What is this writing journey without the friends made along the way? A lot less fun, for sure. So today, I want to spend a little time congratulating a couple of friends who have both revealed things to the world in the last week.
Image from Microsoft Clip Art Gallery
First, Meredith McCardle, who announced a BOOK DEAL last week! We met through blogging, and wound up at Weekend of Awesome together in July of this year (so I can profess first-hand just how awesome Meredith really is), and I couldn't be happier for her! Go here to read the news on her blog. So huge, huge congrats to Mer! I am SO incredibly happy for you!
Second, Susan Dennard released the cover for the second book in her SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY series yesterday, which is titled A DARKNESS STRANGE AND LOVELY. And guys? It's amazing. I can't get over the gorgeous colors or the detail on the dress. Just breathtaking. Congrats to Sooz for her fortune in cover design!
I’m going to run out to the book store right now to spot it on the shelf! (Yes, I pre-ordered it long ago, but I still want to see it in the actual store.)
(((Edited to add pictures of the actual book in the actual store!!)))
The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…
Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—
The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.
And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.
Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.
I have been waiting a very long time to finally post my review of this book. After all, it’s special to me. Susan was my first serious critique partner (that it sounds like dating is fitting, as finding that first crit partner you know you can trust is a big thing), and watching this book go from those early drafts to what it is now has been…amazing.
Okay, I could gush about how awesome Sooz is all day, but lets get on with the show!
Eleanor is such a fun character to read. She’s smart, opinionated, and willing to go after what she wants no matter the consequences. Being the daughter of an overbearing mother doesn’t bring her down either. If anything, it adds fuel to the fire for Eleanor to find her brother, whom she believes the dead have taken.
When the Spirit-Hunters step into the picture, things get really interesting. First of all, Daniel will make you swoon! Like, full on SWOON. And Joseph — the leader of the Spirit-Hunters – is one of my favorite characters ever. He’s a Creole gentleman who is doing his best to put the Dead back where they belong, battling evil spirits along the way. The thing I love about his character is how much depth he has. He’s caring, yet keeping secrets, and bold yet refined. Pluse I love, love, love his Creole dialect.
Every ounce of this story is packed with mystery and action. There are twists at every turn, and you won’t see them coming. From tugging on your romantic side to shiver-inducing encounters with the Dead, there isn’t a page of this book that won’t keep you wrapped in its spell.
THE BEST PART is that it releases in ELEVEN days!! July 24th, SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY will be available for everyone! (Click through to visit the SS&D website to watch the book trailer!) So go ahead and pre-order it or plan your trip to the bookstore, because I promise you don’t want to miss this one!
Even more fun though, is the scavenger hunt that’s happening! All around the site there are opportunities to find extra content related to the SS&D world AND the fabulous book trailor that Susan herself created. But the best part is that you have a chance to win a spot on the ARC tour OR a pre-order of SS&D!
So hurry over and see if you can find all the pieces to the hunt!
For the release of my friend Susan Dennard’s book SOMETHING STRANGE & DEADLY!
Sooz posted this widget on her blog, and well, in my excitement I decided I needed to share it with you too! Because ZOMG, we’re at less than two months to go!
So, are you guys as excited as I am??? Because SQUEEEEE!!!
Something I’ve realized over the last…how long have I been writing novels? Three years? Whatever. I realized that the whole “being a writer” thing isn’t what most people think it is.
Saying that to you guys is probably a DUH moment. If anyone gets it, it’s you. Still… I read some pretty awful stuff on the whole “being a writer” thing when I first started, and I’d like to have my voice out there on the subject. Think of this as my response to those shouting for new writers to just give up…
When I first started writing that very first novel (we’re only counting my adult years here, not the atrociousness I wrote as a child), I had this glamorous idea of what becoming a writer meant. There was this image in my head of how the system worked. You get a brilliant idea, you write it all down, make your own little sketches of your world and characters, and the brilliance of it all never fades.
Ha. I was delusional. Or mislead…or both.
So, for any writers out there just stepping into the arena, I’m here to tell you: Writing is hard. It takes more hours than I care to count to just write a novel, not to mention revise it, edit it, polish it, forming critique groups, etc. Writing well is even harder. And, well, the gigantic hurdle we call publishing…that one is the hardest.
Sometimes I look around and wonder what the hell I’m doing. I mean, I spend so very much time pursuing this dream, this goal, that I fear I’m letting it overtake where it shouldn’t. I’ve talked about that before — the fear of wasting my time. I don’t believe I am, I’m just saying the fear is there. It doesn’t go away. If anything the fear grows the longer I’m at this — the more time I spend away from Super Spawn buried in a manuscript.
Being a writer isn’t glamorous. It’s a lot of very hard work that will sometimes make you want to pull your hair out and scream. There are all sorts of fears that come with the territory, and they don’t go poof with publication either. But if this is something you love, if this is something that makes you happy, then don’t let anything hold you back.
All it means to be a writer is that you love to sit down and pen stories to the page. It’s not a guarantee that it will be easy, and it’s not a guarantee that you’ll love every moment of it. One thing you can be sure of as a writer though is that there is the most wonderful sense of community out there. So very many people feel the same way, go through the same emotions.
It has been said that being a writer is the loneliest work, but I beg to disagree. I have made some of my very, very best friends through my writing. I wouldn’t trade a moment of my journey for anything. Every step, every hurdle, every fall helps you grow.
As long as you love it, keep writing.
Speaking of friends…I also have a new review for you from the SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY ARC Tour!!
From Alicia at Slice of the Blog Pie:“There are a lot of things I like about this book: the amazing detail from the Victorian era Philly to the tightness of the prose. “ (Click through to read more.)
Are we ready to get the second SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY ARC Tour underway?! I am!!
To kick the tour off, I have a winner! The very first person to get to read SS&D on this ARC Tour is…
::DRUMROLL::
Amanda at Sisters Unedited!!!
::CONFETTI::
Congratulations, Amanda! You will have an email from me shortly with details.
Now, I know many of you really want to get your hands on this ARC. And what would an ARC Tour be without more participants? Right?
Of course. That’s why you’re going to have another chance to win a spot on this tour! Yep. Another raffle for one more spot, and later, something BIGGER AND COOLER is coming to give you EVEN MORE chances to read SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY before it releases in July!!!
Can I get a SQUEE?!
So, if you want to enter the next raffle, go to the SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY ARC Tour page on my blog and sign up. And keep your eyes on my blog and Susan’s blog for details on the upcoming opportunities to join in the fun! Trust me, you don’t want to miss this!!
I’ll tell ya, there’s nothing quite like the exhaustion that comes from sitting in a waiting room for twelve hours. That’s what I did on Monday. All is well, but my eyelids are still heavy.
Anyway, as I mentioned on Monday, I’m doing some real polishing on my WIP right now. You know, the part where you realize EVERY OTHER WORD in your manuscript is AROUND. lol
It’s LIKE everyone’s EYES are JUST looking AROUND to see SOMETHING. As if you can’t tell, those are my big offender words. I was absolutely cracking up at myself in the waiting room as I realized how many times I can use AROUND in a single page. Holy crap!
If you’ve never used WORDLE, do yourself a favor and check it out. I plug my MS in and when the word cloud pops up it’s glaringly obvious what I need to work on. You would be amazed at how much tighter a sentence gets by taking out that one word. Or how by reworking a few eye rolls into other actions can make the times your MC does roll her eyes much more meaningful.
I know this is probably the most tedious part of the revision process, but it’s also when that WIP starts to glow. So, this is your friendly reminder to keep your crutch words in check.
Tell me, do you do this in revision? Do you find it helpful or do you loathe it?
Make sure you don’t miss the latest review in the SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY ARC Tour from Katharine Owens!
And remember, you still have time to enter for a chance at a spot on the next ARC Tour, so go sign up!
As I mentioned on Monday, this week I’ve been focusing my writing-related-task on outlining these stories in my head. (Among other things, naturally. I’ve also read two really great books this week so far, and am beta reading. I enjoy staying busy. lol)
I’ve come to the simple conclusion that plots are hard. Very hard. Elusive even. It may have been only Monday that I was banging my fists on the desk as I complained that I have a head full of characters and nothing to do with them, and what good are characters without plot?!
*sigh*
One character in particular is driving me absolutely crazy. I’ve had a couple of false-starts (THREE so far) with her, but still can’t get her right, and she still refuses to leave me alone. Any time I try to work on another character, another idea, she barges to the front screaming, “What about me?” Then I have to fight off the urge to shake her when I say, “Then tell me your story.” But all she does is glare at me, her eyes smoldering from the intensity of whatever it is she’s hiding, with lips shut tight.
ARGH! She makes me feel like a crazy person.
I have found a good method for getting my ideas detailed and fleshed out though. Remember that five-page outline I mentioned Monday? Yep. Here’s my basic approach to that (Which, I’ve written three now, so maybe it’ll stick. Who knows.)
TITLE Outline:
Chapter 1
Hello, protag. Nice to meet you, let’s get you into some trouble.
Protag goes to school and is assaulted by a flying unicorn.
Protag fights back, discovering some secret hidden power for defending himself against flying unicorns.
Chapter 2
Protag escapes to a safe place.
Protag needs help, he has to find Weird Old Man Who Always Says Weird Things.
Weird Old Man’s house is even weirder than the man himself.
Etc. You get the idea, right? For each chapter I detail out who is in it, what happens, the conflict, and the motivation. This is why they wind up about five pages long.
This is most definitely ten steps farther than the last outline I worked with. And I’ll be honest and say I haven’t used it to write a book yet, but I will. I like that this way I can detail out, in advance, the arc of each chapter. Each chapter becomes a story within itself with a beginning, middle, and end and I don’t have to try to revise that in (like I’ve done many, many times before).
This way I have the opportunity to see where my plot is going to fall apart before I ever start writing, and can fix it. Or redo it — without losing 10k words. Been there, done that.
So do you guys have any plotting tips for me? What do you do to get those characters to spill their stories?
Also, you may want to hop over to the SS&D ARC Tour page…there is a little bit of a surprise there! Like, maybe another contest? Hurry, go see!
ACK! Sorry guys, I just realized my post didn’t actually post! Here it is!
So, guys, I have a pretty awesome surprise for you. I know, I know, I keep taunting you about it, just spill the beans already, right? Haha. That wouldn’t be half as much fun.
I made a video (vlog? video blog? Whatever…), but…eh. I’ll just tell you about it instead. Are you ready?
Somehow (perhaps with my magical powers) I managed to get my hands on an ARC (so, more like authorly kindness than magic)…but not just any ARC. I have a copy of my lovely friend Susan Dennard’s debut SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY!!!
***SQUEE!!***
It’s beautiful and shiny and all I could do when I received it was stare and marvel at the amazingness of it all. Then, naturally, I devoured the story in a single sitting. Of course. (Let me tell you, coolest reading experience ever.) IT IS MADE OF AWESOME, people! See?!
There’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…
Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—
The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.
And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.
Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.
I will be doing my own review later on, but let’s just say that Daniel is perhaps the most swoon-worthy character ever, and Eleanor’s strength is unparalleled!
But what’s so exciting about this for you guys? That’s where the fun begins. You see, promotion is a big part of a book’s release, and so to help get the word out there about this amazing story, I’m going to host an ARC TOUR!
Yep, you read that right, an ARC Tour for SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY!
Here’s the deal…I’ve got one book, and the only way to get some buzz going is to get people reading it. So I’m “giving away” spots on the ARC tour. Five of them to be exact.
FIVE!! That’s a lot of chances to win and read this book before it releases in July! (And even if you don’t win, you can pre-order it at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and the Book Depository!)
How does an ARC Tour work? Easy. I choose FIVE winners, line them up, and we ship the book from one person to the next. So, it’s shipped to you, you ship it to the next in line, etc. After you read it, all I ask is that you take a minute to tell someone about it. Blog it, Tweet it, put it on your Goodreads list, or just exclaim about it to everyone who comes within a three-foot-radius of you. That’s what I do! (The only people seeing your address will be me and the person shipping the book to you, so it won’t be broadcast into the stratosphere.)
Actually, the tour has already begun, and tomorrow you’ll all get to read the first review of SS&D over on Erinn’s blog, where there will be another chance to enter the contest!
Just to top it off, you’ll get five chances to enter the contest this week! Each day a different blog is going to feature Susan and SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY, and she has even done a couple of guest posts for us. I’ll be linking to them here every morning, so make sure you pay attention!
Now, what would an ARC Tour be without an author interview? Susan was kind enough to answer some questions for me, so read on to see what she has to say about her experience with SS&D.
What would you say was your favorite part of writing SS&D?
Honestly, I think writing was a nightmare! My early drafts were so bad. Just BAD. But revising–now that’s where I enjoy the book process! Rewriting and finally getting to the heart of the story I meant to tell, finally finding Eleanor’s voice, finally isolated how Eleanor finds her strength in the face of nightmares (zombies! Spirits! OH MY!)–I learned so much about myself during that process.
I know you did many revisions to the story, and I know revisions as a whole are not an easy undertaking, but did you have a round that stands out as the most difficult? What helped you work through that?
The first round was probably the hardest in terms of work load. The story was just NOT the story I’d intended to tell. It was sort of fluffy, two-dimensional, and just…wrong. I wanted a dark story (I mean, people are dying–it’s not a “light” topic!), wanted a heroine that moved from a place of naivety to a position of experience. A place of dependence to INdependence.
The final rounds (round ten? Twelve? SO MANY, CANNOT EVEN COUNT! ) were also extremely hard because I was so burned out on the story, so tired of revising, so SICK of going back through those 400 pages. BUT, I also knew the book wasn’t where it needed to be. It needed more polish, needed all loose ends and subplots tied up, needed a smash-bang ending, etc. So I kept on powering through until I felt I’d made the book the absolute best it could possibly be. (And you did a fantastic job, by the way.)
Your journey through the publication process was fierce and fast, I know. What was it like for you during the time of getting an agent and a book deal?
A WHIRLWIND! I was on vacation and barely had access to the internet when I was querying. I figured I wouldn’t hear from anyone for a while, so I sent out my queries and then went off to the south of France for a week…only to get requests for fulls the same day! Then a few days later, I got my first offer of representation.
Once I decided to sign with Nancy Coffey Literary, we went through a quick round of revisions, and two weeks later, I went on subs. I was pretty nervous, obsessively checking my email, trying to do ANYTHING but think of my book in editors’ hands.
Fortunately, I didn’t have too stress out too long. Harper made an offer six days later, and after a day of negotiations, I was an official HarperTeen gal!!
Honestly, I feel like my luck with that book all boils down to two things: how much I revised the book before I even began querying (I totally over-revised! But maybe my perfectionism paid off…er right?) and timing. The premise for Something Strange and Deadly was exactly what my editor was looking for at that exact moment, so it was all very “stars aligning”, you know? I realize exactly how lucky I am with all this!
Now, since you’ve only got a few more months before SS&D is out in the wild, what are you planning to do to celebrate? Champagne for sure, right?
Champagne for SURE! Haha. I have a very fancy-shmancy bottle that I’ve been saving for years for a “special” occasion…but I didn’t drink it when I got married, nor after I sold the book–they just weren’t special enough events! But perhaps the actual release will be special enough.
I think I’ll also try to have a launch party and just spend time with my family, friends, and writing buddies. Something low-key, relaxing, and FUN! And perhaps with…steampunk costumes?!
That sounds like loads of fun, Sooz! Thank you so much for contributing to our event this week, answering questions, and being generally awesome.
Here’s what you guys need to do…fill out the form below to enter the contest. That’s it! Easy as pie. (It is only open for US residents though, sorry guys. Shipping times and all.)
Now, if you’d like to help us get the word out, we’d really appreciate your tweets/blogging/facebooking or whatever method you prefer. It’s not required, but tweeting will earn you extra entries.
I will be announcing winners next week! Good luck!
Here it is!
My early drafts were so bad. Just BAD. But revising–now that’s where I enjoy the book process! Rewriting and finally getting to the heart of the story I meant to tell, finally finding Eleanor’s voice, finally isolated how Eleanor finds her strength in the face of nightmares (zombies! Spirits! OH MY!)–I learned so much about myself during that process.