It's Friday . . .

Yep, it's Friday, and it's been raining on and off for days. It certainly doesn't help in my productivity department. Weather affects my mood. Anyway, I'm in limbo. It's that time in a writer's life where I finished a manuscript and it's out to betas for round one and I don't know what to do next. I wrote a query, which my computer lost (long story), then I wrote another one that I'm not super psyched about. It's the ho hum time. I want to write something new, but can't get into it and then I want to revise something old, but can't get into it. We all go through it. I'm anxious and annoyed. I need something to occupy this urge, this want. Drives me crazy, but it happens. It's part of the whole cycle. I'm reading a book, but I'm not fully feelin' it. You get the picture.

Anywho, a couple of things are going on.

1. Check out my beginnings links on YaLitChat in the Craft Masters group. Later in the month, the lovely Dianne Salerni gives her advice on writing the first chapter.

2. Write Club is up and open for submissions. It's a fun way to put a piece out there and get advice without anyone knowing who you are. D L Hammons is a wonderful host.

So what's new with you?

Are you in limbo too? How do you get writing again?

Have a great day!!

Insecure Writer's Support Group--the pay off.

It's that time again. I swear this past month flew by. Thanks again to the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh for hosting this awesome group. Go check out the other participants after you read my post of course.

Well, I'm almost done line edits. Torture is the word for it, but it's part of the process. Take the good with the bad type thing. It's funny how your learn things. I still feel like I struggle with this part of the process, but I've been told that my hard work is paying off. Good to hear. It's like watching your kids grow up. You don't see a whole lot of change until you look back to pictures from when they were babies. And when you get someone who doesn't see them often, they marvel at the little buggers growth. Yeah, that's what's going on.

My point is--keep going, keep writing, keep pushing yourself. It pays off. It may not be all at once--the whole sha-bang. It can come in little treats. Think of it as small doses of the best chocolate. So savor it, it means you're getting closer and growing. There will be sections where the chocolate is out of reach, but when you keep going it will fall into your lap.

So what's your insecurity today?

Don't forget to check out the other fine folks.

Have a great day!!

Wordy Wednesday

Well, today things are totally random hence the crazy title. I'm catching up and reporting what's happening. Sort of like fun facts Friday, but it's on Wednesday.

1. I finished my revision. Yes, I'm pumped. Now onto edits, then betas. Yikes. I know this process, but no matter how many times I do it, I still get nervous.

2. THE CAGED GRAVES by Dianne Salerni is out. Go check it out and get your copy. Congrats again, Dianne! I attended the signing last night, which was awesome! I can't wait to read it. Dianne is an amazing and talented lady.


Blurb (per Barnes and Noble .com):
The year is 1867, and seventeen-year-old Verity Boone is excited to return from Worcester, Massachusetts, to Catawissa, Pennsylvania, the hometown she left when she was just a baby. Now she will finally meet the fiancé she knows only through letters! Soon, however, she discovers two strangely caged graves . . . and learns that one of them is her own mother’s. Verity swears she’ll get to the bottom of why her mother was buried in “unhallowed ground” in this suspenseful teen mystery that swirls with rumors of witchcraft, buried gold from the days of the War of Independence, and even more shocking family secrets.

3. Go and congratulate E.C Myers. FAIR COIN has won the Andre Norton Award. You go, Eugene!Congrats! I'm so excited for him. He is a very talented and awesome guy! So, go, and throw confetti.


Blurb (per amazon.com):
The coin changed Ephraim's life. But how can he change it back?

Sixteen-year-old Ephraim Scott is horrified when he comes home from school and finds his mother unconscious at the kitchen table, clutching a bottle of pills. The reason for her suicide attempt is even more dis­turbing: she thought she'd identified Ephraim's body at the hospital that day.

Among his dead double's belongings, Ephraim finds a strange coin--a coin that grants wishes when he flips it. With a flick of his thumb, he can turn his alcoholic mother into a model parent and catch the eye of the girl he's liked since second grade. But the coin doesn't always change things for the better. And a bad flip can destroy other people's lives as easily as it rebuilds his own.

The coin could give Ephraim everything he's ever wanted--if he learns to control its power before his luck runs out.


4. I'm the new moderator for the Craft Masters Group on YaLitChat. Come on over and say hello and let me know what topics you would like to see covered.

What's new with you?

Have a great day!

RETURN TO ME by Justina Chen

Thanks to Joanne Fritz for recommending this book.

 

Title: RETURN TO ME

Author: Justina Chen

Publisher:Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 352

 

Blurb:

Nothing is going as planned for Rebecca Muir. She's weeks away from starting college--at a school chosen specifically to put a few thousand miles of freedom between Reb and her parents. But her dad's last-minute job opportunity has her entire family moving all those miles with her! And then there's the matter of her unexpected, amazing boyfriend, Jackson, who is staying behind on the exact opposite coast.

 

And if that isn't enough to deal with, mere days after moving cross-country, Reb's dad drops shocking, life-changing news. With her mother and brother overwhelmed and confused, Reb is left alone to pick up the pieces of her former life. But how can she do that when everything can change in an instant? How can she trust her "perfect" boyfriend when her own dad let her down? Reb started the year knowing exactly what her future would hold, but now that her world has turned upside down, will she discover what she really wants?

 

 

My take: I really adored this book. The writing is beautiful and the character sucks you in to her world that's spiralling out of control. Reb is trying to find her place down a path she never expected to wander on and I think everyone can relate to it. I also enjoyed that her want in life is to become an architect. It's a profession I haven't seen in teen books before. It's refreshing. The touch of the unknown "magic," so to speak, is fantastic too. Right up my alley. It's following-your-gut type thing brought up a couple of notches. It wasn't over the top and I think it fit into the story well. I would recommend this. A great summer read.

 

Thanks to Amazon.com for the photo and blurb. 

 

 

Have you read this book? Thoughts?

 

Have you read any great books you would like to share?

 

Have a great weekend!!

The Dream

Well, I'm still here. Yep, revising. I swear I'm the slowest person on the planet. That's probably a bad thing to admit, but well, it happens. Anyway, it's times like these where my mind wanders and I start to daydream, not only about my books, but I look at where I want to be. Of course, I have to keep everything in perspective and be happy with where I am now, but I'm also human.

I know we all have that dream. You know the one. Where you get the awesome agent, sign a great book deal, travel all over the country signing, and then maybe a movie deal gets thrown in. Yeah. That one. I do have it now and again, but then I have one that's more realistic. Agent, small book deal, local signings. Then as I continue down my path, let's just say lately, my dream has gotten smaller. I try to focus and push forward, and for the most part it's worked, but there's a tinging like a little bell reminding me that I'm me. Sounds crazy, but all my life I've worked my tail off to get what I want and most of the time it falls short. It's like I'm almost there, but . . . type thing.

In life there is always something--an obstacle. Something that continually blocks you or holds you back. Lately, that's what I've been feeling. And as I look back on my journey, I notice it. Almost to the point where I say, "I get it, I suck."

But I still try to push forward a heavy boulder that insists on shoving me backwards. Every avenue I've pursued comes to a dead end. The thing is I don't know what I'm looking for--a light, a positive notion to say, "yes you are getting there." I know things don't happen overnight and I write what I want to write not "the trend", but it sucks to see the trend coming around and the book that you wrote could be in it except no one wanted it. It's like I missed my chance or I'm running to catch it. Always on the tail end. As for the one I'm writing now, I feel like I'm going to have the same outcome. Don't yell, I need to be positive, I know.

It's all part of the path. Writing isn't easy and I'm certainly not the only person this has happened to. I get that. The whole either suck it up or get out. Totally get it. I'm a fighter and I don't know what I would do without writing. I would be empty.

I guess in the end, it's a moment. A moment where you're not sure where to turn or even what to think. You know where you want to be and where you are, and even the path to get there, but every branch you take snaps before you can get to the other side.

Has this happened to you?

Have a great day!

Insecure Writer's Support Group--Layers

Yep, it's that time again. I can't believe it's May. Whoa. Thanks to the amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh for hosting this. Check out the other wonderful participants here.

Yes, I'm still revising. It is forever, but you know how life can be. It gets in the way and then your deadline get pushed and you can't concentrate. It happens. Anyway, that's where I've been. Revising. I need a few days of hours alone, but it's not happening.

Today, I want to talk about layers. Not clothing layers or onion layers, just layers. Although, the whole revising process can be similar. I finally realized when revising to do it in layers. I'm stubborn so it takes me a while to learn. Anyway, I'm talking about going through your manuscript one layer at a time. Let's face it, revising can be overwhelming. Where do you start? And how can you think of everything at once?

Right now, I'm adding scenes. I'm an underwriter so I have to add things. I'm also making sure the sub plots make sense. After this, I will go back through making sure voice is consistent, then I'll check the character arc, then make sure each chapter is moving the story forward, then line edit. See layers. Of course, it doesn't have to be in that order, but you do what's comfortable for you.

This of course feels like it takes forever, but in the end you will have a perfect outfit. Well, perfect is left up to interpretation, let's say, polished.

So, that's where I am and I feel like it'll be forever before I'm through, but I'm hoping it ends soon.

Do you revise in layers?

Have a great day!!

Random things

It's Monday and rainy here so it makes me sleepy, but I have some things to share.

-Dianne Salerni's new release, THE CAGED GRAVES, will be out this month (May 14, 2013). Keep an eye out, it looks and sounds awesome.

Pretty, pretty cover.

-Yes, I'm still revising like crazy. Music is still creating visions of my characters, which I love. I've mentioned this several times. This week I've been really listening to the new Depeche Mode release. Yes, that synth pop band from the 80s. They have been producing music all these years, and they are one of my favorites. Here's the song that will be added to my latest WiP's playlist. It will sit beside Silversun Pickups. Total love.



-I'm feeling more comfortable with my writing process and doing things my way, which feels great and helps with the flow of things.

-I am scared to finish my latest revision because that means I'm closer to handing it to betas and it scares me cause, well, you know. Yes, I still get all nervy inside letting anyone read my stuff, but I know it will only help me improve.

 

See totally random. Plus, it's Monday and I'm sleepy.

What's new with you?

Any new books you are excited about?

Have a great day!!