Potent Potables

We Interrupt This Unplugged Time...

2010-03-10T19:52:00.002-05:00

To bring you this fabulous opportunity! Suzette and Bethany are having a contest over at their blog, "Shooting Stars." In fact, it's a Fantabulous Followers Giveaway!

Prizes include a 40-page partial submission PLUS a critique of those pages from Suzie Townsend, literary agent extraordinaire with FinePrintLit! Plus books, swag, and candy! Who doesn't love candy?

So hop on over to their blog and enter, while I return to the hole that I've been hiding in. :)

Awards Week

2010-03-05T15:25:00.000-05:00

It's Oscars week, which means very little to me since I have seen so few movies. It's sad really. But the timing is fitting because I've been given two blog awards!

The first, the Creative Writer Award, is from Laura Diamond and is meant to be given to those bloggers who represent what it means to be a writer. Laura is a wonderfully supportive writer friend and so, in that spirit, I've chosen to give it to five other bloggers whose support has been so amazing:

1) Elana Johnson at Mindless Musings
2) Rebecca Knight: Writer in Progress
3) Lydia Kang at The Word is My Oyster
4) Christine Fonseca at The Musings of Christine Fonseca
5) Mary Lindsey at Mary Lindsey's Weblog

Here are the rules: "Please accept the ‘Creative Writer Award’ with no strings attached. You can post it within an awards page, sidebar, or new post; you can link it to me and pass it on to writers you know who host writing blogs, or you can simply read this note with my thanks attached and do nothing further. This is just intended as a gesture to further the premise ‘writer’ within ‘blogger.’ I’d love to see more writers acknowledged for the craft! Because we all are writers."

The second, the Silver Lining Award, is from Deb Salisbury. Deb, too, is a wonderful friend who I'm lucky to know, especially for her fabulous sense of humor and kind words of support. The rules tell me to pass this on to five bloggers, and I've decided to choose bloggers who's posts always make me laugh, since this is, after all, about the silver lining. Here they are, in no particular order:

1) Carrie Harris
2) Lisa and Laura Roeker at Lisa and Laura Write
3) Abby Schmidt at Drivels of an Aspiring Urban Fantasy Writer
4) Frankie at Frankie Writes
5) Suzette and Bethany at Shooting Stars

And, with that, I'm signing off, going unplugged, what have you. Just for a week, maybe two. But I've got to finish my WIP (and I'm so close!) and I've got about a billion other things going on this month. So I need to regroup.

So while I'm gone, how about telling me what you hope March brings for you?

February Reads

2010-02-28T09:06:00.000-05:00

Several things contributed to my not getting as much reading done in February as I might have liked, but here is a short round-up of the books I did get to read:

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting--While I think the concept of a girl who can see a strange aura around those people (and animals) who have been murdered, as well as a matching imprint on the killer, is a great idea in concept, I'm not sure it was executed particularly well. I did like the MC Violet (after I decided to try to ignore all the mooning over her male bf), and I loved that she was strong and willful, and had such great friends and family. But the way the third person POV was written kept me from really connecting with her. The dialogue also didn't feel very teenagery (yeah, I think I made that word up). Final thought: the last word in the book is "perfect," which should just never be allowed.

Fallen by Lauren Kate--Another great concept (fallen angels), but the author added a nice twist by putting the MC, Luce, in a reform school, which makes for a fun cast of secondary characters. This was also written in third person POV, but it was so much better executed than in TBF, mostly because Luce's voice was very believable, so I got a good sense of her feelings and motivations. I honestly was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, and I think it's because I've been disappointed with a lot of YA paranormal romance lately. Only complaint: there are very few answers in this book. So I'm looking forward to the next one in this series (due out in the fall).

Gone by Lisa McMann--The third (and final) book in the Wake trilogy, I'd been looking forward to this one. I definitely wasn't disappointed, but Fade is by far my favorite of the three. Gone is a much quieter book, if that makes sense. Less action, more internal musing, but still a good ending to the series. I'll miss Janie and Cabe, for sure.

Un Lun Dun by China Mieville-- I owe a big thanks to my pal Ellen for getting me to pick this book up because it's so much fun. Very Neil Gaiman-esque, but even smarter, if you can believe it. The best part about it is the hilarious cast of wacky characters, including: a discarded milk carton pet named Curdle, garbage cans (or "bins") that are ninjas/security guards called Binjas, creatures that come to life at the uttering of a word called Utterlings...I could go on, but you should discover the amazing wordplay for yourself.

Up next: Meridian by Amber Kizer.

Drat! Redux

2010-02-24T12:57:00.003-05:00

Aprilynne Pike, author of the adorable book WINGS, posted yesterday about ideas--and how very few are actually all that original.

This ties nicely into the post I wrote recently about the book that comes out soon that sounded so very similar to my WIP, Scar Tissue. Luckily, that book turned out to be quite different, but I think Pike makes some very good points. So do read her post.

And I'm going to repost the video that Aprilynne did because it's kind of awesome:

But, also, check out this one, which makes me laugh every time:

Why I Love LOST

2010-02-23T09:00:00.002-05:00

Admission of the day: I'm a total LOST geek (I wish I had a better name for that. LOSTophile? LOSTaholic?). Anyway, I got sucked in early on and stayed hooked through various schedule changes, sneaky tricks of time travel, Nikki and Paolo (ugh), and general confusion over what the heck was happening most of the time.

But one of my favorite parts about the show (aside from Michael Emerson, who's just amazing) isn't even the show itself. It's the community of people who come together once a week to pore over the tiniest minutia of each episode because it's something they feel passionate about and because it makes them think. Not to mention, with all the literary references, it gets people reading! And how can you not love a show that does that?

In his column two weeks ago, Doc Jensen of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "[Lost is] about how fantasy redeems reality. Like last week's literary reference Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Lost is telling us a story about the redemptive value of storytelling itself. Haroun asks, What's the use of stories that aren't even true? Lost answers, They teach us how to make the real world a better place."

And that, friends, is why I write. Because in telling a story--no matter how ludicrous (I mean, we're talking smoke monsters and electromagnetic fields and a whole flotilla of weird crap)--one gets the opportunity to both create a mess and fix it. Even without a happy ending, telling a good story is about exploring the qualities of human nature, both redemptive and repulsive. And the writers of LOST are amazing at telling both of those types of stories.

But a good story, for me, has always been made better by sharing it with others. And this is why LOST is such a fantastic outlet for me. Because it keeps me thinking and interacting with others to share our theories. And, with six seasons, it's lasted longer than even the thickest book ever written (unless, of course, you're a very slow reader).

So, any other LOST fans out there? Wanna share theories?

Whoops! Blog-fest

2010-02-22T11:18:00.004-05:00

Today over at Laurel's Leaves, it's the Whoops! Blog Fest! Now's your chance to share favorite clumsy, awkward, embarrassing moments suffered by a character in a WIP, or post links to laughable gaffes from film, YouTube or Fail Blog.

Here's a scene from a failed WIP that will probably never see the light of day again. To set it up, rumors are starting to spread about 16-year-old Maggie ever since she dared to stand up to the Queen Bee, Colleen.

***

As I made my way to first period, I spotted Caleb several steps ahead of me on the staircase and paused to put a few more people between us. I didn’t know how to act around him after the previous night and I knew I’d start stammering and blushing if I tried to talk to him.

But my plan backfired. As he rounded the staircase to head up to the third floor, we were suddenly facing each other, one story apart. His eyes lit up when he saw me and he did a one-eighty, eliciting yelps of disapproval from the people behind him.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said to them, pushing his way toward the corner where he could wait for me. I smiled despite my terrible mood.

“Hey, partner in crime,” I said, a horrifying blush rising hot in my cheeks as people glanced at us and snickered.

“You two-timing snake!” He said, shaking his finger at me with a laugh. I could tell he was trying to show people that he didn’t believe what Colleen had said, so neither should they. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be doing anything but eliciting more whispers.

I shook my head apologetically. “I’m so sorry you got dragged into this.”

“It’s not your fault.” He shrugged one shoulder casually, but his eyes were searching my face intently. “Are you ok? Is anyone being rude to you?”

“They haven’t really had time yet, you know?”

“Well, if they do, just let me know.”

“What are you going to do? Pull your Vulcan death grip on everyone at St. Mary’s? It doesn’t seem to have stopped Mitch.” I regretted saying it before the words even left my mouth. He glanced away with a hurt look on his face. “Shit. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I really do appreciate your help last night,” I said, inwardly cursing my big fat mouth.

He shrugged again, but his eyes were focused on something over my shoulder. He suddenly smiled widely. “I guess if there’s nothing we can do about it, we might as well give people something real to talk about, right?”

I was in the middle of pursing my lips to say, “What do you mean?” when he leaned toward me and wrapped his long, thin arm around my waist, pulling me against his side.

“Colleen’s right behind you,” Caleb whispered and I realized he was trying to make it seem as if he and I were a couple and, therefore, a team.

Suddenly, it was as if a flip was switched inside of me and, without even thinking about what I was doing, I planted my lips on his. I felt him tense with surprise at first, his arm slipping from around my waist for a second before he tightened his grip and breathed in deeply, pushing his mouth harder against mine.

If the other people streaming by us on the staircase said or did anything, I’ll never know, because in that moment, Caleb was the only thing I felt, heard, smelled, and thought about. It was as if all my aggression toward Colleen was being channeled into this kiss. I pressed myself against him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, entangling my fingers in the curls at the back of his neck.

And then a hand gripped the back of my shirt and yanked me away from the warmth of Caleb’s lips. The expression on his face was one of equal parts shock and ecstasy and I laughed at him before turning around to see who had interrupted us. The stern face of Sister Mary Louise stared back at me.

I suddenly remembered where I was. “Oh, Sister, I’m so sorry,” I stammered, looking around at the crowd of people who were all staring at my bright red face.

“There is no excuse for that kind of behavior, Miss Castle. And it will not be permitted!” Sister pointed her crooked, arthritic finger at me and Caleb. “You both have detention after school today. Now, get to class!”

I gave Caleb one last fleeting look before following Sister down the hall to my Calculus classroom. He waved and then disappeared into the crowd of onlookers who’d slowly started to disperse. Colleen Flannery stood to one side of the hallway; she and the Twits laughed loudly as I walked past.

***

Now go read everyone else's scenes!

Guest Post at QT

2010-02-22T09:55:00.003-05:00

Obvious admission: I've been a slacker about blogging here lately, but I'm not completely letting things slide! Check out my guest post on publicity today over at the QT blog!

And, just in case you were curious, I'm up to 43,000 words in my WIP. Woot! My goal is to finish this book by mid-March. I feel like if I put that in writing it might actually happen. :)

The Curse is Broken!

2010-02-09T13:56:00.005-05:00

As of yesterday, I'm now 30,000 words into my WIP, Scar Tissue. That's around 100 pages for those of you who don't measure your entire life's purpose word-by-word.

But my point is, I've broken the curse! That curse being that no matter how bright and shiny my new ideas were, I couldn't get past 20k words with any of them (any=three). But no more! I'm seriously in love with this book and the characters. And even better, so are my (very) early readers! So hooray! And get ready, betas, it's coming your way next!

And, for those of you who were curious about the similar book I mentioned that's coming out soon--I've now read it and it's not at all the same as mine. It has a couple of plot similarities (and both of our main characters have names with V in them), but I'm no longer freaking out about it.

So now, while I'm wishing I was at home with my laptop, at least I know it's being put to good use...as a cat bed:

How Cool Is This?

2010-02-03T10:40:00.010-05:00

This totally makes me want to run out and recover all my books:

I found this at this fabulously entertaining blog: http://reflectionof.me/

Do stop by to check it out if you've got, like, hours to kill. You'll be sucked in, so don't say I didn't warn you.

Drat!

2010-02-02T12:32:00.003-05:00

So two weeks ago I started a new novel that I was/am super excited about. I've got 22,000 words written so far and plan to keep on truckin'.

BUT, today I read about a book that is eerily similar in theme to mine. Not so much in the specifics, but in a few major plot points there's a definite deja-vu feeling. Um, so now what?

Luckily, I have a dear friend who works for the publisher and has promised to send me an ARC today so I can read it and be sure that I'm not recreating the same story that's coming out in a few months. But damn. What a bummer. Here I was thinking I'm all original and stuff. Sigh.

Mind you, I'm feeling a little touchy these days because the book I'm querying is about fairies and, no matter how original my take on the subject is, there are still a crap load of fairy stories out there. And so I'm getting a lot of "This is great, but not fresh enough."

So what's your feeling on originality? How much research do you do into other books that might be similar before you start writing? Do you even worry about whether the story you're working so hard to write has already been told or do you just forge ahead?

January Reads

2010-01-29T09:00:00.005-05:00

Since I've been slacking on reviews lately, and have generally been a bad blogger due to my obsession with my new WIP, I decided to do a monthly round-up of books I've read. Here's the list for January:

Under the Dome by Stephen King--At 1,100 pages, be ready to invest some time in this one. Also, a warning: there are so many characters that King even included a list at the beginning. I hate to admit that this was the first King novel I've ever read, but I think it was a grand introduction. Despite the lengthy time investment (and the carpal tunnel I got from hauling this beast around on the subway), it's worth reading.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl--Again, this one is long (perhaps too long), but, with the male MC, it's a nice departure from the girly angst that is so present in YA these days. Plus, some witty dialogue and amusing characters. I'm not usually big on witchcraft, but it was done in a fresh way. And, if you can get past the love/romance factor being somewhat of the Twilight ilk (i.e. "My life isn't complete without you!"), Ethan and Lena are a pretty cute couple. My biggest complaint: I got super annoyed by the authors' use of "a" instead of "of" to portray a southern accent. Unnecessary, y'all.

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines--When I was reading this book, I definitely got swept up in the story and the characters. Lyn, the MC, is well-developed and I loved her little brother, Thad. But it felt like it was all build-up (though a nice build, definitely) and then the last 30 pages is a mad rush of action followed by an epilogue that tries to tie things up with nice bow, but it's done too quickly. While it says a lot that I wanted to spend more time with the characters, it was kind of a buzzkill that it ended too soon.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray--This book is fall-out-of-your-seat hysterical. It's so good, it makes me kind of hate myself because I'll never be this funny. It feels like heresy to say this, but I haven't read the Gemma Doyle trilogy. Though I know they can't possibly be anything like Going Bovine, I will be adding them to my TBR list. Right now.

Up next: Fallen by Lauren Kate. Then Gone by Lisa McMann, who I'll be meeting on Monday! Yay!

Don't Rain on my Parade

2010-01-21T10:47:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I've been listening to the "Glee" soundtrack a lot lately. A lot. (Thanks, Kara!)

One of my favorites is the rendition of "Don't Rain on my Parade," partly because Lea Michele has the most amazing voice, but also because I'm finding it inspirational while I trudge through querying my novel and trying like hell to keep writing my WIP.

Now, everyone I know has been incredibly supportive of me during this process. The bringer of rain? Yeah, that's me. I rain on my own damn parade!

In the last six months, I've started four new novels. I get to about the 20k word mark and then...something stops me. Mostly, it's because I convince myself that the story isn't going to interest people. So I stop and start again with a new one. It's no good.

This wasn't the case with my first book. It was written just for me, just because I wanted to see if I could. And I did. And I loved it. So I decided to see if others might love it too. But now, I can't keep the thoughts of "What would an agent/editor/publisher/reader think about this scene/character/setting/plot twist?" out of my head. And that's not exactly conducive to creativity. It's like sitting in a room with my worst critics while they read over my shoulder and judge every word I write.

So I'm trying to remind myself to cut the crap and just enjoy the act of writing again. Because, seriously, if I don't think I can do this, why should anyone else believe in me?

So tell me: how do you psych yourself up to keep going?

Book Publicity

2010-01-14T10:09:00.006-05:00

If you're not familiar with the Book Publicity Blog, run by the fabulous Yen who is an honest-to-goodness book publicist, you should definitely drop by to check it out.

Today's post, "Why authors shouldn't contact journalists directly," is a must-read for all authors, as far as I'm concerned. And not because, as a publicist, I get all territorial about the journalists I work with (which would be silly because I recently read somewhere that there are about three publicists for every journalist. Noodle on that one for a minute!), but because journalists need to feel like you're not just begging for a favor from them.

As publicists, we spend a good deal of time researching who is going to be the right contact to send your book to, and that means checking what other stories they've written lately, finding out what beats they cover, sometimes even finding out what they do in their spare time. We have the resources to do this, and we share our findings with all the other publicists in our departments (in mine, there are fifteen), which means we have a lot of collective experience.

I mean, you don't want to send a baking cookbook to a reporter who writes about diet and nutrition and has been blogging about her efforts to lose weight. Because next time you have a book she might actually be interested in, she's going to remember the last time you contacted her (yeah, that's a true story).

Like Yen says, it's not rocket science, but it's a symbiotic relationship that takes a fair bit of cultivation so that neither party feels like they are being used.

But most important, is point #5: We’re accustomed to hearing “no.” We’re also accustomed to not hearing anything at all most of the time.

For an author, hearing a 'no' is personal. To us, it's just business. And we can take it.

Life Lessons from Moxie

2010-01-06T16:57:00.005-05:00

I know a lot bloggers who write about their kids and I'm usually pretty amused. And a little jealous, not because I want kids (maybe someday), but because I can't use them for blog posts. And isn't using your kids as fodder for your blog what parenthood is all about? No?

So, instead, I'm going to talk about my cat Moxie, who has a climbing fetish.

Today, I was at work and my boyfriend called.*

Me: Hello?
BF: Hey. So I was just on the couch, taking a nap, when I heard the freezer door open. And I'm alone in the house.
Me: Was it a ghost?
BF: No.
Me: Was it a demon with a craving for ice cream?
BF: No! And we don't have any ice cream.
Me: Was it--
BF: Can I just tell you what it was, dammit?
Me: ...
BF: So I go into the kitchen and the freezer door is open and all the stuff that we keep on top of the fridge is knocked on the floor.
Me: Was it a brownie? Because they're supposed to clean, not make a mess.
BF: ...
Me: Ok, what was it?
BF: Your stupid cat used the freezer door as a launch pad to get up on top of the kitchen cabinets. And then she got stuck.
Me: Well, leave her there for awhile. She needs to learn a lesson.

Photographic evidence:

But, here's the thing: Moxie will never learn her lesson. About three years ago, when I lived in a studio apartment on the top floor of a six-story building, it used to get disgustingly hot during the summer, so I'd open the window. But there was no screen.

So Moxie used to go sit out on the fire escape. Then she got brave enough to sit on the stairs that led up to the roof. And then one day she didn't come back. I went up to the roof, called for her, looked down at the roof of the building next to mine (a ten foot drop) and nothing. No cat. So I circled the building. Then I made my boyfriend circle the block, endlessly calling "Here kitty!" And still, no Moxie.

Seven days later, after I'd given up hope and posted "Lost Cat" signs all over the neighborhood, a neighbor calls to tell me my cat was up on his roof. Eight buildings away.

Lesson learned: don't let your cat hang out on the fire escape. And maybe don't let Lizzy have children if she has to learn that lesson the hard way.

*This conversation has been recreated from memory. My boyfriend will likely tell you that this is not how it went at all. He's a liar.

Quit Distracting Me, Internet

2010-01-05T20:59:00.005-05:00

So I told myself I would write tonight. Except instead, I've been reading blogs. And watching amusing videos.

And now, I mercilessly attempt to draw you into my black hole of time suckage with some adorable animal videos:

That is all. I will now chain myself to my laptop (and turn off "Bones.")

Blog Contest (no, not here)

2010-01-04T18:03:00.005-05:00

The amazing sisterly duo Suzette Saxton and Bethany Wiggins are having a contest! Yay! Here's the scoop:

Suzette and Bethany's Wicked-Awesome-Prizes Contest

The Prizes:
2 Query Critiques*
+
2 First Five Page Critiques*
+
1 Inscribed/Autographed The Dark Divine*
_____
5 Winners

So head over to their blog to find out how to enter!

On a Roll

2010-01-04T09:00:00.005-05:00

I had so much fun reading everyone's No Kiss/Almost Kiss scene postings this weekend! I want to give a quick shout out to my new followers, which is so very exciting! Hi everyone!

So, like I said, I loved reading everyone's scenes for fun, but even better, it was totally inspiring! Which, let's face it, is the best possible outcome for me because I can be really lazy (we're talking lizard on a rock in the sun lazy) when it comes to sitting down and hammering out some words that actually make sense and fit into my storyline. (Confession: I've been known to begin writing a completely new story just to keep from writing my current one.)

Now, having said that, I almost feel like I'm going to jinx myself by posting this, but I'm feeling really good about my WIP Hitched. 17,000 words written in three weeks, which is pretty good momentum. And I still have the itch to keep writing, enough that I'm carrying a little notebook around with me so that I can write down thoughts and plot points as they come to me.

But it's not always easy to find the time to do serious writing. A commenter on another blog the other day mentioned setting an egg timer for herself, which I kind of like. I usually give myself an hour and if I'm still feeling motivated at the end of that hour, I keep going. If not, I reward myself with a fabulous episode of something I love (currently, Glee!) or by reading for awhile.

I know this sounds crazy, but what motivates me the most is thinking that the novel I'm currently querying won't be the one to get me an agent. That just means I have to write something even better this time. Especially because several agents have asked to read the next book I write, even though they weren't in love with the first. Which makes me want to just get it finished already! :)

So, what's keeping you motivated to write? Did anyone set a writing goal for this new year?

No Kiss Blogfest

2010-01-02T09:00:00.006-05:00

Thanks to the lovely Frankie Writes for continuing the love of kissing (or almost kissing) with the No Kiss Blogfest! The rules are to write a blog sharing your favorite "Almost Kiss, No Kiss Blogfest" entry (either one from your WIP, one you just wrote, one from a book, movie or tv show) and post today!

I love posting scenes from my WIPs, if only because it helps me spot the weak parts! But I also love reading everyone else's scenes, too, so go visit Frankie's blog because she's got the master list.

Now for the goods! Today, I present a scene from Void, a dystopian YA sci-fi. To set the scene: Gavin has been stabbed and Cass is trying to help him, but she can't take him to a hospital (for various reasons I won't get into).

***

After a minute, Gavin said quietly, “Thank you, Cass.”

I laughed mirthlessly. “You don’t have to be nice to me, Gavin. I know that I’ve managed to completely ruin your life in a matter of forty-eight hours. It’s ok if you want to hate me.”

He had a strange smile on his face as he reached out to me, trailing his finger lightly across my cheekbone. When he pulled it away, I saw that he’d caught a tear on his fingertip. I hadn’t realized I was crying. But now that I knew, I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face, coming faster until I was forced to hold my breath so that I wouldn’t start hiccupping.

I was scared, mostly. About whether Gavin would stop bleeding, about where we would go tomorrow morning, and about whether the Strangers would find us again and, this time, make good on the threat to kill us.

Gavin’s fingers continued to stroke my cheek, brushing away tear after tear, until I finally got myself under control. Then he cupped his hand on the back of my neck and pulled my forehead to his so that our eyes were only an inch apart and our mouths only another inch farther. Then he said, “Cassie, listen to me. I swear to you that I’m not going to die. I’m way too stubborn.”

I coughed an unexpected laugh in his face and tried to sit up, to pull away from his earnest gaze, but he caught my hand and wound our fingers together, holding our entwined hands to his chest.

“Besides,” he whispered, eyeing the door quickly before turning his bloodshot eyes back to mine, “if I die, I’ll never get to kiss you. And I’d really like to do that at least once.” Then he grinned. “Though I’d prefer to do it over and over again, if you’ll let me.”

I leaned away from him instinctively and his face fell, his nervous eyes not meeting mine. I didn’t know what to say; all I could do was sputter, “Um, what?”

He made a face. “Don’t make me say it again. It’s too cheesy.”

I laughed again, relieved that he was trying to lighten the mood. I’d spent too much time being annoyed by Gavin to think seriously about kissing him. But even so, there was a niggling flutter in my stomach that I was trying desperately to ignore.

“Well, you’re right about that,” I said, then put a sly smile on my face. “So what you’re saying is, I shouldn’t kiss you or you can die happy?”

He laughed and then groaned in pain.

“Shit, I’m sorry. Don’t laugh. I’m not funny anyway,” I said, my free hand flapping anxiously around him.

***

That's all for now folks. Be sure to go read everyone else's scenes too!

Happy New Year...Almost

2009-12-29T14:31:00.004-05:00

New Year's Eve is one of my least favorite holidays, but this time around, I'm really looking forward to the start of a new year. 2009 has, in large part, been wonderful. I wrote a novel, started four more, made some amazing friends, got a promotion at work, and started my search for a literary agent.

I also read 97 books in 2009. Not including books for work. I don't know about you, but that kind of blows my mind. When did I find the time? Anyway, here are my faves (note: not all came out this year and they are in no order of preferrence):

1) Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
2) City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
3) Graceling by Kristin Cashore
4) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5) Gone by Michael Grant
6) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I'm hopeful that 2010 will be the year I actually sign with an agent and finish at least one (if not two or three) of my novels. I don't make resolutions because I've never kept one (never!), but this year, that's my goal: finish at least one novel and continue looking for an agent.

What's your goal for 2010? Any favorite books of yours that I missed?

(And a P.S.: Happy Birthday, Evan!)

Kissing Day

2009-12-21T15:08:00.007-05:00

Hooray for ElanaJ and yet another excuse to not come up with my own blog post! Apparently, all over the blogosphere, it's Official Kissing Day (in honor of mistletoe)! You're supposed to post a kissing scene from something you wrote. If you're not a writer, you can post your favorite kissing scene.

Here's a steamy kiss between Lucy and Eamon in Mortal Peril (yes, I'm still searching for a new title):

We stumbled the few blocks back to my apartment where Eamon nodded gravely to the faerie who stood a few doors down watching the street. I kept hold of his hand as I unlocked the front door and pulled him in behind me, not caring what the fey outside thought. But before we’d reached my front door, I felt Eamon resisting.

I turned to face him, afraid he was going to leave. But he didn’t leave and he didn’t speak. He brought one hand up to my cheek and ran his fingers lightly down my jaw, leaving behind a trail of heat that raised goose bumps on my skin. He smiled when I shivered, then cupped his hand on the back of my neck, drawing me toward him slowly until our lips finally met.

My breath escaped in an excited rush and I slipped my arms around his shoulders, pulling our bodies against each other. I felt the heat rising in my cheeks as my lips parted and Eamon slid his tongue against mine. After a moment, he leaned back to look me in the eye.

“Should I go?” he asked. I frowned and shook my head, pulling him up the stairs behind me.

The top floor was sweltering, but neither of us noticed as we made our way down the hall to my front door with our lips pressed together. Eamon kept a hand on the small of my back and kissed my neck softly as I unlocked the door. Once inside, we fumbled in the dark, kicking off our shoes as we stumbled to my bed. Eamon sat down and pulled me between his knees, placing a kiss on my collarbone.

“We don’t have to do anything,” he whispered, gazing up at me. “I’d be content just to lie with you.”

“Maybe,” I replied, “but I wouldn’t.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized how they sounded and my face went bright red as I stammered, “Oh, I didn’t mean…um, I’m not suggesting we have to, like, you know.”

He laughed and grabbed my hand, tugging me down onto the bed next to him. “We’ll just see how things go, ok?” he said. I nodded with relief.

###

So kids, what's your fave kissing scene? I personally love the first kiss between Katsa and Po in Kristin Cashore's Graceling. If I had the book here with me, I'd post it, but I don't. Maybe when I get home tonight, I'll update.

Happy Kissing Day! :)

I Don't Usually Do This...

2009-12-17T09:44:00.007-05:00

...but man, I've been lame about blogging lately and the fabulous Carrie Harris said I could, so I'm stealing this meme for my very own. Thanks for rescuing my blog from being un-updated, Carrie!

1. What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have? The last thing I wrote was the 10,000th word in my new WIP Hitched, around midnight last night, which I decided gave me permission to go to bed.

The first thing I remember writing was a book that I no longer recall the title of, but it was about an elephant who escaped from the zoo. I also did the illustrations. Note: I'm no artist. My elephant looked like a big grey circle with ears.

2. Write poetry? Lord, no. But I used to write some real doozies.

3. Angsty poetry? Is there any other kind?

4. Favorite genre of writing? Young adult, obviously. Specifically, sci-fi and fantasy.

5. Most annoying character you've ever created? Hmm...Probably Bart from Mortal Peril. But he gets better in book two when he falls in love with a vampire named Kyle. :)

Or maybe Squish from Void, but only because he's always hungry. He's a thirteen-year-0ld boy! Of course he is!

6. Best plot you've ever created? That's a tough one because I'm partial to the plot of MP (my first novel), but I've got something in the hopper right now that I'm dying to write when I get a chance.

7. Coolest plot twist you've ever created? I love that my vampires and werewolves in MP were descended from fairies. But I'm really digging the big plot twist in Void that I cannot discuss for fear that I won't do it justice.

8. How often do you get writer's block? Not too often, but regularly enough that I have three novels that are less than half-written because whenever I get stuck with one, I move on to another. I notice it happens when I step outside the reality box (i.e. when the sci-fi or fantasy stuff comes into play). Those scenes aren't as easy for me to write because I don't always know exactly how I want those elements to play out. Most often, I have ideas about how to resolve those scenes when I'm doing something besides writing (walking, riding the subway, trying to fall asleep...).

9. Write fan fiction? Nay.

10. Do you type or write by hand? Typing, for sure. Unless you want to discuss my high school poetry, which was hand-written in journals. I have saved them all and maybe someday when I'm feeling cruel will subject you all to the horror. Or maybe I'll do it a few questions from now...

11. Do you save everything you write? Yes, including high school and college papers. Except I lost my folder of work from my college poetry class, which was the only time I ever wrote non-angsty poetry. Shame. I'm sure it was equally as bad as the crap I wrote in HS, I just can't remember it.

12. Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it? Yes, but I usually only abandon ideas because I'm not sure where to go with them, so once inspiration strikes, I try to pick it back up so I don't forget. I do a lot of that--forgetting.

13. What's your favorite thing you've ever written? This little gem:

The glowing moon shines down tonight
A sweet and frail white wine
That beams down on lovers’ hearts
To make their love divine

Yet moonlight changes frequently
And waxes with the tides
And so the lovers’ song does sing
And with the moon it dies

But the moon comes back to wander
Along the lonely sea
And the song comes back to sing again
When you come back to me.

That was written right after my first love dumped me. Ah, high school.

That's not really my favorite though. My favorite characters to write are the fabulously snarky Maggie and Stuart from Umber, but I'm at a point where I have to let that one sit for awhile until inspiration strikes, so they're on ice at the moment. Poor Mags and Stu.

14. What's everyone else's favorite story that you've written? Most people have only ever read one: Mortal Peril. But my mom (who was also my high school creative writing teacher) was a big fan of my more quirky poems and vignettes.

15. Ever written romance or angsty teen drama? That's about all I write. I mean, with fantasy or sci-fi elements woven in, but it's all about the romance and drama for my characters.

16. What's your favorite setting for your characters? I tend to set things in NYC, where I live now. But Umber is set in northern VA where I grew up and Hitched is a cross-country journey that ends up in another world entirely. My sister and I drove cross country after we graduated from college, so you could say my settings are places where I've lived or visited.

17. How many writing projects are you working on right now? Three novels are in the early stages, but I only focus on one at a time.

18. Have you ever won an award for your writing? Not an official one. I won an award for being editor-in-chief of the literary magazine in high school. But my mom was the moderator...

19. What are your five favorite words? Palliative, morose, snippet, olfactory, and reticence. Actually, those are just the first five words that popped into my head, but they're good ones, right?

20. What character have you created that is most like yourself? Lucy from MP is pretty Lizzy-like (according to my mother). And Bree, one of the MCs from Hitched, is a bit like me in the sense that she's super-anxious and lets it get in the way of living her life sometimes.

21. Where do you get ideas for your characters? I see characters everywhere, everyday (I live in New York City!), so I create personalities for the people I see. The other day, I saw a guy who looked exactly like a gargoyle. He's now a very minor character in Hitched.

22. Do you ever write based on your dreams? No, because I can never remember my dreams. I'm a really heavy sleeper. But I still remember one dream from my childhood that someday might make a good middle grade novel...

23. Do you favor happy endings? Yes. And I like things to feel resolved. But I also like series and trilogies, so I'm ok with things not being resolved right away.

24. Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write? To a ridiculous degree. I always go back and edit while I'm writing, which may take longer, but means less work when I revise.

25. Does music help you write? Sometimes. I like to make playlists, but I usually end up just listening to one song on repeat.

26. Quote something you've written. Whatever pops into your head.Ready?
I wrote this the other night, but it's the first scene in Hitched:

I’d misplaced my boyfriend at parties so many times over the last four years that I was considering carrying wallet-sized photos of him with my cell phone number on the back. That way, I could pass them out at the beginning of the night and people could call me with updates: “He’s throwing up in the bathroom,” or “He just chucked his shoe at the karaoke machine,” or “He’s doing inappropriate things to the family dog.” So, as usual, I was searching the rooms of the sprawling house, listening for outcries of anger or disgust that would lead me to him like a homing device.

Now it's your turn, writer friends!

In Case You're Wondering...

2009-12-10T15:21:00.006-05:00

How Lizzy is spending her time these days, let's recap:

1) Three works in progress:

Hitched-- 7,468 words written (Goal: 75,000) This is the one I'm spending the most time with these days, as inspiration has hit. Hooray!

Void-- 18,559 words written (Goal: 75,000) I love this book, but it's a complicated story and I don't have time for complicated right now.

Umber (aka "The Book without a Plot")-- 13,656 words written (Goal: to figure out who the bad guys are before going any further)

2) Querying: Currently in a holding pattern while many fabulous agents read my manuscript. There's interest and lots of praise, but still waiting for an offer...

3) And, lastly, my day job. Takes up most of the hours of the day, but my books and authors are doing so well! Rewarding, for sure. And even more rewarding: I'm taking a week off for Christmas and maybe, just maybe, I'll find time to write (so long as I can do most of my shopping online).

Ok, one more thing. Thanks to SYTYCD, I have a new favorite song:

So, what are you up to these days?

This Living

2009-12-04T22:12:00.003-05:00

I've had this Dorothy Parker poem stuck in my head for the last few days:

There's little in taking or giving,
There's little in water or wine;
This living, this living, this living
Was never a project of mine.
Oh, hard is the struggle, and sparse is
The gain of the one at the top,
For art is a form of catharsis,
And love is a permanent flop,
And work is the province of cattle,
And rest's for a clam in a shell,
So I'm thinking of throwing the battle-
Would you kindly direct me to hell?

Seems strangely apt. I guess my subconcious knows I'm going a little crazy. Back to writing!

Wish Lists

2009-12-04T10:04:00.003-05:00

Every year, my mom and aunts ask us "kids" (we're all well past the age of adulthood, but some things never change) for our Christmas lists. And every year, I log on to Amazon and dutifully list all the books that I keep at the ready in the "Saved for Later" section of my cart just waiting for the day I get a massive windfall and can buy them all in one fell swoop.

(Nevermind that I own so many books that I have resorted to selling them to The Strand if they've been sitting on my bookshelves for more than a year and haven't been read. Because I live in a tiny New York apartment with little space for more shelves. And I move every few years, which sucks when you're packing up all seventeen-gazillion books.)

But this year, my list is woefully short. Not because I haven't been looking forward to reading things, but because I've been reading so much that I've pretty much cleared out the ones I just had to own and am now kind of at a loss as to what's next. Right now, on my wish list are three books: Going Bovine by Libba Bray, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, and Un Lun Dun by China Mielville. (I've also asked Santa for a literary agent and book deal. C'mon big guy, do me a solid!)

So can a girl get some help here, people? What else deserves a spot on my list?

The Hunger Games, Book 3

2009-12-03T17:05:00.005-05:00

You get two posts today because I'm so psyched for this news!

Book three of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins will be released on August 24, 2010! (A mere three days after my birthday, in case you're wondering eight months ahead of time what Lizzy might want.)

No title announced yet, but who cares? :)

How Rewarding

2009-12-03T11:43:00.006-05:00

The best part about being a publicist is when your hard work pays off. Remember that American history book I mentioned last post? It's a New York Times bestseller!

I like to think it was all the publicity that made it happen (oh, the ego!), but in reality, the author wrote a fantastic book that got noticed by the right people and, voila! Success! It's that much sweeter because the author is extremely likable and a pleasure to work with.

Now mind you, this is not overnight success. The author has published a couple books before this, and he has contacts that definitely helped. But it's so nice to see a book take off unexpectedly based largely on its own merits. It lets me put a bit of faith back in the book-buying public. And with all the hoopla lately about how publishing is dying, it's nice to have some faith to hold onto.

Tis the Busy Season

2009-11-30T17:33:00.004-05:00

Sometimes, the month of December is slowish for us publicists. TV and radio shows are busy talking sales and the economy and the holidays, etc. and books on anything aside from holidays, cooking, or shopping are either put in a round-up or thrust off producers' radar for good. But I'm working on two cookbooks (best timing: Thanksgiving), a diet book (best timing: New Year, New You!), and an American history that's doing very well and is likely to be a good bet for the grandfather in your life who's already read everything David McCullough has ever written.

Which means that my own book is not getting written. I wrote a mere 1,500 words last week while I was on vacation. Alas, that's just how these things go. I'm hoping maybe February will be a little slower. But probably not.

I don't remember how I found time to write my novel in the spring of this year, especially since I wrote it in such a short amount of time. Maybe what I'm lacking isn't time, but the drive to buckle down and do it?

So I ask you: with this busy season upon us, how do you intend to find the time to write? Do you have a schedule or do you just take the time when you can get it, be it five minutes or several hours?

I'm on a Boat!

2009-11-20T10:51:00.003-05:00

Well, not yet, but tomorrow I will be! Evan and I are going on a cruise to the Carribean. So I'm on hiatus on the interwebs for a week (but the laptop is coming with me so I can write!).

So Happy Thanksgiving, all! And I'll try to be more diligent about posting when I return.

A Long Overdue Post

2009-11-17T16:46:00.017-05:00

Ok, so I've been slacking over the last week because, well, life gets in the way. But, as promised, here are photos from the amazing YA author event at Books of Wonder last week featuring Suzanne Collins, Kristine Cashore, Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld, and Libba Bray! (Michael Grant was supposed to come, but got sick and couldn't fly. I was bummed. And not just because I lugged his two massive books GONE and HUNGER with me to have signed.)

So here is the panel:

And invidual shots of the authors speaking:

Justine Larbalestier

Kristin Cashore

Scott Westerfeld

Libba Bray

Suzanne Collins

Each author gave a short description of his/her new book, which was delightful and a great learning experience! Then they took questions from the audience. I can't lie: it was largely skewed toward Suzanne Collins, but how could it not be, really? She's amazing! And she's brilliant and clever and, well, I could sing her praises for days, really. And no, she did not give any hints about how The Hunger Games trilogy is going to end. (Choose Peeta!)

Scott Westerfeld was just as funny as I'd expected him to be, but his slide show of art from LEVIATHAN was fabulously entertaining (and impressive!). Libba Bray and Justine Larbalestier make me want to be friends with more writers because they are clearly fabulous friends who have an amazing time together. And, of course, last but certainly not least: Kristin Cashore is the sweetest, most adorable woman ever. I love her. And I just finished FIRE, which was so good! It's no GRACELING (alas, no Po, but there is romance!), but it's still incredible. I'll post my review when I get my life back in order.

So go read all the books from these authors!! I have not purchased LIAR or GOING BOVINE yet, but Christmas is coming!

Author Events, The Flu, and General Ennui

2009-11-13T17:48:00.002-05:00

I've been totally neglectful this week, despite promising photos from the amazing event at Books of Wonder on Tuesday! Unfortunately, Michael Grant was not able to come because of an illness, and he was sorely missed, but it was so great nonetheless!

I will upload photos when I get home on Sunday (or maybe Monday), but this weekend, I plan to fight off both the flu and my general angstiness (is that a word?) at my big sister's birthday party! Happy birthday, Bugso! (Don't worry, that's not her real name.)

Have a fabulous weekend all!

You Rock, Fellow Writers!

2009-11-10T13:19:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I was emailing a friend of mine and I referred to her jokingly as my "pen pal." But in all seriousness, she's so much more than that. We met through an online writer's forum and, even though we've never met in real life and she lives clear across the country, we've formed a bond that many of my real-life friends would never be able to understand because of the shared experience of trying to find a literary agent.

Not that my friends and family aren't supportive--they're amazing! But no one understands us crazy writers like another writer. And having a network of supportive writers has saved my sanity more than once in this process. Because, seriously, who's going to grasp the madness that comes with writing, querying, revising, etc. than someone who loves/hates all of it just as much as you do?

I like to tell my authors when we start thinking about publicity for their upcoming book that I'm a writer, too. I explain that I understand the sensitivity that they're going to feel about how much effort it seems like I'm putting into their book. I tell them that I'm going to be delicate if I have to send on a bad review, but I won't withhold anything from them. I give them as much information about a radio or TV show as I can so they don't end up getting interviewed by a wacko. I listen to their fears and concerns and hand-hold when they feel like they'll never get a review or when they're nervous about getting up to speak in front of a crowd. I'm part publicist, part therapist a lot of the time.

But I love that part of my job. Working with writers is, at any given moment, fulfilling, emotional, humbling, and motivating. And a whole lot of fun.

So thanks, fellow writers! Especially those of you who hang out at Rallystorm and QT. You rock!

P.S. Speaking of authors, tonight I'm going to see Libba Bray, Kristin Cashore, Suzanne Collins, Michael Grant, Justine Larbalestier, and Scott Westerfeld at Books of Wonder in NYC! So excited!!! I'll post photos and any amusing tidbits tomorrow.

I Heart Parentheses

2009-11-09T11:39:00.000-05:00

My name is Lizzy and I'm addicted to parentheses. Scroll through previous blog posts and you'll see--I use them all the time. Go ahead, I'll wait.

...

See what I mean? I'm also a fan of the em-dash. You know, this one-- Big fan. Oh, and the semicolon? We're BFF.

But my point is, it gets to be a bit much when on the page. I try to be careful about how often I use parenthetical asides in my actual writing (clearly, I'm not as scrutinous on my blog), but they still sneak in there. And I can't bring myself to do away with them entirely, so I allow myself some. Maybe a few too many.

Some of my writer friends lament their overusage of adverbs (you all know who you are). Those pesky -ly words creep into my writing, too, but my love for them is minimal compared to the parentheses.

Do you have any writing quirks? What's your grammatical weakness?

Brave New Worlds @ Books of Wonder

2009-11-04T09:24:00.003-05:00

Can I just tell you how excited I am to see this incredible line-up of YA authors at Books of Wonder in NYC on November 10th? Just check it out:

SUZANNE COLLINS
LIBBA BRAY
MICHAEL GRANT
JUSTINE LARBALESTIER
KRISTIN CASHORE
SCOTT WESTERFELD

On Tuesday, November 10th, from 6-8pm, Books of Wonder is thrilled to host an incredible event featuring SIX amazing authors – all of whom are New York Times best-sellers – and have written fantastic new books about Brave New Worlds!...Beginning at 6pm, the authors will introduce their titles, take questions from the audience, and then sign copies of all their amazing books. Don’t miss out on your chance to meet these great authors and get signed copies of these great books! Ages 10 and up. 6-8pm.

That's some list of authors right? Whoever planned this event is my hero. Thank you!!

So, if you live in NYC and are planning to go, let me know! And for those of you who don't or can't go, I'll post afterwards about how amazing they all were, I promise.

The Sound of Silence

2009-11-03T10:27:00.000-05:00

All of my writer friends (myself included) get annoyed with literary agents who don't respond to queries. But please note: I'm not just talking about agents today! The no-response response isn't exclusive to agents, it's an industry standard.

We publicists send out hundreds of pitches a week and I can only imagine the number of pitches the reviewers, producers, editors, and freelancers we're writing to must receive (and, just like your query, your pitch must stand out). So it's pretty much a given that if you don't hear back, they're not interested. For review, for interviews, for excerpts--the no-response response happens (or doesn't happen) to me every day. Hard to accept? Yes. A necessary cost of being busy? Yes.

But there are times when you shouldn't accept a no-response. Sometimes, to get what you want, you have to push and nudge a little.

I'm not suggesting that every writer go out and re-query every agent who didn't respond initially (particularly if that's their policy), but I will say that I recently re-queried one agent who hadn't responded over the summer because I really thought we'd be a good match. It was worth the nudge--I heard back within twenty-four hours with a request.

So does it help to have experience accepting that some people just don't respond unless interested? No. It still sucks no matter what. But it does help to have experience nudging when I'm not willing to take silence as a no. People get busy, things get lost, tastes change, ideas that didn't seem so great a few months ago suddenly seem shiny and new again.

My point is, don't give up! If there's one lesson I've learned from being a publicist, it's that persistence pays off. Just please be respectful when you do finally get an answer. Especially if that answer is still a no.

It's Too Dark to Read! Or, Why I Hate Daylight Savings

2009-11-02T10:49:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite parts about living in Brooklyn (and there are many) is my commute to and from Manhattan every day. Now before you start thinking I'm some crazy subway-loving freak, let me qualify that statement by explaining that I have a half-hour ride to and from work, which gives me a full hour every day to read!

And yet, sometimes, that hour is not enough. Especially on the way home at night when I don't have any nagging requirements to rush off to. So from time to time, I've been known to continue reading while I walk home. (Haven't had any accidents yet, which is shocking if you know anything about my lack of coordination. Someday I'll share the story about running into a trash can while biking on the boardwalk. Or that time I walked into a taxi cab.)

But with the sun going down earlier, and with the addition of Daylight Savings Time this weekend, I've lost that extra ten minutes because it's too hard to try to read by the sparse light of street lights. Trust me, I've tried.

All this is to say, I miss the summer. And you won't hear me say that for any other reason because I am, far and away, a winter girl. (Thanksgiving? Christmas? Snow? You can't go wrong.)

So tell me: when and where do you read? Do you have a set time in your day or do you have to make time when you're supposed to be doing other things (like, say, walking)?

Animal Farm

2009-10-31T12:37:00.004-04:00

I'm not a huge fan of Halloween for a reason that makes me sad: I'm the worst at coming up with costumes.

It makes me sad because I'm a writer, for Pete's sake! I should have more imagination! But year after year, I've got nothing. I was much better at this as a kid.

So, this year, I decided not to stress out about dressing up. Instead, I've decided to torment my cat, Moxie.

And my parents' dog, McGee.

And my sister's cat, Perry:

Good times, folks. Good times.

(No animals were physically harmed in the making of this blog post. Only their egos were damaged.)

Covers: A Fine Art

2009-10-27T11:13:00.015-04:00

This morning, I attended a meeting in which we discussed the upcoming books, mostly one year out from publication date. While I always pay attention (this is my job, after all), I've lately been making an effort to focus on what the editors say to make the book stand out, what the sales team think works and doesn't work, and what the publisher believes will make it sell. (All reasons why the book was acquired in the first place. Fascinating stuff.)

The prevalent theme in this morning's meeting: covers that don't work. I know, I know, we're not supposed to judge books my their covers and yada yada yada, but seriously--we are all guilty of it.

One novel I read recently has an incredibly eye-catching cover. Lots of reviewers have commented on it and I know for certain it is, in large part, what's driving customers to pick it up off the shelf. It absolutely stands out in a crowded genre. And for a book that's not exactly getting stellar reviews, that can make or break it.

But then there's the flip side of that coin: books that deserve notice, but have super lame covers. (That's not publishing speak, don't quote me.)

I submit exhibit A) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger--Everyone knows the new cover, but did you ever see this one? You can see why they changed it!

What do you think? Are there certain covers that called "buy me!" when you saw it in a store? Any that you never would have picked up with the original cover?

First Person vs. Third Person

2009-10-26T10:16:00.003-04:00

As of this weekend, I've undertaken another revision of MP. One agent recently suggested straight up that I rewrite it in first person. Another agent said that she thought it was "brilliant," but needed to be less literary in order to draw in readers of fantasy. I'm not gonna lie, I resisted that suggestion for awhile, but I'm on board to at least give it a shot. (And it'll keep me busy while I wait for word from other agents reading the current version.)

As I started playing around with changing to first person, I found that I was really liking the first person perspective. It flows naturally and, since I've been writing in first person for my latest WIP, I'm in that zone now anyway.

I don't know that I necessarily have a preference as reader, but I tend to find more first person in YA. I think probably because it helps a younger reader feel more connected to the main character.

So I'm throwing out a question: when reading, do you prefer first or third person? (I'm not even broaching the subject of second person.) Do you prefer writing in first or third? And why?

Eyes Like Stars: Review

2009-10-22T12:10:00.001-04:00

Lisa Mantchev's EYES LIKE STARS (Theatre Illuminata, Act I) is one of the most original YA novels I've read all year. Set in a theater (obviously), main character Beatrice Shakespeare Smith has lived her life among the "Players"--characters from nearly every play or musical ever written who are held there by the magic of The Book (of plays). But Beatrice (aka "Bertie") is not a player, she was a foundling left at the theater and raised by the players. When she finally becomes too much of a nuisance, Bertie is given an ultimatum: find a way to be useful or find a new home.

Bertie is fabulously rebellious, spunky, and hilarious. She's not a perfect character, but in the best possible sense because her flaws feel natural and not "staged" (heh). The secondary characters are brilliantly portrayed, from the rascally fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream, to Nate from The Little Mermaid with his delectable pirate-y accent. ;) And Ms. Mantchev's theater experience is a huge asset, as every detail feels real (even those that are obviously imagined magic).

Two small critiques: 1) I didn't really get why Bertie would fall for Ariel, swoony gorgeousness or not (which made it a little hard to identify with some of Bertie's motivations), and 2) it seems like Ms. Mantchev initially only planned to include Shakespeare's plays and characters, but changed her mind and added others later. The characters from other plays and musicals, like Peter Pan or Les Mis, feel a little bit like they were thrown in haphazardly when she realized she needed to use Sedna, the sea witch from The Little Mermaid. I'd have liked to see more from other plays and players, despite my love for the Bard.

But do read Eyes Like Stars. You won't regret it. Book two comes out in the fall of 2010.

Teen Read Week 2009

2009-10-19T09:53:00.008-04:00

As a reader/writer/lover of YA fiction, particularly speculative fiction, I'm delighted to support ALA's Teen Read Week 2009! This year's theme is Read Beyond Reality @ your library, which encourages teens to read something out of this world, just for the fun of it.

Here is my list of speculative fiction reads for teens that I read this year and that I suggest everyone (not just teens) read now:

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
The Mortal Instruments trilogy by Cassandra Clare (City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass)
The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Gone and Hunger by Michael Grant
Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity, too)
Wake and Fade by Lisa McMann (the last in the series, Gone, comes out Feb '10)
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (I know, this series is middle grade, but I love it!)
Wings by Aprilynn Pike
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (And Pretties, Specials, and Extras, too)

Did I miss anything that you think should be on my list? I know that I left off some that are bestsellers or loved by many, but I haven't had time to read nearly as many books as I want to!

Shiver: Review

2009-10-14T10:28:00.001-04:00

I've read a lot of reviews for Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER and most people seem to be loving it. I'm not necessarily of that camp, but I'm not firmly outside of it either.

The thing is that Shiver has a lot going for it: Ms. Stiefvater is a lovely writer (despite sometimes doing a bit of over-describing) whose main characters are well-rounded and have believably real personalities. There's a fair bit of wit and clever dialogue, and the premise is a fun, original take on the werewolf genre. And I'm not gonna lie, by the end, I definitely was invested in knowing what was going to happen to Sam (which is key since there are still two more books to come).

But my major complaint is that I had trouble accepting the veracity of the relationships in the book.

For one, the unnatural way Grace deals with her absent parents. No way would a teenager have that much freedom (Sam sleeps in her bed every night!) and their absences are totally glossed over. The fact that they are so disconnected just seemed unreal, and more like a plot device to speed up the relationship between Grace and Sam.

Which leads me to another nagging annoyance, the speed at which Grace and Sam fall in love. I know that they've had this somewhat intense relationship while he was a wolf (!), but then one day they are just suddenly in love without ever having any real connection. They don't argue or challenge each other, they're just happily in love and hoping to stay that way (oh, if only it weren't for that pesky winter weather!).

I won't even get into her relationships with her two BFFs because they have no friendship, as far as I can tell. Rachel was like a sidenote, added on later, and Olivia, who does get a bit of play at the end, never really felt real to me. Ms. Stiefvater's secondary characters definitely fall flat.

All that being said, I will read the other two books once they come out because I still like Grace and Sam as characters and I have hope that Ms. Stiefvater will up the ante a bit plot-wise.

And I thought I read a lot...

2009-10-13T16:25:00.003-04:00

I hope Nina Sankovitch, who is reading a book a day for her blog (www.readallday.org), is an inspiration to all those who say "I don't have time to read!" (She's almost met her goal: a book a day for a year!!!)

Check out the NY Times piece on her here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/nyregion/12towns.html?_r=2

What a lovely idea!

Author Events

2009-10-12T12:03:00.003-04:00

I've been attending a lot of author events lately (both ones I've arranged and for authors I've never met). Most have been really fantastic, so I thought I'd share my list of rules for what helps make an event great.

1) Even if you write fiction, don't read from your book for more than five minutes (and try aiming for less). Your audience might tune out for a minute and suddenly--they're lost! Talk and then take questions instead. If your audiences misses something, they can usually join back in pretty easily. Which leads me to my next point...

2) Don't try to tell long, involved stories. Assume your audience has the attention span of a gnat. And steer clear of your personal politics (unless that's what your book is about). It's best not to alienate potential readers based on opinions that have nothing to do with how well you write.

3) Have a back-up plan in case you throw it open for questions and no one raises his hand. Suggest a question and then answer it or bring a friend and feed them a question beforehand in case of emergency. Sometimes people just need a minute to think.

4) If no one shows up, pretend they did and start talking anyway (and try to bring a couple people with you, just in case). People who are browsing in the store will often hear an author speaking and get interested. Many event sales happen by chance.

5) Speaking of crowds, if you're in a city where you don't know anyone, try to drum up interest before the event. Post it on your website, blog, facebook, twitter, etc. Send an email out to everyone you know and tell them to forward it to their friends in the city you're headed to. Make sure either the store or your publicist are sending out event notices to the local newspapers. And, if at all possible, do some radio or TV interviews before the event (I know, that's a tough one unless you have a publicist).

6) And, lastly, try to have fun. The audience can tell if you're miserable.

And if you now need a laugh, I direct your attention here to The New Yorker's "Shouts & Murmurs" column for 10/19: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2009/10/19/091019sh_shouts_weiner
(Thanks, Niki!)

Just Because...

2009-10-09T16:12:00.002-04:00

The Non-Ending

2009-10-09T10:50:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading John Twelve Hawk's THE GOLDEN CITY (the last book in the Fourth Realm Trilogy) and, I gotta say, I was really hoping for a little more closure. I'm not going to get into the ending and ruin the story for anyone who will read it (because despite my annoyance, it's still worth reading), but it leaves off with what feels like room for a fourth book.

This annoys me for several reasons, but the most glaring of which is that I spent a fair bit of my precious time reading these three books and I wanted--nay, expected--an actual ending. You know, one that actually tells me what happened to the characters?

Because of who John Twelve Hawks is (just read his wikipedia entry), I was prepared for the inevitable diatribe about how our personal freedoms are being stripped away. I even embraced his vision of how our society is clueless to the constant surveillance of our personal lives. But that doesn't excuse an open ending. I want to know what happened! Boo, Mr. Twelve Hawks. Boo.

So, here are my questions: 1) have you read this book and do you think I'm off-base by being annoyed with the ending? 2) have you read a book that left you hanging and did you want to strangle more words out of the author? or 3) Have you ever written a story with a non-ending, with no plans for a sequel? (I'm looking at you, Robin McKinley.)

(Oh, and FTC: I borrowed this book from the library. So suck on it! That is all.)

Moxie and the Elvis Chicken

2009-10-07T10:51:00.006-04:00

When I adopted my cat Moxie from the pound, she was a year old, but was so small she looked like a kitten. She was malnourished and had a strange neurological disorder that made her tilt her head to one side whenever she looked straight ahead. The volunteers at the ASPCA called her "Huh?" because she always looked like she was asking a question.

Today, Moxie is (approximately) seven years old and she's no longer small. But she's definitely still strange.

Last night, I was on the phone with my sister when Moxie walked up to me and dropped at my feet a rubber chicken dressed like Elvis. You might be wondering where she got said Elvis Chicken (that's a long story), but my point is, this thing is about a third of her size and yet, she carries it around the house like a personal pet.

Here, just for fun, are a couple photos:

That is all for today. I just felt the need to introduce you all to this small, strange creature who shares my home. Maybe someday I'll write a kid's book about her and her crazy ways. (Remind me to tell you the story about her roof-leaping days.)

Banned Books Week

2009-09-28T10:59:00.006-04:00

This week is Banned Books Week and, while banning books may seem like somthing that doesn't happen anymore, it does. And I find it silly.

In my opinion, ahe beauty of fiction is that reading it allows you to enter an unknown world or become a character that is completely unlike you. Reading fiction lets you try on hats--sometimes uncomfortable or ugly, sometimes beautiful and overwhelmingly real--that give a glimpse into something you might never otherwise experience, be it drug abuse (as in Ellen Hopkins' Crank and Glass), rape (as in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings), or racism (as in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Toni Morrison's Beloved).

Sometimes, reading a fictional account of something you've experienced might make you look at that experience in a new way, or deal with the reality of something you've been ignoring. Or maybe even just seeing it on paper, seeing that someone--even a fictional someone--has been through that experience too, helps you cope.

Becoming a well-rounded adult is about experience, and wouldn't you prefer your child read about the endless possibilities of life instead of remaining ignorant? The horrors and indignities of life are an inevitable part of contemporary society and just because you sheild your child from it at home, that does not mean it won't someday affect them. You can't shield them forever.

While I don't have children yet, I hope that my child will embrace reading in order to learn about both responsibilities and tragedies, while coming to terms with the idea that sometimes shit happens. Before he or she comes up against something like it in real life.

You can read more about Banned Books Week here. Thoughts?

Trust me, I'm an expert!

2009-09-25T14:18:00.013-04:00

Today I got asked to do an interview for a major magazine about the state of publishing and whether or not we in the industry should feel hopeful about its chances of survival. Especially since so many bestselling authors have new books out this fall. How awesome is that? People value my opinion!

Unfortunately, doing the interview would likely lead to me putting my foot in my mouth and getting fired from my job. So, much as it pained me (because I do love to talk, particularly about books and publishing), I had to pass on the opportunity.

Therefore, I will not blather on about the state of publishing here on my blog because that would kind of defeat the point of not doing the interview. But what I will talk about is how to create a platform for yourself--one that ultimately ends in getting said interview requests.

1) Start a website and/or blog and write. And not just about your book or how your agent search is going. Write about publishing, review books, link to articles and other blogs (and always give credit!), etc. Try not to be too negative or you'll alienate your readers.

2) Follow and comment on other people's blogs, especially those of writers, agents, and publishing insiders. Pay attention to the blogs other people read and follow those, too.

3) Go to author events at bookstores. Study how they handle themselves in front of a crowd (or in front of the three people who are only sitting there because they're tired or waiting for their spouse). Sometimes, there will be media there. If you already have a book published (especially if it's similar to the author you're there to see), give them a free copy. They might say no or ignore you, but maybe they won't. And you can't be afraid of them, no matter how snippy they are. I can't tell you the humiliation I've been through as a publicist. And I won't tell you because sometimes I still have nightmares.

4) Get to know your local booksellers, especially at the independents. I worked at a bookstore for several years before I started in publishing and it's very handy to know how that side of the business works. But even more so, booksellers do what's called "hand selling." Which means, they talk your book up to customers. It's been known to make bestsellers happen. I'm just sayin'.

5) Do events. If you're a first time or unknown author, try to pair up with other authors who already have a fanbase. Try to get involved with local book fairs and festivals, even if it just means volunteering. Maybe you can be the one who escorts authors to their tent and you'll get to chat them up for a minute. Also, find out which libraries have reading groups and join the ones that read books like yours so you can get to know readers and what they like. Get yourself out there! It's uncomfortable to self-publicize, I know, but it's worth it.

6) Write op-eds. Particularly if you write nonfiction, pay attention to the news. If you can tie a subject in to what your book is about in a way that's fresh and entertaining, submit your opinion piece to newspapers (but submit to only one at a time or they'll get mad if more than one wants it!). If you write fiction, but can be considered an "expert" on something, write about it!

More resources on building a platform:
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-dont-we-throw-some-money-at-it-like.html

http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2009/08/interview-with-christina-katz-on.html

http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2009/07/interview-with-literary-agent-kate.html

http://faeriality.blogspot.com/2009/03/marvelous-marketer-sarah-davies.html

http://knightagency.blogspot.com/2007/06/q-marketing-yourself-and-your-writing.html

That's my lesson for today. I hope it's helpful!

Vindication!

2009-09-24T19:26:00.004-04:00

I don't like writing bad book reviews. (That's a lie. I do, but I rarely post them b/c I feel bad for the authors.) But I love the feeling of vindication when books I thought were drivel get bad reviews.

As a writer and a book publicist, I should hate bad reviews. And when they're written about books I love, or am working on, I do hate them and have been known to say "Why do newspapers/magazines bother printing bad reviews? Why not only focus on books that are worthy of the space?" And then I read something that, I think, never should have been published. And I say to myself, "Gee, I wish someone had warned me!" (Ok, I don't say "Gee" but I'm trying to keep this blog PG. I mean, I write for teens for Pete's sake!)

What do you think, fair readers? Do you think reviewers should focus on books they like and leave the crap to gather dust on shelves and get remaindered due to lack of publicity? Or do you want to be forewarned not to waste your time even though it's possible you might disagree with that reviewer and never read a book that could actually be quite worthy?

Sophomore Slump (aka "Second Novel Syndrome")

2009-09-21T16:35:00.007-04:00

After watching HBO's debut of "Bored to Death" last night (a rather amusing show about a writer who is having trouble writing his second novel and decides to take on cases as a private detective in his spare time), I was chatting with some of the folks over at the QT Forum today about the difficulty of writing the second novel.

As I've written previously, I've been taking a break from book two of MP to work on VOID, my current work in progress. It's not going as smoothly as I would like. My first novel practically wrote itself. I typed away for hours without pause, with very little of the actual plot in mind, and it all came together like magic (including the plots for the next two books in the trilogy).

But VOID isn't moving along quite as nicely. It's not that I don't know what's going to happen or that my characters aren't speaking to me. I've got the entire plot worked out, but it's the details that are eluding me. The getting from point A to poing B is, like, so time consuming (obviously). So, it's time to either put this book on hold and start a new one (plausible, since I'm really digging two different ideas at the moment) or suck it up and bang some words out, even if I end up having to rewite some of it later.

And as a parting note, here is my favorite exchange from last night's "Bored to Death":

The Perils of Working in Publishing

2009-09-17T14:03:00.010-04:00

Let me preface this post by stating unequivocally that I love my job. LOVE it. I work with authors, both new and established, who are brilliant, amusing, driven, and grateful for the hard work that I do getting their books reviewed, events booked, and interviews arranged. And I get free books!

But (you knew that was coming), as an unpublished author myself, I find it REALLY hard not to leap on each new author I work with and demand to hear how they got their agent, how long they had to wait before the agent read the manuscript, how many agents read it before they were signed, how long the submission process took, etc.

Now, I realize that many of them would be totally willing to discuss this with me, but there is a line that I feel I must draw between my publicist self and my author self. That's why I don't interview my authors on this blog or review books published by my company.

One last complaint about being a writer who works in publishing and then I'm done (b/c I really have no right to whine). Some unpublished authors don't know how hard it is to sell a book--but I do. It's effing hard, man! I just had a conversation this morning with an author about this. And I especially know that debut novels don't usually get the marketing dollars or the big publicity budget. Lastly, I know that it's a grassroots effort that takes a lot of time and energy--and that it's agony for an author to know that their baby is sitting on a bookstore shelf collecting dust while the reality-star-of-the-day is a New York Times bestseller.

So why, oh why, am I doing this to myself? Because when you're a writer, you can't help yourself. We writers love what we do and we're egotistical enough to think that everyone else should love it too. If only people would just buy the damn book already.

The Art of Naming

2009-09-15T10:20:00.003-04:00

When it comes to writing, my characters are often the first inkling of inpsiration for a new story. And sometimes, it's not even a personality trait, it's just a name. With MP, Lucy and Eamon lived in my head for a good while before I actually put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, really). And when I looked up the meaning of "Eamon" in Gaelic and found it means "guardian," it felt like fate!

But with VOID, I'm coming up against some real issues with the names of my characters. For one, at the opening of the story my main character, Cass, lives with this gang teenagers who all have nicknames. Confusing? You betcha!

Plus, when I started writing, I hadn't realized just how similar some of those names were. But I was working on a scene last night and found that I had "Tripp" and "Flip" together and it was just way too rhyme-y. And then I had "Trevor" and "Tripp" going at it--and it was all too much! So, much as I hated to do it, Trevor and Flip are being renamed. Sorry, guys. Anyone want to put in a vote for a new nickname for Flip?

So all you writers out there, how do you come up with names for your characters? Do they come first before you have a plot like mine do? Do you ever change them after the fact? Do the names have special meaning?

From the Query to the Call

2009-09-11T09:57:00.005-04:00

I think the most valuable thing about writing my novel (except, of course, for the millions I'm going to make. Muah haha!) is the writerly friends I've made online via QueryTracker.net's forum. It's a wonderful place and the people are fabulous and helpful. But I digress. This post is meant to be about Elana Johnson's new ebook FROM THE QUERY TO THE CALL, coming out on Monday, September 14th.

Let me just state for the record that Elana is an amazing query writer. She's also a YA sci-fi and fantasy writer (which makes her dear to my heart, of course), but her comments on the QT forum are priceless. Take her advice if you're trying to get your novel published--I think it'll be worth it. Because querying is absolutely harder than writing the novel itself (I swear).

You can find out more about the book and how to buy it here:
http://querytothecall.elanajohnson.com/

You can read reviews and interviews with Elana here:
Beth Revis's review
Beth's interview with Elana

Christine Fonseca's review
Christine's interview with Elana

Sandra Ulbrich-Almazan's review

Abby Annis's review

And be sure to check out the fabulous blogs!
http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/
http://querytracker.blogspot.com/

Best of luck, Elana!

Void: A Work in Progress

2009-09-09T22:13:00.006-04:00

So now that I've finished my revision for MP and sent it off to the agent who wanted it, I'm feeling a bit lost. I spent all this time on it for a month straight that I kind of forgot how to have a life! Eep! (Note: would my friends please force me out of the house every now and then?)

So now, I'm back at work on VOID, a YA dystopian sci-fi. Here's the premise:

Sixteen-year-old Cass has found a new family since she faked her death and ran to the streets two years ago. In a not-too-distant future where overpopulation has bred resentment, living with the street family means protection. But when the family takes a step over the line of human decency, Cass decides it’s time to leave. She just didn’t expect to attract a following.

Now, Cass is responsible for a thirteen-year-old kid named Squish, plus she has to put up with the antics of Gavin--a guy who may be several degrees of gorgeous, but also seems to have taken an oath to annoy and protect.

When the trio gets caught breaking the Law, they are given one option: become subjects for medical testing. But Cass stumbles upon a secret government plot to wipe out more than a third of the population, leaving her to spread the word before the government can wreak its havoc.

Getting back in the groove has been difficult, especially since I keep thinking about book two in the MP trilogy. But I want to give this book some love before I forget everything I want to write. Hope you guys think it sounds worth it!

Yet another amazing novel

2009-09-06T00:25:00.001-04:00

Kristin Cashore's GRACELING comes out in paperback this week and I can't let the occasion pass without giving this book a shout-out.

Cashore's incredible debut YA fantasy is the kind of story that keeps you up into the wee hours of the morning, hoping desperately that the story will end well, but also that it won't end at all. Her gorgeous prose and beautiful descriptions welcome you into a world and time that is completely unfamiliar, yet amazingly easy to visualize. I don't generally go for traditional fantasy, but this book absolutely blew me away (along with all the trades--I've never seen so many starred reviews!).

Cashore's heroine, Katsa, is a "Graceling"--bestowed with a superhuman gift for fighting--marked by her two different colored eyes. She is a strong character who is believably flawed, struggling with her grace and her own nature, which makes her both inspirational and entirely relatable. The romance between Katsa and Po is extremely well-done, particularly the tension and build-up, not to mention their heartbreaking reunion. I was grinning, crying, and laughing throughout, sometimes simultaneously. In a genre where teen romance often borders on the ridiculous, Katsa and Po are a couple that you want to root for.

Graceling is the kind of novel that makes me question my own abilities as a writer, while simultaneously inspiring me to strive for more. I cannot say enough laudatory words about this book.

Cashore's upcoming novel FIRE, set in the same world of Graceling, will be released October 5th and you can be damn sure it'll be in my hot little hands as soon as possible.

Feeding the Beast

2009-09-04T15:52:00.011-04:00

That beast being my undying love for amazing fiction, of course.

This afternoon, I finished reading Suzanne Collins' CATCHING FIRE, the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy. If you've read this blog, you know I love THG and have been anxiously awaiting book two.(Ok, more than anxiously. I'm sure you're all sick to death of hearing about it.) But, I gotta say, the wait was 100% worth it.

Catching Fire picks up where THG left off. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have won the Hunger Games in an unprecedented double victory. But because she's managed to show up the Capitol of Panem (the disturbingly desperate and tyrannical future United States), Katniss has become the unwitting face of rebellion--bringing the government's wrath down on her shoulders as a result.

The Hunger Games is the kind of book that wraps you in its clutches and keeps you in its grip for days afterwards. Catching Fire, however, is more like a slow, smoldering burn that only gets hotter and more difficult to read, but in the best possible "there's no way I'm going to bed until I find out what happens" way. There is a bit of predictability with Katniss and the love triangle of Peeta vs. Gale, and, yeah, it's a little annoying to read yet another book about the girl who's wanted by two boys, but it's heart wrenching anyway. Even I found myself wavering between which of the boys I want her to love and I thought I was firmly rooted in the Peeta camp.

So, Ms. Collins has done it again. Even if the second book wasn't quite as gripping as the first, it absolutely lived up to my expectations. I will read and re-read this series until the spines are cracked and the covers are torn. I'm already anxious for the last book, and, right now, September 2010 feels an awful long way away...

Fear of Reading

2009-09-02T15:38:00.005-04:00

Have you ever put off reading the second book in a series or trilogy because you're afraid it can't possibly live up to the first? Almost 100% of the time, I re-read the previous book before starting on the second to remind me of what it was that I loved so damn much. But sometimes, after reading (and re-reading) something I'm absolutely bowled over by, I anxiously await the arrival of books two, three, etc. and then once I have them, I put them on my shelf and stare at them for awhile, hoping against hope that they won't disappoint me.

All this is to say that, after waiting months and months for Suzanne Collins' CATCHING FIRE, it's finally here--and I'm afraid to read it! THE HUNGER GAMES was such an arresting, emotional book that it's hard to imagine the second ever being able to live up to it. And I really want a happy ending, which I'm pretty sure I won't get, since this is the second book of the trilogy. The ending will come, well, at the end.

I'm almost done with my re-read of THE HUNGER GAMES, but I refuse to let my fear get me down. I will read CATCHING FIRE and report back, likely before the week is out.

In the meantime, does anyone else have this same fear?

The Latest

2009-08-30T19:13:00.000-04:00

I've been neglectful of this blog for the last couple of weeks for various reasons, several of which I will list here.

1) None of the books I'm reading have been blog-post inspiration. Or I can't write about them because they are published by the company I work for and it's frowned upon. But Suzanne Collin's CATCHING FIRE comes out on Tuesday, September 1st and my copy is already on its way! Hooray!

2) I'm working night and day on the revision of my novel (when I'm not at my real job, that is). It's exhausting and exhilerating and sometimes mind-numbing. But the feedback I'm getting from my beta readers is unbelievably helpful. Thanks guys!

3) I went on vacation! (If a vacation is in Delaware, does it still count?) And I had a birthday! So I had things happening. And I'm now older than I was the last time I wrote. Amazing the way that works.

I'm hopeful that I can get this revision to the agent who asked for it by the week after Labor Day. So far, I've added nearly 10,000 words and, while I didn't know it was possible, I like the book so much more now! It's so much better than it was, I'm kind of embarrassed of the state it was in when I sent it out to the first round of agents! But another one wrote back asking for a revision too, so despite the flaws, apparently it has merit.

And now back to writing (though my wrists and elbows are protesting after being in typing position for so long).

Are you ready for some football?

2009-08-13T18:05:00.002-04:00

It's almost my very favorite time of the year: football season! I enjoy nothing more than sporting my Cooley jersey, making a meal that screams FOOTBALL (chili, stew, italian sausages... This is my father's influence who seems to believe that watching sports is all the more fun when you're eating) and parking myself in front of the TV or satellite radio, as the case sometimes may be. (Damn you, New York, for having two teams that take up all the air time! I need my 'skins!).

This evening kicks off the Redskin's preseason as they take on the Ravens at 7:30 PM. And, of course, it will not be shown here in New York (sigh). But I'll be wearing my jersey and hollering at the radio. And hoping to God (or whoever) that we have a better season this year.

And while I'm drooling over Chris Cooley, may I suggest checking out his blog? He's the man.

Working on a revision

2009-08-10T21:09:00.004-04:00

That's kind of like working on a chain gang, but less labor-intensive... Can you tell I've been doing a lot of staring at my computer screen? Well, I have.

On Friday, I received word from one of the agents who read my book. First the good (this is "we" as in, the agent and her assistant): "We like it very much and think you have a lot of talent and promise as a professional writer...We would really love to see future drafts from you. [Agent] and I found the story exciting and vivid; the dialogue scenes natural, the narrative well-paced. We enjoyed reading MORTAL PERIL—thank you for taking the time to write it, and for thinking of us."

The bad: Did you catch that "future drafts"? Me too. So, I'm not quite there yet, but I must say that the critique and suggestions were right on target. My book will be stronger for having made these changes. (That's my new mantra. Playing it internally on a loop.) And so I am chained to my computer, revising and rewriting and, oh yeah, a little more revising.

In Search of a Title

2009-08-06T17:50:00.001-04:00

Ok, guys, I'm throwing out a challenge to you all. I'm in need of a better title for my book because almost everyone I know dislikes Mortal Peril. (My mom in particular.) Yes, it works; it fits the theme of the book, but it's still not right. And it doesn't feel young enough. I'm reposting my description of the book and I want to hear any and all ideas:

Lucy O’Neill always thought turning eighteen meant freedom—from high school, from foster care, and, most importantly, from the group home where she lives. But when she meets a strangely entrancing boy named Eamon, he discloses that Lucy’s eighteenth birthday also means fulfilling the bargain her dead parents made with the faeries. A deal that means she’ll be used as a sacrifice for the ritual Faerie tithe!

With three months until the tithe ceremony and Eamon standing guard, Lucy searches for her own way to bargain with the Queen and, hopefully, find a way out of the deal. But as Lucy and Eamon grow closer, he discovers that she bears a birthmark identifying her as the “Mortalitas”—the one human who, if her blood is spilled by the faeries, will end their immortal lives. Lucy’s all for it, of course, but Eamon convinces her that, now that she has the upper hand, they have the opportunity to stop the faeries from ever abducting a mortal again.

Here are some of my alternates (but I'm not crazy about these either...):
Noctis
The Mortalitas
The Tithe Mortal
The Immortality Curse
Malediction
Strangled Souls

The Tales that Live On...

2009-08-04T20:00:00.000-04:00

Without a doubt, reading has shaped who I am. Even with fiction, I am constantly learning something new and discovering things about myself. Certain books have meant more to me than others over the years and are, in large part, why I work in publishing and write novels. Are there books that you could read over and over again? Here are some that, over my (nearly) 28 years of life, I've read more than a few times:

- Life without Friends by Ellen Emerson White (Man, I loved this book so much as a tween! I found EEW online about a year ago and I had to write to her to tell her how much this book meant to me growing up. She was lovely and gracious in her reply.)

- His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman (This entry, I feel, speaks for itself)

- The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel (Some people might disagree and say this book is all character exposition and no plot, but Kimmel's gorgeous prose makes me strive to be a better writer.)

- Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (I love P&P, too, but S&S wins in my book. And I cry every damn time. I love a good, happy cry.)

- War for the Oaks by Emma Bull (This is the book that made me want to write urban fantasy. I love it so much I have my main character read it in my own novel!)

So what are your absolute, can't-live-without-owning-it favorite books?

The Genius of Michael Grant

2009-07-31T16:45:00.012-04:00

I know I've been praising a lot of books lately, but Michael Grant deserves like 100 blog posts devoted to the pure genius that is his GONE series.

Book two, HUNGER, came out a couple months ago and it only improved on the amazing sci-fi brilliance of the first book. From the first page of Gone, I had a feeling this series was going to become a favorite. Mr. Grant just jumps right into the action (which is a writing technique I'm not capable of. I always feel the need for set-up).

Here's the premise: One day, everyone in Perdido Beach, CA over the age of fourteen just disappears. Poofs. What's left is a bunch of kids trapped inside a strange bubble, trying to fend for themselves against hunger, fear, bullies, and some really strange, unexplainable occurances. But some of the kids are developing strange supernatural powers and there's a sinister creature that is trying to lure some of the kids into the darkness...

The world that Mr. Grant has created is so detailed, the publisher even put a map of Perdido Beach on the first page. Plus, his characters' personalities are extremely well-developed and, even though he has a lot of them narrating at different points in the book, each is so unique that their voices are pretty easy to keep separate (which is saying a lot b/c there are a bunch of characters in these books). Only occasionally did I find myself thinking, "Wait, who are you and what crazy superpowers do you have?" And I'm not even going to get into the wacky animal hybrids that evolve. All I'm gonna say is this: a cat merged with a book. What kind of mind comes up with that? Brilliant.

And now, the wait begins for book three...

Zombie hype

2009-07-31T13:49:00.008-04:00

I hope this doesn't come off sounding like sour grapes here, but I really do not get the hype surrounding Carrie Ryan's THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH.

I was excited to read the novel, even if it is about zombies, because of all the laudatory reviews it got from the trades. Luckily, I borrowed it from the library, rather than purchasing it. If I'd spent my hard earned dollars on this book, I'd have been really angry. I'm still angry, even if all I had to do was walk two blocks to the library for it. Grrr...

So here's the thing about Ms. Ryan's novel: Her agent said on his blog that he read the first page and knew he was in love. I read the whole damn book and was not into it AT ALL. I found the main character, Mary, to be self-centered and annoying, plus (SPOILER!) the author killed off the one character I actually liked! The writing was pretty good, I'll give her that, and the premise (zombies) was done in a fresh way, but I didn't care enough about Mary to give one tiny crap if she got eaten by those zombies. In fact, I wish she had because then there wouldn't be two more books in the trilogy!

The hype on this is just going to keep going! It makes me want to buy the book just so I can heave it out a window. But, with my luck, it would probably land on the head of some book reviewer who'd read it, love it, and hype it even more! (Assuming there are any left who haven't read it.)

I direct your attention here to MTV.com's discussion of who should play Mary in the movie version (the film rights were snapped up almost immediately for this book). Kristin Stewart? Really? C'mon, MTV. Give me an effing break.

Playlist for my book

2009-07-29T22:28:00.008-04:00

While I wait for an offer from a literary agent (sigh), I'm finding ways to waste time I could be using to write. Today, for your listening pleasure, I present MORTAL PERIL: The Soundtrack. Enjoy!

Progress on the Book Front

2009-07-27T18:06:00.003-04:00

This morning, I got an email from one of the agents who is reading the book saying that she's still reading, but she thinks "it's really good!!" and that she'll be ready to chat with me about it "soon." So here's where I start dancing around (but, I swear, if that video of me, Anna, and Mer doing the Macarena on Saturday night gets out, heads will roll).

Woot!

As I sit back and wait for "soon" to come, I'm going to post something that makes me undeniably happy. I dedicate this video to Evan, who loves infomercials and Vince, the Slap-Chop guy:

On the Bible

2009-07-22T11:10:00.001-04:00

Not being a terribly religious person, I surprised myself by including a fair amount of biblical reference in my novel, Mortal Peril. As the trilogy continues, the mythology becomes less about the fairytales of Ireland, and delves more into biblical territory. Which is tough because what I remember from reading the Bible in school and church could fill a thimble. A tiny, doll-sized thimble.

So I'm doing a lot of reading and research to find passages that fit my plot and it's really quite fascinating if you look at it from a scholarly perspective. The beauty of the Good Book is that I can generally find a way to make something in it fit whatever point I'm trying to make. Which, for the cult of misinformed, fundamentalist wackos I've written into book two, is proving quite thought-provoking (For me, that is, not them. They'll think what I tell them to think, dammit!).

So, does anyone have a favorite Bible passage that I can borrow and totally mangle its interpretation so that it fits my plot? (Unless, of course, you think the Bible is actually a factual account of events. In that case, we probably should stick to lighter topics.)

Note: Please direct all hate mail on this topic to Youregoingtohell@email.com.

You know what I hate?

2009-07-21T12:50:00.000-04:00

Time for another edition of Things I Hate! This week's additions:

1) Umbrellas that are too small to keep the rain off. I'm guilty of purchasing them because they fit so nicely into my tote bags. But seriously, what's the freakin' point if I'm drenched by the time I get to the subway? (Yeah, it rained today.)

2) The freakin' waiting, man. I know that not every agent will love my book--and they must, if they want to sell it--but I keep hoping that the next agent I send it to will read it the same day and not be able to put it down, and love it SO MUCH that they have to call me right then and there. Hasn't happened yet. As of today, my novel is out with six agents. The longest any of them have had it is four weeks, which is a pretty short amount of time in agent-land. But a girl can dream, right?

Ok, I'm off to re-read my book for the billionth time and remind myself that I love it, even if no one else does.

Jealousy

2009-07-21T12:07:00.001-04:00

This weekend, I was in the laundromat and I spied a guy reading an advance copy of Suzanne Collins' forthcoming book CATCHING FIRE (due out September 1), the sequel to the incredible YA sci-fi novel THE HUNGER GAMES. I was so jealous, I nearly snatched it from his hand and took off running. But, instead, I engaged him in conversation, hoping maybe he worked for Scholastic and I could talk him into being a good neighbor and giving me a copy. He does not work there and he didn't let go of that book for one damn second. Harrumph.

When I initially read the synopsis for THE HUNGER GAMES, I was a bit shocked. My point: "Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place."

I thought, Why is this getting such great reviews? What a depressing concept! But, seriously, Ms. Collins is an amazing writer and she deserves every bit of praise that is heaped on her. Katniss is an incredibly well-developed main character. She's a strong, likeable narrator, but she's believable and makes mistakes that made me cringe with anxiety. Collins writes teen angst pretty well, and then she throws in a whopper of a learning curve with the "Hunger Games." Most of all, however, Collins created a dystopian society that is so real--and terrifying--that she and her methods should be studied. Love her!

So if you haven't read THE HUNGER GAMES, go out and buy it (or "rent it" from library, as my friend Kara would say). Because, according to the guy at the laundromat, the second one is even better. Hard to imagine, but I'm panting with excitement!

Ode to "Psych"

2009-07-20T00:17:00.000-04:00

One of my all-time favorite TV shows is coming back on August 7th! Psych is back for season four and I really wish more people I know watched it so I had someone to laugh with. Because it's seriously one of the funniest shows out there. My favorite part is the fake nicknames that Sean (James Roday) gives to his partner Gus (Dule Hill). A sampling:

So, please, start watching Psych so I have someone to talk about it with!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part...

2009-07-15T14:18:00.000-04:00

So, as of today, my manuscript is out with five agents and I've decided that it's time to stop querying and start waiting for responses. Sigh... I freaking hate the waiting! I'm not a patient person, but I am a sick combination of overly polite and highly anxious. This means that, while I'm waiting for a response from the agents who now hold my future in their hands, I'm pacing, second guessing myself, editing my book for the billionth time (I've rearranged, reworded, and then completely reverted to the orginal first chapter at least three times this week), composing politely-worded "checking in" emails that I then delete... You get the picture.

I'm also having trouble deciding if I should be working on book two in the Mortal Peril trilogy (25,000 words written, so far), or writing my new WIP (work-in-progress)--a YA dystopian sci-fi (6,000 words, so far).

Anyone have a new hobby I can try? I need something to take my mind off my anxieties.

Since I feel like dancing...

2009-07-13T16:52:00.001-04:00

Another request

2009-07-13T15:59:00.001-04:00

The book is now in the hands of THREE literary agents! (Insert hyperventilation here)

Sending the full manuscript to the newest requester (is that a word?) as I type this. Hope he likes it! The other two agents who requested it have been women. Wonder if gender makes a difference in how they feel about the book...

But this one feels especially good because it's the first blind query I've sent (i.e. I didn't know him or get an intro to him). At least I know my query letter works!

Ok, deep breath and...sent!

The Competition

2009-07-12T16:22:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned previously, I love YA books. But over the last eight months, or so, I've been reading a lot more than I used to, in order to size up the competition. I think the librarians at my local library are starting to talk behind my back because I'm there so often and 95% of the time I'm reading YA.

This weekend, I read Kelley Armstrong's The Awakening (not at all similar to Kate Chopin's book of the same name). The Awakening is book 2 of the Darkest Powers series and it's just as good as the first, The Summoning. I envy Armstrong's ability to write scenes of her teenaged characters discovering their terrifying, magical abilities. In her books, main character Chloe Saunders (though I'm not a fan of the name Chloe. It feels like a cliche teenager name.) is a necromancer--she can summon spirits of the dead. In several scenes, Chloe unintentionally summons those spirits back into their decaying bodies. Armstrong writes these incredibly chilling scenes; I cringe thinking about it.

Another character is a werewolf--or is becoming one. And the scenes where he is beginning to change are so well-detailed that I wish I'd written it as well in my own book! Anyway, if you have any interest in YA paranormal, pick up the first book in the Darkest Powers series. It's a quick read, but fun, engrossing, well-plotted, and a little bit stomach-churning, in the best possible sense.

Playing Hookie

2009-07-10T17:31:00.000-04:00

One of the perks of publishing is summer Fridays (which means from Memorial Day to Labor Day, we get out at 1 PM). In exchange for working all day next Friday, I took today off and Evan and I went to the beach.

The best thing about living in New York is that you really can find everything you want within the five boroughs. Today, we went to the beach in Rockaway in Queens and then ate hot dogs at Nathan's in Coney Island in Brooklyn. I also brought home a small piece of my childhood: cotton candy. Yum!

I also got the chance to finish Neil Gaiman's American Gods. The man is nothing short of a genius. That being said, it wasn't quite as good as I'd hoped it would be. By that, I mean that I wasn't as engrossed as I wanted to be. It didn't have the "I must know what happens!" quality. And yet I sit here hours later and I'm still thinking about the plot and the incredible imagination of the man himself. That's a good book.

You know what I hate?

2009-07-09T16:26:00.001-04:00

So at least once a week, my boyfriend Evan says: "You know what I hate?" and the answer is something hilariously ridiculous (for instance: Pixar and claymation movies). He even keeps a list on his Blackberry (I guess in case he forgets?).

So I'm starting my own list. Today's additions:
1) Being hungry shortly after just having eaten sushi. For as much money as it costs, sushi should be way more filling.
2) Automatic flush toilets. Maybe it's me, but it always flushes before I'm finished! And then again and again on my way out of the stall! What a waste! And automatic paper towel dispensers. Those suck, too.

So, tell me: what do you hate?

Mullet with headlights

2009-07-09T15:44:00.000-04:00

It's a first!

2009-07-08T22:32:00.000-04:00

I'm going to admit straight up that I don't spend a lot of time on the interweb. But I think I have to crawl out of the hole I've been hiding in and greet the sunlight. Or, rather, the florescent glow of my computer screen. Because this internet thing isn't going away and if I'm going to be a writer, I'd better get on board. I mean, I'm a publicist for Pete's sake! (That's right, I'm bringing Pete back.)

So here's where I talk about my novel: in a nutshell, it took me a long time to admit that I like fantasy and sci-fi. (Make that some fantasy and sci-fi.) It wasn’t literary and high-brow enough for me. But then a lovely Irish woman named Aine introduced me to the world of publicity and she threw in Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials as a free gift with purchase. From then on, I was hooked on young adult and children’s fantasy. (Aine, I named a character after you in my book!)

Fast forward five years and my sister introduced me to Twilight (I hear you laughing!) and I thought to myself: I can totally do this. (Thanks, Anna—I owe you for HP, too! I’d say I’ll never question you again, but we both know that’s not true.) So I did. In March, I sat down and, in about six weeks, I’d written the first draft of a trilogy (tentatively) titled Mortal Peril. Then I begged and pleaded for someone, anyone, to read it. (Thanks, Mom and Dad! And Meredith and Treece! Did you know you’re called “Beta Readers”? Way cool.) And they liked it!

So now, I'm working on getting it published (after various rounds of editing--this isn't my first draft, don't worry). You may be thinking: But, Lizzy, you work in publishing? How hard can it be?

It might be easier for me, I'll admit. At least, I hope. I have the help of some wonderful publishing insiders, but having agents read my writing still makes me want to throw up a little. The full manuscript is out with one agent, 50 pages with another. But it still has to be good for them to want to represent it. So now, I wait. (Insert panicked face here.) And, if they don't like it, then...I cry and move on to the next agent (or fifty).

And in the meantime, here’s a little teaser for MP (that's my book, for those of you not paying attention):

Lucy O’Neill always thought turning eighteen meant freedom—from school, from foster care, and, most importantly, from the group home where she lives. But when she meets a strangely entrancing boy named Eamon, he discloses that her eighteenth birthday also means fulfilling the bargain her dead parents made with the faeries. A deal that means she’ll be used as a sacrifice for the ritual Faerie tithe!

With three months until the tithe ceremony and Eamon standing guard, Lucy searches for her own way to bargain with the Queen of Faerie and, hopefully, find a way out of the deal her parents made. But as Lucy and Eamon grow closer, he discovers that she bears a birthmark identifying her as the “Mortalitas”—the one human who, if her blood is spilled by the faeries, will end their immortal lives.

Lucy’s all for it, of course, but Eamon convinces her that, now that she has the upper hand, they have the opportunity to stop the faeries from ever abducting a mortal again.

You're dying to read it, aren't you? :)