2011 In Review

This year has been a busy one. In January I started revisions on the YA novel I'd finished back in October 2010. I spent the next few months trudging through that mess and was pretty close to finishing it when I realized I couldn't get past the issues in the novel. It needed to be reworked. It needed a makeover. Badly.

So in May I began rewriting that novel from the beginning. While I was able to keep the main characters, most of the novel was totally scratched. It was terrifying and wonderful at the same time. It felt right. The changes I was making were working, things were making sense and I was falling in love with the characters all over again. It was exactly what I needed.

Once again I spent the next few months writing. I finished the first draft in the summer and have been working on revisions ever since.

Throughout the months I somehow managed to gain several amazing crit partners. They have kept me in check when I freaked out, they've read and re-read scenes and have always been willing to offer suggestions when I needed it most. And most importantly, they've kept me sane. I don't know what I'd do without them and I feel so unbelievably blessed to have them be a part of this journey with me.

Also, I read 95 published books this year. I was aiming for 100, so I'm pretty proud of how close I came.

Oh, and I have a shiny new idea ready and waiting for me once my current WIP is complete. I'm hoping to start that one in earnest sometime in January. Fingers crossed!

Overall, I'd say this has been a great year. I've learned a lot when it comes to writing and as the year is winding down, I'm finding myself grateful for all the ups and downs I've experienced with my novels and characters.

I'd also like to send a very warm thank you to each and every one of you who actually read this blog. I'm still struggling with what to say about writing and myself without just talking about myself all the time. So I appreciate you hanging in there with me.

This is for you:

Here's to hoping that you all have a wonderful and safe New Year!

Road Trip Wednesday: Best Books of the Year

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments on YA Highway, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

You can participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link - or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic

RTW is combining with Highwayer Sarah Enni's End-of-the-Year blog carnival, and asking:
What were your top five favorite books of 2011? 

 This is such a hard question since I read nearly 100 books this year, and fell in love with so many of them. Narrowing it down to five isn't easy, but I've given it a shot. The following list is in no particular order. Each of them kept me on my toes in different ways and kept me reading well past my bedtime or "Okay, I really need to write right now time!"

 The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 

Haven by Kristi Cook

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

I'd love to hear what your favorite reads of 2011 were. Please leave a link to your blog in the comments.

Road Trip Wednesday: Where do you buy your books?

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments on YA Highway, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

You can participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link - or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.



This Week's Topic:
Where do you buy most of your books? No one is judging! 

I buy my books pretty much anywhere. I'd say the majority of my books are purchased from Barnes & Noble and Amazon, but if I'm in a grocery store (it happens to me more often than you'd think!) and they have a book that catches my eye, I'll buy it there. I'm one of those people who buys books on a whim, so if it looks good and it's right in front of me, I'll usually buy it right then. I'm not exactly known for my patience when it comes to books I want to read.

So what about you? Where do you buy your books?

It's Not You, It's Me

Before I starting writing I had real life friends. I wanted to go out to dinner and shopping. I wanted to get out of my house and breathe fresh air. I enjoyed their company and looked forward to anything they wanted to do. What happened, you ask?

Writing happened. Imaginary friends happened. Drafting and revising and drafting again happened. Now all I ever want to do is write. I think about my characters all day long and live for the moment I kiss my children good night so that I can perfect their story. I sneak a few paragraphs here and there throughout any day that I can, but most days I can't get anything considerable done until my children are fast asleep. This means the nighttime hours are my writing time. And my writing time is very, very valuable to me. So much so that I get annoyed when I have to leave my house to do something else. (I know it's horrible. I'm ashamed.)

But it's like I'm possessed. I have this undying, unwavering, unending need to finish this book. I absolutely have to do it. And when I'm away from my characters, I'm not even enjoying myself because all I can think about is how much time I'm wasting NOT writing. As I said before, I'm not proud of this. I know it's not fair to the real life friends. So I've decided to write them this letter, this formal apology for my lackluster friendship skills as of late:

Dear Real Life Friends,

It's not you. It's me. Honest. I have a disease, an addiction to something you can't yet see, but is entirely real inside my head. I hear voices. These voices are telling me a story and I can't seem to rest until I've written down every word of what they have to say. I know this must sound ludicrous and maybe even a little nutso, but it's true.

I know that you're wondering what happened to your spontaneous and exciting old friend, and well, I just wanted you to know that I'm still here. Somewhere inside of me is still that same friend that you know and love, she's just a little possessed at the moment. It's not that I don't enjoy your company. I do. Or at least, I did. But I know, just know with all my heart, I'll still love your company once I finish this book. I swear it.

I just need a little space right now. Some time to work things out in my head would really be helpful. I hope you can forgive me. I promise to come back to you someday. Just...not right now. I still have 66 pages to revise. And then I'll probably revise it one more time for good measure. But one day in the future, I'll show my face again. Honest. 

Truly,

Your Dear Old Friend

Do you think that will earn me forgiveness? If not, maybe a little funny from one of the most hilarious shows of all time will help? 

It's Okay to Love YA

I just spotted this on another YA writer friend's blog, and well, it totally deserves sharing. If you haven't already been following Sarah Enni, you should. She's already awesome, but some day you're going to want to say you "knew her when." 

Anyway, take a look at this sign she found in her local bookstore: 

Isn't this awesome? Be sure to check out Sarah's original post HERE.

Do you Pinterest?

Thanks to some awesome writer friends, I've discovered the joy of Pinterest. It's kind of addictive, but oh-so-fun. Browsing photos on Pinterest is like eating cookies. You can't stop once you start. That's not just me, right?

There are photos of **everything** on Pinterest and it's super duper easy to "pin" them to your own boards. You can also follow friends and watch what they are pinning to their boards. I love it lots. 

Here are few photos I've pinned in the last few days that are inspiring me with both my writing and getting into a spooky Halloween mood:

Notice the theme? Aren't they awesome? I especially love that last one.

Do you use Pinterest or another site similar? If you do use Pinterest, you can follow me HERE. 

Road Trip Wednesday

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic. We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link in the comments - or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments on YA Highway.

Today's Question:

What has your writing road trip looked like so far? Excitement? Traffic Jams and detours? Where are you going next?

There are lots adjectives I could use to describe my writing road. I can't complain really. I started this road in April, 2010. I wrote and wrote and wrote the first draft finally finishing it October. Then, I took a few months off to think about the WIP and to figure out where it needed to go next. I knew it was full of plot holes and beginner mistakes. 

In January 2011, I began my revisions. I spent months fighting with the WIP. I sent it off for critiques. I fought with it some more. 

In May 2011, the story took on a whole new form. This meant that my first WIP was nothing more than a practice run to see who my characters really were and I essentially needed to start from scratch, but that I will not complain about. 

In September 2011 (last month!) I finished the first draft of this second WIP (it's really just too different to even put it in the same category as the original one). I took a few weeks off again, letting the story move through me, getting to the heart of the story once again and now......now I am revising it. Now, I'm liking what I see when I'm revising. Now, it's coming together--at least that's what I'm hoping is happening. 

In summation, I wouldn't call my writing road long, windy and dark, but it hasn't been very quick either. I'm certainly not one of those writers (yet) that can sit down, draft a novel in six weeks and have it ready for querying a month later. 

That being said, I am still proud of the fact that I've completed not one, but two first drafts.

So how about you? What has your writing road been like? I'd love to hear from you. Please leave a comment and I'll be sure to visit your blog.

The Revising Pity Party

I'm revising. I've been revising for a few weeks now and at certain points I'm thrilled with how the story is evolving. At other points I want to close my laptop and walk away. 

I'm finding that revising is an awful lot like pregnancy. You have huge bursts of energy where it seems like nothing can stop you, then you crash and want to do nothing but sleep. You are moody. One minute you're elated with the story you've created. The next you're frustrated, depressed and ready to cry from the lack of inspiration. You want to sleep, sleep and sleep some more. And then maybe, just maybe, you'll wake up and it will all fall perfectly into place. 

Okay, so maybe that's not exactly like pregnancy, but you get the idea. And there are definitely mood swings. Definitely. 

So yeah, last night I had a completely embarrassing revision pity party. I allowed myself to wallow in my self doubt and let myself believe my writing totally sucked, knowing that this morning I was going to shrug it off and move forward. This post is my way of letting go of that self doubt. 

And with that, my pity party is now over. Annnnndddddd back to revising!

The bonus of revising not actually being pregnancy is I can drink all the coffee and tea I want without feeling guilty. This I am grateful for.

Road Trip Wednesday - Best Book of September

 

 Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)   This Week's Topic: 
What was the best book you read in September?

 My picks:

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

It's some seriously good writing with an amazing new story that I loved every page of. You should definitely add this one to your TBR list.

So how about you? What was your favorite book of September? 

Road Trip Wednesday - Cover Love

 

 Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)   This Week's Topic: 
What are your all-time favorite book covers?

 My picks:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - My most current obsession

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

Tempest by Julie Cross

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

So how about you? What are your all-time favorite book covers? 

Write, Revise, Rinse, Repeat

Twelve days ago I finished the first draft of my most current WIP. I sent it off to my crit partners and some betas and I've been twiddling my thumbs and playing around very gently with a new project. The new project isn't inspiring me as much as I'd hoped and I'm finding that I'm still very much immersed in the head of my MC of the drafted WIP. 

I had a few ideas swirling around for how to improve the draft and allowed myself to see how it felt to add that into the story last night. Let's just say it didn't fit and I walked away more than a little frustrated. After some brainstorming with my crit partner this morning, it now makes sense to me as to why it wasn't working. It wasn't where the story was supposed to go--at least not at that point. And now that I've talked it through and can clearly see it all playing out in my head I'm so ready to dig back in. 

Revising may not be the most fun part of writing the story, but it sure is necessary. It's also such an amazing thing when you have a crit partner (or two!) who really understand your characters and your vision. I honestly don't know what I'd do without mine. I'm absolutely a better writer because of them. 

Now, with all that being said, let the real revisions begin. I'm.....er......excited! :-)

Road Trip Wednesday - Best Book of August

 

 Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)   This Week's Topic: 
What's the best book you've read in August?

 My pick for August:

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

I seriously can't get enough of Simone's books and this one is my new favorite. Of course, each book I read by her is my new favorite, but until she comes out with the next one, this one is taking the cake. If you haven't yet read this series, you should definitely do so. They are all kinds of awesome!

So how about you? What has been the best book you've read this month? 

Words Count

I've heard that the more books you write, the less you think about word count or how much you've written in a sitting. You just write.

I'm not to that point yet, as I tend to use word count as a form of motivation. I aim for a minimum of 1500 words a day. Some days I accomplish that goal and some days I don't even come close to it.

Recently, I've been blowing that goal out of the water and because of it, I'm in a constant state of giddy happiness. I'm sleep deprived, over caffeinated, and totally neglecting my house, but I feel GREAT.

Likewise, when I'm not meeting my writing goals, I'm despondent and feel like finishing this book will never happen.

I realize I'm probably not alone in this way of operating and that makes me feel much better about my little obsession with daily word counts. Sometimes I wonder how many books it will take me to get to that comfortable place where I no longer think about the number of words in my manuscript.

Until then I'll just keep wishing for more giddy high word count days. It's really much better for everyone in my household.

What about you? Do you share my obsession with words? Do you have a system for keeping up with the number of words you've written each day?

RIPPLE by Mandy Hubbard's Amazing Release Day Contest!

You've probably heard about the crazy talented author and agent, Mandy Hubbard. You've either read her awesome books or you're hoping beyond hope that she asks to read your manuscript one day. 

Well, today, you're in luck because you can do BOTH! In celebration of her newest book, Ripple, Mandy is offering ten people the chance to win either a first page manuscript critique or a query critique from her and 2 people the chance to win a copy of  Ripple.

Sounds great, right? You want Ripple, right? Or maybe you want the chance to have Mandy crit your work. Either way, don't miss this great opportunity!

You can enter to win for yourself HERE. Good luck to all who enter and congratulations to Mandy on yet another release day!

P.S. - Be sure to add Ripple to your TBR pile on GOODREADS.

Author Interview: Trisha Wolfe

I'm super honored and excited to be posting my first author interview with you. Trisha Wolf is the YA author of The Crystal Pendulum, which will be released in 2012 from Omnific Publishing.  

After reading this interview, you can learn more about Trisha, her writing and her review blog by checking out her website HERE. 

You've recently signed a book deal. Congratulations! Name three emotions that went through your head when you first got the deal.

Thank you! Um, it was strange. I remember emailing my CP (Rachel) and telling her. And she was like, what is wrong with you? Why aren’t you calling me?! Then she called me, and I was eerily calm. So much that I think she may have thought I was joking lol. Then later that afternoon it hit, and I tweeted. My feed blew up and I became emotional and actually cried. I think it just took a while, after nearly three years of trying, to finally sink in that I was getting a book published. So I went through disbelief, shock, and finally elation. Now, I’m kind of going through panic as I’m thinking about writing the sequel. ha!

Describe your novel in two sentences.

Oh, wow. This is dreadful lol. No, I’m joking. This is one of the hardest things to do, though. I actually didn’t work a logline up for TCP. But I’ll try: When seventeen-year-old Dez Harkly develops powers beyond her control as the Narcolym invade her haven, she must join forces with the enemy to save those she’s loves. Shew. That kind of describes it.

What is your favorite thing about writing?

Finishing lol.

Do you have any writing quirks or must-haves when you sit down to write?

Yes. Coke and ReeseStix. I really don’t need music, or quiet even, but I do need carbonation and caffeine. As for quirks? I write hard and fast. I don’t stop to edit, I just sit down in the morning and write till I go to sleep. Then I wake up and do it again. My second novel I wrote in seven days. I drove my family nuts. THE CRYSTAL PENDULUM I wrote in under three weeks. The plot was a little trickier lol. I don’t like to stop writing until I reach the end. Then I start at the top and begin editing. I’m not easy to live with while I’m writing, and my house tends to clutter. Luckily I live with all guys and they don’t mind that part ;)

You're a member of a critique group. How has that impacted your writing for the better?

My CP’s are phenomenal! I love those girls to death. As I said, I wrote my second novel pretty quickly, but without a CP by my side. This time around, I had an awesome chick checking behind each chapter as I went. She was able to point out flaws in pacing and plot and characterization that I wouldn’t have found probably ever. Rachel rocks! And having Tori, Hope, Lori Ann, and Brenda read through TCP later was fantastic. They found typos, character issues and world building flaws and helped me fix them. I could never go back to being a lone writer. Those girls are like the sisters I never had. Also have to shout out to my awesome beta readers! Julie, Jen, Shelly, Brandi, and I know there’s more, but my mind is blanking. Don’t worry, I will include everyone in the acknowledgments, which will be the longest ever written lol.

Name three books that you simply can't get enough of.

Dragonfly by Julia Golding

Candide by Voltaire

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

List the next five books in your TBR pile.

Accused by Kate Kaynak

Eternity by Heather Terrell

Breathe by Abbi Glines

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Steaming by Vanessa Barger.

Tell us about your road to publication so far.

So far it’s been an amazing journey. I’ve written three books, shelved two, and one will actually see the light of day. That feels awesome. When I began writing my first novel, I didn’t even know what a query letter was. I’ve done a lot of things the hard way, but I don’t think I’d go back and change anything. I’ve learned so much from my mistakes. And as writers we have to continue to learn. It’s the process. I actually had an offer from an agent for TCP. I know. A lot of people think I’m crazy for turning down an offer of representation. But at the time she offered, I had already received an offer from Omnific to publish my book. I talked to her for three and a half hours on the phone lol. I think it may have been the longest “The Call” in history. And she was wonderful. But at the end of the day (or week) I felt at this time in my writing career, and with where the market is now, I just had to go with a sure contract of publication. She completely understood this, and she’s still interested in representing me. I’m currently working on a YA Dystopian, and plan to send it to her as soon as I write “The End” lol. I don’t know where I’ll be in three more years from now, but I plan on learning everything I can about the publishing industry and how it’s changing, and supporting as many authors as I can along the way. 

Thank you SO much, Trisha for the fun interview! 

You can find Trisha on FACEBOOK / TWITTER and add The Crystal Pendulum to your Goodreads HERE.

Road Trip Wednesday - Inspiring Pictures

 

 Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)   This Week's Topic: 
Share some images that inspire your WIP.

 My Pictures:

The pictures that inspire me the most are those of my children. I've learned as a mother that I really do need to be the change I want to see in the world and if I want to accomplish my own dreams, I need to work for them. How can I teach my children that they can be anything they want to be, if I don't even believe in myself? So, when I'm doubting myself, I look to them and my husband first. They are truly all the inspiration I need.

Then, of course, photos that inspire me visually for this current WIP look something like this: 

Leave me a link with your own RTW post. I'd love to check out your inspiring pictures.

Announcement: CURSED by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I'm so proud to make this post I can hardly stand it! One of my critique partners has some fabulous news about a new book that she's sold and I'm thrilled beyond belief to share it with you.

Jennifer L. Armentrout has just sold a new book to Spencer Hill Press. CURSED is set to be released in September 2012.

Here is the official blurb and (amazing!) cover from Spencer Hill Press:

Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she’s more than interested. There’s just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she’s willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

Congratulations to both Jennifer and Spencer Hill Press! I'm so very excited about this news and can't wait to hold a copy of this beautiful book.

Check out Jennifer's BLOG to congratulate her and stop by SPENCER HILL PRESS to learn about other books you can expect from them.

Road Trip Wednesday: June's Best

 

 Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)   This Week's Topic: 
What's the best book you've read this month?

 My Answer:

I have two answers, because, honestly, the best book I've read this month was a sequel written by one of my critique partners. It was phenomenal!

But since I'm assuming that people are going to want to hear about books that are currently out on the market, the best book I've read this month is: 


The Eternal Sea by Angie Frazier

How about you? What is the best book you've read this month?

Road Trip Wednesday: Burning Love

 

 Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)   This Week's Topic: 
The house is on fire and you've only got time to grab five things. What are they?

 My Answer:

1. My children (that counts as one, right?);
2. My husband;
3. My dogs;
4. My wedding album; and
5. My laptop - I swear to God, no one will want to live with me if I lose my MS. For real.

How about you? What would you grab?

Sharing is Caring?

Since I started my current WIP a little over a year ago, I can count on one hand the number of times I've actually brainstormed with my husband or someone else in my family about the book. For whatever reason, I've sort of clammed up when it came to sharing what I'm writing with people I actually *know* in person. I have my critique partners that I've never actually met. I have a few beta readers, only one of which I've met. I just couldn't bring myself to tell people near me in real life what I was writing.

I think it's partly due to the fact that I was afraid of failure. If I told all of my local friends what I was writing, and then I failed, well, that would be so embarrassing. Then, there was the fact that I'm writing a young adult novel.I suppose I thought those around me would think I'm childish if I'm writing for young adults. I'm not entirely sure what I was afraid of with that one. I mean, who truly wants to forget what those days were like when you first fell in love? I know I don't.

But here's the kicker, I've recently learned that my friends and family are extremely supportive. They've read what I'm writing and they encourage it. They ask me questions that get me thinking about the tiny little things in the novel that can really turn out to be important big things. My husband will actually brainstorm with me and help me tie pieces together in ways I hadn't even thought of. It's remarkable how relieving it is to have people know what I'm doing and to actually want to see more. It's so wonderful to know that I was wrong about what people would think about what genre I'm writing.

It seems like I'm always blogging about the lessons I'm learning while writing. I won't complain about that, though. It's these lessons that are keeping me on track. It's these silly little things that happen in my life that inspire me to keep writing in the first place.

With whatever your goals are for writing or even just life, I wish you the same support and encouragement that I've received. It's amazing the difference it can make. 

Road Trip Wednesday - The Elevator Pitch

 Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)   This Week's Topic:

You're re-reading one of your faves when someone asks the dreaded question: "What's that book about?" Give us your best off-the-cuff blurb of any book, any genre, and have your readers try to guess the title in the comments!

 My Pitch:

Love is forbidden. In fact, it's a disease. The main character in this book will stop at nothing to be cured. That is, until she finds out her best friend has a huge secret she's been keeping from her and then the unthinkable happens: she falls in love. 

Any ideas? 

Road Trip Wednesday - Plotting v. Pantsing

 Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)   This Week's Topic:
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Do you like to make a detailed plan before you start a project? Or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants and make it up as you go along?

I am a little of both. I have a general plan or idea for the project and I may even have some notes written up on what I can expect to happen or certain tidbits of info on my characters, but the rest is pretty much flying by the seat of my pants. I think I definitely lean more towards being a pantser and I'm okay with that.

How about you?

The Great Re-Write

The journey with my current WIP (work in progress for all of you non-writer types) began one Saturday morning in April as I was washing dishes. I was already working on an adult novel that I was iffy about but was having fun planning out but once this new idea popped into my head, the old book was no longer an option.

I spent the next months writing as much as I could and was thrilled to finish the first rough draft in October. I immediately thought, "Wow! I'm fast! I'll have this book done by the end of the year and start querying and then BAM! I'll have an incredible book deal!"

Luckily, I had the common sense not to send this first draft out without revising it.

Luckily, I took a few months off to really think about where I wanted this story to go.

Luckily, I have some really amazing writing partners and beta readers who have listened to me babble on and on about the story and where it should/could go.

Thanks to them, I am now totally rewriting my WIP. It needed it and I'm happy about it. The only negative thing is that I was about 75% done with revisions to the old version, so I'm essentially starting over. The part stings a little but I am confident that the story will be much better for it.

The lesson I've learned is that as a writer, I need to trust my instincts. I'm glad I did.

Oh, and my writing partners deserve a very large gift when this book is actually finished.

YA Higheway - Choose your narrator?

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)

This Week's Topic:
Some audiobooks are read by celebrities. Most recently, Cassandra Clare's CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS was partly read by Ed Westwick of Gossip Girl.

So, if you got to choose a celebrity narrator for the audio book of your WIP or your favorite novel, who would it be and why?

Since I really don't have a clue as to who would have the right voice for my book, I'll go with the names of some of my favorite actors. My current WIP is from the female POV, so my choices would be:

Rachel McAdams (she sort of has the look of my character, too, which is nice):

Kate Beckinsale (in an American accent, of course):

They are both beautiful and have great screen presence so maybe their voice would fit for an audio book, too. 

What do you think?

Road Trip Wednesday: Kissy Kissy

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)

This week's topic is:

Compare your first kiss with your favorite characters first kiss. 

My current favorite kiss is between Charlotte and Harlin from A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young. I finished this book last week and I still can't get it out of my mind. Their first kiss of the book is barely a graze but sets the tone for their relationship. Sexy. Harlin is sexy. Their love is sexy. Their kisses are sexy. Just sexy.

And that means that my first kiss couldn't possibly be more different from their kisses. My first real kiss was a sneak kiss. My seventh grade boyfriend and I sneaked away during a church event at his neighbors house and kissed in *blushes* his bedroom. Now, I'm not saying it was terrible, because it wasn't, but it definitely wasn't sexy. Neither of us knew what we were doing and it was all over the place messy. And quick. So, yeah, I guess as far as first kisses go, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but sexy it was not. 

For the Love of Writing

There are days when I struggle with writing. There are days I don't feel motivated at all to open those word docs and just want to curl up with a book--or *gasp* even television. On those days I wonder how I'm ever going to finish this book. I doubt my ability to make this manuscript something someone else will want to read. I think I must be the worst aspiring author ever. I put off revising because, well, I'm intimidated by my characters or the scene that's in need of major work. Yes, I realize that I've created this world and that I shouldn't be scared of it, but I am. What if I screw it up? What if I don't tell their story correctly? What if they hate me?

Isn't that the fear all mothers have? What if our children hate us?

I know this must sound crazy to those of you who don't write but those characters have lives of their own now and it's up to me to make sure they have the best tools possible to survive in the world of publishing. They really are my children now.

But even after all the fear and intimidation, I continue to come back to them. I can never stay away for more than a day or two before I'm itching to see what they are up to next. I love them too much to leave them unfinished. I realize that sometimes it's okay to take a break. Mini vacations are good for helping me reset and remember that I can, in fact, handle this.

And you know what else I realized? I realized I absolutely love to write. I always have. Writing makes me happy. Even if I knew there was no way their story would ever be published, I would still write it. I would write it because their story needs to be told, even if it's just me and my crit partners who read it. For now, I'm going to allow myself to just enjoy the process. I'm not going to think too much about whether this story will ever be seen on the shelves in some bookstore. This manuscript will some day be finished and when it is, I'll worry that stuff then. Until then, I'm going to have fun with this and remember why I started writing in the first place.

So, I guess the moral of today's story is this: Do what you love to do even if you are the only who loves it. Oh, and enjoy the moment? :-)

Road Trip Wednesday: Your Best Scar

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)

This week's topic is:

What is the story of your best scar? 

My best scar is right above the eyebrow of my left eye. I was a huge tomboy as a child. I have an amazing brother who is 3 years older than me. That should explain most of my scars right there. Everything he did, I wanted to do too. He had motorbikes, so of course I wanted to ride motorbikes. Some of my best memories of my childhood are from riding through the trails near our house. He could convince me to do anything and I loved every minute of it.

So when I was 7 and my brother was 10 (ages are approximate), my brother was gifted with a bow and arrow set. I don't remember him being particularly good at shooting it but once he hit his target right on. That target was me.

I still vividly remember him pulling the arrow back on the bow and releasing it. There was a slight sting as something popped me in the forehead. I stood there motionless for a few seconds...until the arrow fell from it's lodged location.

Then, I screamed. My brother rushed over and his first words were of concern--for himself. "You're not going to tell mom, are you?"

LOL - So that's the story of my favorite scar. Good thing that arrow was made of wood and not metal, huh? It still makes me laugh when I think about it today.

So what about you? What's the story behind your best scar?

The Playlist

I've added a page (click above) for a more detailed playlist, plus lyrics, but as this song has been in my head for weeks now, I thought it deserved its own post.

If you haven't already listened to the Barton Hollow album by The Civil Wars, I recommend you do so right away. It's just incredible. I can't get enough of it!

Below is the music video for Poison & Wine. I'd love to hear your thoughts and whether you love it as much as I do. Enjoy!

EDIT: I just found another song by them and now I'm in love with this one too! New video down below the first one.

Road Trip Wednesday: The Year 2111

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ from YA Highway where each week there is a writing- or reading-related question for us to answer. Check out YA Highway to follow along with everyone who participates. :-)

This is my first week participating and I'm super excited that the question is:

Assuming we make it through the 2012 apocalypse, what do you imagine the publishing world will look like 100 years from now?

Okay, this is a tough question. Who knows how things will look, so let's have some fun with this.

Perhaps there will be an additional round of agents (pre-agents?) we will have to go through before we can actually submit to a true agent. The pre-agent will weed out those of us that can't figure out exactly where our commas go. The futuristic pre-agent may or may not look like this:

As a result of this there will be many more self-published authors and small publishing houses opening up. 

 

VS.

And then, because mirrors, radios, ipods and phones aren't enough, we will also be able to download books instantly to our GPS systems. 

So what do YOU think? Do we actually want to survive this apocalypse?