Much Muchness

Many things going on!

First: All this week on the League, we're posting our top writing tips. A lot of people lately have been asking about the first chapter of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE since Penguin released it.  So, today I'm posting about how that first chapter came to be.

Second: WriteOnCon was an entirely free online writer's conference run by a group of awesome bloggers who just wanted to give back to the writing community. But while they made sure it was free for the THOUSANDS of participants, it's not free to buy webspace, serverspace, and internets. So, they're holding a fundraiser. And, um, listen guys--one of the prizes? It's from me. I'm not going to say more, but it's something a lot of you have been asking for, and it's signed, and it's going to be announced tomorrow at 7:00 AM.

Third: I've decided to extend the swag giveaway until Tuesday, when Lisa will also pick a grand prize winner! Be sure to enter--just comment for a chance to win swag, but visit the other blogs to gather the word to make the phrase that you can enter to win the grand prize! OK--that sounded confusing. But it's not. Trust me. And go enter at Lisa's blog for the grand prize, which includes an iPod!

Fourth: Shameless plug for my church, which is holding a fundraiser. If you need flower bulbs, please buy from my church!

Personal Demons!

I told you to come back on Sunday!!

I am happy to be a part of Lisa Desrochers's blog tour for PERSONAL DEMONS, her debut from Tor MacMillan, which comes out SEPTEMBER 14th!!!

PERSONAL DEMONS is...well, why don't I let Lisa tell you what it's about?

Frannie Cavanaugh has always been a bit of a loner. She's spent years keeping everyone at a distance, even her closest friends. That is, until Luc Cain enrolls in her school. He's hot, sarcastic, and dangerous—and Frannie can't seem to stay away.

What she doesn't know is that Luc is on a mission. Because Frannie isn't exactly ordinary. She possesses a skill so unique that the king of Hell himself has taken notice, and he's sent Luc to claim Frannie's soul. It should be easy: All he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as tempting as they come.

Unfortunately for Luc, Heaven has other plans, and he's just started making progress when the angel Gabriel shows up. Gabe will do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came for, and his angelic charm might just be enough to keep Frannie on the right path.

It isn't long before Luc and Gabe find themselves fighting for more than just Frannie's soul. But if Luc fails to win her over, there will be Hell to pay . . . for all of them.

Sound awesome? You know it! So...wanna a chance to WIN stuff? TWO grand prize winners are going to win a signed copy of PERSONAL DEMONS, an iPod shuffle pre-loaded with awesome music, swag, and other items. To win a grand prize, write down the red, bolded words in this post, then check out the posts on the other stops of the blog tour for more bolded words...put the words together, and you'll find the hidden sentence that's the key to winning the grand prize at Lisa's blog on TUESDAY.

BUT...someone's winning prizes TODAY. All you have to do is comment on THIS POST today, SUNDAY, and you're entered for a random drawing of the swag pictured below--including a Personal Demons tank top and...yes...some ACROSS THE UNIVERSE swag!

Here's the rest of the schedule, so make sure you visit these blogs throughout the tour.

Thursday: Carrie Harris
Friday: Myra McEntire
Saturday: Lisa and Laura Roecker
Sunday: Beth Revis
Monday: Andrea Cremer
Tuesday: go home to the author of Personal Demons herself, Lisa Desrochers

Ready Your Time Machines! SUNDAY PRIZES

Please calibrate your time machine to come back to this blog THIS SUNDAY.

I know that I don't usually post on the weekend, and that Sundays are kind of everyone's day off anyway, but if you return to me on Sunday, then YOU WILL WIN A PRIZE. I mean, maybe. If you comment on a post and are randomly selected.

BUT! The prize! Is awesome!

Why YES. There is ACROSS THE UNIVERSE swag included! As well as tons of swag for PERSONAL DEMONS which is coming SOON. And! And! And! You might win a grand prize that includes an iPod Shuffle AND MOAR!

So be sure to check back on SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY (<--read that in your best Demolition Derby voice.)

Bookanista Feature: Elizabeth Gilbert's EAT, PRAY, LOVE

The Bookanistas are a group of writers - in various stages of the publishing process – who have decided to band together and review the special books of our peers.  No negative reviews here! We post every Thursday and cover various topics– upcoming ARCs, books we love, special diamonds in the rough, classics, and even cover reviews.

Here is a list of the Bookanistas: Christina Fonseca, Jamie Harrington, Michelle Hodkin, Kirsten Hubbard, Shelli Johannes-Wells, Myra McEntire, Shannon Messenger, Bethany Wiggins and Suzette Saxton, Beth Revis, Lisa and Laura Roecker,  Sarah Frances Hardy and Katie Anderson, Scott Tracey, and Carolina Miller

EAT, PRAY, LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert

Oh, dear.

I'm afraid I'm going to lose all Bookanista street cred with this one.

This book is a memoir, not fiction, and it's certainly not YA. It's not at all my usual fare. That's evidenced by the fact that this book has been out forever, and I've only now picked it up.

In looking at other reviews, it seems people either LOVE this book...or HATE it. I'm going to take a little bit of a different route with this Bookanista Feature, therefore.

• Complaint 1: the narrator is a typical rich white woman, and her problems are nothing compared to, say, the suffering in the third world. It comes off as whiney.
• BUT: that's not what this book is about. It's a memoir of one specific person in one specific situation. Yes, it's a bit narcissistic, and yes, there are bigger issues in the world than one woman's divorce and recovery from heartbreak. But we each have our own stories, and this is hers. And honestly? Even if this was nonfiction, I have to admit I read it a bit as if it were escapist fiction. I'd be lying if I didn't say I imagined living in the apartment in Rome, flying to Bali by myself...
• Complaint 2: the solution to the narrator's problems are to travel the world in search of herself. Yeah, that's great--but how realistic is it? It's not like we can drop everything to have a life-altering adventure. 
• BUT: wouldn't we want to if we could? I mean, I know I don't have the means to literally stop my life for a year and explore foreign countries. I don't. I probably never will. Most of us probably never will. ...but wouldn't we want to if we could? If I can't do it, at least she can, I least I can read about it.
• Complaint 3: this book is so self-centered. The author goes to Italy, India, and Indonesia--and it's all about "I, I, I" 
• BUT: this is a memoir. Isn't that a little the point? And actually, I didn't really think it was all about "her, her, her." What really made this book interesting to me is that Liz sprinkled in other people's stories with her own. You get a sense she really got to know the people she surrounded herself with.

So, yeah: there are a lot of complaints out there about this book. But in the end, I just found it fun--and beyond that, the author is a brilliant writer. She knows how to make a simile! They stand out so wonderfully--at one point, she describes "grapes with skins as tight as showgirls' leotards." Try to tell me that's not a brilliant simile.

As a side note: I listened to this book on audio book, narrated by the author, and it really enhanced the story. I loved hearing her voices to the different characters, and she really sounded like an old friend telling me about her adventures.

Is this book the life-altering spiritual memoir some people claim it to be? For me--no. It was light, fun, and an adventure.

*~*~*~*

Other Bookanista Features Today:

• Christine Fonseca: ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS
• Jamie Harrington: THE DUFF
• Shelli Johannes-Wells: HEX HALL and DEMON GLASS
• Elana Johnson: PERSONAL DEMONS (Wednesday Edition)
• Shannon Messenger: PARANORMALCY and a GIVEAWAY
• Beth Revis: EAT, PRAY, LOVE
• Lisa and Laura Roecker: CLEO THE CAT WHO MENDED A FAMILY
• Scott Tracey: MATCHED
• Carolina Valdez Miller: LOOKING AHEAD TO OCTOBER RELEASES

• 
  

Guest Post: Tricia Hoover on Timed Writing Sessions

Several of you have commented about the succes of the new timer method I've been using--but I've gotta confess--it was totally not my idea. Nope. Stole it all from my friend Tricia Hoover.

For those of you who don't know Tricia (and what the heck, people, check her out, she's awesome!), Tricia's the author of the Roots in Myth blog, blogs at The Spectacle, and is the author of the Forgotten World series, ending with The Necropolis which is out in October.

So, without further ado, here's Tricia on the awesome writing method she taught me!

PJ HOOVER ON USING TIMERS WITH WRITING

The idea for the timer method of writing came when my son went off to Kindergarten. Talk about procrastination. We'd tell him to get dressed in the morning, and somehow he'd find a gazillion other things to do instead (kind of like those old Family Circus comics where Billy needed to go get something out of the house). Anyway, after half a year of nagging and pestering and the like, while putting away the Christmas decorations, I came across a Santa time I'd bought at Hallmark on clearance one year. I thought, who better to motivate kids to do what you want them to do than Santa? And so, when the second half of school started, each morning we'd set the timer for five minutes and tell my son that Santa was not only watching him, Santa was timing him.

This worked magic.

And I mean serious magic. He'd run to his room and emerge dressed within three minutes.

So I got to thinking, if Santa has this magical effect on my son, wouldn't Santa have a little magic to spread around for me? I was having a little trouble focusing on actually getting any noticeable stretches of writing done, and needed something to help me focus and concentrate. So when the kids went off to school, I brought Santa to my desk, set him for 30 minutes, and vowed not to stop writing until he buzzed. Because, seriously, I can do anything for 30 minutes, even write.

Here's how it went down. The 30 minutes dinged, and I needed more time. I was focused and that 30 turned into 45. I finished up, took a break, and set Santa again. My sweet spot seems to be somewhere between 45 and 60 with breaks in between. I'm normally good for two or three of these intervals.
In the past year, I've been doing more and more writing dates, and the question comes up of how can you stop the chit chat and get down to the writing?

The timer.

Set it and have everyone on board. If you don't want to haul along your Santa timer, or if you aren't fortunate enough to have a Santa timer, there are lots of egg timers available online. The one I use is here.

So, ready, get set, and go!

More Timed Sessions

Session One: 30 Minutes

• Beginning Word Count: 47,364
• Ending Word Count: 48,293
• Total Words: 929
• Total Words for the Day: 929
• Thoughts: It was hard to get started--I spent some time (before the timer) trying to remember where I'd left off before, and I'm not 100% sure the scene I just finished really fits in with the plot of the story...I may have to cut it or move it to later. But I do have a better idea of what to do next, so I can work on this bridge later.

Session Two: 30 Minutes

• Beginning Word Count: 48,293
• Ending Word Count: 49,002
• Total Words: 709
• Total Words for the Day: 1,638
  
• Thoughts: RAWR! So frustrating! I want that word count HIGHER!

Session Three: 30 Minutes

• Beginning Word Count: 49,002
• Ending Word Count: 49,850
• Total Words: 848
• Total Words for the Day: 2,486
• Thoughts: Still slow...but I'm better with the pace now because I'm having to go back and make sure certain things are lining up. And because I will break 50k before the end of this session. 50k suddenly seems a lot more than 49k.

Session Four: 20 Minutes

• Beginning Word Count: 49,850
• Ending Word Count: 50,538
• Total Words: 688
• Total Words for the Day:  3,174
  
• Thoughts: Less words than I'd hoped for today--but more than I'd have gotten otherwise. The pace is slower--there's lots of stuff in between the action that needed to happen--but I'm happy where I'm leaving the manuscript now. 

This is the homestretch for me. I figure I'll need about 25k more words or so to finish--and the last words are so much easier than the first ones, which are so much easier than the muddy middle. My goal is to finish this before the beginning of October--and with the timer method, I think that might actually happen...

Two Contests to Win ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

Hey all!

Just wanted to make sure that you knew there were two contests going on to win a copy of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE.

The first is the one Penguin's running on the Facebook Fan Page for the book: Just comment on this post for a chance to win. Only 137 people have entered so far, so your chances are pretty good! That contest ends 9/17.

The second is newer--a copy of the book is being given away on GoodReads. Just clicky here to submit to win a copy through GoodReads. This contest is open until 12/1.

And me? Don't worry, I have not forgotten you!! I plan on doing something that will involve an ARC giveaway sometime around October in conjunction with the NY ComicCon thatomgican'twaittogoto.

Getting the Writing Done

I've been floundering a bit lately. I want so hardcore to finish the first draft of Book 2 by the end of September. I want to be able to send it to readers, get ideas, and revise at least once before sending it on to my agent and editor.

But to do that, I need to be more productive. MUCH more productive. I can only say that for me, with my schedule, it was the right decision to focus on writing full time--the days of the week seem to fly by, leaving me in the dust as I scramble to type faster. Still, a lot of the writing I'm doing now isn't on the draft. Business letters, compiling tax information (I'm a business now! Didn't you see my cards?), writing copy for my soon-to-be-redone website (can't *wait* to show that off to you), and sekkrit projects are sucking the days away.

For a while there, I was making good progress through racing. Some of you may have seen me on Twitter, word racing with Jodi Meadows, Corinne Duyvis, and Authoress Anonymous. We all happened to be on Twitter at the same time one night, complaining about word counts, and one of them (eep! can't remember which!) had the idea for word races. The concept is simple: we all get on Google Chat, and set a time--say, 12:00--and race for 30 minutes. No internet, no email, no Twitter--only write solidly for 30 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes, we get back on chat, say how many words we've each written, relax for a bit, chatting. Then we do it all over again for 30 more minutes.

This works great for me: it's a challenge, but it also makes me focus--and want to focus--on writing for a set time. It's way too easy for me to hit the end of a paragraph and check Twitter, hit the end of a page and check email, hit the end of a chapter and quit. But if I'm racing and hit the end of something in the middle of the race, I plow straight through to the next paragraph, page, or chapter.

But late last week, I was racing with Corinne and hit a wall. A big, giant wall. I'd plowed through about 900 words in a race...and none of those 900 words were right. I'd gone off the path and started writing something that didn't fit with the book, but because of the race I kept writing what was wrong. So I pulled out of the race.

And promptly quit writing for a week.

Now, I didn't quit entirely. I used this time to organize my tax records, write website copy, work with my new website designer, and work on the sekkrit project. But I was very purposefully ignoring my book. We were not on speaking terms.

Friday, I got so disgusted with myself I decided to call a truce with the book. So, instead of racing through to the end, I lay in bed with a notebook and brainstormed how to backtrack and get back on the path. I came up with an idea that may work.

But I'm not going to race through it. Racing is good if you know what needs to happen, you're just lazy about getting there. Some people like to write fast, ascribing to the crappy first draft philosophy, but although I'm a pantser, not a plotter, I also can't just leave a scene in the book that I know won't work and move on. I have to fix the bad before I can write the next scene.

Since this is going to require a bit of surgery--slice open a chapter and transplant a failing scene with a working one--I don't want to call on my racing partners. Instead, I'm going to use a trick that PJ Hoover has ascribed to for a long time, one that I've ignored: the egg timer. PJ's idea is basically to set a timer and focus entirely on writing until the timer's done. She's gotten over 9000 words in a week using this method. It's basically the same concept as word races...you're just racing with yourself.

So...let's do a mini-live-blog and see how it goes! [This is, btw, not quite a live-blog...this was my Friday progress, recorded live-blog style :) ]

Session One: 30 Minutes
Beginning Word Count: 42,153 (after cutting the crappy words)
Ending Word Count: 42,972
Total Words: 819
Thoughts: It's harder to focus when racing by myself than with others. My timer is my cell phone...and it pops up to tell me when I have a new email. I looked twice at email--but just to see who had emailed, I didn't open it.

I stopped mid-sentence as soon as the timer went off--and I'm glad I was mid-sentence. That will make it easier for me to start back again. I set the timer for a 15 minute break.

Session Two: 30 Minutes
Beginning Word Count: 42,972

Ending Word Count: 43,938
Total Words: 966
Total Words for the Day: 1,785

Thoughts: Love this progress. Brainstorming before this gives me a general idea of what I want for a few chapters more. After that, I may have to stop and brainstorm again. But so far, that 1,785 more words than I had before, for an hour's work and a fifteen minute break.

Also: about ten minutes in, I finished one chapter. I wanted to stop there and take a break, but I had 20 more minutes on the timer, so pushed through. Now I've stopped half-way into the next chapter, and I want to finish the chapter.

Which is a perfect time to break for lunch...

...back from lunch! Quicker than I normally would have--I turned the TV off before the end of the show because I'd left off mid-chapter.

Session Three: 30 Minutes
Beginning Word Count: 43,938
Ending Word Count: 44,829
Total Words: 891
Total Words for the Day: 2,676

Thoughts: Not bad. Ending in the middle chapter again. I'm going to take a 15 minute internet break now as a reward.

Session Three: 30 Minutes
Beginning Word Count: 44,829
Ending Word Count: 46,024
Total Words: 1,195
Total Words for the Day: 3,871

Thoughts: Guys, I did the math on this twice. Is that number for real? I still doubt myself on that one...wow. WOW. I got to a really tense scene, so the writing was very fast--so fast I had to pause to crack my knuckles!


Overall, I think this experiment went well--a lot of writing done in a short amount of time due to specific focus. I'm going to try again soon and see if I can replicate the results...or improve on them!

Samurai Mind Tricks

Whoops! I meant to post this at League of Extraordinary Writers...so if you got a link from my twitter or Facebook feed leading you here, please click over to the League where the real post is! My bad...back to Labor Day laziness now!

THIS OMGYESTHIS! CAN'T WAIT!

Business Cards Mean Serious Business

The sure way to make sure I blog every day in a week? Post on Monday that I'm taking the week off. *facepalm*

BUT I've been talking to some fellow Elevensies and a very helpful Author Friend about business cards and recently got my shipment in the mail. Here they are in shiny glory!

Front: Glossy and shiny, with book cover + book website.

Back: Matte, with all the information you might need to know.

Banned Books

I have no idea why I bother posting that I'm taking a break for a week...because I never do.

BUT.

This is worth blogging about!

Banned Book Week is coming up soon--it's the last week of September.

Several awesome people in the blogosphere are coming up with ways to celebrate--including The League of Extraordinary Writers--but there are two that I want to highlight today.

First is READ A BANNED BOOK, a website pulled together by author Miriam Forster. She has a place for readers to read a banned book and write a review and guest posts by authors on the topic of banned books. This is a great project, and Miriam is doing a bang-up job with the project!


Next we have Steph Su, over at STEPH SU READS. She's organizing the Banned Books Reading Challenge 2010. Head over to this post to sign up and pledge to read banned books! She has simple and worthy goals with this project:

• To bring attention to books that have been challenged or banned
• To support authors whose freedom of expression have been questioned or challenged by buying and reading their books
• To increase awareness of censorship

So, everyone, go out, read banned books, and fight censorship! As for me, I'm going to re-read my favorite banned book and start working on a review for it...

FAQ

There are many stages of the awesome I'm currently planning for you.

*insert evil laugh*

But one of the things I am working on now is a website re-design. (squee!)

And, I thought it'd be nice if there was a FAQ (frequently asked questions) Page.

And...uh...no one's asked me questions. Not frequently, at least.

So...do y'all have any questions?

Coming Up Short

I may have to take a impromptu week off of blogging...but it's for YOU! I'm planning something way cool, but it's taking more of my focus than I thought it would...

Want an ARC?

I have a feeling that ARCs of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE are going to be rare. Because...um...I don't even have my copies yet!

BUT if you'd like to enter for a chance to WIN a copy, PenguinTeen has set up a fan page for the book, and will be sending one commenter a copy of an ARC!

The link to the actual contest is here: http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=149253628431929&share_id=145908228774225&comments=1
(But you have to "like" the fanpage before you can post a comment.)

My Universe, It Is Changing

DUDE.

If you subscribe to Publishers Weekly...you might have gotten this is your inbox.

*dies*

It's happening. It's all really happening. ARCs are currently flying through the air towards me, some readers already have ARCs. Evidence of this: is here and here. The cover is made and out. Preorders are open. I have a webpage just for the book, and my first chapter is online.

In short: this is, apparently, all real.

*sputters*

I...I mean...I can't even express how surreal it is to want something for so long and to work so much--to always have in the back of your mind this intense desire and longing to achieve this dream...

...and then it happens.

And now that it's all finally starting to sink in that it's real...the disbelief has been replaced with gratitude.

THANK YOU

For reading this blog for years, for telling me I shouldn't give up, for giving me confidence when you commented on my posts or followed this blog.

THANK YOU

For joining the conversation on Twitter, for sending me @replies filled with happiness and joy, for passing the word about my book, for being as excited as me.

THANK YOU

For understanding my need for a Facebook page instead of a profile, for "liking" me and liking me, for jumping into it and commenting and spreading the word.

THANK YOU

For following me along on other adventures, like the League of Extraordinary Writers, crit sessions, fantasy fantasy baseball leagues, Music Mondays, and nerdy art interpretations.

THANK YOU

For being with me on this crazy ride!!!

I hate to do this, but...

It makes me feel like a tool, but I've decided to close my Facebook Profile to only people I know in real life and/or have significant connections to online. There are a lot of my former students on my profile now, and I feel weird mixing my private life and public life in that way. Also: this.

I'm keeping Twitter, GoodReads, and this blog open to everyone--I just want to shut down my Facebook profile since students are tagging me and writing to me, and since I'm getting an increase of friend requests from people I don't really know that well.

So, if you'd like to keep up with me on Facebook, I've made a Page here that will be open to the whole public. It would make me smile if you "liked" me. I'm a little scared everyone will mock me for being so pretentious.

MOCKINGJAY Everywhere!

Over at the League, we're discussing what we think's going to happen in MOCKINGJAY.

Go over there and vote on who you think Katniss will be with, who you think will die, and the most important question of all: what happened to Cinna!

Me? My votes are:

Katniss will be with Peeta, because Gale (and Haymitch) will die. And Cinna? Leading the charge in District 13. (hope!)

WINNER: Mockingjay Pre-Order + Pin

Wow! You guys must have realllllly wanted this one!!! We have very nearly 500 entries in this, when you added in all the extras.

So, then I went to trusty Random.org...

And lucky number 248 belonged to....

BEVERLY!!!!!

Congratulations, Bev, and thank you to everyone who entered!!

Guest Post @ The Spectacle

Hey guys! No post today...instead, I was writing for The Spectacle! Click here to read about why I think dystopia is so popular now (besides, yanno, MOCKINGJAY).

Meet My Muse

Yup.

Spiders.

Love 'em.

Go ahead and be creeped out. :)

I have noticed lately that people tend to hate spiders. And I can sympathize--while I allow spiders in my house, they have to stick to the ceiling and out of my stuff, and woe betide them if they start crawling on me. But while I like to keep a bit of distance between myself and spiders, I have to admit that I love the little things.

There are lots of little things that led me to like spiders. I've always been a fan of the famous Robert the Bruce story, where he saw a spider weaving a web during a storm. The spider's web was dismantled several times, but it didn't give up--so Robert didn't give up in his own war with the English.

But there are other reasons why I love spiders. They've come to mean a sort of serendipitous sign to me, a "have faith" sign. While I'm not really superstitious, I do (to steal from Rowling) follow the spiders. I've made big decisions based on spiders: renting one house over another because one had a spider; taking a chance when I was afraid because I noticed a web; things like that.

But people who know me are always very surprised when I don't let them stomp a spider, and would be even more surprised to learn that I made important decisions because I saw one.

And I was thinking about how, if I were in a story, this tiny detail of my life would probably never make it onto the pages. It's minor--I just happen to like spiders the way pre-teens like dolphins or unicorns. Still, it's a part of me. It's part of what separates me from everyone else, especially all you arachnaphobes.

And it's the little things like that that always remind me that it's important to include the little details of a character's quirks into the story.

Maybe I should make my own MC like spiders...

Interview with Michelle Davidson Argyle, author of CINDERS

You can find Michelle online at: her website, her blog, the Literary Lab blog, and the Facebook Fanpage for CINDERS.

YOUR BOOK:

Can you give us a quick summary of what CINDERS is about? 
CINDERS is Cinderella's story after she gets married. Nothing is turning out like she expected, and she's starting to remember a stranger she fell in love with years earlier. Her fairy godmother is imprisoned in the castle, and she's left on her own to discover true love untainted by magic.


Your other work has been contemporary. What made you decide to write fantasy instead?
My daughter kept watching Disney movies over and over. Cinderella was one of them, and the idea for CINDERS just popped into my head. I originally wrote it as a flash fiction piece (just the first tiny section of the book), but then I kept getting story ideas and finally expanded it into an outline and eventually the novella.


I find it interesting you chose to tell the story of AFTER Cinderella got her prince. Why did you start the story there, instead of earlier? You do use flashbacks to show some of Cinderella's past--why did you feel this was better than starting the story sooner? 

I like to turn things inside out, and I get bored and frustrated with fairy tales all about getting the prince - and then they just end. I knew I didn't want to write a long complicated novel, so telling a very simple story about what happens after the wedding seemed really exciting to me. One of my very favorite quotes comes from the movie, MISS AUSTEN REGRETS: "All the interesting stuff happens after the wedding."


In the end, Cinderella's happily ever after isn't that happy. If you could have your readers walk away with only one message or emotion from your story, what would it be?
CINDERS is, in every sense of storytelling terms, a tragedy. I was honestly afraid people would not react well to the story even though it ends on a positive note. However, many tragic stories stay with us longer than happy ones, and that's what I wanted to do with CINDERS. The message of CINDERS is about asking ourselves what love is and what it means to us - how much we will sacrifice to get it, and whether or not that sacrifice is at the very center of love to begin with.



PUBLICATION:

On your blog, you talk about other WIPs that you've worked on. What made you decide that CINDERS was the book you wanted to publish versus your other works?
This is a great question! I've written 4 novels, total, CINDERS being the fourth. I think each novel has taught me some valuable lessons in writing, and by the time I reached CINDERS I felt confident enough to write it just for me. I wrote CINDERS with the specific intent to self-publish it, and that seems to have made all the difference in my writing. Everything about this experience has given me the courage I need to pursue any publishing path.


Did you try for traditional publishing with CINDERS, or did you go straight to self-publishing? Can you take us through your thought-processing on the production of CINDERS?
As I said earlier, I wrote CINDERS specifically to self-publish it. In fact, when I decided to expand from a flash fiction story to a novella, I intended it to be part of a project for the Literary Lab. Scott, Davin, and I are planning on self-publishing a collection of three novellas just for fun. I mean, what else do you do with a novella? Most traditional publishers won't even look at them unless you're already published. Small presses might, but we each thought it would be fun to put the novella ideas we had to some use. However, when I was halfway through CINDERS I realized that I wanted to sell it on its own instead of part of a collection. No worries, though. I have another novella/novelette in progress for the collection.

Would you be willing to talk numbers with us? Numbers of copies printed, number of sales, profit? There is a lot of stigma and misunderstandings associated with self publishing...
Hmmm, numbers. I'm always hesitant to talk numbers in a public setting, but I'll share a little bit here. I initially ordered 100 print copies of the novella, and then realized that would not be enough and ordered 25 more copies. Out of these 125, I've sold most of them either directly through my author site or as presold copies for my release party on the 21st of August.This does not include what I've sold online through Amazon and Smashwords. I've also sent out free copies to reviewers, as well as free copies for giveaways. I read in my research at one point that giving away copies is generally a good idea, and with my marketing strategy it looks like it is working well so far.

CINDERS cost me a bit of money to publish - not through the POD publisher, but on my own terms. The cover cost almost $300 because of the dress and props and the purchased background. I've had bookmarks and business cards, and I've had to cover the cost of all the free copies I've given away. I will have to pay for food at my release party, and shipping alone has cost a fair amount of money for supplies and postage. All in all, though, I have broken even and made a little extra money so far. I expect to keep making sales, especially ebook sales, and even if I don't get rich or sell over a 1,000 copies, I'm still thrilled with the entire process!


Do you ever want to seek traditional publishing, or has this experience made you favor self-publication exclusively? What are your ultimate goals as an author?
I wouldn't trade this experience for anything, even an agent and a publishing contract. Seriously. I wouldn't. I've learned way too much, and it definitely suited this project well. One of the reasons I wanted to self-publish is because many readers of the Literary Lab ask us about self-publishing. As you stated above, there is a huge stigma against self-publishing, and I really wanted to be able to answer reader's questions with actual experience backing me up. In a way, it has been an experiment. I think self-publishing is fantastic for certain projects and certain people. It has its place, as does traditional publishing. There are pros and cons to both, and neither one comes without a lot of work and dedication and talent.

As for my publishing future, I am currently planning on self-publishing two more novellas that go hand-in-hand with CINDERS, but I also plan on publishing some of my novels traditionally , either with an agent and a large publisher or a small press.


One thing that really impressed me with CINDERS was the beautiful cover design, and the matching marketing materials--the same model is used with the trailer and your bookmarks. Could you tell us a little about the production of the cover and these materials?
One of the reasons I feel self-publishing works for me is because I happen to be a photographer as well as a writer. This means I can create my own cover all by myself and have it be as professional as any traditionally published book covers. I strongly believe any self-published author should put some serious effort and/or money into their book cover. It says a lot about how you feel about your work. You can either purchase professional photos from stock sites, hire a photographer and designer, or do the work yourself if you're able.

Melissa Zenandrea-Tice is the model featured on the cover, and she was kind enough to volunteer not only herself, but her talents as a seamstress. She made the dress herself! Yes, I know, amazing. It was a lot of fun to go shopping for the material, watch her make the dress, and do the cover shoot. Every step of the way I kept thinking "WOW, I could never get this any other way besides self-publishing." Being in complete creative control has been thrilling!

When all is said and done, even if CINDERS had only sold 10 copies, I'd still be happy with what I've accomplished. Self-published works usually always remain small in selling numbers, and I think that can be a great thing. I feel much more able to send out queries and manuscripts to publishers and agents. I feel more confident in writing stories without worrying what others will think. If we as writers stay true to ourselves and ideas, amazing things will happen no matter how we decide to get our work out there.

Letter to Myself

Anna Staniszewski is running a series on her blog that is just genius: she's asking writers to write a letter to their younger selves.

Elana Johnson's letter to herself kicked off the series, followed by YA author Brian Yansky's letter to himself.

And today it's me! :)

I...um...I'm actually really proud of how it turned out. I started out writing something really silly and cutesy, but then I scraped that and wrote the truth, and it turned out much better.

I love a man who loves grammar.

Bookanista Feature: Laini Taylor's LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES

The Bookanistas are a group of writers - in various stages of the publishing process – who have decided to band together and review the special books of our peers.  No negative reviews here! We post every Thursday and cover various topics– upcoming ARCs, books we love, special diamonds in the rough, classics, and even cover reviews.

Here is a list of the Bookanistas: Christina Fonseca, Jamie Harrington, Michelle Hodkin, Kirsten Hubbard, Shelli Johannes-Wells, Myra McEntire, Shannon Messenger, Bethany Wiggins and Suzette Saxton, Beth Revis, Lisa and Laura Roecker,  Sarah Frances Hardy and Katie Anderson, Scott Tracey, and Carolina Miller

LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES by Laini Taylor

Why I loved Lips Touch: Three Times

• Laini, the author, has cute pink hair, a cute new baby who just turned 1, a cute blog, and also makes the super-cute Laini's Ladies, one of which I have hanging over my desk
• The illustrations inside are by Jim di Bartolo, Laini's husband
• The illustrations go hand-in-hand with the stories---a few pages of illustrations added backstory, depth, and deep perception to the written work
• You could read the stories without the illustrations--but they wouldn't be nearly as good without the complimentary pictures. Likewise, the pictures without the stories lack context
• There are three stories
• The first, "Goblin Fruit" has a fantastic end. Just brilliant.
• It's the kind of end where the main character turns the wrong decision into the right one.
• Where you know she's wrong...and you don't care
• Which is a nice change of pace
• The second, "Spicy Little Curses Such As These" has one of the best titles EVAR
• What intrigued me about this one is that I wondered about the secondary characters more than the main ones
• The last story, "Hatchling," did the best at combining the illustrations and the text
• I went back several times to re-look at the pictures at the beginning
• And I almost cried at the final drawing

LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES is out now and was a finalist for a National Book Award.

*~*~*~*

Other Bookanista Features Today:

• 
  
  
  

  The Plot This Belles - THE DUFF

  Christine Fonseca - PARANORMALCY

  Kirsten Hubbard - GIRL, STOLEN

  Beth Revis - LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES

  Carolina Valdez Miller - THE DUFF

  Myra McEntire - VORDAK THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE 

  Bethany Wiggins - TELL ME A SECRET

  Lisa and Laura Roecker - THE IVY

Interview up!

Aerin at In Search of Giants interviewed me! Clicky here to find out who my favorite New Kid on the Block was. (Hint: it was Jordan, obviously.)

Win a Copy of Mockingjay + a Mockingjay Pin!

So...I've got my hands on something kinda cool.

A Mockingjay Pin.

Not one of those cheapo-buttons with the mockingjay image printed on it.

Nope. One of the gold-colored metal pins that Scholastic gave out only with bookclub pre-orders for a limited time.

And I want to give it to you. Along with a copy of MOCKINGJAY.

This IS open internationally. But please give me time for the preordered book to come first to me, then shipped out to you. Also, I'd like to feature some of my writing friends who are also excited about MOCKINGJAY--so, if you'd like to follow me and my fellow League Writers (who are also giving away pre-orders of MOCKINGJAY, so enter to win there, too!) or go vote in the YA Fantasy Showdown that opens up August 10, I'll give you extra entries!

Interview up!

Kelsey, the Book Scout, just did an interview with me about ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. Click here if you'd like to find out the secret behind one of my character's origins (hint: it involves students and fish).

Let There Be Fighting: YA Fantasy Showdown!

OK, so you guys know the super-awesome-amazing Heather? She had a great idea a while ago. In celebration of MOCKINGJAY, the most anticipated book of the summer, Heather has created an entire website where she's pitting all the best YA fantasy characters against each other in a giant arena (sound familiar?) and YOU get to vote on who makes it on to the next round in the ultimate showdown against Katniss herself!!

Look, guys, I've had a sneak peek of this awesome and...wow. Seriously. The official website of the showdown is here, and it will go live on August 10th.

And speaking of things going live on August 10th...there's going to be an announcement of a contest HERE, tomorrow. And it DOES involve Mockingjay...and it involves something else.

HERE IS A HINT ABOUT THE CONTEST FOR TOMORROW!!!

YA FANTASY SHOWDOWN:

Official Announcement

Something is going down. Something big.

How would you like to see Edward duke it out against Hermione? Or Katniss and Katsa? Well, guess what? You can, in the first ever YA Fantasy Showdown. In celebration of Suzanne Collin’s final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, a group of bloggers are pitting some of the best-known characters in YA in the ultimate showdown. And you get to pick the winner.

That’s right. You read the battles, evaluate the characters, and vote for who has the honor of moving on to the next round. It’s a tournament like you’ve never seen before (because there’s more). The authors have been asked to participate and advocate their character in writing their own version of the battle. It’s going to be truly epic. Or at least a good way to pass the time until Mockingjay comes out. It all goes down August 10th.

Link: http://yafantasyshowdown.weebly.com/

Bookanista Feature: Kirsten Miller's THE ETERNAL ONES

The Bookanistas are a group of writers - in various stages of the publishing process – who have decided to band together and review the special books of our peers.  No negative reviews here! We post every Thursday and cover various topics– upcoming ARCs, books we love, special diamonds in the rough, classics, and even cover reviews.

Here is a list of the Bookanistas: Christina Fonseca, Jamie Harrington, Michelle Hodkin, Kirsten Hubbard, Shelli Johannes-Wells, Myra McEntire, Shannon Messenger, Bethany Wiggins and Suzette Saxton, Beth Revis, Lisa and Laura Roecker, Sarah Frances Hardy and Katie Anderson, Scott Tracey, and Carolina Miller

THE ETERNAL ONES by Kirsten Miller

The shortened bulleted review seemed to make people happy, so let's try it again--here are the reasons why I think you'll like THE ETERNAL ONES:

• I have very strong beliefs in both my religion and my area (don't mess up the South with your stereotypes, y'all), and this book offended neither of them. 
• I was worried for a bit--but the negativity was more about one particular church instead of the entire Christian religion, and (coming from the South) I can understand that.
• Did you like the pace and romance of TWILIGHT, but not necessarily the vampires and/or werewolves and/or lack of female lead development? Then you'll like THE ETERNAL ONES--it has all the romance, but no paranormal creatures, and the main character has a backbone.
• Er. These aren't very bullet-y...more like looooong sentences chopped up with bullets.
• Sorry.
• OK--short stuff. Starting....now:
• The book's 400+ pages long, but reads really quickly--tight pacing and cliffhanger chapters.
• The main idea of the book is that reincarnation--and therefore past lives--are real. The premise is so well researched and backed up and logical that I very nearly started believing in it, too.
• There's a gay character who's important, but his gayness isn't central to the plot. This is nice. 
• By which I mean--the plot's not about a gay guy, it just has a gay guy in the story; which is realistic and the level of realism needed in modern literature. I'm butchering this. Y'all get what I'm saying?
• The main character has few friends, is somewhat of a social outcast, hates school, etc....and then she leaves high school. On her own. And moves out of the town that hates her. See? I told you she had a backbone. Hurray for doing something instead of whining for 400 pages!

THE ETERNAL ONES comes out sooooon, and you can learn more about here! (<--That's also a pretty spiffy website!)

*~*~*~*

Other Bookanista Features Today:

• • Elana Johnson Recommends THE DUFF
  • Shelli Johannes-Wells Recommends PERSONAL DEMONS
  • Scott Tracey is Spreading Some Cover Love
  • Beth Revis Recommends THE ETERNAL ONES
  • Myra McEntire Shares the Top 10 Reasons She Loves The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassie Clare
  • Shannon Messenger Recommends CANDOR
  • Carolina Valdez Miller Recommends THE BODY FINDER
  • Lisa and Laura Roecker - Interview with Mandy Hubbard author of YOU WISH
  
  

It's Raining (Smart) Men!

Scott Tracey on the art of non-promotion. What he said.

Nathan Fillion on the art of making an epic hero. What he said.

Tools of the Trade

A quick post because I'm busy running around like a chicken with my head cut off. OMG SO MUCH TO DO SO MUCH SO MUCH *slaps self* Thanks, I needed that.

Anyway--what do you guys use to write? I'm in the laptop market, and it's got me thinking about the best tools of the trade.



For me:

• A legal notepad and a good pen (like a fine point Sharpie) to write out scenes and notes. I don't outline, but I will sketch out a few ideas in advance that I know I want to go in the ms.
• A computer, preferably a laptop, preferably a Mac. <--That's what I'm getting Saturday. Life will be better then.
• Scrivener. THE BEST WRITING SOFTWARE EVAR. *cough* Maybe I'm opinionated.
• Music: usually 2-3 upbeat or emotional songs that I play on constant repeat. I don't even listen to them, just the beat. I don't focus on the sounds, but I hate working in silence.
• A really loud, clacky keyboard. None of these smooth, silent keys for me.
• Internets. I check out twitter or blogs between scenes.
• A drink--either Sprite Zero or coffee, typically.
• Email and GoogleWave--for when I start panicking that I suck and will never be good enough, so I can email my writing buds and they can talk me off the ledge (again)

What about you? What are your indispensable tools of the trade? Mac or PC? Notebook, notecards, Post-Its, or computer screen? Coffee or Twizzlers?