talk Radio
Favorite line:
My paper heart has been burning
Since you threw a match...

In My Mailbox - 43

2010-10-17T11:19:00.002-04:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

This is for the last 3 weeks or so.

FOR REVIEW
Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

BOUGHT
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
The Last Good Place of Lily Odilon by Sara Beitia
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

PLUS Cinda Williams Chima spoke at my local SCBWI conference last weekend and I couldn't resist. I bought all five of her YA Fantasy and Urban Fantasy books!

Aren't the covers gorgeous?
The Warrior Heir (The Heir Chronicles #1)
The Wizard Heir (The Heir Chronicles #2)
The Dragon Heir (The Heir Chronicles #3)
The Demon King (Seven Realms #1)
The Exiled Queen (Seven Realms #2)

Friday Five

2010-10-15T10:08:00.001-04:00

If you've noticed I've been posting less this week it's because I'm neck deep in revisions. I have a self-imposed deadline and I intend to meet it! Hopefully with something that makes sense. Cutting 25,000 words or so and adding 30,000 new ones hurts my brain. Anyway, onto the Friday Five!

- Over at my crit group's blog Sisters in Scribe we have an awesome guest post by Andrew Jacobson of the new Middle Grade Fantasy series THE FAMILIARS! Stop by and check out the post for a chance to WIN a copy of THE FAMILIARS! Ends October 30th.

- Next weekend I will be heading to Minneapolis to the Kidlit Con 2010! I'm especially excited because I'll be meeting 2/4 of the girls from Tangled Fiction there, Anne Marie and my CP Natalie C Parker! Are you going to be there? Let me know! I'd love to meet you!

- I LOVE this post by TH Mafi, which is so my life right now. 6 Things You Lose When Writing A Novel. Plus she's having a contest right now where you can WIN $100 for books! (No that's not a typo. That's one hundred dollars. For books!)So go check it out. And if you haven't been reading her blog regularly, you should be. It's hilarious.

- How awesome was it seeing all those miners pulled out of the mine? That's the kind of reality tv I like. I think I cried almost every time one of them came out. And I don't really cry much. I swear!

- The SCBWI conference I went to last weekend was AMAZING! I learned so much. This year's focus was on Fantasy and Sci-Fi and Cinda Williams Chima gave two awesome workshops on world-building, and hooking your readers. Once I finish my revisions I'll go through my notes and share what I learned, but in the meantime, you should totally check out her books. Her most recent is the second in her Seven Realms series The Exiled Queen. I got a copy of the first book in the series, The Demon King, signed and will be giving it away over at Sisters In Scribe.

Hope you have a great weekend! I'll be strapped to my macbook until I finish these ~~stupid~~ awesome revisions!

Books I'll Always Remember

2010-10-13T11:02:00.002-04:00

There's a meme going around about what books will you always remember and why. I love seeing what books matter to people and I thought I'd share some of mine. Here are ten books I'll never forget:

Ramona Quimby Age 8
This is the first book I checked out of the library by myself! I was in kindergarten. It was the first chapter book I ever read. I thought every chapter was a story because they had titles! At first I read them out of order, based on which one sounded most interesting, but then I figured it out. (Also cool, the grandmother's last name was Kemp!)

Bridge to Terabithia
And thus began my love for sad books where people die.

Inexplicably, this audio book was one that they played over the loudspeakers when we went to bed at school camp. Nothing like being 10, far from home in the middle of the woods, and listening to the story of a little girl who dies alone in the woods!

Tuck Everlasting
And thus began my love for sad books about immortal people who wish they could die.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
I think I read this book around 20 times between 4th and 6th grade.

A Wrinkle In Time
Thus began my love for all things time travel, sci-fi, and fantasy.

Pet Semetary
The first truly scary book I read. I was 12 and I made the mistake of reading it one night when I was home alone.

The Stand
It was over 1000 pages! And awesome.

Interview With A Vampire
The first truly dark and emotionally complex book I ever read. And of course the beginning of my love for vampires!

All The Pretty Horses
I loved John Grady Cole so much that I didn't want to read the next book because I couldn't bear to see him go through the changes I knew would come and turn him into a grizzled cowboy. Plus, it was the book that taught me there are no rules when it comes to writing a book. Want to write would of instead of would've? Hate commas? Go for it!

The Time Traveler's Wife
Did I mention that time travel is one of my favorite things in the world? Plus, sad books where true love faces inevitable doom? This book will break my heart forever.

What about you? What are some books that you'll remember forever?

Guest Post!

2010-10-10T16:48:00.001-04:00

My guest post The All-Important First Chapter is up on Nathan Bransford's blog!

I'm like Jesse Spano on the very special episode of Saved by the Bell when she took caffeine pills! I'm so excited! I'm so scared!

Friday Five

2010-10-08T08:02:00.004-04:00

This week turned out to be a surprisingly good week for me!

I entered Nathan Bransford's Guest Post Contest and my post was selected! I will be guest posting on Nathan's blog this Sunday, October 10th at 10am PT in case, you know, you want to stop by and check it out. Just sayin'!

I finally got into a groove with my current revision. I'm back at that place where I feel like I'm creating again instead of just moving words around. I love that feeling! (Although, I'm thinking of renaming my ms EVERYBODY SHRUGS because that's what everybody does in it. All the time.)

I got a Shiny New Idea for NaNoWriMo! Be my buddy! (I can't believe it's less than a month away!)

I posted the opening for our new story on Tangeld Fiction.

Today is the first day of my local SCBWI's weekend long Fall Conference! A whole weekend with people who don't think it's weird to write and read books for teens. Love it!

What about you? Anything awesome happen for you this week?

Review - Her And Me And You by Lauren Strasnick

2010-10-07T10:13:00.000-04:00

Her And Me And You by Lauren Strasnick -
3.5 out of 5 stars (release date )

Summary via goodreads.
First love, broken friendships, and heartache all play a part in this evocative, voice-driven novel about Alex, a girl whose world is ripped apart when her father’s affair splits her family in two.

Alex moves with her mess of a mother to a new town, where she is befriended by hot, enigmatic Fred—and alternately flirted with and cold-shouldered by Fred’s twin sister, Adina. Others warn Alex to steer clear of the twins, whose sibling relationship is considered abnormal at best, but there’s just something about Fred—and something about Adina—that draws Alex to them and makes her want to be part of their crazy world…no matter the consequences.

REVIEW:
First of all let me say that I recently finished Lauren Strasnick's debut novel NOTHING LIKE YOU and I LOVED it. It is easily one of my favorite reads so far this year. If you haven't read NOTHING LIKE YOU, you should definitely check it out!

Because of my love for Strasnick's first book, I had high hopes for HER AND ME AND YOU. I think she delivered when it comes to a complex, realistic character, stuck in a situation that has no easy answers. Alex is dealing with so many difficult issues: a father who completely let her down, a mother who can't cope, a best friend who's moving on without her, conflicting emotions about her sexuality, and being the new girl in town.

I loved that Alex was struggling to figure out who she was in so many ways. Is she the good girl? Does she like boys or girls? Does she need to fit in with the "right" group or the right group for her? All of this is handled realistically, and is well done.

When Fred and Adina enter the picture, things get interesting, twisty, and dark. I loved the dynamic between Fred and Adina, and the fact that Strasnick didn't shy away from Adina's serious mental health issues. I would've liked to have seen more development of Fred and Adina, and Alex's relationship with them. Fred and Adina, as well as Alex's parents and best friend Evie, all felt a bit underdeveloped. Mainly because they all had the potential to be so interesting and complex had we gotten to know them better.

What I love about Strasnick's books is that people don't get redeemed just because it's the end of the book. Just like in real life, not everything ends happily or gets resolved easily.

HER AND ME AND YOU is a very short book, written in spare prose. I would've loved to have seen the entire story fleshed out more, with a little more insight into everyone. That's where the book fell a bit flat to me. It was maybe a bit rushed. I think it says a lot about Strasnick's writing though, that I was left wanting more rather than the other way around. I'm already looking forward to her next book! If you love contemporary YA, I highly recommend you check out NOTHING LIKE YOU and HER AND ME AND YOU.

Cover: OMG I love this cover SO MUCH! Even better, it does actually fit the story, sort of.

Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 3.5/5