In Which It's Time For WRiTE CLUB

WRiTE CLUB is back guys! And I think you should sign up.

What's WRiTE CLUB you ask? And why should you join?

Well I'ma tell you.

WRiTE CLUB (WC from here on, because I'm tired of typing it) is a blog contest. But it's different than the other big contests. Because there isn't any prize.

That's right, the only prize is bragging rights. Which means there's no real stress or worry. It's all for fun.

And it is a lot of fun!

A single elimination competition, where your anonymous submission goes up against another and readers vote for which one they want to move forward. And that's it!

You can submit whatever you want: the beginning, middle, end, poetry, short stories. Whatever you think is your strongest writing and will bring in the votes.

I've participated in the past and always had a lot of fun. I made it to round 2 last year until I was beat out by the entry that would end up winning it all (so there weren't any hard feelings, because I loved that entry too).

This year I'm not submitting anything, since I got the book deal and all that fun stuff, but I did volunteer my time as a first reader, one of the judges who reads ALL the entries and helps pick the 32 that make it into the head to head competition. So far, it's a lot of fun.

There are more details here, including how to submit and all the details and stuff, but I definitely think you should join up, guys. It's a lot of fun and the more who participate the more fun everyone has. We're taking submission until May 31st, so you still have plenty of time to get your submission shiny and stuff.

Join ussssssss....

Friday Fun

Woo! Ape-friends! APE-FRIENDS!

Guess what time it is?

It's weekend time!

Which means let's start this out with some fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thunderstorm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Which I HAVE A BOOK DEAL!

I've had to sit on this news for a bit, but as the title says, ALL THAT REMAINS sold!!

Publisher's Marketplace Announcement



Okay, backing up a bit.

I signed with Agent Mollie at the very end of January. There was excitement already about ATR with some editors, etc, so we wanted to revise ASAP and get it out.

So I finished up revisions and we went out on sub on Valentines Day.

And for two weeks my emotions were up and down like crazy. I'd heard being on sub is rough, but they weren't kidding. I'm a person who pretty much lets things roll off me. Rejections? Not a problem. Waiting on responses? Sure, I can handle that.

But submission? I haven't been that stressed in a long, long time.

Though, to be fair, I think a large chunk of my stress was because everything was happening so, so fast. I mean, I had sent out my first query for ATR in November, and here we were, on sub, three months later. Super zoomy fast. Which gave me no time to adjust to anything.

But, luckily for me, it didn't last long, because on the last day of February HarperTeen offered!

I spoke to Mollie right away.

Then I called Twin. I was shaking I was so excited. After I told Twin, I called my mom. She kept having me repeat my news. And then she told my dad and my other sis and I told Brother when he got home.

But of course, I had to swear them to secrecy until we accepted and I had the go-ahead to announce.

And we did accept! And here I am announcing and I'm so super excited to work with Editor Alex and launch ALL THAT REMAINS into the world.

I hope you'll like it. I think you will.

And as always, thank you for reading. If you're trying to reach this point yourself, just keep trying, just keep putting yourself out there. You can do it.

In Which It Keeps Raining

How was everyone's weekend? Did you do anything fun for Mother's Day? Or fun just because?

We celebrated Mother's Day a day early since Twin works on Sundays.

Twin, our Mom and I hit up an annual plant sale. It's massive and hosted at our State Fair grounds. We bought an apple tree and a hazelnut shrub. As well as veggies and herbs. Our mom also bought some shady plants for our cabin.

Then we went home, planned a baby shower for our cousin, played some dominoes, ate take out, cooked some smores and sat in the hot-tub. All in all, it was a pretty fun day.

It's been raining on and off here for pretty much a week. And we have another week of rain coming up, too. Which, I mean, I know it's good. The lakes can use the water. But also, our lawn is really long and could use a mowing but we just haven't been able to find a dry spell to do so.

Also, I'd really love it to be warmer, high sixties or low seventies, instead of wet and cold. It's May and I feel like it should be nicer. And, you know, whine whine whine.

 

Friday Fun

Wooo! It's Friday and we're a week into May, ape-friends, which mean it's me, Yvie to launch you into the weekend for this fine spring day.

I had to beg for nicer weather. BEG for it

So let's get started!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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?

In Which I Talk TV Shows

I watch a lot of TV.

Not as much as I used to, but I put in maybe a few hours everyday. Part of that is because we work out for an hour in the morning, and we watch TV shows from Netflix then and then usually an hour of two of TV during and after dinner, depending on the day of the week.

Sometimes I'll also watch an hour of something during lunch, but that depends on what I'm reading at the time (true story: you can read a lot of books if you read during lunch instead of watching TV)

I always love when I catch a TV show that I think is a good representation of YA literature. You know, the type of book where you think, this could be a YA novel, if it were less serialized.

So today I'm listing 3 shows that, if you're a YA writer, you should watch.

2 od the shows are competed, and available in their entirety and one is still on the air.

In no particular order:


Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars is a teen private detective, which, when you say it like that, you may be like "I don't know..." but trust me, it's a premise that totally works.
There are 3 seasons total (and an awesome movie due to the successful Kickstarter drive, of which I was a backer)
Each season focuses on a core mystery. The first season, Veronica is determined to find who murdered her best friend.

Why this is a show you should watch: Clever dialogue aside (and it is so clever and so funny and awesome) the things that make this worth watching if you're a YA writer are the relationships. Veronica's relationship with her Dad is perfect and one of the highlights of the entire series. And Veronica's relationship with bad boy Logan, and the kids who hire her to solve mysteries are the true driving force of the narrative.
I don't know anyone who has watched VM and didn't like it. I think it has a sort of universal appeal.



Friday Night Lights

Most people are familiar with the movie featuring Billy Bob Thornton, and while some of the actors are the same as well as some of the filming techniques, the show is very different.
Following a small town's football team and the new coach hired to get them to state, FNL features a large cast of characters, each one fully developed regardless of whether they play football or not.
There are 5 seasons and all of them are available on Netflix right now, and even if you're not a fan of football (*shifts eyes*) you probably will be by season two.

Why you should watch: Much like Veronica Mars, FNL takes its strengths from its characters. Even when they're doing dumb things (and Julie, I'm looking at you in season 5) they all make sense in regards to their characters.
This is also a show where  many of the characters don't have parents, or the ones they have aren't great, so watching how those characters handle their lives is something every YA writer should watch, since "not having parents" is a frequent occurrence in YA lit.
But I HAVE parents in my novel, you might say. Then there's plenty of that in FNL for you too. Eric and Tammi Taylor are the central characters in the show and they have a teen child and often play parental figures to other kids.


Teen Wolf

I know I know, a lot of you are rolling your eyes. Or if you're not, you're picturing the 80s movie with Michael J Fox.
There's pretty much no relation to that movie and the show, other than a few character names, and the inclusion of a sport (lacrosse instead of basketball, and even that takes a huge back seat starting in season 3)
This one is currently still on the air and season 4 airs this summer. The story of a teen who is bitten by a werewolf and then has to deal with the repercussions, including homicidal tendencies, werewolf hunters (one of which is his new girlfriend's father) and trying to find, and kill, the werewolf that bit him, this show brings back the tried and true formula of Buffy and the likes, having each season focus on a big baddie or a big mystery while the characters continue to age and grow.

Why you should watch: I'm really biased in regards to this show. I love it. It's frequently surprising, doing things you wouldn't expect both for the paranormal genre and for a TV show with teens. But outside of that, we're back to the relationships. One of the things I LOVE about Teen Wolf is that all the characters have at least one parent. And those parents play large rolls in the show and the teens relationships with their parents are never forgotten. Details are not forgotten in this show, so even when MC Scott is dealing with werewolf crap and girlfriend crap and other crap, his grades begin to suffer and suddenly he's in danger of being held back a year unless he can get his crap under control.
Also, the best friend relationship between MCs Scott and Stiles is worth the watch alone. It helps that the actors are best friends in real life, because that really comes through, especially in later seasons when it starts to get darker (and scarier. There are some great episodes if you're a fan of horror)



So! Any TV shows you think I missed?