In Which I've Been Tagged

So, as the title says, I've been tagged by the awesome Rena Rocford! Don't know her? Check her out because I already told you once she's awesome. And she is. I pretty much luuurve her and that's no lie.

Anyway, this is a "Talk about your process" game and I'm in, so here we go.

What are you working on right now?

What AREN'T I working on right now, right? Nah I'm just kidding. Mostly what I'm working on right now is MFA work and a new WIP. The WIP is cleverly titled WIP right now (because no matter how hard I try (like, maybe a medium amount?) I haven't been able to come up with even a working title for it. But I've been thinking of it as Howl's Moving Castle meets Sherlock Holmes, and whether it's actually like either of those things, I dunno, but it's got a boy who's a cavalry cadet and another boy who's got a demon living inside him, granting him magical powers, and there's a looming war and secret weapon plans that must be discovered and feels and junk.
So yeah, I'm liking it.
I'm only about 40K in. I wish I was farther, but what can you do?

My first MFA semester is allllmost done. Next week, actually. And then I have a small break until Semester 2 starts in early July. So right now I'm doing some voice work for my mentor Anne Ursu to finish out my semester.

How does my book differ from others in my genre?

Shit, these aren't like easy question are they? Hell, I don't know. Maybe if I was, like, done with it, I could tell you? Nah, probably not. I guess I would say it's not often you get cavalry cadets and wizard boys mixing it up together, so I guess my fantasy and world building is what separates it out.

Why do I write what I write?

Because it's fun, natch. And even though I love YA contemporary, I don't think I could ever write it because I'm sure I'd reach a point and write "and then the monsters show up" or something. I mean, the backdrop of teen emotions and drama is made even worse when you have to deal with magic and murder and some other clever "m" word I can't think of off the top of my head.
Mystery? meh.
So, yeah. I write it mostly because it's what I want to read. I think that's pretty much the most important reason to write anything, you know?

How does my writing process work?

Well.
I usually spend months brainstorming an idea. Thinking about characters. About specific scenes, all that fun stuff.
Then when it's marinated enough, I'll tackle the first 4-5 steps of the Snowflake Method. Mostly I'll just come up with a one sentence description of the book. Then a one paragraph description.
Then I'll come up with 4 disasters and an ending and plan out what the inciting incident is.
Then I'll work through the MCs motivations, goals conflicts and epiphany.
And finally, when all of that is done, I'll write a query. It doesn't have to be a great query, but I try to make it, you know, not shitty.
Finally part 2, I'll make a list of scenes, which functions as an outline for me, and I jump in.
Jumping in is usually pretty easy because during all of the pre-work I usually come up with an opening scene or at least an opening line, so I know where to start.
Then I'll write the whole thing, beginning to end, chronologically.
Bam. Draft one is done. And because I allow myself to edit every day, after I've hit my word count, my drafts are usually pretty clean, which means revising doesn't take me forever.
And that's my process in a nutshell.

And that's it! I have to tag someone and I'm going to tag Matt MacNish, because, you know, we're pals.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Well, it's the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for May's IWSG.

I always feel like I have insecurities during the month, but then when IWSG comes around, they're gone and I'm feeling pretty good.

I think, as always, I'm still worried about my workload. So far the MFA is going well and I haven't had any troubles keeping up. But I think there's always an underlining of fear. What if THIS packet I have troubles finishing? Our next residency is in early July (YAY! I'm so excited!) but that means I'll have to switch mentors (Sniff. I love working with Anne Ursu). And while I'm sure whomever I get for second semester will be fine and awesome, what if the change is enough to make me lose any momentum I've had?

Also, I wish I was further along in my WIP. I'm over 30K now, which is great. But that's 30K over four months, which is not great. Usually it takes me about 2-3 months to write a whole draft, but the MFA has really slowed things down.

While I'm in the MFA, I'd like to try my hand at writing a Picture Book, or a Middle Grade (especially the latter) and it seems like the perfect time to do it, when I'll have a mentor who knows what they're doing and can help me. But I don't necessarily like the idea of setting aside an unfinished MS to start another one.

So, you know, timing. It always comes down to timing.

I'm sure everything will work out fine and I'll figure things out, but nonetheless the feels creep in. As they always do.

How are things going for you?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

First Wednesday of the month (can you believe it's March already??) which means it's time for Insecure Writer's Support Group!

So. I generally like to keep things close to the chest. I don't really know why. I think there's a touch of superstition involved, like I don't want to jinx something, but outside of that, I dunno. I just was never a person who liked to talk about fulls I got when querying, or rejections or anything like that.

But I thought I'd be a bit truthful today about something I've been keeping my mouth shut about.

As of Valentine's day, ALL THAT REMAINS has been officially on sub.

I did a round of revisions (fast fast fast) and then BAM! It suddenly happened.

And it was exciting right away.

And then it was stressful right away.

And then it was super stressful right away.

And then it got a little less stressful.

And then it went back to being super stressful again.

As you can see, there's a bit of a pattern.

Like, listen, I knew being on sub would be tough. Everyone talks about how hard it is. And I expected it. I knew it would be hard.

But I guess I thought it would be hard in a different way? I don't know. I hear so many people talking about how being on sub can take a long time. Months and months. And so I had prepared myself for it being hard because of that. I'm actually a pretty patient person, so long sub time wasn't all that scary for me (especially since I have the MFA stuff going on at the same time to distract me).

But it turns out it's hard for like a bajillion different reasons. Like ALL THE REASONS. Which, combined, makes total sense as to why pretty much everyone says being on sub is just so, so hard.

So, yeah. Here's another person saying the same thing.

Being on sub is hard, guys. Being a writer is hard, guys. Who knew? 

 

Insecure Writer's Support Group

First Wednesday of the month, so you know what that means:

 

 



I totally knew what I was going to blog about this week. And then, of course, when the time came to write this post, I couldn't remember my plan at all.

Story of my life.

Things have been good for me lately. My first MFA residency was awesome (so awesome. Can't wait for the next one in July) and then, of course, signing with an awesome agent.

The agent signing was exciting and amazing. But it was also tough. I think a lot of people from the outside think having so many offers is fantastic and the place that everyone wants to be. And I'm sure there are people who do want a ton of offers, so they can pick who they want to go with.

But also, getting a lot of offers is really hard. ESPECIALLY when all the agents who offer are ahmazing agents in their own right. And what if you click with more than one of them?

And you don't really want to say anything about it because so many of your writer friends WANT to be in that position of having an offer of rep, and here you are with more thant enough. And also because you don't want to feel ungrateful about that amazing position you're in. And also, you worked really hard to get there, so why are you moaning? You know, feels and all that junk.

But all that aside, it's hard. It's hard to make such a huge, life-changing decision. Change is hard. Querying is easy, because you put your work out there, cross your fingers, and repeat until you reach your goals.

But once you reach your goals, then, suddenly, everything's different. The status-quo has changed.
I think sometimes it's much easier to strive towards your dreams than actually reach them, you know?

Hard stuff, guys. Hard stuff.

But also awesome.

How about you? Are big choices like that sometimes scary for you?


Also, just a blog update: No post on Friday this week, since it's my birthday and I'll be doing birthday stuff (woo!)

Insecure Writer's Support Group

First Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for another IWSG post!

So, I've been querying. For a few weeks now. And it's been going well. Which is great. I'd obviously much rather it be going well than not.

But also, just because it's going well, doesn't mean it's still not hard. Even if you haven't gotten any rejections (and trust me on this one) it is still stressful. There is hand wringing, and worrying and so much what iffing it can make a person crazy.

Ugh I can't even tell you how many times I've gone on agent stalking binges. Which is just ridiculous, too, because I've done my research on the agents, so I've read the interviews and forum posts and what have you. But when I'm in that mood, I go read them all again, because I feel like I need to do something.

The solution of course--wait. Let me back up. There are two solutions actually. The first is time. You just can't sustain that type of crazy for too long without getting exhausted. And once you reach that point, the obsessing starts to dry up some.

The second solution is starting something new. This, I think, is the most important. Because let's say the querying goes the best it can go and you get an offer. It's a lot better to go into that conversation with something else on your plate, so when the agent asks "what else you got" you can say "actually, I've been working on this" and roll off your one sentence pitch (you do have a one sentence pitch, right? Even for your WIP? (if you don't, I highly recommend crafting one))

So, yeah. Obviously this isn't my first time (or even second) around the query tree, and while I still enjoy querying (yes, yes, it's true) I do think some of the novelty has worn off this time around.

How about you? Querying or submitting or dealing with anything else that makes you a little cray cray?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

First Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for Insecure Writer's Support Group.

So.  Last week I finished my final revisions on my YA fantasy WIP ALL THAT REMAINS.

It was a straight push through to finish them up and I'd say it took a good five hours to finish them. But I did.

Part of what motivated me to get them all done in one day was that I told myself I was allowed to send out a test query if I finished them.

And I did. I actually sent out two test queries, because why not? I'd been good.

So as of last week I officially started querying ATR. And as of last week querying has officially been going well.

It's funny. I've queried two other novels before. And you'd think by this point it'd be easier. And it really is in some ways, but writing up that first query, throwing in the sample pages, checking the sub guidelines one more time and then hovering over the SEND button--well, that apparently doesn't get easier. At least, not for the first couple of queries, anyway.

I try not to get anxious or nervous about it. I know once I start working on my next WIP (which is in the planning stage. Hopefully won't be too long before I can break it out) it will get a lot easier. But until that happens I'm just as anxious as I was during my first querying journey. Maybe more so, because the first time, you don't really know how long replies take. And the third time, you know which agents are likely to request from you, or to reject you, and how long it often takes.

Which means a lot of checking Gmail. Over and over and over again. Even on weekends, when it's rare to get a query response.

So, yeah. Turns out that even when you're an old hand at it, querying can still dredge up emotions. Even unexpectedly.

How about you? Any of you in the query boat?

IWSG

First Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for Insecure Writer's Support Group.
(also, can you believe it's already October??)

 



I'm feeling pretty good right now. Just in a bit of a holding pattern, waiting to see if I need more revisions or if I'm ready to send All That Remains out into the query world.

I have a conference in two weeks, and I'll be meeting with an agent or editor to go over the first five pages, so I'm for sure not querying before then. After the conference, though, probably.

I'm a bit nervous, actually. Which is strange for me. Usually I'm just like "Pshaa, send it out into the world!" And I definitely have that attitude too, (I'm getting excited to query, you know? Zazzing up my query list didn't help) but also I'm like "but if I don't send it out, then I don't have to worry about it". 

Which is stupid. Because what's the point of spending all this time working hard on it if it's not going out? No point. And I know a lot of my worry will fade once I send it out and get some requests. Then it will be exciting (and nerve-wracking, too. But a different kind of nerves).

What about you? Have you been sending out your work?

 

IWSG

First Wednesday of the month, so you know what that means. It's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group!

Can you believe it's the 2 year anniversary for the IWSG? That kind of blows my mind. Mostly because I always think (and it feels like) I’ve only been blogging for two years, so when I see something that proves I’ve been doing it longer, it kind of blows my mind.

Writing is like that too, sometimes. Querying especially, I think. Because you're querying, abut you're also (hopefully) writing the next manuscript as well, so by the time you look up, hell a whole year of querying has gone by. Maybe more, if you had to stop in the middle for an R&R or something else.

It doesn't seem so crazy, then, when you hear that it took people, 7, 8 or even 10 years to land an agent.

Some people see those numbers and they freak out, or get depressed. I just kind of shrug my shoulders. Because, I mean, their journey is not YOUR journey, you know? And also, that time is going to pass anyway, so you might as well keep writing, you know?

IWSG

First Wednesday of the month, so you know what that means. Time for IWSG!

So I'm approaching the end of my revisions for my WIP All That Remains. I've got to finish transcribing my on paper revisions to my digital copy, make a few more changes here and there, send it out to my final two beta readers I have lined up and that's kind of it. I mean, obvs depending on what they say, there might be more changes, but still.

And before I realized how close I was to being done, I was chomping at the bit to query it. I mean, I think I've talked about before how I like to query, so doing more of it is fun.

But when I realized how close I was to actually querying it, I got a little scared. So then I tried to analyze that feeling, because I don't like being scared or having anxiety and the way to get rid of it is to address where it's coming from.

First I think I was scared of not having anything to work on while my final betas are reading. But then I realized that was just stupid. I have 2 short stories and a PB I'd like to try my hand at before I start anything new. AND I have two novels I need to start plotting and figuring out before I decide which one I want to tackle next.

So that took away some of my anxiety. Then I realized (I think) that I was just sacred of putting my work out there again. I'm confident in it, but this will be my third novel (to query) and I really, really love this one. I think it's my strongest one yet. And what if it goes nowhere? Or, what if it does WORSE than the last two I queried?

I know, logically, my love for it will fade once I start a new novel, and by the time rejections roll in I'll hopefully be in love with something new so they'll just kind of roll off. But still, until that happens, I just kind of have to wring my hands some I guess.

How about you? How do you confront your feels?

IWSG

Gah!! I forgot to set my time for this post, so it's popping up later than usual. My bad if you're an early visitor (you know who you are...)

So, today's our monthly Insecure Writer's Support Group. Feel free to click on the link if you'd like to join up.

I've been feeling pretty good lately. Not really insecure, which is good. Of course we all know that it can pop up at ANY TIME. It doesn't matter how great things can be going, it can just sneak in.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, one of the best weapons for fighting off that insecurity is acknowledging it, understanding that it's not an emotion or feeling based on any sort of logic, and knowing that it will go away.

Some people like to continue writing, to push through it by getting down to work. But some people just need to step away. It's just important to figure what works best for you. Yeah? Yeah.

The WIP It Good Blogfest

It's been awhile since I've participated in a blogfest, but this one sounded fun so I signed up.

http://dlcruisingaltitude.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-wip-it-good-blogfest.html

The deets:

Our idea is that on Friday, May 31st, we will provide a forum to allow anyone interested a chance to tell the blogosphere about their most recent [W]ork [I]n [P]rogress. We’ll guide you by providing a few prompts to answer in your own post

So here we go!

WIP Title: All That Remains
Word Count (projected/actual so far): 100,000/102,000

Genre: YA Fantasy

How long have you been working on it?: Cumulatively: 8 months. But I wrote the first 50K in 2011, then didn't write the remaining 60K until a year later

Elevator Pitch (if you came across an agent in an elevator ride, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book): A teen assassin sets out on a path to avenge her murdered family.
Brief Synopsis (250 words or less):

In the country of Lovero where families of assassins lawfully kill people for the right price, sixteen-year-old Oleander “Lea” Saldana sets out on a path of vengeance against the most powerful assassin family of all.

The list of things Lea can count on in her life has never been long: her mother will try to poison her to make Lea a better assassin, she can beat her boyfriend Val in a fight and her bone mask will keep her safe from the angry ghosts as she kills someone in the night. But when she trusts Val, a member of the powerful Da Vias, and reveals the location of her home, she is betrayed and her family is slaughtered while Lea barely escapes as the sole survivor.

Now there’s only one thing left to do: make the Da Vias pay.

The only problem is, the Da Vias have gone to ground and the one person who can find them is her missing uncle, banished from the Saldanas years ago. Even if he can be found before the Da Vias realize Lea escaped their knives, Lea can’t trust him. Hells, she can’t trust anyone ever again, and definitely not her uncle’s too-attractive-for-his-own-good apprentice, Alessio, no matter what her heart and body tell her. How can she trust Alessio when the last boy she loved destroyed everything? How can she fall for Alessio when revenge is all she should care about?

But when the Da Vias kidnap her uncle, Lea has a choice: use him as a distraction to finally kill the Da Vias, or trust Alessio and save all that remains of her family.

 Are you looking for a Critique Partner?:
Not currently. Of course, things could always change
 Are you looking for a Beta Reader?: Same as above. I've got a couple of Beta readers lined up and waiting



So there you have it! I'm off to see the other entries.

IWSG

Holy crap, I alllllllmost forgot to write this post.

And I don't mean the IWSG post, I mean the whole dang blog post! Got distracted by the sparkly things on the interwebs.

Anyhoo, I'm feeling pretty good right now. Last week around this time I was feeling slightly insecure, but I think that comes and goes for all of us. This week I'm excited to have time to get back to work revising.

So I guess, I dunno. How are you feeling? Insecure? Confident? Somewhere in between?

IWSG

Here we are, the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for the next Insecure Writer's Support Group.

So this last weekend I had breakfast with the Awesome Hannah, and lunch with the Awesome Tricia. And there was a lot of talk about writing, as usual.

In both meals I mentioned my fear of laziness. I know I've talked before about how I tend towards laziness. It's just a personal flaw of mine.

So I was talking about revisions, and I mentioned about how sometimes I'm so worried that I'm not working hard enough.

Like maybe I'll get to a line. Something like "I pictured Val in his leathers."

And my first instinct is that I'm doing too much telling there, instead of showing. But then I think, well, in this case is it okay for her to say she's imagining someone? Because it's not like imagining is an emotion, that carries with it physical responses. You can't even really describe it.
So then I think, maybe this is one of those times where it's okay to leave this line as is. As long as I don't tell like this too often, it's okay for a bit of telling.

BUT. And this is the big but for me (tee hee. Big but...). I can't help but worry, am I being lazy here? Am I cutting corners because in my cursory revisions I can't think of a way to show "imagining?"

And then I start to worry. Where else am I falling back on my tendency to take the easy way out. Because I don't want to do that. I want to work hard. I want to get better. I want to reach my goals. But sometimes I have a hard time of knowing when something's okay, when my skills just aren't up to par, and when I'm just not putting in the effort or hard work.

I wish it was easier for me to tell the difference. I think it may get easier the better I become, but until then, I'm stuck wondering "is this okay? Or am I being lazy?"


 

IWSG

First Wednesday of the month, so you know what that means!

Time for IWSG!

I thought I was going to post on jealousy and how sometimes it's not actually jealousy but just a reminder of how bad you may want something. And how sometimes, you don't want that reminder, you just want to put your head down and work hard.

But now I'm in a pretty good mood (though, I'm ridiculously hot because Twin turned the oven to self clean and heated up the house. And it first it was awesome (because this is MN in Feb, after all) but now it's just too much) and I don't quite remember what I was going to say about it.

Though, now that I glance past my ridiculous parentheticals, I realize I kind of already said something. Huh. Yay?

Anyhoo, just remember, everyone has their own journey in their own time. And if you're going to be jealous of someone's success, you have to be jealous of EVERYTHING (like the times they stayed home working instead of hanging out with friends.) You don't get to give up something bad in your life and replace it with the best thing in someone else's life. No one gets only good things. Yeah? Yeah.

P.S. It's my B-day tomorrow (Yay!) which means I have the rest of the week off from work (super yay!) which also means I'll be doing things around town, which finally means I won't be online much, so no post on Friday.

Have a great weekend!


 

IWSG

Woo Hoo! First Insecure Writer's Support Group of the year!

I love the new year. Every time it comes around I feel rejuvenated, ready to tackle my plans and goals, get to it again.  

Everything's new again and all our chances are fresh once more. Was there something you really wanted to happen in 2012? Well 2013 is a brand new chance!

A new chance to write another story. To revise the shit out of something. To query a new novel. A chance at getting representation. Or getting a book deal.

So here's to 2013. I hope it's damn awesome for all of us.

I Miss You Blogfest

Yay! Today is the I Miss You Blogfest!

The bloggers we really miss…

and the ones we would really miss!

Do you have a couple blogger buddies who aren’t posting as often? Those who’ve pulled back and seem absent from the blogging world? Do you have blogger buddies you are grateful they are still around and would miss if they vanished? Now is your chance to show your appreciation and spotlight them!

List one to three bloggers you really miss and one to three bloggers you would miss if they stopped blogging. Then go leave a comment on those blogs.

Our blogger friends are special – time to let them know!

 

Sign up Here if you want to join in the fun!

 

 

So onto my picks!

 

If you look over to my sidebar, you will see a little blog called THINGS I YELL AT YOU (which, to this day, I still think is one of the best blog titles ever)

 

This blog is run by a lovely lady called Joan Crawford. And she is AWESOME.

 

Seriously. Everything that comes out of her mouth (figuratively, of course, since any interaction I've had with her is via the interwebs) is comedy gold.

 

Don't believe me? Read this post. Or this one.

 

But as you can see, Joan updates rarely. When she does, it's a splash of sunshine, a rainbow on a drizzly day! But most of the time, we sit here and wait. and wait. and wait. For months. Or maybe close to a year. And it's sad.

 

So Joan, if you're reading this, WE MISS YOU!

 

 

Alright, so now onto a blogger I'd miss if they stopped. This is a harder one, because truthfully I'd miss pretty much all the blogger I frequent with any sort of regularity.

 

But since I have to pick someone, I'm going to go with my pal TL Conway. I mean, I actually eat lunch with Tricia once a month or so, so we stay pretty caught up, but there's something about her blog posts that just make me happy and if she were to close shop permanently, well I'd frown a sad little frown.

 

 

So there you have it!

How about you? Anyone you miss/would miss?

IWSG

Well, it's the first Wednesday of the month. Which means it's time for ISWSG.

And I have to say... I got nothing. When I'm writing this, it's yesterday evening, and I'm just so worried and filled with anxiety over the election that the idea of being worried about being a writer is just Phoosh - right over my head. We have 2 very important amendments we're voting on in MN, besides the very important POTUS elecetion and now that I'm done with the day job for the day, it's even harder to concentrate on writer worries.

I guess I do have this. Yesterday (today for me) after I had voted and when I first started to feel that anxiety, I turned to the one thing I knew could fully distract me: my WIP.

I've reached the point where I absolutely love it, and where, from where I'm at until the end, pretty much only bad stuff happens, which means I'm constantly itching to get back to it because I CAN'T WAIT to get to the end.

So I guess that's something. Sometimes when the insecurity comes from other things in life and not writing, it's the writing that can make those things go away. Even if just for a little bit.

Internet Hugs for all!!

The Next Big Thing - Week 17

I was tagged for this blogfest/tag game thing by the awesome TL Conway. Visit her. LOVE HER. Seriously, she's awesome.

The rules involve answering some questions about your WIP and then tagging a few others. I'm sure we're all pretty familiar with the rules, so here we go!

(Also, I feel like I've blathered on a lot about Break Free over the last year or so, so instead I'm going to focus on the other WIP which needs some love)

What is the working title of your book?

All That Remains.  Funny story, there. My pal Summer has a novel by the exact same title. We didn't realize it until we were both writing it (well, I think she might have been revising at that point) Great minds and all that (the books aren't anything alike).

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Well, as we all know, I do love the renaissance. And Italy, which I visited in high school. And as one of my very first posts will tell you, I love assassins. So it was mostly that. Throw in some masks (another thing I love), mob-like families and a goddess of murder, death and resurrection and I'd hooked myself. I even made me a nice little Pinterest board for it.

What genre does your book fall under?

YA Fantasy. It's a nice umbrella

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I am terrible at picking actors to portray my characters. Just awful. I draw blanks and can't think of anyone. Usually, I just pick pics of models etc when I'm looking for peeps that look like my characters.
Here are the ones I've picked out (tentatively) for All That Remains

MC Lea



Lea's BF (and ex BF) Val

Lea's love interest Alessio (just picture him younger, natch)

Lea's uncle Marcello

 What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

In a world where families of assassins legally murder people for a price, sixteen year old Lea Saldana sets out on a path of vengeance against the most powerful family of all.

Well that's not great but you get the idea

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I love this question, because it just assumes the choice is so easy ;)  Well, hopefully it'll be agented. I mean, I'd really love to have an agent before then, but I've been down that road before, so who knows.
I don't see self publishing in my future. It's just not really my bag of tea, so to speak.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Well, I'm still writing it. I've got about 40K done. That took me a month. Then I had to set it aside for almost a year, while finishing up Break Free. My goal is to be a NaNoWriMo rebel this year and finish it in November.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Oh hell, I don't know. It takes me forever to come up with book comps when querying, and there's really no way for me to say until the book is done. I know this one is going to change a lot in revisions. So sorry, no idea yet.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Huh. I kind of feel like I already answered this question above. I like assassins, and I wanted to play around with the idea of a society that readily accepts a class of people who kill everyone else for money. And not only accepts them, but loves them and treats them like high society. So from there I needed to figure out why their society would be like that, and what it would mean if this class of people were always at war with each other.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I dunno. romance? Plains filled with angry ghosts? Bone masks? Those are all things I find interesting anyway. Your own mileage probably varies depending on your tastes.
I guess here's some pics from my pinterest board that relate to the story in some way or another that always get me excited to work on it.

 

 

 

I'm going to tag the following peeps:

Cheryl Koevoet
Lisa Ann O'Kane
BR Myers
 

Insecure Writer's Support Group And An Agent For A Friend!

Today is the first Wednesday of the month, which means Insecure Writer's Support Group.

And usually I like to have something awesome or inspirational, because I know we all get down in the dumps and sometimes the best way to get out of it is for someone to put the boots to you, medium style (Uber ultra mega nerd points for anyone who gets that quote (prediction: No one will))


BUT! Since we're on the topic of hard work, and my belief that all of us can get there if we just keep trying, keep pushing, keep getting better, I would like to direct you all to the blog of my pal Kristin Rae, where she has an important announcement: SHE HAS AN AGENT!!

Kristin and I started querying at the same time, and had fulls and revisions at the same time. And though I stopped querying for a bit, she kept going and it paid off in spades for her!!

So stop on by and give her a big ol' Internet high five!
Because she's awesome and some day soon, that will be you, too. I just know it.
 

Ponyfest12!!

Woo hoo!

This year I'm participating in Ponyfest12! Because I maaaaay love My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. And I maaaaaaay love making ponies.

So add in a contest where you make ponies of the characters in your novel for a chance to win a custom pony? Yeah, I'm going to be there.

So these are some ponies from my YA fantasy: Break Free.

My one sentence description: Seventeen year old Kiel Reaux is enslaved and must lead a priestess through a murderous magical jungle in order to earn his freedom.

Yay! So here are the characters:

This is the Wild pony. The Wild is a jungle full of untamed magic. It's crazy and horrible and people die terribly when they venture in. So as you can see my pony is wild and crazy and slightly malevolent. He's a unicorn because the jungle is magical and his cutie mark is a river because there's a magical river that runs through the Wild.

This is my Kiel pony. Kiel is a Wilder, which means he was a child born too close to the untamed magic of the Wild. Because of that, he has wild magic in his blood, which turns his eyes and hair gold. His cutie mark is a shackle, because in the novel he's a slave (hence the slave collar). He wears a bracelet of spell stones, each one with a different magical spell.

This is Kiel's love interest, Izzy. She crafts magic spell-stones, so she's a unicorn. Her cutie mark is a powerful spell stone that she's carrying through the Wild

This is my Dayre pony. Dayre is an earth pony because he's Izzy's bodyguard. His cutie mark is a spear because he's a warrior and wears a warrior spell-stone that makes him stronger and faster in battle and has embedded spell stones in his arm that lets him fire electricity at his enemies.

Yay! So there you have it! Visit the above link to see the other entries.