On any given day in the writing community, you can find a new batch of query contests, pitch competitions, and giveaways. I love that part of the blog-o-sphere, but over the past year or so, I've been truly struck by the added dimension of generosity in our industry. So many agents, editors, and authors donate their time to raise money for worthy causes, like Crits for Water, Publishing for Vision and Hearing, and Kid Lit Cares, for Superstorm Sandy Relief.

And today I'm excited to share that the annual Pens for Paws Auction is only one week away!

Headed by my friend Angelica R. Jackson, writer, blogger, and all-around extraordinary person, the event raises funds for Fat Kitty City, a no-kill, cage-free cat sanctuary in El Dorado Hills, California, that also rescues dogs (as foster homes allow).  Click here for more information about Fat Kitty City.

The auction begins on March 12 and runs through March 16 at Pens for Paws.

What's up for grabs?

• Signed copy of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, with a drawing especially for Pens for Paws
• Signed copy of Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger, with bonus Steampunk Swag
• Picture book and query critique by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
• Query, synopsis, and first chapter (up to 15 pages) critique from Pam van Hylckema Vlieg of Larsen Pomada Literary Agents
• Query and first 10 pages critique from Sara D'Emic of Talcott Notch Literary
• Critique of 50 pages by Natalie Lakosil of Bradford Literary Agency
• 5 chances at a query critique by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary
• Signed copies of the 1st three books in the Elemental Series by Brigid Kemmerer (yes, that includes an ARC of Spirit!)
• E-copy of To Trust a Thief by Michelle McLean, plus bonus swag
• Signed copy of Interred by Marilyn Almodovar
• Signed copy of The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman
• Books by Kelley York, plus a 20-page critique
• Query plus first chapter critique by Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown Ltd
• 2 (!) signed copies each of Jeff Somers's Trickster and Sean Ferrell's Man in the Empty Suit

Please hop over to Pens for Paws to check it out, and also be sure to follow Angelica in all these places:

Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Group Blog: Operation Awesome

Happy Monday!

Music for today: Breathing Underwater by Metric

Revising a novel can be overwhelming. It requires a different frame of mind than drafting, and it can take so many different paths. I've always used story-boarding for revisions, meaning I have a large white board with a chapter grid and tons of sticky notes. But I feel like I've gained so many different perspectives since the last time I chipped away at a first draft.

1. This post by Susan Dennard is fabulous. She explains her technique for addressing plot, character, setting, and pacing in a really manageable way.

2. Back in 2011, Donald Maass tweeted 58 prompts for writing a breakout novel. I've been looking back over these as I tackle character revisions.

3. At the SCBWI conference last August, G.P. Putnam's Sons editor Ari Lewin talked to me about manuscript real estate. This was a new concept to me. Basically, she encouraged me to look at a chapter and ask, "Why did I spend three paragraphs, or two pages, etc. on this event or description, but only one paragraph or one page on another?" When I look at my story board now, I can already see where I've spent the most words. This concept is helping me to evaluate whether those are the areas I want to emphasize, or if they need to be cut.

4. I'd heard of other writers outlining and color coding their favorite books to use as a road map for their own manuscripts. (I'm not talking about plagiarizing here; I'm talking about taking a successful novel and trying to find out what techniques made it work. For instance, looking at how many scenes took place over a certain period of time. Or how many lines of internal monologue were included per page of action.)  I'd never done anything like it until I watched season 6 of Dexter.

The story was so exceptionally well told that, in true English major style, I wrote out a diagram of the themes, internal and external conflicts, the ticking clock for pacing, and an episode by episode story arch. This story couldn't be more different from my WIP, but I'm learning from the way the elements worked together. The themes were touched on in each episode (book translation=chapter). The over-arching external conflict is hinted at in the beginning, but grows to be the focus about 1/4 into the story. Lesser but connected plot threads are introduced in the early episodes and resolved before the half-way point. And the ticking clock is introduced around that same time, increasing the pace up to the climax.

These aren't one-size-fits-all formats, but by understanding how other effective storytellers work, then maybe I can improve those same elements in my own writing.

Music for today: Stand By Me, the John Lennon version

For a while now, I've thought that the greatest secondary benefit of being a writer was fulfilling my fan-girl fantasies of meeting the authors of books that I love. At my first writing conference, I had lunch with Charlaine Harris. (Well, we sat at the same table, and I was so tongue-tied that I barely said two words to her, but it still counts, right?) At  my second conference, I had an intensive workshop with the lovely Kristin Harmel. (Her amazing new book The Sweetness of Forgetting is an international best seller.) And don't get me started on SCBWI. Jay Asher. Ruta Sepetys. Sara Shepard. Patricia MacLachlan. Tony DiTerlizzi. I could fill up a whole post with all that awesome.

But, you know what? I've decided there's an even better writerly by-product.

I knew I'd struck gold with my critique partner Kip Taylor. I was so happy when my her first book was finally released, and you can read my review here.  But I had no idea then that I would keep hitting the writer-friend jackpot.

You guys, I am reading some amazing books. Books that I can't wait to review and share with you, so that you can see how awesome they are. But I can't do it yet, because they haven't been delivered into the world yet. These manuscripts belong to my beta/critique partners.

And just like I felt when I first read Kip's book Finn Flanagan, I cannot believe how lucky I am to get to read these novels before the rest of the world. But that's all I can say for now.

How about you? I'd love to see some CP love shared in the comments below!

Music for today: Chained by the XX. (I get to see them in 4 days!)

2013

Welcome, 2013! Sorry I'm a little late to the party, as usual.

The blog was a bit quiet this holiday season, but I'm hoping to be back in action starting next month. I wanted to get at least one post in for January. I'm not doing resolutions this year, but I do have a few exciting things in the works.

1. I was so, so lucky to be chosen to participate in Brenda Drake's Pitch Wars. Brenda is constantly working to help other writers on their journeys to publication, and Pitch Wars is the most special contest she's held to date. Over thirty agented or published authors and literary interns agreed to each mentor one writer seeking representation and publication, culminating in a Pitch War on January 23-24, vying for the attention of sixteen agents. When I saw Deana Barnhart was one of the mentors, I knew I had to enter. Deana gives so much time and effort to this community, too. And, you guys, she chose ME. She has been so patient and amazing this past month, and I am so grateful for this whole experience. Please stop by and check out Deana's blog.

2. I finished the first draft of WIP! This is a project that had been bumping around in my head for months, and I finally started it during November for NaNoWriMo. I did manage to write 50,000 words in November, but I didn't finish the full manuscript until early this month, ringing in closer to 80,000. I'm nervous to read those early, rambling chapters, but I am very excited to dive back in and get to work on this story.

3. In the next month, I'm going to see two sure-to-be-amazing alt-rock concerts: The XX and Muse. Music inspires me and keeps me moving, through life and writing, and looking forward to seeing great live bands just keeps everything on the up-and-up.

I hope 2013 is off to a great start for all of you, too! Until next time...

2012 is almost over, and we're all still here! I've been enjoying a relaxing week with my family leading up to Christmas. I've baked. I've written. I've read. A Lord of the Rings movie marathon followed our family reading and trip to see the Hobbit on the big screen. It's been a good week, and it's been a good year.

 

I am so glad to have spent another year blogging with you all in this fantastic community. Many thanks are due to Brenda Drake for all the work she does for fellow writers, and I am so excited to say that the awesome, startacular, brilliant Deana Barnhart, chose me as her teammate and mentee for Brenda's Pitch Wars, a pitchfest involving 37 teams and 16 agents, continuing to the final round on January 23-24. For more information about Brenda and Pitch Wars, click here. And please check out my mentor Deana here!

 

In writing, I've sailed my YA fantasy Trespassers through more revisions than I can count, and I've nearly finished the first draft of my NaNoWriMo magical realism project.

 

In reading, the bookshelves keep overflowing. My TBR list continues to grow, and there are never enough hours in the day to read. I wanted to wrap-up with some of my top reads of the year.

 

Best New Voice:

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Best Contemporary:

Counting Backwards by Laura Lascarso

 

Best Fantasy World Building:

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

 

Best SciFi /Adventure:

Midnight City by J. Baron Mitchell 

 

Best Adult Read:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

 

Best Conclusion to a Series:

Black Heart by Holly Black

 

 

 

And for my music of the day, I picked my favorite new album of 2012:

Synthetica by Metric

 

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year everyone! May your stockings be filled with books, and your homes filled loved ones!

 



 

Book Review: Midnight City

Today I'm reviewing Midnight City by J. Baron Mitchell, another book I read courtesy of the Southern Book Bloggers ARC tours.

The Summary, adapted from Goodreads:

Earth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Assembly. Holt Hawkins is a bounty hunter, and his current target is Mira Toombs, an infamous treasure seeker with a price on her head. It’s not long before Holt bags his prey, but their instant connection isn’t something he bargained for. Neither is the Assembly ship that crash-lands near them shortly after. Venturing inside, Holt finds a young girl who remembers nothing except her name: Zoey.

As the three make their way to the cavernous metropolis of Midnight City, they encounter young freedom fighters, mutants, otherworldly artifacts, pirates, feuding alien armies, and the amazing powers that Zoey is beginning to exhibit. Powers that suggest she may be the key to stopping the Assembly once and for all.

The teaser for this book bills it as War of the Worlds meets Lord of the Flies. I'd take it a step further to say it has the world-building of War of the Worlds meets the theme of Lord of the Flies meets the tone and character development of Joss Whedon's Firefly. Now I'm a big fan of Joss, so that likely went a long way in fueling my love for this book. (If you're a fan, too, let me entice you by saying Holt is undeniably a teen version of Captain Mal.) But that's not the only reason I loved it.

Mitchell has created a post-apocalyptic world so rich and diverse that you'll forget you're tired of dystopian. The characters are intensely likable and flawed, with a building attraction that fits the time and space perfectly. I also really appreciated the pacing, tension, and the style of writing, all of which I think would appeal to both reluctant, young male readers and anyone looking for a quirky but expansive story. (I don't usually recommend my YA reads to my husband, but I'm going to buy this one just so he can read it. That's how much I loved it.) The only negative? Waiting for part two in the series.

5 out of 5 stars.

Music for today: Well, of course, Midnight City by M83.

Book Review: Beta by Rachel Cohn

Happy December! First for a NaNoWriMo update, in case you were curious: I won! (Sort of.) I wrote eighteen chapters and a little over 50,000 words in the month of November on my YA magical realism manuscript codenamed Serenity. (A little Joss Whedon homage, which has nothing to do with the book at all, but it makes me smile to see that title in my file folder.) I can't quite say that I'm finished, though. I've got about five chapters and about 15,000 words to go, with a goal of finishing before Christmas. Anyhoo...

Today I'm reviewing Beta by Rachel Cohn, which I read through an ARC tour by the Southern Book Bloggers.

The Summary, adapted from Goodreads:

Elysia is a Beta, an experimental model of a teenage clone, created in a laboratory and born as a sixteen-year-old girl. Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Beneath the island's flawless exterior, an undercurrent of discontent exists among Demesne's worker clones. Elysia knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care--so why are overpowering sensations clouding Elysia's mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When her one chance at happiness is ripped away, rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her. Elysia must find the will to survive before it's too late. 


Cohn transports the reader to Demesne, a perfect world where clones are slaves and the humans are still not satisfied, even when they have everything. She even does an excellent job of incorporating the outside world and political complications through the supporting characters. Elysia's voice rings true from the opening chapter, and my connection to her kept me turning the pages, even when I questioned some of the plot development.

In the interest of staying spoiler-free, I'll just say that one of the major plot propellants shocked me, and not in a good way. This is definitely an upper-YA book, with sexual situations and a violent turn. I read a wide range in MG, YA, and adult fiction, and these kinds of situations don't bother me when they're an authentic development of the story. In Beta, though, I felt a disconnect when the tone shifted dramatically in the last quarter of the book. I respect Rachel Cohn immensely as a story-teller, but Beta just wasn't my cup of tea.

3 out of 5 stars.
Music for today: Bring on the Night by The Police