Fun Facts Friday

Yep, Fun Facts is back and I think I'm finally getting underway with things. September has been beyond unsettled so I'm looking ahead and moving forward. On with the facts.

1. I'm finished this, and oh my god, love, love, love. Can't say enough of how awesome it is. Yes, I'm bowing down to David Levithan.

Go to Amazon.com to look inside.

2. I'm thinking of rewriting, well, redoing the book I'm querying. It's been a hard lesson of it's-not-ready-yet and thanks to an amazing crit partner who has shown me what I didn't see and what needs to be done. I've been toying with just putting it away, and probably will, but I now know what needs to be done to make it better. So that means, I have to move on, and boy, this one hurts and is one of those moments of embarrassment.

3. Best advice I got this week: Don't let the goal overshadow where you are. Thanks K.M. Walton.

4. Fall shows are back: Ghost Hunters, Bones, GRIMM!! I saw some new episodes of Grimm, and yeah, that's a show I can't miss.

5. I love Fall. The colors, the weather, cool hats (I like hats and I wear them this time of year), apple cider . . . yeah.

6. My new manuscript is going and I'm loving it. I just have to get a big chunk of time to crank it out.

7. My new favorite song: Mean Spirits by Silversun Pickups. I'm writing a scene to it. Hopefully, I can finish it today. Like I said earlier in the week, this album is going to be the soundtrack to my new MS.


Do you have any fun facts?

Have a great weekend!!

Lather on the sunscreen

When I started to put my work out, ya know, take my writing seriously, I thought I knew what was coming. In a sense I did. I was scared out of my mind and it super hurt when I would get feedback. Even though I knew not everyone would like it, secretly deep down, I thought maybe they would. I mean, it's my baby, everyone loves babies. After a while and through many tears, I woke up.

Writing is hard. We all know this. It requires dedication and the want to continue to learn and grow. We love to develop characters and stories we love. We continue to put our work out there to achieve this. Once we think we have it, most of the time we don't. A polished manuscript takes time and eyes that help us see what could make it stronger. Trust me, I get blinded by my love so it takes others to point out what may be the problem. The thing is you must learn to take criticism. Some of us already wear a tough skin, but with some of us it, takes time and many years of protective sunscreen to do it.

Our first critiques may have burned us to the core--to the point of tears. After you go through it many, many, many (I could add more 'manys' but you get the picture) times, you begin to see what is helpful and what is not. What is simply opinion and what is going to make your manuscript shine. You have to go through layers of building up this skin that will resist the painful stings of feedback. Don't get me wrong, some feedback is good, super healthy in fact, but the ones that may leave a burn take time to learn how to deal with.

So as you go on your journey keep in mind it takes time. Take in the feedback and rejection and use it as layers to protect you, and learn from it, don't get burned from it. Allow yourself to grow and understand what is best for you.

How are you dealing with your rejections?

Have a great day!!

Music is inspiring me again

Thank goodness Silversun Pickups came out with a new album. Well, I have to say, I was scared because you know when bands put out a kick butt album that knocks your socks off and basically sets off scene after scene of a story, playing out in your head that you have to write-it-now and wear out the CD. *takes in a breath* That's what Silversun Pickups last album did to me. I do like their earlier stuff, but their last album set off a chain reaction that led to a whole manuscript. So now, they've released a new album, and at first I was hesistant. What if I don't like it? Ya know how an album can become a security blanket and something new never compares.

Silversun Pickups

Neck of the Woods

So, I got it, and I LOVE it. There's something about this band that sets off fireworks in my brain, allowing me to see scenes of my story that I need to see. It's weird. My current MS is a challenge. I love it when I read it, but parts have me stumped. In my crazy ways, I skip around and write scenes that are clear. Not efficient, I know, but it's how I work. I've listened to this CD a dozen times, if not more (keep in mind I have two small kids so I only get to really listen to it in the car, while my kids fight in the backseat), and it jumped started lots. It's amazing what can set off your brain.

Short and sweet today. I have to finish writing notes to an MS critique for a crit partner and I must start writing these scenes before this CD melts in the player.

How was your weekend?

What sets off your brain to a full electrical storm?

Have a great day!

Kate's reveal

I know, two posts in one day, crazy. I had to share my friend, Kate (K.M.) Walton's cover reveal. She had a cover, but they changed it, and this one is even more awesome. Plus, Kate is having an awesome giveaway. So, here's what you must do--go to her blog because you must see the cover there. That's right, I'm making you work today, people. Get over there and drool like I did, and to top it all off, she has a blurb from Andrew Smith, yeah, you heard me, the Andrew Smith. So go now and see the beautiful cover and all the goodies you could win.

Passion, hobby or career

The one thing that drives me bonkers is when someone refers to my writing as a hobby. Not that hobbies are bad, it's just that's not what it is to me. It's more than that. Yes, a passion. Something that I want to do all the time. Something that makes me feel good. Something that comes from deep within. But it's also something I want to do as a career or at least try my darnest to get it to that point.

Some people call my other job my career, which yes, it is, but is it because it produces a paycheck? Or is it something that is more, let's say, reliable or predicable or something that seems like a professional job (I'm talking like a 9-5 office type thing although my hours in this profession are not that way). I know anything in the arts is unpredictable. You never know. Plus, it seems (at least to those close to me) it's not a career until that person is successful at it.

If someone is passionate about something they could still be working on a career in it, right? That it still can be a career and even though you don't produce a paycheck or are not, in their eyes, "sucessful" now, everything you do to move towards a possible career in it is basically making it become a career. Make sense?

See this is what I deal with sometimes with ones who are close to me. They support me in everything I do, but always indicate that my writing thing is just a passion or a hobby. It makes me feel like no matter how hard I try they will never see it the way I do unless it produces the green stuff.

It does make it difficult because I want them to understand the feeling that I feel and I always hope that they would see what I want to do and stick by me. See that I'm taking this seriously. It will take years and lots of rejection, but it only makes me want to work harder. Maybe that's why some refer to my writing this way--to make me work harder. But the main reason I want to work harder is because I love it.

How about you? Have you encountered the ones you love may support you, but not whole heartily?
What is your writing to you?

Have a great weekend!! BTW-I'm not liking the new blogger format. It's so frustrating.

I've been tagged...GUTGAA Tagged.

GUTGAA TAG.

 

 

I've been tagged. I'm so flattered. Thanks to Tamara. Please go and check out her super cool blog-- One Magic Bean Buyer. I wish I would've remembered the Gearing Up to Get an Agent activites. They seem to be quite the awesome. Maybe next year. Anywho, I decided to talk about my book that I'm currently querying. Thanks again Tamara.

 

 

What is the working title of your book?
Lingering Souls

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The amazing band Silversun Pickups put out an awesome song called "Panic Switch" that set off a full-fledge movie in my brain. Scenes kept appearing and I had to write them to get them out. Seriously, that's how it happened.

What genre does your book fall under?
Young adult science fiction. There are some paranormal elements, but it's mostly scifi.

 

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in the movie rendition?
Oh I love this question.
MC Anna would be played by Ginnifer Goodwin or someone with a similar look. Short bob cut in a deep auburn color.

MC Ian would be played by an actor who had the look of Jackson Rathbone with a bigger build.

Not that I've thought about it too much.

 

What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?

When eighteen-year-old Anna Page watched her father die, all she wanted was to join him. Instead she gets a failed suicide attempt and the attention of alien refugees who want her to fight their war.

I cheated that was two. :)

 

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agent?
Agent. I know there are other options but I would prefer an agent.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Well, that an interesting question to answer. About a year for the current draft. I've rewritten this many times and learned many things on this novel. I started the very first draft 4 years ago. I've written another novel in the meantime and that one took 6 months. and I'm currently working on a new one. Plus, I have way to many ideas that I've started a couple of others. So it goes to show the more you write the more you learn.

 

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
This book is written from two POVs. Anna and Ian's so I had to fluctuate between two different voices and I think it gives you an interesting insight on what each character is going through.

Small excerpt:

I can’t stop saying, “I love you.” I want her to know it. It kills me to have to bring her back to her to the surface and not be by her side, protecting her. It also kills me to think that she might forget. Finally, I found the person who fills me up, and I have to let her go. I hate the Elders for that.

It was tough to pick an excerpt. Yikes. Anyway, I must tag someone. So, I tag:

Meredith

 

This was so much fun. Have a great day!!

 





Book birthdays

There are two books coming out that I can't wait to read!! Yes, I'm really excited. They are to be released September 18th. Happy book birthdays!!

Glass Heart by Amy Garvey

Blurb (from Goodreads):

Wren can do things that other people can only dream of. Make it snow on a clear, crisp day. Fly through an abandoned tunnel. Bring a paper bird to life.

Wren knows her abilities are tinged with danger—knows how easy it is to lose control—but she can't resist the intoxicating rush. And now that she has Gabriel by her side, someone who knows what she can do—what she has done—she finally feels free to be herself.

But as Wren explores the possibilities of her simmering powers, Gabriel starts pushing her away. Telling her to be careful. Telling her to stop. The more he cautions her, the more determined Wren becomes to prove that she can handle things on her own. And by the time she realizes that Gabriel may be right, it could be too late to bring him back to her side.

 

Tha Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater

Blurb (from Goodreads):

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

 

Oh you know you want them. Also, today is my birthday. So, I'm having a little fun. And, no, I'm not telling you my age. I've also been tagged by the lovely Tamara. That post will be up soon.

 

What books are you waiting for?

 

Have a great day!!

Invisible

I have to say there are times when I feel this way. Invisible. I'm sure I don't help myself in this department. I'm relatively a quiet person when I'm in a crowd and I don't have a unique look or really brighten up a room when I enter. There are times I wonder what I could to differently to shine a little more. To be remembered more often.

As a kid, I was the same way. Very shy and very quiet. In high school, I had my friends and did well, but I was no homecoming queen. I joined the drama club thinking that maybe I could shine on stage and be a little more noticed. I wound up better at backstage activities--sets and scripts. After high school, I saw some fellow students that never uttered a glance at me in school, they said,"I wish we would've hung out because you're really nice." So why didn't they? Am I that threatening? But let's face it, it's high school and we know that deal. We write YA.

When I got into the work force, I just did what I was told and never did anything spectacular (I'm a pleaser by nature). Over the years, I've gained more confidence, and yeah, I'm social, but I still seem to project some weird awkward vibe that seems to make me blend. I'm sure it's not intentional, but I feel forgotten sometimes. Now, I'm not saying I don't forget folks, trust me I have a I-know-faces-not-names memory, and yes, I forget now and again. I'm talking in general, more like I'm just familiar to most and that's it. Maybe that's part of my many insecurities. People are busy and so am I, but I wonder if I'm just one of those who is just there. Ya know one of those people who are there all the time but you only see them when you need them. Maybe I'm too private. I don't express myself enough--put my life out there for the world to see so they can relate. I know it's something I should ignore, and to be honest, I've gotten better at doing things for me and not worrying about what others think. But sometimes this insecurity creeps in maybe to remind me of something or to just throw me off. Now that I'm older, I still wonder if I'm still invisible. What makes me shine? Do people even remember me?

So with that out of my head, I'm off to worry about my characters and figure out what do next in my story. I also have to research some more agents and send more queries. :)

Do you write (maybe in a journal) to get your feelings out?

Have you ever felt invisible?

Have a great day!!

Getting back to normal

So, I'm rusty. Yeah. It's been a while and even though I can't wait to get back on track (let's face it, I missed my schedule), my brain needs about a quart of oil to get going again. It's like riding a bike (I know, super cliche). Once I get going, I'm golden.

What have I been doing? Lots of stuff with my kids. Who knew they needed entertainment every second of the day. I really thought as they got older, they didn't need as much of it. Basically, I planned things for them every week and it was fun, but exhausting.

One of the most awesome cities ever.

 

I did travel, which was fun as well. The beach and Florida. My last trip was to one of my favorite cities, and one that inspires a lot of my writing. Munich. Love, love, love it, and there are some new ideas popping up in my brain. That big beast in my head is not only going to explode with the words I haven't written, but now is forming new ideas--with more words.

My writer brain is about to spill over with words. If you see that some one's brain exploded and words fell out, yeah, that would be me. I get anxious when I don't write. It makes me cranky and has me pacing. I miss it. I wrote a little over the summer and thought a lot about my characters, but not enough to satisfy the creative portion of my soul.

So, yes, I'm ready for a routine and I can't wait to write.

How about you? Does it feel like your head is about to pop if you haven't written in a while?

Have  a great day!!

Sheri's big news and huge giveaway

Yep, I'm back. What a summer! Really, it just was really busy. I'll talk more about that in another post. Today, I have someone special. Can you guess who it is?

The lovely and talented Sheri Larsen is on my blog today. She has some wonderful news and a special giveaway to announce. Take it away Sheri!! Congrats again!!!

Today, I invite you to celebrate with me!! I've signed with Literary Agent Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary! And because our literary community is so freaking fabulous and generous, I'm having a Bigger-Than-A-Shopping-Mall GIVEAWAY!!


The giveaway consists of:


two separate Rafflecopters with multiple giveaways and one grand prize Rafflecopter giveaway - to enter for the grand prize, you must enter either giveaway #1, #2, or both.


There's only one mandatory entry. Everything else is up to you!! I know Rafflecopters can be a pain, but it was the only way to organize such a huge giveaway. The giveaway is open until September 27th. WINNERS will be announced on September 28th. (Entrants may win more than one prize!)


Thank you so much for entering, spreading the word, and celebrating with me!!


List of Rocking Participants: Lenny Lee, Colene Murphy, LM Preston, Darby Karchut, Joanne Brothwell, Patti Larsen, Christine Fonseca, Catherine Stine, Jessica Bell, Kelly Hashway, Leigh Moore, Christine Danek, Alex Cavanaugh, Katie Mills, Matthew MacNish, Beverly McClure, Marcy Hatch, Jennifer Million, Nicole Zoltack, Christina Lee, Kris Yankee, JL Spelbring, Sharon Mayhew, Candice Granger, Dianne Salerni, Lisa & Laura Roecker, Elana Johnson, Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, Susan Kaye Quinn, Lydia Kang, Julie Musil, Natalie Agurrie, Talli Roland, Medeia Sharif, Kelly Polark, Angela Brown, Sarah Fine, Stina Lindenblatt, Lynda Young, Susan Fields, PK Hrezo, Shannon O'Donnell, Shelli Johannes-Wells, Theresa Brown Milstein.


Giveaway #1:



a Rafflecopter giveaway





Giveaway #2:



a Rafflecopter giveaway





Grand Giveaway:



a Rafflecopter giveaway





Congrats Sheri! And if none of those links work (because blogger gives me trouble like that), please go to Sheri's blog http://writersally.blogspot.com


So, what are you waiting for. Go and enter!!


Have a great day!!