Love Your Neighbor

I have tried my best to hold my tongue over the whole Chick-Fil-A thing. But I have found over the past few days that I feel very strongly about this, and since this is my blog, I am going to use it as an outlet to say how I feel. Read it or don't, I am not trying to change anyone's mind or beliefs. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I do not judge anyone who believes anything other than what I do.

What Do You Do When Your Book Idea Isn't Unique?

WHY, OF COURSE YOUR IDEA IS UNIQUE!!!

I recently came across this problem while reading a new book. My work in progress is something that I've  been planning for about three years. It's a concept that has always intrigued me, and I'd never read any other YA book with this storyline. As I plotted the story out, I wanted to pat myself on the back and congratulate my genius brain for being so awesome because NO ONE HAD EVER THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE.

Then I sat down to read Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. My first thoughts:

• Oh my gosh, y'all this book is so good. 
• Her prose! ACK! ENVY! Beautiful! I want to pet the pages!
• This character is so beautifully broken that I want to jump inside the novel and give her a hug! (Even though, you know, Juliette would kill me... But she wouldn't feel good about it.)

Then I got to a part that completely shattered me. (You see what I did there?) One of her main plot points is EXACTLY like mine. I was crushed. Here is this amazing writer, already agented by one of the top agents in the industry, published by one of the most prestigious YA houses in America, and to top it all off, her prose could suffocate mine like a sugar coated boa constrictor. 

I stopped writing for weeks. I mean, what was I going to do? I was already halfway through my WIP and what was the point of continuing it? Surely no agent is going to want to take on a copycat project. I felt so defeated that I considered scrapping the 20,000 words I had and starting completely over-- even though I LOVED those 20,000 words like WHOA. 

This project was SO different from my previous manuscript that is now shelved, and I just KNEW that it was going to be the one to get me an agent. It had a unique plot and it was science fiction (which is wanted in the YA market right now), so I was going to have to no trouble finding an agent this time. 

But someone got to the finish line before me.

So what DO you do when you see your genius book idea written by someone else? YOU WRITE IT ANYWAY. 

After five weeks of abandoning my manuscript and feeding my depression over it, I said, "You know what? I'm going to write this novel anyway!" My main character is nothing like Shatter Me's Juliette. Actually, my main character is what classifies the novel as science fiction. THAT was different than Shatter Me. 

And that was just the first of a string of things that I realized made my novel unique from Tahereh's. It really is true that the execution of a concept is what makes you different from everyone else who has thought of the same thing. No one thinks exactly alike-- it's what makes us all unique. (There I go, sounding like a kindergarten teacher. Everyone join hands, let's sing Kumbaya) 

So even if you have an idea for the NEXT BIG NOVEL and then see it a week later on a Barnes and Noble shelf, write it anyway! I promise that it will turn out 97.6% different than anyone else's similar idea. (My math may be off by a bit. It's not my strong suit). 

(NOTE: If for some reason Tahereh Mafi ever reads this post, please know: I am a huge fan of yours! No disrespect was intended for you or your amazing book. And how cool is it that Tahereh Mafi is reading my blog right now?)

When It's Time To Shelve Your Manuscript...

The Raven Boys

I've made it no secret that Maggie Stiefvater is my #1 author crush. I've loved everything she's ever written, whether it be a novel, short story, or blog post, so imagine my delight when she posted the trailer for her upcoming book today:

SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Among her talent for writing, she is an artist and a musician. So not only did she write the book, she wrote and recorded the music for the trailer AND drew and animated it. She's totally crush worthy, am I right??? (Insert teenage girl scream).

The book looks amazing (I would expect nothing less of a Maggie Stiefvater novel) and I can't WAIT for September to hurry up and get here so I can read it!!!

Without further ado, here is Maggie's gorgeous trailer for her upcoming novel, THE RAVEN BOYS:

SQUEEEEE!!!!!

My First Vlog!

HEY! I filmed my very first vlog! It's kind of boring, but I do randomly break out into song...

Writing Marathon Days 4-6

So the writing marathon has kind of turned out to be a fail...

 But I have a good excuse! I was at the beach, fishing and swimming and getting majorly sunburned!!! We stayed with my husband's awesome aunt, and there was never a free moment for me to crack open my computer (or notebook). Seriously, besides that first day when I sat by the pool for like 15 minutes and wrote 300 words, I never had the chance to take my laptop out of it's protective case. On the day we took the boat in the Gulf so I could finally catch one of the giant fish my husband always brags about catching,  I took a notebook and a pen with me with the intent to write while he fished (because fishing only holds my interest for about one hour). But I got sea sick after 10 minutes of being out there, so we came back to the beach and swam instead.

But am I sad about this fail? NOPE. Trying to write a book while being in college/having a job/being a human is hard. If you're a writer, you know that well. Life doesn't slow down for you to write your book-- you have to make time for it in between all the everyday things. And yes, I start back to school on Tuesday and won't have another long break until December, but I wrote my last book while I was in the midst of exams, piles of dirty money (I'm a bank teller), and dirty dishes and I can do it again! I needed that vacation and it was AMAZING to not think about anything except for, "what bathing suit should I wear today?" and "is it time to put on more sunscreen yet?"

I'm back home today, but I slept in, then watched the Glee season finale. And in a little while, I'm going to see The Avengers (FINALLY!) with my husband, and I'm not going to feel guilty about that either. (Though I do plan on taking my laptop to sneak in some words while he shops for boat parts before the movie, because what woman wants to tag along in a boating parts store???) But every time I watch a good movie, it seriously motivates me to go home and write ton (and I've heard from like, virtually EVERYBODY that The Avengers is kick-ass) 

So anyway. I'm not completely giving up on the 5,000 words a day goal for the next few days, but I've hit a wall in the story. The plot is going well, but I need to go back to the beginning and rework some of the world building and character motivations before I go much further. That's my plan for today! 

And yes, I promised y'all a vlog when the marathon is over, so I am trying to decide what in the world to talk about for 3-5 minutes. ANY IDEAS??? Throw 'em at me!  

Writing Marathon Day 3

Well. Today's word count was an epic fail. BUT! I've had a busy busy day!

1.) Had a follow up appointment from last week's kidney stone removal. I'm good, btw!

2.) Drove an hour and a half to the beach

3.) Launched our boat

4.) hung out by the pool and wrote some words!

5.) went on a boat ride

6.) GOT EPICALLY SUNBURNED. Seriously, redheaded-fair-skinned people like me were NOT made for the beach. This happens to me every time I go out in the sun for more than 30 minutes though, so it was expected.



7.) I am so tired that my plan to write in my awesome little bunk bed is dead. I can't even muster the strength to type this on my laptop because that would mean having to find out the wifi password, and THAT would mean going back downstairs. My sunburned limbs can't take it.

So my word count of the day ended with a total of 382. Not even close! But I told y'all I had no faith in myself while I'm at the beach. Sunday and Monday I'll meet the goal for sure, though!!! If the fish aren't biting, I'm going to shoot for hand written words tomorrow. So we'll see how that goes!

I bid you farewell dear readers. Pass me the lidocaine-aloe gel if you don't mind.

Writing Marathon Day 2

There were tears. Blood. Sweat. Callouses. (not really)

BUT I WROTE 5,000 WORDS TODAY. Actually, 5,149 to be exact!

(I deleted 1900 of the words I wrote yesterday because I changed directions a little bit, but I'm learning to let that go)

What did I learn today? That writing 5,000 words in one day when I am in the middle section of the book is HARD. Sure, I could do it easily near the climax, or even in the beginning when the story is begging to fall out of my brain. But the middle? Jeesh. For a couple hours there, it was like plucking my eyelashes out one by one.

True, I won't keep all these words, but like the saying goes: You can't edit a blank page. At least I now have some WORDS, even they'll be deleted and revised for prose later. (And I did get a good couple thousand words that I really like. :-D)

Fun highlights:

- I wrote a kissing scene that I've been dreaming about for months, ever since I heard this song:

WEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

- My favorite line of today was this (from a scene where my character-- who's been shot before-- shoots a gun for the first time):

"Being on the other side of the gun is delicious."

-I have "tweerleaders"on Twitter!

*Rob Kristofferson ( @Kristoffrable ) gave me some wise words on writing suckage: "Suckiness leads to greatness. If you can't get it out there to begin with it doesn't even have a chance to suck."

* Paul Adams ( @adamspaulr )-- who is doing this with me and wrote 5052 words today!-- made me laugh after I complained about trying to "squeeze out my last 600 words" with this:

*Megan Whitmer (@MeganWhitmer ) promised to be awkward on the internet and post her very first vlog if I meet my 5,000 words a day goal. She's even filmed it and everything! But I have to break it to you Megan, I don't think it will happen. :-(
Today took everything I had to type 5,000 words, and I was at home doing nothing but writing. I am going to the beach tomorrow until Saturday, and I think I'll be lucky to get 2,000 a words a day. But I'm still going to try!

I'm going to try handwriting some of my words for the first time-- I've never handwritten a manuscript before, but I'm not going to bring my laptop on a boat out in the Gulf of Mexico. That would not end well. But my critique partner, Amy Christine Parker, does this everyday (handwrite her novel that is, not fish in the Gulf of Mexico) so I'm going to give it a try!

Oh! I promised on twitter yesterday that if I met my word goal today, I would also make my very first vlog. But since it's late now, and I'll be out of town for the next few days, I think I'll wait until my last day, and make it about this whole project. Sound good? Awesome. See you back here tomorrow! (I might not have internet where I'm staying, so I may be posting from my iPhone. I've never done that before, so we'll see how that goes. Hopefully I'll have wifi...)

Happy writing!

WRITING MARATHON DAY 1

Right now in my WIP I am at 24,632 words. I REALLY wanted to finish the rough draft before I start the summer semester of school-- before I get bogged down in papers, quizzes, and exams. I COULD have finished had I not stopped writing for a entire month (thanks to final exams and the fact that I got really, really stuck). But anyway, it is what it is, and I am still only a third of the way finished with this manuscript.

I am writing this blog post because I HAVE A PLAN.

I think it will take me about 70,000 words to tell this story, so that means I have about..... 45,368 words to go. Are you catching on yet? You are so smart!!!

Yes. I am going to attempt to write 45,000 words in NINE DAYS. Now, to do this, I will have to write at least 5,000 words a day.

I am already laughing at myself because I know this will never happen.

I am on vacation this week, so at least I don't have to worry about work stress making me too tired to sit down and write. BUT my husband and I are going to the beach Wednesday-Saturday and I'm pretty sure he'll be mad if I spend our whole vacation on my computer.

But I am going to write as much as I can in the next nine days and blog about my progress. Will I write 45,000 words in those nine days? PROBABLY NOT. I mean it's already 2:00 pm and I haven't written anything but this blog post (but in all fairness, I didn't wake up until noon, so... Yeah.)

But I think that by blogging about my progress, I can keep myself honest and motivated to at least write half of my goal. I borrowed this idea from Frankie Dianne Mallis, who is attempting to write 33,000 words in ten days. We are going to cheerlead each other towards our goals!   *\0/*

Here is a little info about my WIP:

Name: SOUL RAIDERS
Genre: YA Science Fiction/Thriller
Blurb: After transporting her soul into a stolen archetype body to save her own life, Ruby finds out that her best friend has joined a resistance group that's planning to overthrow the United States government to save the world from imminent destruction at the hand of the U.S. president. (Sorry that's very vague, but I just wrote that off the cuff.)


So, does anybody else want to join us? We can all motivate each other! I'll post an update tonight with my final word count of the day.

(And in case you were wondering, YES, I might be a wee bit crazy for doing this.)

*takes a deep breath... opens document... READY, SET, GOOOO!!!!*


***UPDATE: Okay, it's 12:38 am and I am throwing in the towel for the day. Wordcount:

I didn't get 5,000 today, but for some reason I have been stuck on this one chapter for the past three hours. I finally reached a stopping point, though-- I needed to write a press conference in the POV of the U.S. president, but he refused to come out of hiding in the depths of my brain. I could've skipped it and moved on, but honestly, I can't bounce around like that. I have to write chronologically.

So anyway, maybe I'll make up the extra extra slack tomorrow since I got a late start today. I plan on writing half my goal in the morning and half in the afternoon, so I'm not trying to force it all out at once like I did today.

Good Enough

Lately I've had the writing blues. Wicked Illusions has not done well in the querying process and I hit a big bump with my work in progress (until today I haven't seriously worked on it in a month and a half). With all the rejections I've gotten for Wicked Illusions I started to wonder if I was ever going to be good enough to get an agent, let alone get published. It's hard when you see friends and other writers getting requests when you're not, then getting an agent, then getting a book deal, and so on.

And then it's even harder when you see a terrible book like Fifty Shades Of Grey make millions upon millions of dollars, and then your own book-- which you KNOW is better (sorry E.L James)-- is never "good enough."

I've not seriously considered giving up yet, but I was getting close. I really wanted to abandon my WIP because it didn't feel "good enough." I was going to start on something else, but I'm pretty sure I would have abandoned it too for not being good enough.

WHAT IS GOOD ENOUGH, ANYWAY?

Who knows?

But when I get to feeling this way, I start scouring the internet for blogs, vlogs, and stories from other writers who have been in my shoes. I watched these two videos this morning and they jump-started my motivation. How will I ever know if I'll be good enough if I don't sit my butt down and just WRITE THE DANG BOOK ALREADY?

So my first book wasn't "good enough"? That doesn't mean that the next one won't be. I'll get that first book polished enough to publish one day, but I've got to branch out and push myself to do something better first. Anyway, these two videos inspired me to get going, so maybe they'll help you too if you need a little boost like I did today. (I've written 3500 words and counting today. Yay for getting over the hump!)

Thank you Shannon Messenger and Jackson Pearce!

What's In A Name?

The first thing anyone ever learns about a book is almost always the title. That one little phrase/word can be the make it or break it point for your book: it can lead a reader to decide whether or not he or she wants to read the book or to just put it back on the shelf. No pressure, right? Right.

The perfect title should convey three things to a reader: it should introduce the tone, represent the main topic of the story, and intrigue the reader—all while being short and easily pronounceable. It’s one of the hardest parts of writing a book in my opinion. I am sort of terrible at naming things. (Especially characters' last names, but that's a whole 'nother blog post)

So how do you come up with a good title for your awesome novel?

Get ready to groan, because my first example of a good title is Twilight. I know, I know. TWILIGHT? But seriously, I think the title sets the tone for the book perfectly. On the outside, the book is about a human girl who meets a few vampires. But underneath the surface, the story is really about helplessly falling in love with the wrong person—it’s about being afraid and excited at the same time. In nature, twilight falls just after sunset, which is the time of day when all the light has just disappeared from the sky; when you’re still reeling from the magic of the setting sun, but yet wary of all the things you can’t see in the dark. The book is full of angst between the two main characters, and I believe that the word, “twilight,” correctly sets the tone. With the myth that vampires can only come out at night, it also poetically represents the main topic of the story.

 A book that is dead on with presenting the plot to the reader is my favorite middle grade book, The Thief of Always by Clive Barker. Just by reading the title, the reader knows that something is going to be stolen from someone, which of course, makes for an interesting plot. With the use of the word, “always,” it leads the reader to wonder what exactly is it that is going to be stolen? Time? Life? Afterlife? The possibilities are infinite, and it makes the reader want to crack open the cover to see what the synopsis is. 

 Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor immediately caught my attention when I first saw it on shelves at the bookstore. The possibilities of magic, voodoo, and family issues all ran through my head, so I picked the book up—I wanted to learn more about it. A play on words with a popular phrase, using a single word that provokes strong feelings, or choosing a few words that create a compelling thought are all good choices for choosing a good book title.

Another important part of choosing a title is that it must be easily pronounceable. I’ve found that I’m less inclined to pick up a book that I can’t pronounce. If I can’t even say the title, then what is awaiting me inside?

You also want to make sure that if you choose a phrase from inside your book, that it doesn't sound forced. I tried that with Wicked Illusions, and everyone that read the sentence, "I knew it was just a wicked illusion" told me that it sounded forced-- and that's because it WAS. I'm not saying that you can't take a nicely worded phrase from your novel and use it as your title, just make sure that it flows well in the context. Don't make the reader roll their eyes at you.

All in all, the title is the first impression for the reader. If the title is no good, then the reader is most likely going to think the book is no good. It may be a hard feat to execute all the things I talked about in just a few words, but with hard work—and often suggestions and opinions from friends and critique partners— you can do it! 

(I actually got the title for my work in progress from someone's personalized license plate on the car sitting in front of me at a red light. Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to look for it!)

Why Won't It Sell?

Today on Twitter, several writers and I have been debating the topic of what will and won't sell in today's marketplace. Since I've been querying Wicked Illusions over the past seven months, five agents have requested the full manuscript, and two requested a partial-- which both turned into full requests. All of these requests (except for one particularly mean rejection and one agent yet to respond) have ended in a "nice" rejection:

"Your writing is beautiful and the story is great, but I don't think there's room for it in today's overcrowded market."


"Your prose is fantastic! I loved the main character, but unfortunately, I don't think the story is a topic I can sell."


"I really enjoyed this manuscript, but I'm going to have to pass."  <---- This agent didn't even give me a reason why she was "passing," but I assume if she was being honest and "enjoyed" it, then she didn't think she could sell it to a publishing house.

I COMPLETELY understand that an agent's job is not just to praise your work and hope it sells. They are kind of like literary lawyers. They negotiate a deal for something YOU did-- if you don't get paid, they don't get paid. It's all a business transaction.

I also know that when choosing an agent, you need to find someone that IS in love with your work and is confident that he or she can sell it and make all your dreams come true. (They're also like fairy godmothers.) So it's kind of like choosing a spouse. You have to find someone that will love you and the twisted inner workings of your brain forever, no matter what the market is doing at the moment. He or she needs to be so confident in your abilities that no matter the trends, they can guide you and help you and sell ALL of your books. All this is fine and dandy and is something every writer hopes to find (though some agent/author relationships end in "divorce" just like marriages).

But the problem is, what if BEFORE you find your agent-soulmate you keep writing in the "I can't sell this" genres? We already know that books about vampires, werewolves, and dystopian societies are dead, but today, I was surprised to find that books involving ghosts and dead people is the new no-no. I can't think of very many ghost YA novels that are published, so this must be the next "new trend" that's pending for future release.

On twitter, I asked if anyone had any idea as to what there IS room for in the YA market, and the answers were:

• Sci-Fi
• Contemporary
• Anything Funny
• Thrillers

Now, my WIP is Sci-Fi, so WOO HOO!!! I'm in the "in crowd"! BUT it will probably be five to six months before I'm ready to send out queries for it, and I'm terrified that by the time I send it to agents, Sci-Fi will be the next YA no-no. 

I know you can't chain yourself to trends and that you need to write what you love, but how will I ever get an agent if he or she sees the topic and immediately deletes my query because the marketplace is already full of this sort of thing? 

I know what y'all are going to say: "Don't worry, if the writing is good, there's an agent out there somewhere that will love your work and pick it up."

And maybe that's true. But it sure is an aggravating process to get to that point. I guess that's why artists are temperamental, huh? *shakes fists*

The Writer's Voice #181

I'm sure most of you have heard about mutli-blog, mulit-agented "The Writer's Voice" contest, hosted by Cupid's Literary Connection, Brenda Drake, Monica B.W., and Krista Van Dolzer. If you've been living under a rock, a pile of edits, or you know, it you're not a writer, it's basically like the t.v. show, The Voice-- ten entries move to the second round, and then get a coach to help polish their entries before the agents see them. 

Contests like these are a fantabulous way (that's right, I said FANTABULOUS) for agent-seeking writers to rise to top of the slush pile AND meet other writers-- which, in my opinion is the only way to stay sane while querying a project. Meeting other writers who are going through the same thing as you makes the process much less alcohol-involved (usually). 

I wasn't going to enter this contest because I'd decided last month that I was going to retire the manuscript I've been querying. But then I remembered how many friends I made when I entered the Agent Invasion contest (and I got two requests out of it!) so I decided this was my last chance to give this manuscript one more little push into the world (that sounded gross. It was not meant to sound gross.)


So anyway, here is my submission for my YA Fantasy, WICKED ILLUSIONS. I'm number 181.


 Hope you like it. :-)

QUERY:

Sixteen-year-old Lilly Elliott is surrounded by death. In her hometown of Ironbrook, a mysterious fog claims the life of one resident every full moon— a death lottery that no one wants to win. She and the other townspeople would move if they could, but the fog is only one part of the complicated curse that envelops their town; no one can leave. Ever. If they try, the question of their death goes from possible to certain.

As if getting a regular dose of death isn’t enough, Lilly is also having vivid dreams about a missing boy who has a connection to the curse, and she’s starting to fall for him. She’s also recently discovered that she can bring dead things back to life, which could be the saving grace for the town of Ironbrook, except for one small problem; her power comes with a price. For every life she saves, she must replace the energy that she’s given away, and she can only do that by killing someone else. When Blair, an odd classmate, reveals the truth about Lilly’s new abilities, it doesn’t take Lilly long to find out that Blair has everything to do with the things that plague the town. And things in Ironbrook? Just. Get. Weirder.
 

Blair has the same abilities as Lilly, and is addicted to the way it feels to drain a life. She’ll do whatever she can to get Lilly to use her powers as well, including killing Noah, the boy she loves. To save Noah, her family, and the other residents of her town, Lilly has to figure out a way to stop Blair, which may start a war that she doesn’t know how to win.

WICKED ILLUSIONS is a YA fantasy novel, complete at 65,000 words. 

FIRST 250 WORDS:

Someone will die tonight. I wish I know who it’ll be so I can relax. Or not. 

               

I wrap my arms around my legs, settling my chin on top of my knees so I can peer out over the yard. The full moon reflects off of every surface, and the silvery light, almost milky in the dark midnight air, causes my world to glow. Sitting on the wide square of the front porch roof, just outside my bedroom window, is something I do every month when the full moon calls the deadly black fog into Ironbrook.
       

 Cursed. That's what they say is wrong with our town.
        

The fog slithers over the pavement below me, oozing across the yard and around the houses in our neighborhood. The thick, inky mist wraps around the oak trees and flowers, choking them in shadows. No one dares to leave their house on the eve of the full moon, in fear of what the fog might do to them if it touches their skin. I'm safe on the roof though, looming above the silent poison. I shiver as a strong breath of wind blows across the night sky, causing the haze to curl and ebb through the neighborhood at a faster pace.

        

The fog dances through the air and swirls around the posts of the porches that line the edges of the street. With a gust of wind, a thin tail of the black cloud suddenly twists and rises to the edge of the roof where I’m sitting. 

Lucky Seven Meme

My crit partner, Amy Christine Parker AND Mindee Arnett, the author of upcoming novel, The Nightmare Affair, tagged me for the Lucky Seven Meme! I've seen this floating around the blogosphere and on Twitter, so I was so excited to be tagged by TWO people!

(Mindee's book sounds absolutely awesome! The seven lines she posted are from it so go read about it on her blog! I can't wait for it to come out!)

(Also, Amy's amazing novel recently sold to Random House!!!! Trust me when I say it's amazing-- I've read it. *Laughs evilly* Go read her blog too. Now. I'll wait. Just make sure you come back here.)

(I feel like I used way too many commas in that first paragraph. I probably did. Just like I overuse parentheses. Anyway.)

Rules For The Lucky Seven Meme:

• Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
• Go to line 7
• Copy down the next 7 lines--sentences or paragraphs--and post them as they're written. No cheating.
• Tag 7 authors
• Let them know

Now. I am going to be a cheater-cheater-pumpkin-eater because I just recently shelved my completed manuscript and have no intention of opening it except for agent requests. So instead, I'm going to the 7th page of my WIP instead of the 77th (since I'm only as far as page 61 at the moment). 

You guys. This project still has the I-LOVE-YOU-SO-FREAKING-MUCH-BECAUSE-I-HAVEN'T-SMELLED-YOUR-MORNING-BREATH-YET glow that most new projects do, so I am EXCITED to share it with someone. Not even my crit partners have read this manuscript yet. *bites nail* 

Here we go!

**********************************************************************************

I want to pull on my sneakers, bolt out of this building, and sprint until my ribs ache. I want to run until I can't breathe. Along with a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket, I'd packed my favorite running shoes just for this purpose. I poke my legs and arms into the clothes-- which are a bit too big for my new body, but they'll do for now.

       As much as I want to sprint right out of the hospital, I know what Thalia and I have to do first-- we've got to return my old body back to my foster parents' house. When Thalia proposed the transport to me, we discussed what to do with my old body. We can't give it to the crematorium like most transporters do because my archetype is stolen-- a stolen reject that would have been disposed of anyway, but still stolen. 

***********************************************************************************

EEEP! I can't believe I just posted that. It's so NEW and UNEDITED. Oh well. Hope you were intrigued anyway! :-)

And the 7 Lucky Ladies I'm Tagging Are:

• Krystalyn Drown
• Melissa Hurst
• Megan Whitmer
• Laura Renegar
• Michelle Krys
• Stephanie Pellegrin
• Jenny S. Morris

Go check out their blogs! 

PS. Don't forget about The Fiction Femme Fatale's launch this Friday! The first story kicks booty!

The Fiction Femme Fatale

I have HUGE news.

Amy Christine Parker, Krystalyn Drown, and I are launching a short story blog!

As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Every Friday, one of us will post a thousand word story inspired by a photo that we find. But that's not even the best part. On the fourth Friday of every month, we want to post a story written by one of our readers! 

We are each in different stages of following our publishing dreams, so we thought it would be fun to have a place to go to write just for the sheer enjoyment of writing something new. And let me tell you, it is going to be AWESOME!  

Our introductory post is already up, so please go and check it out. We are so excited for this project and we can't wait to share it with you. Our first story will be written by Krystalyn, and it will go up a week from today on April 6th! 

Please come follow us so we don't feel alone and lame. You will love us. I promise.

www.fictionfemmefatale.blogspot.com

What People Think We Do

The other day, I saw this photo on twitter:

(I couldn't find the original source, but I send thanks to the maker of this!)

It's so true!!

This week, I took a vacation from work so I could stay at home and do nothing but write for SEVEN WHOLE DAYS-- IT'S BEEN BLISS, I TELL YOU!

Except, my husband doesn't seem to realize what I'm actually doing, though I've tried to explain it to him. He has called me so many times today to chat, since I'm "not doing anything." (NOT DOING ANYTHING??? *shakes fist*) Don't get me wrong, I love talking to my love, but every five minutes??? I'm trying to work. He says: "Work, huh?" (*shakes fist again*)

I have only written 1500 words of my 5000 word goal today. (And of course, I am only prolonging my goal by writing this blog post. But it's lunchtime, okay? Don't judge me.)

 Anyway, to those of you are not writers, here is a small tip: When we say we are writing, we are not lounging around eating candy and frittering away our time. Okay, maybe there *is* some candy eating, but when I'm sitting here staring into space, I am CREATING something inside my head.

As one of my literature professors asked my class last semester, "When is loafing not laziness?"
Answer: When you are writing.

Writing involves LOTS of thinking and staring into space, and though most everyone who doesn't write may not think so, it's HARD work. It's FUN work, sure, but that doesn't make it easy.

A Look Inside The Writing Process

People who aren't writers sometimes think that writing a book is a glamourous thing. It's actually quite boring if you aren't the one doing the writing. It usually involves sweat pants and fatty snacks and a cat who insists on lying on your keyboard. But here is a 3 minute glimpse into what I did tonight while working on my new book. :-)

New Ideas Solve Everything

1.) I sent out my last queries for WICKED ILLUSIONS. If this round doesn't land me an agent, I'm moooving on a la Rascall Flatts.

2.) I haz NEW ideas. I've written the first three chapters of three different novels, and since I can't pick just one yet, I am writing two of them right now. One may get more focus than the other because I have to submit a new chapter every other week to my Fiction Writing class at school, and it's the one I've already introduced to the class. (Hint? Brain tumor. Society on the verge of downfall. Yes, the two are related. Mwahahaha)

3.) But the other idea is SO tantalizing that I might just write it Kiersten White style. It's something I've always wanted to write, but never really put down on paper. Last night during a particularly loud thunderstorm, I was laying in bed relishing the sound of thunder and lightning-- which I LOVE-- when all the sudden this entire book just flooded into my head. I immediately grabbed my phone and emailed myself a loose outline, but I dreamed about it all night long. I was delighted to find that this morning I still loved the idea-- and actually understood something that I typed half asleep at midnight. I've never had  an entire plot come into my head so strong and quickly. I had to work HARD for the plot of WICKED ILLUSIONS and I still don't really know how the story in #2 will end. But this idea has dominated my brain completely, and I've already got seven characters fully formed and sketched out as of today. These people have obviously been hiding in the back on my brain just waiting for me to finally give up on my three-year-book and move on to something new. I won't say much about it, except this one, tiny hint:

(If you figure it out from this picture, we need to be friends immediately)

4.) On a completely unrelated note, I have been scouring the internet for things to take my mind off of querying, and I came across this little beauty. Watch it-- whether you love Twilight or hate it, this is guaranteed to make you laugh.

The LIEBSTER AWARD!

What DOES Liebster mean, you ask? (I had to look it up, so I would know exactly was I was being awarded.) According to Google Translate, it means....

FAVORITE!

(in German)

My awesomely awesome critique partner, Amy Christine Parker (who recently signed with agent Lucienne Diver! WOO HOO!!! (Told you she was awesome.)) passed the Liebster torch on to me!

The Liebster Award is for blogs who have less than 200 followers (I have THREE. COME ON PEOPLE YOU'LL LIKE ME I SWEAR I'M NOT CREEPY) and it is meant to help increase followers/viewers of those blogs!

So, according the rules, I get to pick 5 blogs that are my "liebster" (I don't speak German and I'm sure that's not the correct conjugation, but you know what I mean) and pass the torch on to them! YAY! AND I have to tell you five things about myself that you might not know. It's going to be really hard to follow Amy's, whose life reads like a contemporary YA novel. :-D  But on we go!

My Picks:

1.) Melissa Hurst ( http://melissa-hurst.blogspot.com/ )
2.) Stefanie Gaither ( http://stefaniegaither.blogspot.com/ )
3.) Jenny S. Morris ( http://jennysimaginaryworld.blogspot.com/ )
4.) Lisa Styles Lofland ( http://behindthemystery.blogspot.com/ )
5.) Mindee Arnett ( http://mindeearnett.blogspot.com/ )

All these ladies are writers such as myself-- some are agented, some have book deals, some are aspiring (like me!) and ALL are working hard to make their dreams come true. I have had the pleasure of reading a few of these bloggers' manuscripts, and they are ALL talented people! Their blogs give me inspiration and keep me going when I feel like I'm the only one who thinks writing books is a fun-but-hard thing to do. Follow them!

And now for the five things you (probably wish) you didn't know about me: (evil laugh)

1.) I am terrified of mold/mildew. I don't know why, but even the thought of it makes my skin crawl. Because of this, I am also afraid of shower curtains, outdoor cushions, and wet rags. EW.

(This photo will give me nightmares for days. *closes eyes and keeps typing*)

2.) I wrote a post about this already, but flying squirrels haunt me. Seriously. They've broken into my house, my vacation cabin,  caused my husband to fall off a ladder, and a few other things. I'm convinced it's one squirrel that hides around the corners and waits for me to let my guard down so it can attack. I'm not afraid of it though. I'm plotting my squirrel revenge. 

3.)   I once saw the end of a rainbow. Someone had already snagged the pot of gold, though.

(Sadly, this is not my photo. I had a crappy phone and no camera the day I saw mine! It looked like this, just in the parking lot at my university.)

4.) I have a severe addiction to lip balm. I suspect that I have over 20 tubes of it in my possession right now. THIS is my new favorite: 

(Click on photo for link to buy. The "sweet mint" flavor is the best!!!)

5.) I can sing. Here's a clip of my sister and me doing karaoke. (The Sister is gonna kill me when she finds out that I put this on the internet, but I don't have any videos on this computer of me singing alone. I LOVE YOU SISSY! You sing better than me anyway!) And I'd like apologize in advance for my husband's awful video recording skills. He's good at lots of other things. 

So anyway, follow my blog (if you want... PLEASE?) and follow these other FIVE wonderful women. (SIX if you haven't followed Amy's blog yet) You will not regret it and will be wiser for it! Now I'm off to the revision cave to work on my LAST round of edits before I close my WICKED ILLUSIONS doc for good. (Unless some agent out there likes these new edits, that is. And if not, maybe I'll rewrite it someday when I'm a better writer) Wish me mental strength and clever phrases! :-D

On Starting Over (again)

I've mentioned in my past posts that I have a finished novel and have been querying agents for a few months now. I finally got some (minor) feedback from a couple of agents, and they both said the same thing: they didn't connect with my main character's voice.

So. (I've said that a lot lately) SO.

I decided to rewrite Wicked Illusions. Again. For the fifth time.

The past rewrites? ALL of them have given me a complete 180 turnaround on my manuscript, making it better. And better. And better again.

So when I sat down to write it this time, I started out excited. Like, *really* excited. I just knew that this time I would have the draft that would take me somewhere. But you guys, I this draft is NOT better. It's probably the worst thing I've ever written. It's like I've forgotten how write or something. I keep second guessing myself and rewriting sentences over and over on an endless cycle of sentence-structure-doom. I've lost all my prose, and instead of being happy to write about these characters, I find myself choosing to stare out the window or eat cheerios or scrub the toilet or ANYTHING but work on this fracking novel.

And I think it's because I've already said all I have to say about it. Sure, there a couple of scenes from the last draft that I've gotten better ideas for and know that I could make better. But rewriting it from Blank Page One? It's just not working.

SO.

I am going to try to fix those scenes I mentioned above, morph it into first person present instead of first person past (I've been wishing I'd done this for a long time) and then focus on making Lilly's speech less formal and making her more proactive in certain situations.

But I'm not rewriting the whole thing again. I can't. I'm giving myself one month to do these things, send it to my crit partner, then query the last five agents on my list (and one agent who has already read it, but has graciously agreed to read it again after the edits).  And then...

If it doesn't work out this time, I'm laying it aside. Come February 12th, I'm not looking at it again unless an agent requests it. Y'all, I LOVE this story. I've said it before. But I mostly love it the way it is, and I don't WANT to change the way it is inside my head. If my very best try doesn't make other people love it as much as I do, then that's okay. I want people to love it, but it's more important that I love it *the most*.

So here's to hoping that the *new* draft #5 (which will only differ slightly from draft #4) will be good. But if it has to live forever in my head and in the heads of the few friends and family members that have read it and love it, that's okay with me too. There are plenty of other stories waiting to burst out of this ole brain of mine.

Defending Twilight

I will unashamedly admit that I am Twilight fangirl. I have read all of the books (including the Midnight Sun excerpt on Stephenie Meyer's website) over and over until the spines began to fall apart, giving me the excuse to buy a second set. Yes. I have two sets. Plus the audiobooks and eBooks. Don't judge me.

I have gone to all the midnight premiers of the movies, and purchased all the DVDs. And every time one of the movies comes on TV, my husband groans because he knows we are going to watch it (for the eleventy billionth time). I even have all the movie soundtracks and scores. I say all this because I am confessing to you right up front that I love me some Edward Cullen, and I will shout it from the roof tops while waving my Team Edward shirt.

So many people bash Twilight these days. That's to be expected, because most things that go as viral as Twilight will always have haters. I've even heard a few people say that they used to like Twilight, but started to hate it when the pandemic began. But the question is, why do so many people hate it? Is it the "impossible" forever love? Is it Edward himself for not being "manly"? Or is it Bella, because she gives herself completely to Edward without regard for her future? Some people just don't like vampires, or they don't like Mrs. Meyers' version of vampires, or a myriad of other reasons. But I am not here to argue with the people who don't like it.

I admire the Twilight series mainly because of Edward Cullen. Every person in the world wants someone to love them whole heartedly. Not to say that my husband doesn't love the way I want him to, because he is my Edward-- but he is still a human man. He loves football. He loves to fish. And his brain is solely connected to a certain other part of his body, like every other man on this planet. Seriously, though. I love my hubby more than anyone in the world.

But I'm in love with Edward Cullen too. And Harry Potter, and Mr. Darcy, and Noah Dawson (the male protag of my novel). I think it's okay to be in love with fictional men, even if you have a real-life man of your own. Or EVEN if he's a hot mannequin, like the one that chick from the Axe commercials falls for.

                                 

Because that's what fictional men ARE FOR. They're there to keep you company when the hubby/boyfriend is away on a trip. They're there to comfort you when you and the hubby/boyfriend have a fight. They're there to make you swoon when you have no hubby/boyfriend, and ya need a little romance in yer brain. Sure, these fictional men are usually already taken by the female protagonist (Darn you, Bella Swan!!), but THAT'S THE JOY OF READING. You get to pretend to be somebody else for a few hours a day.

Okay, this post has taken a weird turn. I digress.

So many people bash Stephenie Meyer for her writing, for her morals, and countless other things, but all I see is a good love story and man who makes me sigh with swooniness. (See? He causes me to make up words.) In Stephenie Meyer, I see a woman who helped pave the way for me as a writer.

Before I started college, I used to devour every book I could get my hands on. But when the homework started piling up, I no longer had time to read or write. I found myself going into a reading hiatus, choosing mindless television shows in my free time instead. When my best friend suggested Twilight to me, at first, I was like, "Vampires? No, thanks." But she kept insisting that I would love it, so I bought it at CVS one day. I then read all four books in three days.

After finishing the series, I thought, "Hmmm... I miss reading. I miss writing. I want to write something like this." And so I immediately started writing the very-different-from-what-it-is-now first draft of my novel. I'd always wanted to write a novel, but I'd never actually pursued the idea until I read Twilight. (My novel doesn't have any vampires though, just in case you were wondering)

Also, while I was on a Twilight fansite one afternoon, an ad on the left side of the screen suggested that I  should read the book, Shiver. It sounded interesting, so I bought the book, and delightfully discovered the WONDERFUL Maggie Stiefvater. Her prose, carefully crafted sentences, and characters are... I have no words. "Perfect," might come close. She is now my favorite author, and the author I aspire to be like someday (in her classy & helpful blog posts and writing alike). And I may never have read Shiver, had I not been on that Twilight fansite.

And so many bands have been brought to my attention through the Twilight movie soundtracks. Inspiration through music is a big part of my writing process, and without Bon Iver, Sia, Sleeping At Last, and many others, some of the scenes in my novel would NOT be the same as they are now, had I not found these artists through their brilliant work on the soundtracks. (Come on, even if you aren't a fan of the movies, you HAVE to admit that the music is awesome on every single one).

So to bring this LONG post to a close, I think you should never, ever pass on reading/listening/watching something just because it's "popular," or because you heard that someone else hated it. There are so many things I would have missed out on in my life had I never picked up Twilight at CVS Pharmacy that day. I might not have even written a novel, and would still be bouncing around trying to pick a major in college and trying to figure out what the heck I wanted to do with my life.

So with this in mind, I am off to work on revisions for my novel (so that maybe one day someone will be buying MY book in CVS because their friend made them) :-)

No Kiss Blogfest Entry!

The "almost-kiss."  It happens in every tortured romance.

It's the want to kiss so badly, but knowing you can't. Or you can, but you're interrupted.

*swoons*

Every year on January 2nd, author Frankie Diane Mallis hosts a No Kiss Blogfest. What is this, you ask?

"This is when you get to write a scene or post one from your favorite books, movies, or tv shows that show the almost kiss-- the rising, crushing, excruciating, longing, tension that comes  when two characters get oh-so-close to kissing that you can just feel it, want it, NEED it....and then...they don't!"

CLICK HERE for the link to her blog. You should participate too! Even if you don't write, you can post your favorite almost-kiss scene from a book you love, or a movie clip. 


So anyway, I have decided to share my own almost-kiss from the novel that I'm seeking representation for, WICKED ILLUSIONS. (Check out my "Making Stuff Up" tab for more info on the storyline, if you please. :-D) Let me know if you like it! 

~

I could tell the boy was fighting back a smile. For some reason, he seemed to think that I was hilarious, and that infuriated me even more since I wasn't trying to be funny.

            "What the hell are you smiling about?" I hissed.

            "Tiger Lilly," he said softly, reaching out to entwine his fingers in mine. I suddenly felt deflated.

            His face turned serious and he bit his bottom lip like it tasted good— and for a split second, I wondered if it did. He reached forward to brush a piece of stray hair from my collarbone, and I shivered as his fingers burned like licking flames against my skin.

            "I want some answers," I mumbled. "I'm so confused and I just..."

            My thoughts swirled around my head like a tornado and I wanted to be angry, but I couldn't.

            The boy's brow crinkled-- he seemed to balance on the edge of something unspoken for a moment. He reminded me of someone, but I couldn't put my finger on it for some reason.

            "What is your name?" I asked. "So I can stop calling you 'the boy'."

            He ignored my question. "Lilly, I would love nothing more than to give you your answers. I would tell you anything that you wanted to know because I want to be honest with you and I want you to trust me. But I am searching for the same answers myself."

            He dropped his head to stare at the ground and I had to strain to hear him as he whispered to me.

            "I don't know why I am here, or how I even got here.  But I can't leave."

            He was trapped here, just like I was trapped in Ironbrook. Neither of us could run away-- My thoughts slammed to a halt, and I suddenly knew where I'd seen him. I wondered why I hadn't caught it before now. He was the boy from the newspaper article I'd read in Mr. Bowman's class.

            Where were we?

             "Is your name Noah?" I asked.

            He nodded and locked his eyes with mine, his own silent questions burning into me. He grabbed my waist gently and pulled me into his arms. His right hand lightly cupped my face as he brushed his thumb across my cheekbone, and suddenly, I couldn't breathe.

            He leaned in, and for a moment I thought that he was going to kiss me. His lips were so close to mine that I could feel the electricity sparkling between our skin. I wanted it to happen— my head clouded with a need to feel the soft curve of his lips against my own. His thumb traced down my jaw line, settling behind my ear with a whisper-soft touch. He gently pulled my head closer to his, and just before our lips touched, I remembered.

            "Noah," I whispered, my words hissing across his mouth. He exhaled in defeat and shifted backwards a tiny fraction. I fought through the clouds in my brain and the urge to forget about this and plant my lips onto his, but I knew what I had to do. I had to figure out a gentle way to tell him what he needed to know.

             But I could only tell him the truth, and truths like that could only be revealed for what they were; horrible. We stared at each other for a moment, neither of us blinking. I knew what I had to tell him, but it took me a while to build up the courage.

             "I think you might be dead," I said, finally.