What's Your Thought On That

The Dreaded Author Photo

2012-01-26T13:35:00.000-08:00

I'm not a published author yet. But I am a firm believer in the old adage, "Fake it till you make it." Thus, I feel like I need an official author photo to do a really good job faking myself into authorhood.*

I've studied a LOT of writer's pics to prep myself for the grand day when I actually have a picture taken of myself that is neither a self-portrait nor includes children. I want the perfect pose, the perfect lighting. I want my author photo to say, "Hi! I'm Becky. Thanks so much for reading my book. See how cute and nice I am? Don't you want to buy every book with my name on it?"

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Can't my photo say that?

Okay...maybe not quite. But, here are some author photos that I think speak volumes:

I Write High Fantasy. Can't You tell?

Terry Goodkind

Robert Jordan

I don't think I'm cut out to write high fantasy. I lack facial hair and the ability to intimidate the pants off you. I think I fit better in the next category.

Cuties Who Crunch

Kasie West

Natalie Whipple

Kiersten White

See how they're all leaning on something? This is a pose I think I can pull off. They're all in my age group, all write YA, and all have multi-book deals. Maybe if I mimic them, I'll end up in the same category. Hopefully.

Authors Who Never Change (I'm talking about their faces, not their books....At least mostly)

Mary Higgins Clark

Sandra Brown

Really...I think the title is explanation enough. If not, here are their birth years, respectively: 1927 and 1948. Now do you get what I'm saying? With enough bestsellers (and Botox), I could totally slide into this group (in about fifty years).

Authors Who Look Like They Could be Your Neighbor

Rick Riordan

Lezlie Evans

Rick Riordan looks just like my next door neighbor and Lezlie Evans is my neighbor. I could also title this category, Authors Who Just Look Like Normal People. That's because in Lezlie's case at least, it's true. (Not to say Riordan isn't normal, I don't actually know him.)

Authors Who Are Secretly Models

Sarah J. Maas

Tyra Banks

This category was a lot more fun before Tyra got in the mix. I mean really, isn't being pretty good enough for you? Being published would be good enough for me.

Authors Who are So Awesome They Don't Even Have to Look at the Camera

Nicole Krell**

Becca Fitzpatrick

Brodi Ashton

I'm not saying these authors are too cool to look at us. More likely they're just shy...the kind of people who are so humble about their work that they get uncomfortable when we go fan-crazy over them. (I'm basing this assumption on their tweets, and of course, tweets tell you everything about an author.)

Authors Who are So Rich They Have Their Photos Taken in Their Own Personal Libraries

Stephenie Meyer

I looked for a picture of JK Rowling to put into this category, but then I found photos of her in her swimsuit. Not that it was bad, but I just couldn't bare (haha) to add her to this post. I'm obviously not quite ready for this particular style of picture. Yet.

Authors Who are Really Crazy Cat Ladies

Goldie Hawn in DEATH BECOMES HER

Please tell me I'm not the only person who remembered Goldie Hawn's character was an author in Death Becomes Her! The characterization there was dead on. She's solitary, eats too much crap, lives with like forty-seven cats, and writes torrid, steamy romance novels. Some authors have incredible imaginations because their realities suck. (That is not a commentary on my life!)

This post is getting mighty scroll-y, thanks to the fact that my photoshop is still not functional. So I'll have to leave the other categories for another post.

Until then, which category do you fit into? Or are you in a category of your own?

*A good picture will only help an awesome manuscript along. Right?
**Nicole isn't actually published yet, either. I'm all about encouraging cosmic mojo.

Best Laid Plans

2012-01-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

I always have good intentions. Always.

Sort of like I intended to do a post discussing (read: poking fun at) author photos. And then Photoshop decided to freak out and eat all my work. Sad face.

Hopefully, I'll get them up tomorrow.

Until then, I'm going to work on my WIP...which I also had plans for and they've all gone awry.

Back to the drawing board.

This One Goes Out to the Fans

2012-01-19T07:22:00.000-08:00

Come on. Fess up. I know you all dream about what you'll write on your dedication page once you get one.

Well...I'm assuming you do because I do it all the time. I think the dedication says a lot about an author, their motivations, and their interests. Except in some cases, where the dedication doesn't mean anything at all.*

I could go with something sweet and romantic like:

For my wonderful husband, who held my hand (expect when I was typing) through this whole process.

Which I think means that I'm devoted and maybe...fluffy?

Or maybe I go with lyrics from a song:

To Jamie:

"A distant ship, smoke on the horizon.

You are only coming through in waves."

--Pink Floyd

See! Now you think I'm cryptic and interesting. And you're probably wondering who in the world Jamie is and why I would dedicate an entire novel to this person.

There are always the funny dedications like:

For Mr. Snugglebottoms, my cat, for keeping my feet warm while I sat at the computer.

Which probably would make me a crazy cat lady who doesn't own socks, ever leaves home, or eats vegetables.

Or the ones that make you just feel uncomfortable:

For my witchy second grade teacher who said I'd never amount to anything. Haha! Suck it!

And then you'd expect a novel full of angst and anger, and either love me or avoid meeting me at conferences.

Last but not least, are the ones that make you wonder why the author wrote a dedication at all:

To English: Where would I be without you?

Seriously...English?!?! In that case, I might as well devote a book to chocolate.

If you had to write a book dedication today, which style would you go with? Are you romantic, fluffy, grateful, cryptic, scary, funny? What does the dedication say about you personally?

*The idea for this post was the result of the dedication in Maureen Johnson's new book, THE NAME OF THE STAR. I can't remember the person's name, but she thanked them for the milk. Well...okay then. Dairy is really important to some people.

How Do You Get to The End

2012-01-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

I hit 50,000 words yesterday. I know, I know, I'm the slowest writer ever.

Here's my problem: I have two different ways to end the story and I honestly don't know which one is right.

My plan is to write the one I've started, beta it around, and then determine if I should take the story a different direction. Sometimes my CPs will slap me and say, "It can't end like this. You left XYZ too loose, you didn't tie off this thread."

That's just one of the many reasons, I love my CPs.

Do your stories have alternate endings? How do you decide which one is best?

Whatever Happened to Being Polite?

2012-01-13T11:11:00.000-08:00

Grocery shopping with three very small children is always an adventure, but today it almost turned into a bloodbath.

An older woman--whom I will politely nickname Grouchy Grandma--whipped around the corner and clipped my three-year-old with her cart. Instead of helping my little girl up, Grouchy Grandma said, "You should really watch where's she's going." Then literally tapped her foot while I picked my child up and moved her out of the way.

Grouchy Grandma didn't say she was sorry, didn't ask if my daughter was okay (she's fine, didn't even cry), and blasted past us like we were slowing her down.

Honestly, I'm so sick of this crap. I'm sick of rude people. Can't we all just try to be nice again?

Author Blurb Your Life

2012-01-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Someday I'm going to write an awesome book and bestselling authors are going to clamber for the opportunity to say nice things about it. Then my super-mega-publisher will print the compliments on the back of my beautiful dust jackets.

Until then, I've decided to write some blurbs about other (not-quite-awesome) things in my life like:

DIRTY LAUNDRY

"Gritty and shocking...surprises in unexpected places."

"Overwhelming and epic. I never thought it was going to end."

"Wrapped up perfectly. Not one wrinkle left unironed."

or maybe:

BECKY'S COUNTRY KITCHEN

"Delightful and fulfilling."

"Something for every member of your family!"

"A little cheesy for my taste, but still satisfying."

or my personal favorite:

THE SCREAMING BABY

"Kept me up all night."

"I'll never be able to sleep again."

"I Could. Not. Put. It. Down!"

Now it's your turn! Can you Author Blurb something from your life? It's kind of fun!

What To Do When Your Manuscript is Totaled

2012-01-09T05:42:00.000-08:00

I've only been in one bad car accident in my life.

A chick in a fancy sports car ran a red light and T-boned my dad's not-so-sweet Chevy S-10, spinning it around and slamming it into a light pole. I always rode shotgun (sans seat belt because I was stupid like that), but managed to walk away with minor injuries. Dad made it out okay, but the truck...Ole' Blue Belle didn't survive.

With a twisted frame and severe body damage, she just wasn't worth fixing.

And sometimes that's how I feel about my WIPs.

Revision can repair lots of problems, but sometimes there is just so much rewriting to be done that it's better to start off fresh. (FYI: Sara Zarr author of a PW 2011 Best Book always starts her first revision in a new doc and retypes every word).

Maybe you have a premise problem or maybe the story would be better told in first instead of third (a crisis I face all the time). Whatever the issue, when you get to the point that you know it's not salvageable, DO NOT FEAR! There are a few things you can do with your WIP that may save you from a mental/emotional breakdown:

Look for scrap metal: In Blue Belle's case, one door, her bumper, and a couple of tires were all still in working order. Maybe your WIP has large salvageable parts. It could be a character who, with a few small tweaks, could slip into a new ms. Or maybe it's a handful of scenes that are so good they can fit into a different plot. Look hard! There is something there worth saving.
Don't ignore the spare parts: Pop the hood, look inside. What really made your ms go? In Blue Belle's case, her radiator was shot but her actual engine still worked. There were plenty of things that could set another truck into motion. For me, the spare parts are phrases, a description, an allusion or simile. I hate seeing good writing go to waste, so pull out your best stuff and save it in a file for later. The next time you need to describe say...a forest, or goosebumps you'll have something to fall back on.
Grab the garter and go: Once you've dug around for all the actual chunks of writing you can recycle, don't forget the memories. My brother has a garter hanging from his review mirror and I guarantee that when his '91 Toyota is pushed through the gritty gates of the salvage yard, that garter is moving on to his next vehicle. You had to learn something while you worked on the now-totaled WIP. Figure out what it was and tuck it into your pocket for next time. I promise you'll be glad you did.

When it's all said and done, you'll look back and be grateful for this WIP. Then you'll chirp the lock on your new tricked out truck (complete with a roll bar, some mad chrome, and a trailer hitch) and drive off into the sunset.

And with that I'm metaphored out for the rest of the day.

What Books Stick With You?

2012-01-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

As a kid, I read Lloyd Alexander's Black Cauldron series cover to cover at least twice a year every year. I loved the characters, the stories, the settings. I really need to go buy the boxed set to have in my home.

There aren't many books that lodge themselves in my brain, or that I turn to when I'm in a specific mood. But if you're looking for literary comfort food, here's my list:

Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell): For me, there isn't one other female main character that I love and want to slap as much as Scarlett O'Hara.
Jamaica Inn (Daphne duMaurier): It's got a super creepy setting, murder, mystery, and a totally delicious bad boy. Many of you may remember duMaurier from her novel Rebecca, but I promise Jamaica Inn is better.
Parts of most of Cassandre Clare's books: Yes, I said parts...like the kissing parts. She writes the best first kisses.
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens): I know it's completely melodramatic, but I love the story. Sorry.
If it's Halloween, I usually read Dean Koontz: They give me horrific nightmares, which I guess makes me twisted. And yet, I usually like to scare myself stupid.

And that, my friends, is all I can think of off the top of my head.

What books do you pick up and read over and over?

How TWILIGHT Changed My Life

2012-01-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time I had a job. I was the executive editor for a small sports marketing company. I loved it. I spent my days talking to VPs of professional sports teams and college athletic directors. Then I wrote up all the smart things they had to say, published it, and occasionally got interviewed by major news outlets as an "expert" on Sports Business.

It was awesome.

Then I got pregnant with No. 2, which was also awesome, but involved lots of puking, dizziness, and not being able to function. So I quit.

I got better and so bored. Not that I wasn't busy cleaning, cooking, and caring for my beautiful little family, but I didn't feel special any more. I went from "Hi, I'm Becky. Did you see my interview on ESPN?"*  to "Hi, I'm Becky. Would you like a cookie?" It didn't have quite the same...umph.

I could have gone back to work but I couldn't imagine myself leaving my babies in someone else's care.  Instead, I went to the library.  At least once every week, I'd check out seven novels and read one per day.

Fantasy, Westerns, Mysteries, Literature. I devoured it all. Literally, starting at A and working my way to Z. But I never, ever ventured into the Teen section. I was in my twenties. I didn't read "kid" books.

Then my sister called me and said, "Oh my gosh, you have to read this book, Twilight. Even though it's a teen book, you'll love it!" Mind you, this was in the summer of 2007 right before the third book in the series released.

I'm not going to lie. A very pregnant me, my teenage sister and my dad were in line at Barnes and Noble to get Eclipse the night it released (my dad actually bought my copy and wrote a sweet note inside. He's a very good man).

On my next library trip, I found the teen section and never left.

I wasn't the first person swayed to YA by Twilight.

But reading kidlit wasn't the only thing that the glittery vampires did for me. I remember closing the cover and saying to myself, "Stephenie Meyer is like me. She's a stay-at-home mom who had a good idea for a story. I can do this."

Yeah...me and 85,000 other women decided that if Stephenie Meyer could get published so could we.

Some of them have actually succeeded.

So whether or not you liked the Twilight series, it has had a huge impact on the writing community and YA novels in general.

Did Twilight have any effect on you?

*Like I'd ever actually say that. It was more like, "Oh my gosh, you saw that? Did I sound as stupid as I felt?"

The Obligatory New Year's Post

2012-01-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I should probably post something motivational--something that encourages everyone to set great goals for 2012. But really, I'm more worried about getting the aphid tree OUT OF MY HOUSE.

I've been a good mother/wife/decorator for this long, but it's got to go. The garbage truck is coming!

HOOOOORAAAAAY!!!

(But go set goals and we'll talk about them another day. Or not. Whatever.)

Book Review: ON A DARK WING (Jordan Dane)

2011-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

From Goodreads: The choices I had made led to the moment when fate took over. I would learn a lesson I wasn't prepared for. And Death would be my willing teacher.

Five years ago, Abbey Chandler cheated Death. She survived a horrific car accident, but her "lucky" break came at the expense of her mother's life and changed everything. After she crossed paths with Death—by taking the hand of an ethereal boy made of clouds and sky—she would never be normal again.

Now she's the target of Death's ravens and an innocent boy's life is on the line. When Nate Holden—Abbey's secret crushes—starts to climb Alaska's Denali, the Angel of Death stalks him because of her.

And Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.

When I saw the cover of ON A DARK WING, I immediately thought, “Oh…grand. Another pretty-angel-boy-falls-in-love-with-a-stupid-mortal-girl. This is getting almost as cliché as shapeshifters and vampires.”

Folks, do not let the cover fool you. There is no pretty angel boy. A ghostly, eye-glowing, apparition of Death, yes, but no angel.

Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. This was the image my mind conjured when Jordan Dane described Death.

There are a few other things that made ON A DARK WING stand out from so many of the lookalike YA paranormal romance novels that saturate the market.

Voice: Sarcasm, snarkiness, rude humor. You’ll find all of those in a lot of YA books, but Jordan Dane takes Abbey’s voice to a laugh out loud level. Like where I actually laughed audibly. For instance:

“I had to navigate the crowded halls like salmon swimming upstream to get my rocks off on some eggs. “

Or when Abbey is talking to her BFF on Taco Tuesday.

“Are you going to eat…?”

“Don’t even think about it.” I glared at him. I wasn’t so wrapped up with crushing on Nate that I’d let Tanner scarf a taco off my tray, not on my watch. “Damn, dude. You’re like a human garbage disposal. Seriously. You’ve got a tapeworm or something.”

“I’m blessed with a healthy metabolism. It runs in my family.”

“Yeah well…I wish you’d share it with me.”

…I had totally justified body image issues, but never cared enough to go cold-turkey off the junk food, and forget about breaking a sweat. Exercise was for mice in a cage with a wheel and nothing better to do.”*

Setting: The novel is set in Alaska…which is practically my personal hell. And yet, Jordan Dane managed to make it appealing. At least to visit. Her descriptions of the mountains, lakes, twisting roads, glaciers are vivid and intricate.

Point of View: I’m reading along, happy to laugh at Abbey’s funny voice. And then I got to page 56 (at least that’s the page it was on my e-galley) and suddenly the story jumps from Abbey’s first person, past tense telling of events to a third-person overview of a completely different character.

I know. What the heck?

After the initial jump, I started to expect the changes and actually enjoyed the four additional perspectives. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that jumped POVs like this…or at least done it successfully. It was a great way to introduce and add depth to a fairly large cast of characters.

Issues: Abbey is plagued by guilt over her mother’s death, typical teenage body issues, a difficult relationship with her father, and bullying from her peers. Jordan Dane managed to weave all these threads into the story to give her main character a strong arc, which led up to an ending that was satisfying.

ON A DARK WING was not at all what I expected. And that’s a good thing.

*Excerpts are from the Galley version and may not appear as quoted in final version.

The ON A DARK WING by Jordan Dane sponsored by HarlequinTeen Blog Tour kicks off December 19 and ends January 2, followed by a live chat with Jordan Dane on January 5 at 7:00 PM EDT.

GRAND PRIZE: Jordan Dane is giving away a Kindle Fire to one lucky person!!! Contest rules are posted using the Rafflecopter entry form. Please click here to enter.

PRIZES: Ten blog stops along the tour will be hosting giveaways for signed copies of ON A DARK WING with a secret gift from Abbey Chandler. Rules for each giveaway will be posted on the blogger's site using Rafflecopter.

WINNERS will be announced at the live chat with Jordan Dane on January 5, so make sure you're there!

Holiday Season Book Binge

2011-12-26T17:42:00.000-08:00

I do not expect anyone to read all of these reviews because there are like a million (or six). So feel free to judge a book by its cover and only read whatever interests you.

Here's my one little caveat: I only post reviews when I can say mostly positive things about the book. So in my mind, every book I've listed today would receive at least 3.5 out of 5 stars...not that I give stars, or purses, or stilettos, or any of those cutesy things real book reviewers give.

Oh! I didn't include a synopsis with every cover because that is such a space hog. But I've linked all the TITLES to their Goodreads descriptions for your ease and convenience (see how I love you?)

Review No. 1

Think Robert Downey Jr.’s version of Sherlock Holmes, but make him a seventeen-year-old girl. Y.S. Lee’s THE AGENCY: THE TRAITOR AND THE TUNNEL was so good that I purchased the two previous novels in the series.

Criminal-turned-spy, Mary Quinn, poses as a maid in Buckingham Palace to catch a petty thief, but stumbles across a more sinister issue in Queen Victoria’s castle. The third (and hopefully not final installment) reunites Mary with a well-developed cast of characters, including rival/potential love interest James Easton.

There are three things that make this novel so freaking fantastic: 1) The dialogue: I love, love, love the witty, humorous jabs Mary and James toss at each other throughout the entire series. 2) The setting: The author brings 1850s London to life with all the bustle, haze, and stench you could imagine would afflict industrial-era England. It’s incredibly well-researched and the details are fascinating without being overwhelming. 3) The stakes: Just when you think things can’t get any more difficult for Mary, Lee twists the plot another notch. There is so much internal conflict, external conflict, and tension among the characters that you breeze through the story and are sad to find it finished.

I loved this series and hope to see more of Y.S. Lee’s work in the future both as additional novels to THE AGENCY trilogy and other stories.

Review No. 2

Anyone out there a fan of X-Men? If so, then you will either totally love or totally hate Tahereh Mafi's SHATTER ME.

Remember Rogue? The girl who couldn't touch anyone without harming/killing them? This is basically her story set in a post-apocalyptic world (I can't say dystopian because the government is too broken to be falsely utopian).

So if you can get over the similar characters, you will probably love the writing. I did. In fact, at one point I said out loud, "Oh my gosh. She is so freaking good." Tahereh Mafi and I could never be friends (not like that would happen any way) because I worship her style. For instance:

"I spent my life folded between the pages of books.
In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters. I lived love and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association. My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, bone to sinew, thoughts and images all together. I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction.”

Honestly. Who writes like that? Besides Laini Taylor and you know...like Shakespeare. Just re-reading that paragraph makes me want to delete every word document I ever created.

Review No. 3

Here's the thing about WITHER: I really didn't love it. The problem wasn't anything in the novel, the problem was me. The story just made me so...sad. And I'm pretty sure that was the author, Lauren DeStefano's, goal.

The setting is interesting--genetic mutations resulting in the death of females at age 20 and males at age 25--but certainly bleak. The characters are forced into a sort of polygamist breeding program which is both awful and gross. Pregnant fourteen-year-olds is always depressing.

So with that said, you can see what I had a problem with. But the writing was hauntingly beautiful and the characters and their relationships were so vivid.

If you don't mind leaving a story feeling like you may need a zanax, then WITHER will probably be a good book for you. If you want to read to escape, then I'd pick something else.

Review No. 4

I’m a sucker for Civil War-era historical fiction. And I would have loved ALIAS DRAGONFLY if I wasn’t familiar with THE AGENCY.

ALIAS DRAGONFLY is well-researched and engaging (who doesn’t love the idea of a teenage spy working to protect her country?). The plot moves nicely; there was never a point where I wanted to skim or just read the dialogue.

Maddie is an interesting main character, but I didn’t understand her. She reminds me of a teenager with Asperger’s Syndrome—highly-intelligent but unable to assimilate in social situations. I’m not sure whether or not that was intentional, but it made it difficult to believe her budding relationship with the young reporter, Jake Whitestone. I could see all the reasons she would like him, but besides her bravery, I’m not sure why he would be interested in her. Especially since the author made it clear that the rest of Maddie’s community thought she was odd.

The rest of the characters are well-written and convincing, but my lack of attachment to Maddie made the story merely good instead of stellar.

Review No. 5

A TOUCH OF POWER was a pleasant surprise.

I quit reading fantasy for a while because I felt like all the worlds, characters, powers were blending together in unidentifiable lump. And while the constructs of this world (fifteen realms, eleven kinds of magic, power struggles for the thrones and domination of peoples) are typical, there are some interesting elements. Like giant flowers that eat people.

The main character Avry, is an empathic Healer, and the last of her kind. The Healers were hunted and killed for creating and spreading a plague that decimated the population. She’s exposed after healing a dying child, and eventually rescued from prison by a band of men who appreciate her power and want to use it to heal one of their friends.

The plot is interesting and has a few good twists, but the characters carry the story. While I didn’t adore Avry, I liked her and appreciated the elasticity of her relationship with the leader of the band, Kerrick. Maria V. Snyder does a nice job building tension between them as the story develops and the stakes increase. My favorite character by a long mile was the teddy bear-like Belen. He rounds out the cast of characters and provides some light moments.

The end of the story is satisfying and I look forward to reading the next installment of the series.

Review No. 6

THE WARRIOR HEIR originated my love for all things Cinda Williams Chima. Since reading the novel when it released in 2006, I have purchased every one of Chima’s novel and am anxiously awaiting the final installment of The Seven Realms Series.

As in her other novels, Chima creates characters in THE WARRIOR HEIR that are vibrant, real and believable. Her settings are lovely without bogging down the plot with description. And her storylines are fast-paced and action-packed.

I will BUY every book with her name on the cover.

Okay folks. Tune in Wednesday for my review of Jordan Dane's ON A DARK WING and info about a contest. On Friday, we'll dissect everything I learned in this reading binge and hopefully identify some trends, themes, and lessons.

Happy Holidays!

Someone Please Explain the Appeal of Mr. Darcy

2011-12-19T19:24:00.000-08:00

It is a truth universally acknowledged that women everywhere love Mr. Darcy...except me. I've read Pride and Prejudice multiple times and I've tried, really, really tried to figure out what it is that makes this (to quote my uncle) the greatest love story of all time.

I've made this complaint before and my dear friends said, "It's just the time period that you have a problem with. The writing style was different then." Yes, I know.

In an effort to greater understand the Austen infatuation, I read other novels from bordering eras -- Frankenstein, Dracula, all the Bronte works (Wuthering Heights wasn't better, per se), and the entire Sherlock Holmes collection. It didn't help. I still want to slap Elizabeth and Darcy upside the heads and yell, "Spit it out. You take so freaking long to say nothing."

So knowing my lack of devotion to all things P&P, it will probably surprise you to know that I spent last night reading this:

And that I actually enjoyed it. The main character, conveniently named Jane, is infatuated with Colin Firth's portrayal of Mr. Darcy. (I haven't seen that version, but I'm assuming it's not tremendously different from the novel). Jane's great aunt dies, leaving her an all-expenses paid vacation to Austenland--three weeks of Austen-era immersion.

Jane wants to kick her Darcy habit (which again, I totally don't understand) and quit looking for the ideal man. (Sidenote: The Darcy in the 2005 P&P remake reminded me of Edward Scissorhands, and succeeded in making me feel uncomfortable every time he was on the screen. Dude looks like he needed an extra-strength laxative.)

While I can't fathom the Darcy love, there were other things about the book that were great: dialogue, character interaction, and a tiny bit of intrigue.

So if you're looking for a quick, clean, romance, Austenland was a pleasant read.

But I still find Mr. Darcy unattractive, arrogant, long-winded and judgemental.

Ridicule me at will.

Aspirations...or lack there of

2011-12-15T06:29:00.000-08:00

An author friend and I got into a debate over the "point" of our manuscripts. She writes to fight social injustice, to change perception, to teach a lesson. My goal is a little less lofty: to tell a good story.

She was surprised that I hadn't set my sights a little higher and felt I was selling myself short.

Maybe I am.

Or not. I think providing entertainment and escape is wonderful and worthy of my effort. Honestly, I spent so much time in high school and college searching for an author's meaning and underlying message that I don't want to do it with my own writing.

I don't think that makes me shallow, I just have a different end game.

Do your stories have a point?

I'm Not Writing Today

2011-12-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

Not because I don't want to, but because of this...

Everyone of those little black dots is a giant aphid that HATCHED IN MY CHRISTMAS TREE. I vacuumed before I went to bed last night and woke up to about 300 more carcasses.

This comes on the heels of The Great Mouse Invasion of 2011. We've caught TEN MICE so far. That was my breaking point and the exterminator will be here this afternoon.

The scary part of this story is that I'm obsessively clean, but these icky, disgusting things keep happening to me. I'm ready to yell, "Moses! Come take your people. I'm so done with this pestilence."

I'm headed to re-wrap all my presents now since they are covered in squashed bug bodies.

May your day be full of written words and your tree full of nothing but ornaments and lights.

Why the Writing Community is Awesome

2011-12-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, not that long ago, I used to keep a gratitude journal. Everyday I'd try to find three things to be thankful for and write them down.

We moved, I lost the journal, and got out of the habit.

Until yesterday. My cute friend saw this one and bought it for me. (First entry should be: I'm grateful to have such fantastic friends).

I didn't actually write anything down last night. I wanted to take my time, write neatly, put some thought into what I had to say. It's the first page of my new journal, so it should be good.

Then this morning, I exchanged emails with the perfectly lovely Trisha Wolfe. We chatted about her new book, DESTINY'S FIRE* and her upcoming blog tour and contest.

I went to her website, clicked on some links, and checked out her other blog YA Bound. From there I could go to dozens of different author sites, publishing houses, twitter feeds. And it struck me that one of the things I should be grateful for is the writing community.

We're all interconnected via social media and the writing-focused forums. We teach, cheer-on, console, critique, and support each other. We're co-workers, confidantes, and friends.

I just love you guys!

Okay, enough cheese with the side of grateful-sauce. In all seriousness, I do feel really thankful for all the awesome people I've met while trying to turn writing into a profession.

Muchas gracias.

*BTW: In case you were wondering about DESTINY'S FIRE, it's a unique blend of steampunk and fantasy. Trish packed the novel full of interesting powers, swoon worthy characters, and a couple of make-out scenes hot enough to defrost my windshield. Definitely spicier than anything I've ever written! Check out her blog for more info and upcoming contest details.

(Note: I just picked Critter No.2 up from preschool. After witnessing a horrific tantrum, I realized how grateful I am for my kids. Looks like I've got my three entries for the day!)

Sounding Real

2011-12-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

I wasn't eavesdropping...at least not intentionally. But this lady (mother of another teenager, maybe?) was talking so loudly to this group of kids that I couldn't help but hear.

She was really pretty, mid-thirties, well-dressed. And the boys were...you know...floppy-haired, sixteen-ish, typical.

I'm not sure about the context of the conversation, but I hope she was asking for the boy's phone number for her daughter, not herself.

The lady patted the least-pimply (I don't dare say cutest...ew) of the boys on the arm and giggled. Then she said, "I mean, seriously! Awkward." The last word was in a sort of high-pitched, operatic vibrato.

A couple of boys at the back of the group exchanged looks and their shoulders started shaking with silent laughter.

The conversation went on for a few more uncomfortable minutes that I did not stick around to overhear.

As I drove home, I couldn't help but think about how hard the Cougar/Mom was trying to sound like a teenager, to speak to the kids on their level. And failing. Miserably.

The effect was both creepy and forced.

Luckily for readers, the creepy-factor doesn't usually carry over -- I try not to imagine the unshowered bathrobed-wearing, over-caffeinated author who wrote the hot make-out scene between two sixteen-year-olds (again with the ewwww).

But sometimes the voice of a character sounds similarly forced or inauthentic. The writer's mistake can be obvious because of poor word choice or vocabulary. Other times the character's tone is off or their knowledge/outlook isn't appropriate for their age category.

What do you do make sure the voice of your characters are right for their age and background?

To try avoid cringe-worthy mistakes, I try to stay on top of trends, music, movies, media. But when my efforts fall short, I turn to my siblings who have recently left their teens. They are a great source for voice-confirmation. (The conversations with my brother are hysterical! Thanks Joel!)

Some of my writer friends have teenage betas, besides their kids, nieces and nephews, or neighbors. I might have to get one of those; someone who isn't going to protect my feelings because their afraid I'll take it out of their Christmas present/babysitting fees.

Then there are, of course, my wonderful CPs. Even though some of us have very different styles, they never hesitate to call me on the carpet when something doesn't ring true.

Lastly, I read my entire ms out loud. If stumble over sentences or phrasing, it's usually because the wording is wrong for the character or situation.

I'm certainly not a pro in this area, and would love to hear your ideas about how you make your writing sound real.

So You Think You Can Dance/Sing/Draw...

2011-12-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

The other day I was a tad frustrated with my writing. After I slammed my lap top shut, I laid back on the couch and wished I had some sort of remarkable talent, something that I was born awesome at, something I didn't have to work so freaking hard for.

If you weren't a writer, what talent/skill would you work on?

I've given other talents a shot and haven't been terrifically successful. I'm can't sing harmony, I'm too shy to act, and I apparently can't count to twelve so that rules out knitting.

Dance left me with a bum knee and gymnastics gave me two jacked up wrists and shoulder, so anything physical is pretty much shot. And really, those aren't things you can do forever. Who wants to see an eighty-year-old in a unitard?

I love to build stuff, but power tools and toddlers are a dangerous combination.

Besides strawberries, I've killed everything I've ever tried to grow.

The more stuff I list, the more I realize that the one thing I'm incredible at is being stubborn. I sing at church and dance in my kitchen. I am working on a lopsided scarf, and already picked out the beds for my tomatoes for the spring.

Even though I may not be the most naturally gifted writer, I'm not going to give it up.

Someday my scarf will be done and I'll make salsa from my tomatoes.

And have a book in my library with my name on it.

Do You Spend More Time Reading or Writing?

2011-11-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

So NaNoWriMo hasn't been as...successful...as I hoped (read: epic failure). I got Murphied a lot, more than even my weaksauce goal could have accounted for.

While I've been dealing with life's little surprises, I have been able to read several books. Now you're probably wondering how it's possible to have time to read but not to write. Let me explain: You can read in waiting rooms, while you're folding laundry, and chilling in the car pool line. A lap top just doesn't fit between me and the steering wheel.

You can also read when your brain is only sort of functioning. Sometimes it's nice to sit down and not have to think, but just absorb the story and material.

Do you guys spend a lot of time reading? How does reading influence your writing?

When I go on a book binge, I waffle between frustrated and motivated, between gosh-this-is-so-good and holy-crap-how-did-this-ever-get-published.

Right now I actually feel rejuvenated. So I'm going to go use that energy to get some writing done.

(BTW, I won't be reviewing anything I read, especially not INHERITANCE. Those of you who know my review policy, should be able to get that message.)

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2011-11-21T05:23:00.000-08:00

Dare I say it? I think...CINDER is the best book I've read in 2011. And it has some pretty worthy competition (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The Night Circus, Ashes).

When I read the synopsis, I shrugged. It sounded okay.

Guys, it's more than okay. It's wonderful. This not-at-all simple retelling of the classic fairytale had me hooked from the first page. I wouldn't have changed a single word. It completely silenced my inner editor/critic and I was able to enjoy a book without picking it apart. Instead, I made a list of all the things Marissa Meyer did right!

Characters: The typical Cinderella characters -- mistreated orphan, evil stepmother, charming prince -- are probably the most cliche in all literature. But Meyer managed to make each cast member interesting and fresh. The main character, Cinder, is a mistreated orphan who also happens to be an excellent mechanic and (hold your breath) a cyborg. The evil stepmother is awful to Cinder, but she does it in a bitter, modern, almost manic depressive way. Even though she's cruel, she's also believable. And last but not least, Prince Kai *sigh* is charming and self-effacing and totally the kind of guy you want to bring home to meet your family (unless, of course, you happen to have an evil family).

Plot: How tired is the story about a girl who wants to go to a dance? Meyer added life to the story by changing the character's motivation and upping the stakes. Cinder doesn't just want to go to the ball, she has to go...or risk the life of another character. And without going into too much detail, let me just say that the ending is not what you would expect from a Cinderella story.

Pacing: While this story is action packed, it won't give you an anxiety attack. There are enough quiet moments -- that the writing carries beautifully, I might add -- for you to take a beath, get to know your characters and enjoy the setting.

Writing: Cinder is told in third person, which lends itself to vibrant setting and character descriptions. The dialouge is snappy and realistic, and the word choice and vocabulary are perfect for the target audience without being typical.

There really is only one more bit of praise I can heap on this book: I'd recommend it to anyone. It's clean enough to share it with my 12-year-old neighbor, it's sweet enough to give to my 77-year-old grandma, and while it's not manly I'd still lend a copy to my dad who just enjoys a good story. It is not dark, it is not edgy, it does not contain any questionable material.

It's practically perfect.

Look for CINDER on January 3, 2012.

Mental Meltdown

2011-11-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

Even though I was already four thousand words behind, I had a to take a break from the writing world today. I folded laundry and watched everything on my DVR.

I feel better.

Have any of you treated yourself to something away from writing during this NaNoWriMo insanity? A movie? A nice dinner? Anything fun?

The Truth in Dreams

2011-11-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

The room is crowded with nervous people and hard plastic chairs. Everyone waits for my confession.

I stand, force a smile to my face and wave awkwardly. "Hi, I'm Becky."

The group responds, "Hi Becky." All eyes are fixed on me, some of the looks are judgemental, others are understanding, and there's a small portion of people who look perfectly miserable.

"I'm a..." I take a deep breath, embarrassed to find myself saying the words. They come out in a rushed whisper. "I'm NaNoWriMo Drop Out."

Heads nod and there is a scatter of light applause.

An official looking woman, dressed in a blue cardigan and pearls, pats my arm. "You're doing great, Becky. Just let it all out."

"The truth is..." I can't look at anyone, so I study my shoes. "I really don't want to quit."

The arm-patting continues and I hear a few murmured mmm-hmms and one 'I felt the same way.'

"But I was like four-thousand words behind and I just couldn't catch up. My kids were sick, my house was a mess, there was so much laundry to do."

Blue Cardigan gives me a tight-lipped grin. "Go on."

"And I--" My words are cut off as a door at the back of the room slams against the wall.

A woman walks in. A woman with pink hair, a nose ring, and really awesome leather pants. Besides the tough-as-nails appearance (and super skinny legs), she looks a lot like me. "Shut up, Becky," she says with a glare. "You're such a whiner."

The whole room gasps. All eyes turn to look at the stranger.

Her hands fist on her hips. "Stop dreaming and get back to work."

And then my husband's alarm went off for the second time. Do I go back to sleep and dare face the scary, pink-haired version of myself or do I get up and write?

I write.

Book Review: DANCERGIRL by Carol M. Tanzman

2011-11-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

Ya'll know my rule. I don't review anything unless I have something positive to say.

And man, do I have something to say about DANCERGIRL. It's good. (Say the 'good' with a little bit of a growl).

In short, it's a classic stalker tale with a very realistic YouTube-ish twist. A video of the MC, Alicia Ruffiano, dancing at a party is posted online. Suddenly, everyone is watching her, loving her skill or hating her popularity. But one person wants a personal performance, and starts filming her when all cameras should be off...in her bedroom.

Here are four things that I loved about DANCERGIRL:

1. Practically Perfect: Where's Mary Poppins when we need her? I always have to give props to books that are accurate. And as a former dancer, DANCERGIRL hit both the technical and emotional elements of performance art like a perfectly executed pirouette. There were so many places where I said, "Yes! That is exactly how I felt when I danced."

And BTW, if someone filmed me while I was reading this book YouTube would have had a new idiot. Imagine this: baby on hip, nook in one hand, and me trying to dance the sequences...maybe ten years ago.

2. Watching You: Ever kept peeking over your shoulder 'cause you're sure someone's behind you? When you're finished with DANCERGIRL, you'll have a new level of paranoia. Sleep with the lights on ladies. This story brings some serious creep factor.

3. I Got Rhythm: The pacing for this story was spot on. There was never a point where I wanted to skim or just read the dialogue. I was engaged from the first page and stayed locked on till the end.

4. Two Legit: Tanzman packed the cast with characters that could have been stolen from any top-notch dance school in America: the frazzled director, the dictator-technician, and the free-spirit choreographer.

There was one thing that made a smidgen frustrated with this story. On multiple occasions, the MC smokes pot. Is it realistic? You bet. Drug use is common among performers and athletes, but that doesn't make me any less upset. I hate, hate, hate to see talent (in this case literally) go up in smoke.

Other than that, DANCERGIRL was a thoroughly engaging story that I would definitely recommend

Friday Crits: A YA Horror

2011-11-04T05:17:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody and welcome to our first (of hopefully of many) Friday Crits*! Today we're taking a look at the first 250 words of a YA Horror set in...wait for it...Egypt!

Here's a two-line synopsis that will help us understand the set-up: Seventeen-year-old Élan Duchamps gets her kicks by outing fake mediums on YouTube. She hates frauds who lie and take advantage of the gullible public—and that includes her estranged mother, a reality-show psychic.

Remember, the goal is to help not to harm! Please leave your suggestions and thoughts in comments. Thanks!

And here we go (my notes are in blue):

~~In the center of town~~, The ~~the~~ clock tower above City Hall chimed midnight—the witching hour. Twelve metallic gongs vibrated across the township. Leaves rustled and fell from aged sycamores, houses creaked and settled on their foundations, ducks buried their beaks deeper in their feathers, and housecats curled closer to the fire.

It was time for all the good little citizens of Kirby Landing to be in their beds.

So, naturally, Élan Duchamps was far away from hers, running silently beside her ~~team of stalkers~~ camera crew across a shadowy lawn.

A holly bush caught her black sweat pants, its barbs pulling threads loose. She threw a glare at the plant as if her antipathy could make it apologize. Its dark leaves shook in the breeze, and its berries shone red, like droplets of blood.

Frowning, Élan skulked past another prickly bush and into the flowerbed to peer through the window of a run-down Victorian home. Her pulse sped up, and her tongue slipped out, wetting dry lips. The man inside would call the ghosts soon, and she didn’t want to miss a thing.

Beside her, Tyler braced the legs of the tripod amongst dead flower stalks and aimed the camcorder toward the window.

“Make sure the lens cap is off and the auto-focus is on,” Élan whispered, surprised to see her words become small puffs of white in the cold air. Every year, the chill of the first frost came as a shock, as if the punishing heat of summer wiped away all memory of the past winter.

Tyler shook his too-long bangs out of his eyes. "You don't have to tell me that every time."

She ignored him, busy taping a tiny microphone to a pane of glass. "Hello? Check? Are you picking this up Kari?"

~~The~~ ~~monitor~~ ~~in her ear~~ Her earpiece crackled to life. "Yeah, it's good," Kari said from the equipment van halfway down the block, They would have parked nearer, but all the spaces had been taken by guests at the séance.

####

Good start, huh! I think our writer did an excellent job setting the scene. She drops us in the middle of the action and doesn't bog down the pace with background info.

Besides a couple of word-choice suggestions, I only have one major note: Three characters (four if you count the man who will "call the ghosts") are introduced in the first 300 words. And since I've had the privilege of reading the rest of the chapter, I know that one more character is introduced in the next three paragraphs.

Readers have a hard time remembering names if they aren't given a character description/defining feature (like Tyler's bangs). But, taking the time to properly intro a character slows down the plot. I think this story would be better served if the MC and just one member of her camera crew were working on the set-up and the other members were waiting in the van, still unnamed, for a little while.

Thanks so much for being my first Friday Crit, Laura C.! Good luck with your story!

*If you're interested in participating in Friday Crits -- query letters or the first 250 of your ms -- you can send your submission to me in the body of an email at becky underscore vallett at hotmail dot com.

Yay! Go Writers!

2011-11-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Last November, I had an incomplete, unedited manuscript with a total word count of about 35k. I barely knew what the term 'beta' meant, and had no idea who or how to query.

Fast forward to the end of the month. My WIP was two chapters from complete and I had a group of incredible betas and crit partners. By mid-February, I'd worked through all my CPs revision suggestions and polished my query to a glistening sparkle.

Less than six-weeks later, I signed with an agent -- an incredible agent from one of the best agencies for my genre.

I know my story is a rare one; not many people get an agent with their first completed manuscript. It took a lot of luck (timing, finding great betas, connecting with the right agent), and more hard work than I ever imagined. But it happened.

And it all started with NaNoWrimo.

I don't need motivation to write. I want to write, I need to write! But I love having a hard deadline. I love knowing that thousands of people worldwide share my passion. I love that we cheer each other on and try to help when we get frustrated or depressed.

I love NaNoWriMo because if I hadn't participated last year, I certainly wouldn't have moved from the ranks of the unagented.

Now, I'm off to write so that I can make the next leap -- from agented to published!

Good luck as you all write today! I hope you meet your goals...whatever they are!

P.S. Check back on Friday for my first Friday Critique!

Halloween Humbug

2011-10-31T07:29:00.000-07:00

I've been a black cat, a newsie, a flapper, a cheerleader, and a lindy-hopper. I've worn poodle skirts and psychedelic sixties gear. I've been Marylin Monroe, Mary Poppins, and Belle from Beauty and Beast. I've worn fluffy pink and slinky black dresses. I've had black hair, blond hair, red hair, and a dozen wigs in various cuts colors. I've worn go-go boots, saddle oxfords, and every height of heel you can imagine. And I've glued my tear duct shut when applying fake eyelashes.

Not one of those were Halloween costumes.

I spent a good portion of my life on stage (or off it, frantically trying to change into my next costume). So Halloween totally doesn't hold a lot of savor for me. When you've already been everything (pioneer, angel, corpse bride) you don't really look forward to dressing up.

My kids, however, love it. I try to put on a good show and get them the costumes they want (I prefer them to have a theme...but this year they bucked the trend. Darn five-year-old and his SpiderMan fascination). I even hang up a few decorations.

The only thing that I like about Halloween is the scary stories. Anyone reading anything spooky today?

I'm re-reading Gretchen McNeil's POSSESS. I liked it enough to give it a second go. When I finish that, I'll re-read THE NEAR WITCH. The language is lovely and the it's the perfect combo of romantic and creepy.

What are you guys reading for All Hallows Eve?

Cut the Crap: Narrowing Setting Description

2011-10-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

Last year I bought a 99-cent e-book. It had a gorgeous, professionally-designed cover and a great summary. I wondered how something so lovely could have gone unnoticed by agents and editors.

And after the first twenty pages, I was still amazed that it hadn't been picked up. Then the main character escaped into a forest and the story...stopped. I'm guessing the author was a serious nature lover because the next twenty pages practically dripped with adjectives, adverbs, and imagery.

Don't get me wrong. I love a book that helps a reader imagine the setting (feel the sunshine, smell the flowers, taste the kisses), but I learned (from maybe query shark?) that every word in your story should propel the reader through the plot. Readers can only take so much scenery before they get bored.

Maybe you're having a hard time deciding whether or not you need to cut the ten-paragraph description of your character's bedroom (or garage, or hut, or stable, or abs...what? It happens!) Here are my three quick tips on knowing what to keep and what to kick:

Why is the character/narrator noticing their surroundings? Is something out of place, broken, new or changed? Does the setting influence the character's emotion or actions? Can the reader glean something of the plot from the scenery? Obviously the image that comes to mind is the creepy forest. The character feels nervous because the trees are dark and twisted, which may foreshadow something in the future (or maybe the character is chronically paranoid). If you're spending three paragraphs describing bark, there better be a magic spell/familiar initials/lifesaving moss growing on it. If not, nix it.
Does the setting help set the time line? Rather than using hours on a clock, good writers clue the reader to the time by how the scenery changes. Is the sun setting? Is the table set for dinner? Has the tree grown? If you're just describing the setting to use pretty words, then you can probably eliminate a healthy portion of the description.
Are the characters' action dependent on their surroundings? Can they run to the store or is it a three-day trip? Is it hot enough that they're tired and sweating/dehydrated? Are they going to trip over that bench in the sword fight? If the setting isn't part of the story then it doesn't need to be developed like it is.

As a related side-note, I just finished reading DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE. You want to read a book that has beautiful setting descriptions that are purposeful? Man, Laini Taylor rocks my socks off with the gorgeous (yet functional) city of Prague. She writes the setting like a character, one with an important role in the story.

Love it! Someday I hope to be as masterful!

Be Grateful You're a Writer

2011-10-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not volunteering for this assignment (so don't start emailing me stuff), but sometimes people send me scholarly papers, non-fiction journal articles, scholarship applications, and essays to edit.

Gag.

Seriously, some of this is stuff is so dry I need a whole bottle of Visine just to get through the pages. I mean, how much fun is a project that you can't you words like awesome and fan-freaking-tabulous?

When I'm done with my track changes and comments that say stuff like, "You are switching between written numbers and numerals, which is correct for your style? (Cause guys, I hate to admit it, but I don't know jack about the official style of medical journals)" I get to open documents that I've created, stories full of imaginary people and situations...and sometime beautiful lush settings.

It makes me so happy to be a fiction writer. I'm always grateful to get back to my imaginary worlds, when I've spent a day mucking around in someone else's reality.

So go write and be happy!

Great Blogs that Don't Get the Attention They Deserve

2011-10-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

I spend a lot of time blog hopping. I'll click on a funny or insightful comment, or google for a specific topic and come up with some really interesting/funny/smart blogs. And sadly, some of those blogs aren't all that well followed.

Today, I'd like to share some Unsung Blogging Heroes with you. These are all people who post frequently about all things writerly (and other interesting tidbits).  Maybe you'll find an answer to a question or a new place to get a laugh!

Falling Leaflets is especially awesome for unagented writers. Many of Jess Lawson's posts focus on trends, agent openings and closings, twitter quotes, pitch opportunities, contests and upcoming events.  She also has dozens of links to helpful information on pretty much every topic. If you're looking for a one-stop shop on publishing information, fallingleaflets.blogspot.com is a great place to drop in.

Dancing with Dragons is Hard on your Shoes is author Miriam Forster's blog (her debut novel HOUSE OF A THOUSAND DOLLS is scheduled for release in 2013). As you can guess from the blog's title, it's funny and quirky, but also extremely helpful.  I loved her series on world building. She's a marvelous teacher and does an excellent job explaining in an entertaining way. For a list of writing-related posts click the tab "Posts for Writers."

Teen Shiver is a collaborative blog for more than a dozen awesome YA authors (including Trinity Faegan and Rachel Vincent), all of whom are from TEXAS!!! It's sort of like the southern version of YA Highway. I really enjoyed Anita Howard's post on the Six Flaming Hoops to Publishdom. It definitely helped me gain some perspective when I needed it. They've also addressed marketing and branding yourself as an author, and have great giveaways and links to other great sites.

Anyone else have a favorite little-trafficked blog they'd like to share? Leave it in the comments and I'll head over to check it out.

Choosing Safety Instead of Rosy

2011-10-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

As I write this post my 11-month-old puppy is asleep on my feet. Her cold nose is pressed against my big toe and her tail is wrapped around my ankle. I could reach down and let her silky ears slide through my fingers and have her gaze at me with absolute adoration. These are the moments when she is the prefect canine companion.

Then my baby will cry and I'll have to stand up. Inevitably, Rosy will trot behind me and put her paws on the bassinet to get a closer look at what's drawing my attention away. She'll tilt her head sideways as if to say, ”This? This is the horrible thing that's stealing you away from our comfortable cuddle? I feel so betrayed!” She'll run off, looking for a target for her vengeance. Sometimes it's my red Persian rug, couch cushion, our bedroom carpet -- all of which have been destroyed by her burrowing claws. Or maybe she'll take it out on the hapless barbie left on the playroom table or a steal a messy diaper and eat it under my bed. Either way, my house will end up covered in fluff, fuzz, leather or feces.

Those things are irritating and frustrating, but alas, they are actions of a typical pup. Destruction I can handle.

Unfortunately there are other acts, scarier acts of jealous rage that I can't tolerate anymore. Sometimes when I choose the baby over Rosy (and lets be honest about what my priority should be) she stays with me, climbing into my already full lap and pawing at the baby's back. Or worse, nipping at tiny toes and tearing away socks.

Obedience classes, a training collar, a vet consult haven't yielded any positive results. They've all suggested that with time Rosy would get better, but lately it seems that she's getting worse.

So I called the breeder. They've found a new home for Rosy. One with a large yard and a tall fence (did I mention that she escapes our backyard regularly and I usually end up chasing her down the street all with a baby on my hip?). Rosy's new family already has one Vizsla, an older dog with a sweet temperament.

I'm happy for Rosy. I think it will be a better place for her. And yet, I'm still so sad. I've poured so much time, effort, and love into this dog, and held on to her even when everyone (my husband included) said she needed to go.

I know this is the right thing to do, but that doesn't make it easy for me -- especially when I have to deal with my five-year-old's broken heart.

Why do some lessons in life have to be so hard?

I know I'll feel better when I can lay my baby down on the floor, that I won't worry about Rosy biting her or smothering her in a poor attempt at cuddling.

But I'll miss having Rosy's cozy body curled up against me on cold nights and the comfort she provides when I'm home alone and it's raining.

She will be a good dog for someone else someday, but sadly I can't wait for that time and jeopardize my children.

Goodbye Rose-a-pose. You will be missed.

Blood is thicker than water...but not by much

2011-10-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

Quick acting lesson: "Method" actors draw on personal experiences to create a lifelike portrayal of emotion.

I get that.

I'm sure we've all poured our emotions into our WIPs. We know what it feels like to be sad, angry, ecstatic, and we use those memories to describe how our characters feel. Some people are really, really good at it.

My books have a lot of action sequences, and lucky for me I get to experience them first hand. I'll say to my husband, "Pretend you're attacking me from behind." Then we act out the scene and I go back and write it down. It works beautifully (and it's the only time he participates in my writing).

But I realized last night (through first hand experience) that I describe blood incorrectly. I've always thought of it as sticky and viscous -- closer to syrup than to water. Yeah...fresh blood is really drippy. More like kid's apple juice. It's not even as thick as fruity V8.

And it doesn't "plink" on hard wood floors, granite counter tops, or dishwashers doors. It may plink against tile, but I didn't make it that far when I sliced my finger while emptying the dishwasher.

Oh yeah...and really deep cuts don't hurt immediately. There's a sort of a mental delay. It took my body a few seconds of me actually looking at the wound to feel the pain.

While I plan to store these memories for later use, I've made a pretty definite decision. I'm only going to use "method" writing for emotions. There's only so much suffering I'm willing to do for my art.

Blogger Hates Me

2011-10-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

On FRIDAY I wrote a whole post about why Flynn Rider is my favorite kid-movie male character. And Blogger ate it. Then it ate it again on Monday. AND AGAIN just now.

Apparently, I'm not supposed to use a Disney movie to show you how a few well-placed lines of backstory can completely change a reader's perception of a character.

So there, I said it. It's not fancy or cute and I don't get to use the phrase, "changing Flynn from ruffian to diamond-in-the rough."

But still. Backstory is like minced garlic -- a little bit makes the soup fantastic, but it has to be dispersed in small amounts or it's all you can taste.

The end.

Blogger I hate you back!

Oh yeah, do you have a favorite kid movie/character? Why?

How I NaNoWriMo

2011-10-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

I have to preface this post with one statement: I am a NaNoWriMo participant. I'm not (and probably never will be) a winner.

To win NaNoWriMo you have to write 50K words in one month (for all the rules and stipulations, go here). I believe you have to start a new story and finish it or come close to receive the little tag you can post on your blog.*

Starting a new WIP totally doesn't work for me as I have two underway, but I still want to participate. I love the writing community and how supportive we are of each other. As I said in my last post, NaNoWriMo helped me finish and revise my first novel, which led to getting my agent.

I learned a lot of things as a NaNoWriMo participant last year, things I want to try and prepare for to help me reach my goal (albeit a measly 30K words) by December 1. And maybe they'll help you too!

Be a really good spouse/parent during October. I'm serious, people! I made up a double batch of alfredo yesterday and will do a giant pot of corn chowder tomorrow so that I can freeze both meals. Not having to worry about what to fix for dinner during November will give me more time to write. I'm also accomplishing all those little tasks that will drive me crazy if they don't get done...like reorganizing my linen closet and changing the air filters.
Make a schedule and practice keeping it. The schedule I set for myself today tanked. But I know that now. So I can readjust. By time November comes, I'll have my writing blocks marked out on my daily calendar.
Figure out what helps you focus. Writing time isn't always quiet time. I've created a playlist that helps me get my 'gameface' on. Maybe your focus item is a bag of pistachios or your favorite chair.
Find a cheerleader. This was key for me last year. I knew that every evening someone was waiting to read my three chapters (or however much). I was accountable to someone else and she was to me.
Learn to write in fits and bursts. Man...that's hard. My motto has always been, 'If I don't have two hours to write, it's not even worth sitting down.' But I'm getting better at writing whenever I have a spare moment. My laptop is in my kitchen, so between loads of laundry or as I'm stirring soup I plug in a sentence or two. The trick is to always keep the last sentence in your head. Then you don't waste time re-reading.
Communicate with important people about what you're doing and why you're doing it. If your spouse, kids (if they're old enough), roommate, dog knows what you're working on and why, they'll likely be supportive. I said likely.
Plot ahead of time (if you plot) or at least figure out several plot points before you try to write. Like I said, I'm already working on something. I hope to be a lot closer to 'The End' by time November closes.
Be realistic. My goal's only 30K and while that's still a stretch, I think it's something I can do.
Try to save your edits for later. Again, this is another really hard thing for me. I totally edit as I go, which is probably why it takes me so long to finish a story. Rather than going back and rewriting something, make a note (comments is a good way to do that if you're using word) and address it later.
Knock your research out now or skip it completely. Unless a bit of information is crucial to your plot, write what you think is correct, highlight it and come back to after NaNo is over.

And one last thing, that I learned the hard way: Buy all your Christmas/Holiday gifts by Oct. 31. Man, December 1st rolled around last year and I suddenly realized I had a lot to purchase and ship. Thank goodness for Amazon!

Does anyone else have tips they'd like to share?

*Thanks to Mary's comment I learned that it doesn't have to be a new project. It can be anything you're working on as long as you add 50K words. Good to know!

Do You NaNoWriMo?

2011-10-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

If you asked me about NaNoWriMo at this time last year, I would have asked you what language you were speaking.

I had no idea National Novel Writing Month existed until I noticed a button on a friend's blog and followed it to to the main site. November was already a few days old, but nearly 200,000 writers worldwide were in a frenzy to complete a 50,000 word novel in thirty days.

I spent the entire afternoon thinking they were all insane. No one could finish a novel in thirty days...right? I'd been working for eight months and only had 30K words to show for it. But this nagging little voice in my head kept saying, "You'll never know unless you try.”

So I did.

There were only a few days when I actually hit the daily mark of 1,500 words, but I was still cranking out ten times more words per week than usual. And it felt awesome. For the first time I felt like a real writer...not someone who wrote as a hobby.

The best part about NaNoWriMo (for me at least) was the accountability. One of my CPs was participating and would send me an email every evening asking where my pages were. With her encouragement, I wrote 30,000 words in November and finished SAW IT COMING the second week of December. By February, I was querying and you know the rest of the story.

I don't intend to write an entire novel in November. It's not possible for me unless I give away my kids (not happening). But, I'm still setting a pretty high goal -- 30K again. It feels goods to have a bar to reach!

On Wednesday, I'll post about the steps I'm taking to help me prep for November. Hopefully I'll be a little more organized (read: less crazy) this year than last.

Are you going to NaNoWriMo this year? Why or why not? No judgement either way. I'm just interested!

Oh crap. It's Friday.

2011-09-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

Am I the only person who dreads weekends?

From the moment my alarm goes off (no...I don't naturally wake up at 6:15 a.m. on Saturdays) I run around frantically all day. My list of to-dos is a million check boxes long and it takes all day to get through it (I never get all the way through it).

I miss college football! I miss sitting on the couch in my jammies all day reading a book or (gasp) working on a manuscript. Nope. It's all, "Crap. Late to T-ball. Crap. Is too cold to power wash the deck? Crap! Do you think I can snag the lawn mowing man next door? CRAP!! What do you mean you're hungry? Can't you see I'm in the middle of scrubbing/vacuuming/folding laundry/searching for a baseball sock?"

I'm tired of weekends full of crap. I want to go back to the slow days when I didn't need to shower unless we were going out to dinner (which, BTW never happens any more).

Any suggestions on how to get my weekends back?

No Need to Shout: Lesson from Gone With the Wind

2011-09-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

So I've got this case of Laryngitis Extraordinarus (I'm sure that's the technical term) and can barely speak at a whisper...which makes for an interesting school morning. Usually I spend a lot of time screaming, "Get your shoes!" or "Where is your backpack?" or "How long does it take to eat a bowl of cereal?" But this morning, my kids had to stop and look at me to figure out what I was saying. Here's the kicker: they actually listened.

Best morning ever.

We got out the door on time with hair done, coats on, backpacks zipped. No frantic shouting, no sad kids. I need to whisper more often.

It got me thinking about voice. The trend in YA is for loud characters with a distinct sound. In most cases that translates to tough, sarcastic and sometimes bitter (or other b-word) voices. I get it. We like characters who don't hold back, who take action -- like Scarlett O'Hara.

I remember finishing Gone With the Wind for the first time and thinking, "Scarlett is such a witch. I LOVE her." She's the first female main character (in modern publication) who held up her middle finger and told the world to go fiddle-dee-dee itself.

I can't think of a contemporary novel with a female MC who compares.

And while Scarlett rocks my socks off, she isn't the character who makes Margaret Mitchell's writing extraordinary. It's Melanie.

For those of you who haven't read Gone With Wind (fools), Melanie is sweet, innocent, and undeniably good. The reader loves Melanie because all the other characters adore her (even if Scarlett hates, envies and ultimately wants to steal her husband). Melanie participates in very little dialogue, but every word she utters is potent.

She whispers and every other character leans in to listen.

We all want to write a Scarlett, a memorable, fiery character. But Scarlett wouldn't be as appealing without the masterful juxtaposition of the nearly-voiceless Melanie.

Genius.

I Don't Like Books that Make Me Feel Stupid

2011-09-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

I'm 200 pages into a book that came highly recommended (no titles here, remember I don't say negative things about other people's books). It is beautifully written. The settings are picturesque, the fashion is couture, the characters are model-quality exquisite. Some readers love to immerse themselves in that kind of detail; wrap themselves in mental images of every character's hair texture and style of underwear (okay...so I'm exaggerating a little).

While I can recognize the gorgeous language, there are some things about this book (and others I've read that I also won't mention) that make me crazy. For instance:

I hate reading a book with a translation dictionary at my side. If I wanted to read French or Latin, I'd pick up a textbook.
I don't like reading books with no frame of reference. I'm not Wiccan. I'm not into the Occult. I don't frequent fortune tellers. I'm usually pretty good at picking up nuance, but if you give zero explanation, I have to resort to guessing or google. And if I have to stop to look something up, I'm not that engaged in the story.
Some stories are nonlinear for a reason. I haven't figured out what the point of all the past/present vignettes are in this particular book and it's frustrating.
When I'm a few hundred pages into a book, my mental plotline should have more than two points. Seriously.
And if this is a love story, I should be able to identify who the freak is in love!

Now I'm off to go do some detective work. I have to figure out why people like this novel beyond the pretty sentences. Wish me luck.

Subjectivity

2011-09-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading a book (nope, not telling you the title) for the second time. I had to read it twice because I couldn't figure out why other authors were praising it. I really loved the concept, but I don't think it was executed all that well. The characters weren't appealing and there seemed to be a lot of plot holes. I kept saying to myself, "Wait? What?"

Last night, I laid in bed thinking, "If this not-so-fantastic book could get published from a great house, can't mine?"

And the answer is no and yes. I obviously think my book is good. It scored me an agent (so I guess she likes it too). But to get to shelves at least five people at the publishing house have to agree that my book is well-written, interesting, and most importantly marketable. As I'm looking at it now, getting published is like getting an agent five times. GAH!!! It was hard enough once!

But people are doing it. Publishers Marketplace is posting deals everyday. My book could be next and so could yours.

Now it's just a matter of staying positive and being hopeful! Good luck to all of your who are writing, editing, querying, and waiting! Something has to work out...for some of us!

Throwing the Brakes

2011-09-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

(This post is brought to you by six hours of uninterrupted sleep. Yahoo!)
I got food poisoning on Monday. It was no bueno. So when I started my three-mile jaunt with my double stroller this morning, I felt a little shakey. I had no intention of wimping out, no matter how blasted heavy the stroller felt.

At one point after a particularly steep hill (read: slight incline) I wondered if my three-year-old had been eating bricks or hid dumbbells in the baby seat. By time I made it home, sweat dripped down my back and my pony tail curled into a frizzy mess. I parked the stroller and started to shuffle into the house.

That was when I noticed one of the front breaks was pushed down just a little bit. The other three wheels rolled along nicely, but that last wheel caused enough friction to make my easy walk into a sweat-drenched exertion. If only someone would have stopped me and said, "Hey, you've got a little bit of a problem here.”
Luckily when it comes to writing, I have a group of great critique partners that stop me before I get too far down the road of sucky manuscript. They point out rough patches of dialogue and plot-holes. They help me map out paths and identify tangential detours. They've even jumped on the breaks and shouted, "No way! You're not going down there!"

But more than anything, I'm grateful that I have a group of cheerleaders who dust me off when I get rejection road rash and jog alongside me till I'm confident I can move forward alone.

Thanks ladies! You are awesome!

Since I can't be everyone's beta reader, I'm going to start critiquing queries/first pages every other Friday and post the results here. Then other people can read your work and post additional ideas and suggestions in the comments section. If you're interested in participating, send me an email at becky underscore vallett at hotmail dot com and we can work out the details!

How Much Time Do You Spend Blogging?

2011-09-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a sloooowww writer. Like super-uber slow. Sometimes I'll write a paragraph (or a sentence) four times before I'm happy enough to move on...and then I'll usually come back and stare at it later. So a regular blog post will sometimes take an hour to write, proof and post. That's an hour I could have spent working on my book.

I'm trying to devise a system that will make blogging less time-consuming while still creating valuable/readable/entertaining posts. Here's what I've come up with so far:

Recurring features: For a month, I did debut author interviews once each week. I created a pretty standard set of questions, sent them out, and then asked a few follow-up questions depending on the authors answers. I'd love to do more of these, but my well of debut authors has sort of dried up. I know, I know...I just need to email some more, but sometimes I feel a little shy.
Book reviews: You all know that I'm hesitant to review novels. But if I just stick to books I really, really loved then I won't hurt feelings and should be able to whip up a post fairly quickly.
Guest posts: I haven't asked anyone to write a post for my blog yet. I feel like I should find an expert-expert on some subject for one of those. Anyone have anything you want to read about?
Stuff I know about writing/business: This one is hard...I'm pretty sure everyone is smarter and more savvy than I am, but the lessons I've learned along the way are valuable.
Critiques: This is an area I'd love to do more of. Would anyone be interested in a bi-monthly query or first page crit?
Blurbs from my work: I wish I was brave. Like really, really brave. I've posted the first page of one of my books and one kissing scene. If I wasn't so terrified of sucking, I'd do a little more of this.
Character interaction: Do you ever think what would my MC do in this situation? I do it all the time, and sometimes I write it down. It's fun to take your character out of context and see what they'd do at say...Disney World. I think this works really well for authors who are, you know, actually published.

What kind of features make blogs interesting to you? What do you do to make blogging fun and interesting while not being a time vaccuum?

My Scarlet Letter

2011-09-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

I've got five minutes to write a post and...go!

So I ran into a fellow writer at a party. Hadn't seen her in a long time. She asked how querying was going and I told her I signed with Jenn Laughran. She literally screamed, "You got an agent!” In the movies it would have been the moment when the record screeched on the DJ's turntable and everyone stopped dancing to stare at me. So I had to explain to the whole party why I needed an agent.

Very few people know I write...but man, that cats out of the bag! And it got me thinking, if I want to market my book someday why am I hiding that I'm an author now? For me, it's failure. What if I never, ever get published? I don't want everyone to know that my dreams went up in flames!

Ah well...my scarlet letter stands for Author and it's bedazzled. Now everyone stops me and says, "Hey! When can I buy your book?" Let the explanations begin!

Do you hide your writing skill? If so, why?

Got one minute...Oh my gosh you guys! Do you know what today is? It's first-sweater-of-the-season day! Woot! Best time of the year. Period. And yes, it's cold enough in DC to wear a sweater...and flip flops. Not ready to give those up yet.

And randomness is over. Fastest. Blog Post. Ever!

See ya'll Monday! (And speaking of ya'lls, check out TeenShiver. It's a blog for YA Writers and Authors in Texas! Maybe they'll let me join we move back to H-Town...maybe).

Whining While You Work

2011-09-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

My five-year-old hates to clean his room, hates to empty the dishwasher, hates to wipe down the toilets (Dude, just AIM!) and hates to do his homework. We spend more time fighting about the things that he doesn't want to do than actually doing them.

I totally remember the day that I came to this realization. I was fifteen and I'd just spent twenty minutes arguing with my mom about how it wasn't my turn to do the dishes and I didn't have time to do them any way. Somehow she coerced me
into actually doing the work, and I had everything done in less than ten minutes. I'm pretty sure I complained every time I had to do someone else's chores, but at least I did my whining while I worked.

Yesterday my friend called and I spent an hour complaining about typical mom things (my husband's never home, my house is such a mess, I never get anything done). When I looked at the timer on the phone, I about died. Yes, we need to have friends and to keep them we certainly need to talk to them (wouldn't be very good friends if we ignored each other all the time). But I probably would have been a lot less frustrated if I would have spent less time whining and more time working.

And with that said, I'm off to bake banana bread. No time to write today. Bummed, but not whining about it. :-)

Sorry...

2011-09-12T05:29:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for not posting on Friday. A family friend passed away and I needed to help where I could. The funeral is this morning , so I'll try to get my book reviews up tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks.

Book Reviews in a Blink (and a Blog Award!)

2011-09-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said I don't review books on my blog (at least usually)? Well, forget it.

Elana Johnson, author of POSSESSION and wildly popular blogger/WriteOnCon Organizer/and all-around-awesome person did a little post on publicity that I thought was very interesting. She suggests that we should review books on our blogs because it's good for the books/authors names to be out there -- even if we don't give the novel stellar marks.

And I agree with that...sort of. My degree is in PR, my first job was as a book publicist. Yes, negative publicity is still publicity. But it's also negative.

I don't do negative (again, with the mostly).

Thumper's line is going to stand for my blog. If I don't have anything nice to say, I'm just not going to write a review.

With that little caveat, here are my speed-readable reviews for the two best romances I read in August (I'll do paranormals on Friday and dystopians on Monday):

I know, I know...sometimes I'm a little slow to the gate; this series debuted in 2007. But I read all four of Diana Peterfruend's Ivy League Novels in two days (Secret Society Girl is book one). Here's what I loved about the series: The vibrant (and large) cast of characters. Their interactions are entertaining, infuriating and fun. If you're looking for a few quick reads with scenes you'll laugh at, a little bit of mystery and plenty of romance (see shower scene in Rites of Spring Break for details) then this is the right place.

Like pastries? Then you'll probably like Anna and the French Kiss for the same reasons. It's light and fluffy (full of high school hijinks and first loves), but one is never enough. I can't wait for the companion novel to come out...although I have no idea how Stephanie Perkins is going to top the super hot French-British-American boy. Just saying. I really could have eaten Ethienne right up.

Now on to the award. The lovely Lindsay Currie gave me the Versatile Blogger award (which I've posted on the right), and now I'm supposed to tell you seven things about myself and pass the prize to someone else.

I hate jeans. Actually I hate anything restrictive. I'm pretty sure it's a result of living in dance clothes for a couple decades.
My claim to fame: I danced on the same HS dance team as some of the pros from Dancing with the Stars.
I eat at least three pounds of chocolate every week. That's not an exaggeration. It's disgusting.
I refused to eat beef for almost ten years. Until my father-in-law offered me a BBQ'd hamburger and I was too nervous to turn him down.
YA Authors Kiersten White, Shannon Hale, Elana Johnson, Natalie Whipple, Allyson Condie, Carol Lynch Williams, Ann Dee Ellis, and ME all call Utah home. Stephenie Meyer lived there for a while too. So maybe being from Utah will increase my chances of being published? Maybe?
My dog shares my pillow. That's not something I love or am proud of.
I lose my keys at least once every day. And it's never my fault. Someone always moves them!

Now to pass the award along: Melodie Wright, Avery Olive and Kari Marie! Congrats ladies!

Book Binge '11 Reveals...

2011-09-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

I have a hard time writing during the month of August. No idea why. It's like my writerly self goes on vacation and she doesn't return my calls or emails. I keep leaving mental voicemails like, "Hi! It's me again. We totally left that character stranded. Let's get together so we can fix it." No dice. During August, Writer Becky just can't be bothered.

But Reader Becky is CRAZY during August. With 25 new reads under my belt (across all genres, but mostly YA) I've identified some trends that make me laugh/crazy/jealous. Are you seeing any of these things in the books you're reading/writing?

Lip Looking. I'm not sure what characters are looking for...maybe lip fungus?...but apparently you can't kiss/be kissed without studying the kissy/kisser's lips. Or maybe their just afraid to miss. Is there anything worse than a corner-of-the-mouth kiss?
There is always time for a good make-out. Sure the villain's breathing down their necks, the car's going to explode, their trapped in a room that's filling with water. Whatevs. It's time to hook-up! I'd personally be a little more interested in finding an escape/solution than another person's tonsils...but hey, I'm old.
Dying people talk a lot before they kick it. I'm all about a bedside confessional, but good glory six paragraphs of dialogue later (don't forget about the blood pouring out of the dying character's mouth) you find out the main twist of the plot. Ugh. Just die already!
Passionately in love with multiple people. Don't get me wrong, a toasty love triangle totally works. Oh the drama! The passion! The make-outs at inappropriate times/locations! But a committed relationship here and there could be nice...just saying.
People look like Greek statues. Do any of you actually know what the statue of Adonis looks like? I googled it and I promise, David is better. But I get it, authors. You are trying to say that the lusty character has a beautifully sculpted body. One thing: don't use that comparison for girl characters. Greek female statues are a little...lumpy. Unless, of course, lumpy is the description you're going for.
Teenagers avoid help from adults even when it makes the most sense. Call the cops already! I yelled that very sentence at one of my binge books. If the whole plot could be solved by notifying the police, then you have a major hole. I get that sometimes there is no evidence/your story is too far-fetched/you don't want to get in trouble. But in at least two of the books there were plenty of things the authorities could have done. Groan.
Facial Ticks. Lips, eyebrows, mouth corners, jaw muscles. They all do a lot of twitching. The only time my eye twitches is when I'm really, really tired. And I promise, it's weirder than it is attractive.
Rainbow Brite Hair. Pink stripes, dyed blue underneath, magenta bangs. Apparently, you're either cool or a rebel if you're hair is colored an unnatural hue. Mostly, I think beauty-school drop out or circus freak.
Poor orthodontia/sexy scars. Man, a lot of characters have chipped teeth/crooked bottom teeth and/or facial scars (usually in eyebrows). It's almost like that itty bitty flaw makes said character more human...and I guess it does cause my hubby has one. Thus, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I have an MC with this little flaw (although his scar is under his chin and it's actually part of the story).
Finding an ally in your worst enemy. Yep, I get the irony. And apparently it's the way 87 percent of authors chose to use that particular literary technique...that's an exact figure by the way.
Love at first sight. I see you, I love you, you love me back. I'll die for you tomorrow. Good luck with that.
Hiding truth from best friend gets you in super awful trouble later. Oh snap, MC betrayed their BFs trust/lied and BF rats them out/turns to the dark side.

So I think that pretty much covers it. Now, I'm not saying that these things are bad. But they are recurring in a lot of the literature that I read in the last month. Trust me, I've got some of these things in my WIPs too.

Is there anything I'm missing?

Five Reasons You Should Read ASHES

2011-09-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Do you know what September 6th is? Besides being a Tuesday (dorks). It's the book birthday of Ilsa J. Bick's ASHES.

I don't normally recommend/review books on my blog (I'm always afraid I'll hurt feelings), but this is one you need to read. I loved it with a gazillion <3 <3.

Here's the Goodreads synopsis:
     It could happen tomorrow...
     A cataclysmic event. An army of "The Changed."
     Can one teen really survive on her own?
     An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky, destroying every electronic device and killing billions. For those spared, it's a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human...
     Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the Changed, Alex meets up with Tom---a young army veteran---and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse.
     This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to survive.

If that isn't enough to whet your reader's appetite, let me give you the five reasons that this book is worthy of your time:

It kept me up at night. In two ways! I could not put it down...and that's saying a lot. This mommy needs her sleep. I read the 400+ pages in about five hours, three of which were after midnight. And then once I finished it, I couldn't stop thinking about it.
It's accurate. This book is set in the mountains and there is a lot of woodcraft/hunting involved. I grew up in them hills yonder (we lovingly refer to my dad as the Wasatch Savage) and Ilsa Bick's descriptions are spot on. Those kind of details -- the things that make you nod your head and think, "Oh yeah, I know exactly what she's talking about " are important to me. And she gets all your senses involved. It's lovely...in a scary sort of way.
The characters are real. This has a been an area of irritation for me lately. On my Book Binge '11 (post forthcoming), I read a couple of books where the characters were in I-would-trade-my-life-for-yours love after like two days. Seriously. Seriously? That doesn't happen in ASHES. The relationships (both romantic and otherwise) grow. The characters have faults and weaknesses. They don't fall in love because someone is hot or mysterious or lusty (Although there are some tummy-twisting kisses in there. And yes, I re-read them more than once). You watch the characters interact and you see their emotions change and strengthen in quiet ways. Love. It.
The plot doesn't quit. ASHES moves. There was never a point when I wanted to skim or just read the dialouge. It hooked me from the first page and I was sad when it ended. Then I sent Ilsa a tweet that said, "I can't wait another year to find out what happens next!" I could hear her not-exactly-evil-laughter through the internet. (Okay, not really. Her response was really nice, and it was really nice that she responded.)
There's a great giveaway for folks who pre-order. My splendiforous agent, Jennifer Laughran (don't you love the way I adjectify her?), is giving away swag to everyone who pre-orders ASHES and emails proof to ashescontest@gmail.com. There are more details here.

So go! Order ASHES! Enter the contest and enjoy. I did.

MIA (and the winner of Jen Knight's Crit!)

2011-09-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness school has started! Now I can get back to some semblance of normalcy. And the last two weeks have been insane! Let me bullet it out for you:

Survived an earthquake and a hurricane (both were totally weaksauce).
My sister-in-law and her two wee ones visited for ten days.
Shut down the Smithsonian Air and Space museum (we lost a two-year old for a few minutes).
Got drenched in a downpour at Mt. Vernon with five kids aged five and under.
My oldest critter started kindergarten (WAH!)
And I ate lots of really, really good/bad food.

So that's my excuse for disappearing from the blogosphere for almost two weeks.

But as promised, the winner of the 10-page crit from author, Jen Knight (whose book BLOOD ON THE MOON debuted on Tuesday) is...jpetroroy! Please email me (at becky underscore vallett at hotmail dot com) and we'll work out the details! Thanks!

Help Me Celebrate!

2011-08-24T04:48:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my birthday. (Don't even ask. I'm not admitting it to anyone. Not even myself.)

The great thing about birthdays is, of course, the fat stack of gift cards I get to B&N. I know I'll have at least $75 to spend on books (insert happy dance complete with sprinkler and Roger Rabbit).

I've been waiting impatiently for THE GRAY WOLF THRONE by Cinda Williams Chima to hit the shelves. It's YA Fantasy Fiction that I <3 with mas amor (sometimes I just need to throw some Portuguese in there...my improper grammar drives Hubby nuts).

I also won POSSESS through Goodreads! (Yay Goodreads! Yay Gretchen McNeil!)

Other than that, I need some recommendations! What's on your TBR list that should be on mine?

Ten Things You Should Never Say to a New Mom

2011-08-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

I can't really do Memos from a Grouchy Pregnant Lady even though I'm still grouchy (at least some of the time). But, hey! I have a new baby who wakes me up a few times every night, so I have plenty of justification for feeling grumpy! (Yay for excuses!)
So here are the things overly-helpful strangers feel inclined to say when they see me:

1. When are you due? You've got to be kidding. The car seat, the diaper bag, the baby didn't give it away? If you're not sure people, just don't ask. (Luckily, I think I'm past this phase. Phew.)
2. How many more are you going to have? Seriously. SERIOUSLY? Can you give me a few months, nay, years to think about it?
3. You had three kids in five years. On purpose? Actually, yes. No, I'm not crazy...yet.
4. You look exhausted. Thanks for pointing it out. I am.
5. Oh...she/he must look like your husband. And although that may be true, I did all the work to get this baby here. Can't you just say, "she's lovely" or something similar?
6. Is your husband a different ethnicity?/You had this baby together? This was especially bad with Critter No. 2 who was born with super thick, black hair. When she was a week old I went to the mall with my mom and the store clerk said, "How long have you had her?" She thought my baby was adopted!
7. You should do XYZ with your breast milk. Okay...I don't care what magical qualities it has, no stranger is going to tell me how to use it. *gag*
8. Your baby is too young to be out here. It's not that I disagree, but groceries aren't going to magically appear in my fridge. Unless you can get one of those Star Trek food zapper-thinga-majigs I have to go shopping.
9. Can I hold your baby? I hate to be rude, but no. I don't let strangers pick up my five-year-old. I'm certainly not going to hand my infant to you. What if you ran away and I had to like tackle you? Or worse, when was the last time you washed your hands?
10. Is it a boy or girl? This wouldn't bug me if I didn't always have a bow of some sort on my baby's head...and she's in pink 90 percent of the time. Good golly, people! Peek before you speak!

Things to say to a new mom include: You look great! Your baby is beautiful (or if not, compliment said baby's outfit). And yeah...that's pretty much it.

Okay folks. I'm off to take a nap and hopefully de-grouch myself. Wish me luck.

And don't forget to leave a comment on my Awesome Author Interview with Jen Knight if you're interested in winning a ten-page crit!

Awesome Author Interview: Jen Knight (Plus a Ten-Page Critique!)

2011-08-19T06:38:00.000-07:00

I'm so pleased to introduce ya'll to debut author Jen Knight! Her YA paranormal, BLOOD ON THE MOON, will be on shelves Aug. 30th! (Yay Jen!)

Jen will be checking in throughout the day to answer any questions you might have and (duh, duh, DUH!) she's also agreed to crit ten pages from a random commenter! So be sure to leave a comment!

Welcome Jen! Tell us a little about yourself:

I’m a writer and small business owner. I love writing about werewolves and all supernatural creatures. Except zombies. Zombies scare me. I’m also a mommy of two babies and wife to a wonderful hubby. If you want to get on my good side, just hand me some chocolate. Seriously. Three Musketeers is my fav.

Wow! Busy lady! I'm totally impressed you can pull it all off.

If you were going to set up a Facebook page for your book, how would you describe it?

I do have a Facebook page for Blood on the Moon. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blood-on-the-Moon/121939507859565

I would describe BOTM as a Y/A book for anybody with a love for sexy werewolf men and emotionally confused young ladies. Also hot make out scenes. A book just isn’t complete without a few of those thrown in. Tell me I’m wrong.

Nope. You are right. *whispers* Sometimes I scan through the pages of books I've already read just so that I can check out the make-out scenes again.

Describe your path-to-published in five essential steps:

Step One: Have passion. You cannot possibly sit down and write 50K-100K words without a lasting passion for your story.

Step Two: Edit. I’ll say it again. EDIT! This is possibly the most important step in the path to getting published because this will take your novel from “Amateur Land” to the world of polished, gorgeous writing. Nobody (and I really do mean NOBODY) sits down and writes an epic novel without editing. It’s not a mark of bad writing to change something. It just means you were smart enough to know what you’d originally written wasn’t perfect. And really, who wants to send something out into the world that isn’t as good as you can make it?

Step Three: Get an agent. And I don’t just mean ANY agent. Get a good one. There are a lot of dishonest people out there, so be careful when choosing who to query. Do research. Lots of research.

Step Four: Speaking of queries…you have to write an amazing one. It’s probably the most difficult step to getting published, but it is vital to success. I suggest doing a lot of research. Many authors will share their queries on their blogs, giving you some excellent insight into what works and what doesn’t. Read books, edit a LOT and get the opinions of critique partners. Seriously. This is a big one.

Step Five: Have amazing luck. Yes, I know this is impossible to control, but it accounts for about 90% of the “road to publishing” process. A lot of getting published is just good timing. Catching the right agent at the right time with the right book and the right query. It’s incredibly difficult to do, but if you can manage it, the payoff is huge. Message? Don’t give up. If you don’t get an agent right away, it might not be your writing or your story concept. You just might have caught your ideal agent at the wrong time. ;)

Great tips! I especially loved your comment about how editing shows that you are smart enough to know when something needs to be changed.

Your book is YA paranormal. To get published in that genre, you have to have a pretty distinctive voice. How did you find yours?

When I first began writing, I was working on a sci-fi book that was ultimately a total bomb. I wrote with this lofty, detached voice that wasn’t really mine. It was how I thought an author should write not what was really in my heart. After that first book failed, I did a total overhaul on my approach. I channeled my inner-teen and just wrote what came out. Faith (my main character) was brash and sarcastic, and, okay, a little mean. One of the first things my editor critiqued me on was Faith’s ‘tude. I loved her dark, sarcastic commentary, but she came on a little strong at the beginning. I did a lot of work to soften her up. She’s still got that edgy attitude, but it’s more authentic now, thanks to good editing.

What's been the biggest surprise you've experienced so far?

That this is actually happening!
And we're cheering for you! Every time one of us is pulled up from the ranks of the unpublished, I do a little happy dance. (It totally involves the running man...just in case you wanted to dance along.

What part of this process would you not want to repeat?

The waiting process. After writing the book, editing the tar out of it, and then composing a halfway decent query letter, all you do is wait. You send about 100 of these letters to agents and waaaaaaait. It’s agonizing to wonder if one of them will be “the one.” Every day you wait for the mailman, or check your email every ten minutes just praying for a “yes.” It was the longest, most miserable part for certain.

Oh boy, do I feel you sista'!

What do you think is your greatest writing strength?

I’m always petrified of writing clichés so I’m very careful to eliminate those. I try to keep my descriptions and imagery fresh, always try to look at things in new ways. Nobody wants to read the same tired description in every book, and it’s boring to write the same thing over and over.

What did you do when you found out your book was going to get published?

I called my husband and screamed a lot. Then I called my mom and screamed some more. Then my sister. Then I ran into the kitchen and told my dad, whom I hugged like crazy. Then I told my son, who said some version of “bloogie blargen fargen.” He was about 18 months old at the time, so he didn’t quite understand the gravity of “mommy just sold her book!”

Someday I hope to relate!

Do you have any words of encouragement for those of us who are yet un-agented or un-published?

Yes! Don’t give up. NEVER give up. People will tell you no far more than they tell you yes, but that doesn’t mean you should stop pursuing your dream. If writing is what you want to do, then do it. If you love to write, getting published doesn’t matter. Do it because

Thanks so much for hanging out with us today!

And don't forget, that if you are interested in a 10-page crit from Jen, leave a comment with your email address! A random winner will be drawn next Friday! WOOT!!

The Ocean's Eleven Rule

2011-08-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

Daniel Ocean needed eleven guys with very specific characteristics to pull off a crazy-good Las Vegas heist. I can't name all the actors or characters in the movie, but I can remember their jobs:

a guy to act as bait (getting something in the vault)
a contortionist to actually get into the vault
a tech guy
an explosives guy
two getaway drivers
a smooth pickpocket
a card dealer to act as a diversion
a guy (with a vendetta) to fund the operation
a guy to handle the details and act as a second in command

Every character had some special skill that only he could do. Every. Single. One. They also had names (which I can't remember) and personality traits (which I can).

We could all take a lesson from Ocean's Eleven when writing minor characters. If your character doesn't have a specific job that only he/she can do, then you should a) get rid of them or b) roll them into another character.

Case in point: Every girl should have a friend (unless your story is about the lack thereof), but she doesn't need four BFFs. You can leave out the red head (The ginger-haired folk don't mind being underrepresented). Being red-headed does not make her important or even memorable. BUT, if she happens to be a super-fiery personality, whose mouth always gets MC into trouble, and that somehow figures into a thread of your plot, then she can stay.

As you write, edit, and revise your WIP, ask yourself if every character is absolutely necessary to the plot. If not, toss them! You'll be glad you did.

And don't forget that I'm interviewing Jen Knight, author of BLOOD ON THE MOON, on Friday! She's also agreed to take questions and is offering a ten-page critique to a random commenter!

Every Thing Has Its Season

2011-08-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

So a close friend and I were talking about my attempted writing career and she gave me the classic, "How do you find the time?" I responded with something trite and funny. We laughed and changed the subject.

Later that day, the real answer came to me. Every minute I spend writing is a minute when I'm neglecting something else.

You know what I decided? That's okay.

You guys know me (at least sort of). I'm a mom. I've got three kids under five. I have a dog that is possessed by a demon and husband who is gone 90 percent of the time. I have a house, a yard, a huge pile of laundry and a deck that needs to be repaired. I have a crazy volunteer schedule and I feed my kids too many meals from a box.

I have a million things that need to be done (tub needs to be regrouted, closet needs to be cleaned...oh and groceries...yep, need those too) that I'm not doing. But those aren't the only thing I'm neglecting.
I'm tired nearly every minute of every day. I'm not eating, sleeping, working out, or taking care of myself the way I should. Today I blow dried my hair. I won't admit to the number of days in a row I've left the house with my hair in a wet pony tail.

Why, why, why, do I do this to myself! Why am I constantly frustrated, anxious, exhausted? Why am I tormenting myself over this nebulous dream that may never come true?
Because I need it.

I need to feel successful about something besides a batch of fresh cookies and a clean house. I need to think about something besides poop, puke and nap time. I need to have conversations (or at least write emails) that include complex sentences and four-syllable words.

I don't have time to be a writer. I make it. And I do it now. My life won't be less crazy-chaotic, for a long, long time.

This is my season. And I'm not going to let it slip by.

P.S. On Friday, I'm interviewing Jen Knight, author of BLOOD ON THE MOON, which comes out on August 30th! She's also agreed to take questions and is offering a ten-page critique to a random commenter!

Awesome Author Interview: Brigid Kemmerer

2011-08-12T05:36:00.000-07:00

I'm so, so, so pleased to introduce the fabulous author Brigid Kemmerer! Her debut novel, ELEMENTAL, will be on shelves in May 2012! I can't wait. Here's the copy that will appear on the back cover:

Elemental: Rethink the world around you

Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they have more power than you dream.

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn’twant. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her.

Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life’s at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who’s hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming . . .

Sounds totally awesome, huh? I can't wait to read it! Now on to the questions!

Hi Brigid! Tell us about yourself in two tweets or less.

I’m a working mother of two boys (a fabulous son and an amazing stepson), with another boy on the way. I sacrifice sleep for writing time, so I’m generally highly caffeinated. And surrounded by testosterone.

If you were going to set up a Facebook page for your book, how would you describe it?

I’d start with the title: ELEMENTAL.

I’d definitely post the cover, which I haven’t seen yet. I can’t wait to see it—but much like being pregnant, there’s not a whole lot I can do to speed up the process.

Describe your path-to-published in five essential steps.

I wrote a book. This sounds basic, but it’s not. This is the hardest step. It’s also the most important. You can have the greatest idea in the world – if you can’t get it down on paper in a way people want to read about it, you’re going to be stuck at square one forever.
I queried the hell out of it. I didn’t find an agent. So…
I wrote another book. I queried the hell out of this one, too. And when Tamar Rydzinski requested a partial, I accidentally sent her 30 double spaced pages and 20 single spaced pages. I felt like the world’s biggest idiot. And the worst part is that just that morning, I had read an entry on the Bookends blog about taking a little extra time to make sure you’re sending what the agent requested. It all worked out, however, because Tamar ended up requesting the full, and then offering representation. Then the best thing EVER happened.
That book didn’t sell. Why is that the best thing ever? Because it allowed me to start a new project, ELEMENTAL. This book is stronger than the one that landed me an agent. I learned a lot from the editorial rejection letters. I kept my story focused, and I never took my eye off the ball. ELEMENTAL garnered almost immediate attention from editors, and…
It sold at auction the last week of January, this year.

What's been your biggest surprise to this point?

This is going to sound insanely trite, but how amazingly nice everyone is. My agent is nice. My editor is nice. My critique partners are nice. (And amazing, but that’s another story.) Other authors are nice, especially the ones who offered to read and blurb my book. I’ve gotten to the point where I’d be surprised if someone came out of the woodwork acting like a raging jerk.

I don't think that sounds trite at all! Especially because I've experienced it first hand. Aren't writers/industry folk awesome!

What part of this process would you not want to repeat?

I’ve been sitting in a recliner staring at this question for three minutes now, and I have no idea how to answer this question. Every part of this process has been a stepping stone to where I am now. Back in January, before there was an offer on the table, I took the train to meet my agent in New York. The train hit a huge chunk of ice and broke something underneath. It took the train engineers approximately two hours to fix it (during which they killed the electricity in the train), making my trip to NYC take five hours instead of three. I would not want to repeat that train ride.

How did you snag your agent?

I wrote a book and Tamar liked it. I didn’t know anyone in publishing, I didn’t have some huge blog following, it was just me and a laptop and late nights with a cup of coffee. I mention above how I messed up the original submission packet, and it’s a miracle Tamar still requested the full manuscript.

What is your greatest writing strength?

Oh, wow, this is a tough question to answer. My greatest strength? My greatest weakness is easy to nail: writing setting. I once had a teacher in high school tell me I should just write plays. Dialogue comes easily to me, so that’s where my comfort zone is.

How did you celebrate when you found out ELEMENTAL sold?

Well, we didn’t really. I think we went to dinner at the Japanese steakhouse in Glen Burnie. But it was a turbulent time for me. (Here's a link to her not-exactly-celebration and book auction story. Check it out!)

Brigid, thank you so much for sharing your story with us! I can't wait to see ELEMENTAL in print!

Brigid Kemmerer interviewed HERE tomorrow!

2011-08-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

On my writer's road I've met (or emailed) a lot of awesome people and outstanding writers. And tomorrow, I'm going to introduce you to one of them!

Brigid Kemmerer is the author of ELEMENTAL (coming from K Teen in May 2012). She critiqued part of SAW IT COMING and gave some fantastic advice that strengthened my MC. Brigid is also incredibly bright, funny, friendly and helpful.

Please drop by to read her Awesome Author Interview!

The Art of Revision

2011-08-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Before I write, I always have two points. The beginning and the end. The middle I make up along the way. When I finish a draft, I'm always thrilled that I was able to connect my points. And then I do my happy dance (It's like awesome in action! Someday I'll vlog it).

Then I send my ms to my readers and they respond with 'meh' (and usually some good notes on how it can be less meh). The happy dance stops, I lay on my bed for a couple of days, and contemplate different ways my story can get from A to B. Usually there is a lot of whining and some "How in the world can I change it! There is only one way to get from the beginning to the end!"

But that's so totally wrong.

I have a friend (I won't say her name 'cause it might embarrass her), who is the Grand Master of Revision. She can visualise like a half-dozen ways to change her story and they are all awesome. She gives me hope that no matter how crappy my first draft is, there is always, always potential to improve it.

I want to be like her. I want to be a REVISIONIST as well as a writer.

Any one have any favorite revision tips to share?

Vacation Highs and Lows (and the winner of the full ms crit!)

2011-08-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

I didn't actually go on a vacation-vacation. I went to a wedding. With my three children. (See how the word vacation suddenly loses its appeal?) But even traveling with my brood and no spouse has its upside...or some things we will laugh at down the road. Like really, really far down.

My Not-Exactly-A-Vacation Hit List:

One ridiculously long security line (where they asked me if I would take off my stroller's wheels. Not kidding) eleven elevators and a man who had gas and literally lifted his butt and pointed it in my direction. Foul.
Creating centerpieces and favors for the wedding lunch. Tied tulle bows for more than 100 chocolate-kiss wedding snacks.
Mom's dog eating the wedding favors. (My kids were super entertained by what they saw in his poop. GROSS!! Ribbon, tulle, wrappers...at least he didn't die).
Hearing my mom scream like she'd discovered a dead body when she found the dog eating the favors. I'm slightly deaf in one ear now, but it was still awesome.
Listening to my kids laugh as they ran around in my parents huge backyard. Without shoes. "Mom! They don't have ticks here!"
My husband showing up the night before the wedding and surprising us all.
Baby blowing out (up her back) ten seconds before wedding pictures.
Having people stare at me because my baby's diaper leaked all over my lap on the plane ride home. It totally looked like I peed my pants.
My grandma crying when she saw my husband at the wedding.
Finding out that my dog destroyed the dog sitters house (tore down curtains, chewed floor moldings, pooped in their crate four times).
Toes getting crushed by rude man who wheeled his bag over my foot and then gave me a dirty look.
Having a pedicure with my mom and sisters.

Did you catch the incredible thing that happened (it's listed sort of in the middle)? My hubby, who is the middle of his "busy season," woke up Friday morning, went to his morning meeting, bought a ticket and shocked the crap out of all of us when he knocked on my parents door. Best. Hubby Surprise. Ever. I <3 him!

Summer is almost over, but I hope you've enjoyed it!

And Jessica Lawson, you're the winner of the full critique! Please send the rest of Tripp's story!

What I Should Be Doing...

2011-08-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

...laundry, making dinner, feeding a baby (that's going to happen really soon anyway), packing for my return trip home, playing with my kids, enjoying the beautiful weather, picking up a birthday gift, helping my mom clean the kitchen.

What I am doing: Reading the awesome entries to my contest! Sorry it's taking so long! I'm still away from home and recovering from the wedding madness. (Did I mention the dog ate the wedding favors? I didn't? Well, that was a disaster!)

And you cute ladies who are waiting for query critiques. I'm working on those too! I'll try to have everything done and returned by Tuesday. I'd say Monday, but this is a weekend of travel extravaganza (read: tear-filled, sweat-stained, despair). Three kids, three airports, ten hours (an improvement on the twelve it took to get here). Wish me luck!

So watch for your crits on Tuesday!

OH!! And I almost forgot! Look for my interview on Melodie Wright's blog on Friday and Saturday! WOOT!

Awesome Author Interview: Avery Olive

2011-07-31T18:31:00.000-07:00

Oh guys...you are not going to believe this! Someone I critiqued for is getting published! I'd like to introduce you to author Avery Olive. Her novel A STIFF KISS (the title may change...that's the great thing about working with an editor) will be out sometime next year.

Avery has graciously agreed to answer a few of my questions and any you may ask in comments. So if there is anything you're wondering, ask away!

Hi Avery! Tell us a little about yourself in two tweets or less.

My names Avery Olive, I’m proudly Canadian and currently living in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Anyways, I’d say, I’m a mother, a wife and an Author. And a whole lot more. (BTW, you can follow her on twitter at @AveryOlive)

If you were going to set up a Facebook page for your book, how would you describe it?

A Young Adult romance, with a hint of paranormal, tragic loss and death, but it ends happy. So that’s good J

Describe your path-to-published to five essential steps.

1.       Write. And then write some more, then write even more.
2.       Edit. A lot. Find some super awesome Beta’s and Critique Partners; they are your best friends during the editing/rewriting process.
3.       Draft a super awesome query, compile a list of super awesome agents (and publishers)
4.       Send out your super awesome query, and wait. Since I didn’t procure an agent, I then sent my query to a whole bunch of super awesome publishers.
5.       Pick from multiple super awesome contracts, and sign one. Now I’m on the road to publication. Oh and if you really want to be an Author, NEVER GIVE UP!

What's been the biggest surprise you've had to this point?

When I received my first contract offer, and then, as customary, I responded to all the other publishers with my manuscript still under review and mention my offer. Instantly, I got several e-mails from publishers asking me to hold off on making my decision until they could read it. Turns out, other’s thought my book was super duper too, because I then had a few contracts to choose from. I never thought, in my wildest dreams I’d get one, but multiple? That was a huge surprise.

What part of this process would you not want to repeat?

Honestly, I say this with the full notion that I will probably at some point have to repeat this process with future works but… that being said, the Query Process.

Writing a query, I swear, is harder then writing an entire novel. You get approximately 250 words to subtly say to an agent/publisher, “You will honestly not live another day unless you read this novel, and it will be the best thing you have ever read!” Of course, you can’t actually say that, so you have to sum up your novel in those 250 words and leave such a huge impression that an agent/publisher will pick your query out of a pile and say, “yeah, you’re right, I don’t think I can live another day without reading this novel.” Then they either request a partial or full to read. It’s a huge waiting game, sure you got your foot in the door with your query, but then your novel has to hold up that standard you implied in your query, and it has to knock their socks off.

How did you get picked up by a publisher without an agent?

One of the greatest myths out there is that you can’t attract the attention of a publisher without an agent. And for the most part that’s wrong. Sure, there are some publishers, mainly the “Big 6” that won’t give a manuscript a second glance unless it’s been brought to them by an agent. But there are lots of publishers open to Authors with whom don’t have an agent, yet. So I just compiled a list of all the publishers that I thought would make a good fit with my novel, and submitted to them, following their submission guidelines. It works a lot like the query process, you send in your query, maybe they ask for some sample pages, or the whole manuscript, and then, you wait. You just wait.

What do you think is your greatest writing strength?

I have no idea! I’d like to think that imagery is one of my strengths. A lot of my readers, critique partners and Beta’s always tell me that they can “see” most everything in the book. That I’ve described everything in such away, that they become part of the novel, and it plays like a movie inside their heads.

How did you celebrate when you signed?

Well, first I screamed from my rooftop, bought the most expensive champagne and drank it, told every single person I know, and went out for a fancy dinner.

Okay, sadly that’s not at all true. As it turns out, I had signed the contract while my husband was a way at work, a lot of my friends and family were out vacationing or camping. So, I celebrated alone. I ordered my favourite pizza—Tropical Chicken Pizza from Boston Pizza—and watched a good movie. The next day when things really sunk in, I started telling people. I think when the book comes out I’ll celebrate more, have a party, and buy that expensive bottle of champagne.

Building an online following (and the next round of critique winners!)

2011-07-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...who am I to talk about snagging followers? I know most of you have more followers than me, but someone asked me that question this week and I'm willing to answer! My responses might be a little different, so maybe this will be worth reading!

1. Tweet new posts with an interesting title. I've only been on Twitter for two-ish months, but I already have more followers there than I have here. So everyone I tweet to has the potential to retweet my post (if it is good) to their followers. Boom! My blog could be visited by hundreds of people, some of which may decide to follow.

2. Follow well-followed blogs and leave good/funny/smart comments. Others who follow that blog may click on your name and head on over to your site.

3. Participate in blog tours or hops. And by participate, I mean visit and follow lots of the blogs and leave comments. Writers are notoriously good about returning the favor.

4. Host a contest with a good prize. This does not mean that the prize has to be expensive! Of the three contests I've hosted, the query and critique contest was by FAR the most successful! (And speaking of contests, the winners of the next round of crits are: Jess, Laura C., and Redleg! Please send your next 50 pages! Thanks!)

5. Be relevant. Write timely, interesting, funny, informative posts. No one is going to follow your blog if you don't consistently deliver readable material.

Since I'm trying to take my own advice, I'd like to announce an Awesome Author Interview on Monday! Avery Olive (averyolive.blogspot.com) has agreed to share the story of how she went from stay-at-home mom to soon-to-be published author! And the kicker...she did it without an agent!

(BTW I wrote this entire post on my phone. Sorry for the blah-ness. I couldn't get the bold or bullets to work. Monday will be better. Promise!)

If I'm missing...

2011-07-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! My little bro is getting married this week, and I'm writing this post on my phone (read: please ignore any typos). I am going to post the crit winners on Friday. I'm just waiting for one last entry. So if you don't hear from me before then, I am probably tying tulle on something. And man, do I have a great story for you about the 12 hours I spent traveling with three kids!

Until then, have a great week!

Just a Reminder...

2011-07-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

If you are the winner of a critique, PLEASE send me your pages! I'd like to get to the next round posted as soon as possible.

ALSO: Next week watch for a Debut Author Interview! Someone I critiqued for is getting published!

And the Critiques Go To...

2011-07-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

This was not easy. I read all the queries at least three times, made a list, checked it twice and am ready to post the winners (in alphabetical order):

1. Dora Mitchell
2. Jess
3. Laura
4. Lynda R. Young
5. Margo Berendsen
6. Red Boot Pearl
7. Red Leg
8. Rebecca
9. Taryn
10. Theresa Pocock

Thank you all for entering and participating! As I mentioned before, if your query wasn't picked and you want to know why, email me at becky underscore vallett at hotmail dot com. Please include the query in the body of the email so I can critique it!

For the winners: Please send your ten pages to becky underscore vallett at hotmail dot com as an attached Word document. It's too hard to critique and provide edits on that much material in an email. I'm trusting that none of you are spammers or will give me a virus!

I'm a super fast reader and can have your pages back to you in less than three days. Which means (hopefully), that I'll have the next round of winners up by say...next Monday? (I'd really like it to be earlier, but that depends on you guys getting me your pages).

And as a note: I'd also really like to thank Stasia from Writer on the Side for coming to my rescue last night. She responded to my tweet and put me over 200 followers! Stasia ROCKS!! And her book AUDITION is coming out soon, which (as a former dancer and lover of all things dance) I can't wait to read. Good luck Stasia!

The Best Accident that Ever Happened

2011-07-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

(REMINDER: Today is the last day to enter my Query and Critique Contest! I only need one more entry and I'll add another ten page critique. Tell your friends! The top ten [or eleven] queries will be posted on my blog tomorrow. And remember, if your query isn't chosen and you to know why, email me and I'll critique your query too!)

My younger sister, MeChelle, agreed to nanny for me this summer. (I don't honestly know what she was thinking, but I'm almost positive that she isn't going to want children for a long, long, long time.) You see, my husband is gone a lot and when he's in town he's rarely actually here. And with Critter No. 3 and my completely psycho puppy -- and not being able to drive for a minimum of two weeks after I had the baby -- I really, really needed help. (Did I mention that Hubby was actually in Singapore when I came home from the hospital with Critter No. 3?)

Anyway, MeMe is a sanity saver, a replacement for Valium, a dog whisperer, a story reader, a life guard, a child bather, a diaper changer, a meal maker and a chauffeur. I can't count the number of times over the last eight weeks that I've said, "I couldn't do this without you."

Words are not enough (nor is the itty bitty salary) to thank her for being a pseudo-mom to my kids. She rocks. Period.

Now for the tie-in to my title: MeMe should never have been born. She's like the ultimate "oops" baby. My parents were so D.O.N.E. after my brother (he was in the hospital 180 days of his first year alive). They were too stressed out, too tired, and didn't have health insurance. But along came this little dark-haired, dark-eyed angel and she really completed our family.

My parents couldn't have known that twenty years later MeMe would make my life totally liveable, and that she and I would have a friendship that stretches beyond sisterhood. The best things happen when you don't expect them!

I'm not sure what's going to happen the rest of this summer. I can only hope that the awesomenss continues (especially as my book goes on sub...AHHH!!!).

Can any of you think of a time when a accident turned into something incredible? Or maybe it's happening now and you just don't know it!

And to sweeten the deal...

2011-07-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

(NOTE: Five more entries and I'll add an additional ten page critique! Tell your friends...at least your writerly ones. Queries can be entered until Tuesday. I will post the results on Wed. July, 20th!)

I'm sad that some of you can't participate in the Query and Critique Contest because your story isn't ready.

Since I can't share my time with you, I've decided to share something else. My Grandma's Homemade Brownies! I wish I could give you a plate of her world famous chocolate-on-chocolate deliciousness (Not an exaggeration, they rock MY world!), but her recipe will have to do:

Brownies
1 Cup Butter
4 Tbsp. Cocoa
4 Eggs
2 Cups White Sugar
2 Cups Flour

Melt butter and cocoa together (I just do it in the microwave). Beat eggs. Add dry ingredients and cocoa/butter mixture. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Frosting
1/2 Cup Butter
4 Tbsp. Cocoa
8 oz. Softened Cream Cheese
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
4 Tbsp. Milk
2 Tsp. Vanilla

Melt butter and Cocoa together in the microwave. Beat with cream cheese. Add Powdered Sugar, Milk, and Vanilla. Frost while still warm.

Confession: Sometimes I make the frosting and eat it. It's that good.

Enjoy!

Query Contest and Critiques!

2011-07-12T07:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted about my favorite things that don't cost a fortune...or anything at all. As promised, today I'm giving away something that I think is pretty darn valuable even though you can't put a dollar figure on it. My time!

I don't need to tell any of you that time is a commodity and that I try to use it wisely. But because so many great people offered critiques for both my book and my query letter, I'd like to pay it forward. So here's the deal:

Post the synopsis from your query letter (that's the most important part anyway) in comments (include your name, genre and word count).
The ten best/most interesting queries will receive a ten page critique and line edit.
For three of those ten, I'll read, edit and critique the next fifty pages.
One writer will receive a critique and line edit of their full manuscript.

Honestly guys, I'm a pretty good editor. It used to be my full-time job. And my totally awesome crit partners seem to like working with me and appreciate my opinion.

The Rules

Your synopsis should be less than 250 words. If it's longer than that, you probably need to rewrite your query letter anyway.
Your manuscript should be complete or at least pretty close. What's the point in entering if you don't have ten pages to send me?
For every twenty entries, I'll add an additional ten page critique.
If there are fifty entries, I'll add a fifty page critique.
And if there are seventy-five entries, I'll read another full manuscript.
Only blog followers can participate!
All entries must be submitted in the comments section of this post by Tuesday, July 19th.

There are no losers! If your query isn't picked and you want to know why, send me an email and I'll critique your query letter too!

Go brush up your queries. I can't wait to see what ya'll are working on!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

2011-07-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Once you get to baby No. 3, you don't really need to have a baby shower. But every expectant mom needs to have a last hurrah. My totally awesome friends threw a "Favorite Things" Fiesta for me (Not a party..a fiesta so we had an excuse to gorge ourselves on my beloved Tex-Mex).

Instead of bringing a baby gift, each guest brought one of their favorite things (times five) that cost less than $5. Then we swapped our items, collected five new items, and every one left with five little gifts. Do you see how awesome this party was? Everyone got presents!

This morning I was applying lip gloss that I got at the party, and I started thinking about what my favorite things actually are. It's an incredibly long list and most of them can't be purchased for five dollars. Most of my favorite things are free -- like the sweet smell of my baby's breath and the all-over-warmth I feel when my dog curls up on my lap and how intensely my children listen when I read them a story.

They are things that are beautiful and simple and can not be packaged.

Tomorrow, right here on this blog, I'm going to give away one of my favorite things. It's value is debatable. I'll let you decide.

Until then, I want to know what your favorite things are.

Getting Rid of The F Word

2011-07-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

No, not that F word. And not that one either (although in my opinion, the first is used way too much and the second should never be used at all). The F Word I'm talking about is equally ugly, inappropriate and hurtful. And my five-year-old used it this week.

"Mommy, my friend Ryan* is fat."

I dropped my kitchen knife in shock. "Does it matter if he's fat?"

He shrugged.

"Isn't he fun to play with? Don't you like having him around?"

"Yeah."

"Then why do you care what he looks like?"

Conversations like that scare me. I don't want to raise tomorrow's shallow jerk. I want my son to be kind and sensitive. I want him to pick friends because they have common interests (something besides sports and video games). I want him to date girls who are something besides pretty.

And raising that kid starts with me.

My little boy has heard the word "fat" out of my mouth way more than I'd like to admit. Not because I poke fun at overweight people, but because I'm hard on myself.

Appearance has always been an issue for me. I like to look good...I can probably count the number of times I've left the house without makeup. Please don't hate me for being vain. I'm being brutally honest here. I know I worry too much about other people's opinions. My kids are going to be the same way unless I can change.

I'm not really sure how to be different. This behavior has had thirty years of conditioning. The only thing I can think to do is watch how I judge and speak about myself...and let my little girl go without a bow once in a while and let my son go an extra week without a hair cut.

And of course, be a good example when it comes to people who look, think or act differently.

The old Sunday school song has it right. "Kindness begins with me."

*Name has been changed.

Playing the Name Game

2011-07-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

Man...I wish kid's names were as easy as characters' names. If you decide you don't like it, you just search and replace. Voila! Character Ingrid is now Willamina.

I think I've mentioned it a few times but my new baby's name isn't exactly my favorite. My husband and older kids (five and three) started calling her Audrey Jane Wallace five months ago, even though she's only five weeks old. They also gave her nicknames, Dree, AJ, RooRoo.

It's not the name I would have chosen, but we're stuck with it now (even though I still haven't mailed in her birth certificate). She was Christened on Sunday so it's pretty official.

I call her Baby.

My next female MC's name is going to be Aislynn Grace or Charlotte. Watch for it.

Lessons From Horror Movies: Cliches That Work (At Least for Me)

2011-07-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

It's dark. A girl in booty shorts and a too small tank top is running through a forest. Tree branches reach toward her like menacing finger. One snags her shoulder and tears through her strap resulting in a major cleavage shot. You're not sure who she's running from or why she's running, but you can tell be the way she's panting that she's scared and something is following her. She peeks over her shoulder, finally thinking she's safe, only to turn back around and see a masked man wielding a chainsaw/butcher knife/screwdriver. She takes a deep breath to scream (again with the cleavage shot), but the sound is lodged in her throat. The man moves toward her at a ridiculously slow pace. She takes one step back, trips over the tree roots she has to this point avoided and falls to the ground. He attacks and she finally manages to scream.

Isn't there a scene like this in every horror movie? Girl, scantily clad, running, scary woods. Been there, done that. And yet, we see the same thing again and again and again and again.

Why?

I hate to say it, but that scene (albeit overdone) manages to scare us. She's scared, we respond. We're always startled when the scary dude seems to appear out of nowhere, even though we know it's coming.

Guess what, folks. Horror movies aren't cornering the market in overdone scenes. You may not notice it as much in YA literature, but it's there...good writers just manage to use better adjectives.

Take for instance, the "first kiss" in every YA novel. How many times have you read the words tingle, electric, warm, gentle, fire, goosebumps in that type of scene? Like a gazillion?

Or take the big make-out scene. How many times have you read something about the characters' hearts beating so hard they can feel it through their love interest's shirt?

Have you ever actually felt someone's heartbeat while you were kissing them? (I can only think of one time and it followed a marriage proposal). I'm guessing your teen (and probably adult) readers like that kind of stuff even if they've never experienced something like that.

The kisses, like the run-in-the-woods-half-naked scene, are becoming cliche. Sadly, every time I read that first kiss or make-out scene (if it's well written) I totally get caught up in the moment.

Sometimes cliches aren't bad things. Sometimes they just work.

Now I'm off to write a first kiss that doesn't include any of the words I've listed above. (Sadly, I don't think slobbery, sloppy, smelly, soggy, are going to suspend reality for my readers. Bummer.)

Are there any other scenes that are repeated in literature that work for you? Maybe the bad guy reveals all giving the good guy enough to stop him or something equally overdone? Or maybe you love the wicked stepmother hindering the good girl's plans?

Coolest Day of the Summer

2011-06-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

I've been crunching on Wint-O-Green mints so much that my teeth ache. And yet, they are so addicting that I Just. Can't. Stop. (Speaking of not stopping, I just finished Julie Halpern's Don't Stop Now. Loved it. The MC has a great voice. It was a quick and easy read. If you're looking for something to drop in your beach bag, then Don't Stop Now is a winner.)

It's actually a little disgusting. I mean, they're mints, right? They should be used to freshen breath, not keep my mouth so icy I can't taste my own spit for hours. But they have become my brain food. It's only 2 p.m. and I've already managed to crank out 700 words (and do three loads of laundry, feed a baby six times, change five diapers, and rescue a diaper from the dog). It's been a good day, and I don't want to give up my mojo. So I won't stop crunching.

At least until my husband gets home. Crunching is his biggest pet peeve ever.

Now to explain the picture posted above. I took my kids to the Middleburg Library yesterday. When we drove into the parking lot (in my new swagger wagon. Sadly, I'm a minivan mom now. *sigh*) my little boy said, "That is not a library. That's a house." He was wrong and right at the same time. The Middleburg Library is in a small --like smaller than one floor of my home--yellowish stucco house set on a well-wooded neighborhood street. If you didn't know it was there, you would drive past it. I would have if my GPS hadn't been screaming, "You have reached your destination."

Anyway, that picture is the ENTIRE children's section of the library. The YA section was one set of shelves. I'm pretty sure I own more YA books than the library does (BTW, picked up a YA fantasy fiction. I'll let you know how it is).

Despite the lack of books, we had an awesome time. The kids each picked out new stories, participated in the county's summer reading contest, and came home with a spider toy that jumps. Then we ate lunch at Danker's Deli (not making it up) and drank bottled rootbeer.

Best summer day so far.

Have you been to your local library lately? Maybe it will surprise you too.

P.S. If you don't know what a Swagger Wagon is, watch this:

Yep. That's my new ride.

Five Things that Make Me Spastically Happy (at least this week)

2011-06-24T06:25:00.000-07:00

A wise person once said, "You're not really grateful until you say it out loud." I'm taking that advice and telling ya'll about the things that are making my life just a little better/easier/ more enjoyable. Hopefully, they'll make you a little happier too!

1. Getting 500 words written every day. It's not much, but it's achievable and I'm doing it! Succeeding in that little goal is a big deal right now! (Thus the laptop in the background)

2. Fuzzy Baby Heads. Nothing is as wonderful as rubbing your cheek against a super soft, sweetly-scented, brand new baby head! Especially when that baby smiles at you (okay...so she sort of looks like an old man, but you have to admit it's a pretty cute grin). If babies don't do it for you, check out this super cute kitten. It's fuzzy too.

3. That my five-year-old wants to be an author/illustrator. When my mom came to visit, she gave me lots of great ideas that I can use to encourage my little boy to read and write. His favorite activity is for me to give him a story prompt. He tells me the tale, I write it, we read it together, and then he illustrates the story. Here's the one he did about bank robbers:

4. Treats that come in bulk. Why yes I did eat two pounds of chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds this week, and they were delicious. The skindiddy's (baked cheese fry straw thingies that taste like sour cream and cheddar chips) are yumtastic too!

5. The Footloose Trailer. So You Think You Can Dance debuted the full-length Footloose trailer on Wednesday, and I squealed like a little girl. I have fantastic memories of watching the original with my family when it was broadcast on television. Even my dad (and his two left feet) got up and danced during the last scene. The new plot may stink, the acting may be terrible, but it doesn't really matter! It's guaranteed to have some great music and fantastic dance scenes. I can not wait till October!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2011-06-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Remember how I was going to post the winner of my contest on June 10th and then on June 17th? Yeah well...stuff came up. (And typing with one hand is really hard, especially when you're holding an eight pound watermelon in the other arm. You should try it.)

But today (four days late) I'm bestowing the award on Kristen for the awesome scenario of saving the President and becoming Oprah's bestie! Send me an email and I'll send off your reward!

And maybe now I'll get back to my regular blogging schedule. Maybe.

And Now Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

2011-06-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! I'm still here! Sorry I haven't been commenting on your blogs or posting a whole lot because:

Blogger hates me.
My baby is nocturnal. On a good night I'm getting maybe three hours of sleep. Total.
My dog is possessed. She's way more jealous than my kids are. In fact, I just had to rescue a diaper from her.
I've been revising a lot. And blogging time has been replaced by nap time. For me.

My friends warned me that the third baby was different. They said: "now you don't have enough hands to handle them all" and "you won't recover as fast now that your thirty (cause that's super old)" and "sleepless nights with this one will be more exhausting than with the previous two."

I smiled, nodded, thanked them for their input and went on planning a crazy, busy summer ignoring the fact that I was having a baby via major surgery. (Secretly, I laughed..."Bwahaha. Don't you know I'm superwoman. I laugh in the face of infants!" Not really. That would be sort of scary.)

But alas, when the character ignores the advice of the cliched sage, it comes back to bite them. Hard.

So will you all forgive me if my posting schedule is a little erratic for the next couple weeks?

Thanks for understanding.

Remember How I Was Giving Myself Leeway?

2011-06-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm giving you some too! Since there haven't been many votes for the What-If Contest Entries, I'm extending the voting period through Friday, June 17th. Please vote (and yes, you can vote for yourselves!) so that I can actually give away the prize! Click here to read the entries and vote in comments!

Thanks and have a great weekend (what remains of it anyway)!

Hot Pants...or Why I Don't Plot

2011-06-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday! No lost days this week...at least not so far. And this week's Blog Carnival Question from YA Highway is: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I've actually posted on this subject way back in November (Here's a link to that post). And my writing style hasn't changed much since then.

To summarize: I'm a pantser. I usually visualize a beginning and an end, then write to connect the two points. This method works for me...most of the time. Sometimes I get serious writer's block (haven't added anything to my WIP since April 28th...yikes) and it takes a long time to figure my way out. I know what has to happen next, but I'm having a hard time getting the words onto the paper.

It happens. It's frustrating. I'm working on it.

There is one thing always seems to help me get unstuck. I write a synopsis for a query letter (not that I have to query any more...phew!). It's sort of like a mini-outline that identifies the major plot points. Here's a link for what I wrote for THE BIDING TIME. It's certainly not perfect, but it helped remind me where my story is supposed to be heading.

I'm hoping SAW IT COMING will go on submission soon, and maybe (just maybe) someone will be interested in turning it into a series. And perhaps that editor would like to see my plans for the next book (an agent I talked to told me to prepare one...just in case). I might have to write an actual, detailed outline. My first attempt...well it turned into the first scene of the sequel (and it was way hotter than I intended. Which is sort of the reason I don't like to plot -- unexpected awesomeness!). But I'm interested to see how outlining will change the writing process and if I'll be able to stick it.

Doubt it.

How many of you are plotters/pantsers? If you plot, are your outlines rigid or fluid? If you're a pantser, do you get writer's block frequently or does your imagination always pull you out of trouble?

Out of Control

2011-06-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

I set myself up to fail at least a dozen times every day because I think in absolutes. I say things like, "I will not have a single piece of chocolate this week" knowing that statement has zero validity. And then I feel so guilty when I eat chocolate (What's a girl supposed to do when her neighbor brings over a huge plate of cookies? Can you blame me?).

The issue with this kind of thinking comes down to one word: control. Sometimes I lack the self-control to make ideas into realities, and sometimes there are circumstances outside my control (like having a super nice neighbor).

Now the self-control part is something I'm just going to have to work on (bummer). But I've decided to make it a real goal this week to give myself a little more leeway on the stuff I can't control. See, I'm going to write it down (experts say it's not a goal until you actually put it on paper...or screen):

This week I'm not going to give myself a hard time about the stuff I can't control.

I already feel better. You should make a goal too. Anyone have a goal they want to share? You can post it in comments and then it will be real.

P.S. Have you voted on the What-If entries? You only have till Friday to post which scenario was your favorite! Go here to vote!

P.S.S. I'm sorry I haven't commented on your posts or on your blogs lately. Blogger won't let me post comments...not even on my own blog! Is there some setting I need to change? Anyone know?

Part Two of the What-If Contest

2011-06-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday. I know I promised to post the top three What-If scenarios on Wednesday, but I sort of lost a day on my calendar. Not sure where it went. Maybe it has to do with the anesthetic haze that fogged up a good part of last week, or maybe it's lack of sleep. Either way, when the garbage truck woke me up this morning I had a stunning realization that today was not Wednesday...and my garbage can was not on the street. Bummer.

Deciding which What-If is the awesomest is a tricky task. I picked three that tickled my fancy (Have you ever heard anyone under the age of 75 actually use that phrase in a sentence? Just wondering). You can vote in comments on which one is your favorite and then I will award the victor their spoils via email. Here they are:

1. Lynne said: Today, my best friend, Baxter, could learn how to listen to me rather than running off to chase other dogs. When I tell him to stay, he stays as if by magic! No longer will I try to restrain all 115 pounds of mass and muscle (really, he looks like he's on steroids), be dragged across the yard at a company function, or look silly running in my pajamas to the neighbor's. When I say 'stay' or 'no,' he stays.

He will be the perfect little gentleman, and everyone will love him more than they already do (which I'm not sure is possible, in real life we get compliment everywhere we go. It's actually really, really, nice...even after I've been dragged around).

And then, to continue my super awesome day! When I get home from work, I have an e-mail waiting in my box from an agent! Asking to represent me! Baxter and I do a happy dance! And then Baxter and I live happily ever after.

Just saying, it could happen.

2. Susanna said: Today, I could begin writing a novel that will win the Newberry next year. :)

3. Kristen said: In a scenario no one would ever have expected, I will save the President's live and not lose my own. Everyone will want to know me, and even though today is Oprah's last show, she will return to TV just so she can interview me about my courage and quick-thinking. Of course the agents will come running because everyone will have googled me and they'll see my blog and know that I'm a writer. I will be awash with fortune. I will humbly accept what is appropriate to accept, donate what is not to Haiti and Rwanda, then gracefully fade back into the background, content and satisfied with all I've done for the world, once again writing excellent stories for children. Once in a while Oprah and I will come out of retirement together to do a show.

You can vote from now until Friday, June 10th. Then I will tally up the scores and send someone a $25 gift card to Amazon that I hope they will use to buy books! Or something they really want...but I hope it's books.

Introducing...

2011-05-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Audrey Jane Wallace!

Phew! She's here. What a relief. Those last couple of weeks were a challenge. Audrey was born on May 26, 2011. She weighed a whopping 6 lbs., 5 oz. and was 19 inches long. Yeah...she's pretty tiny.

Even though my blog is personal there are some things I just can't talk about, and birth stories fall into that arena. I know some people are fascinated by detailed accounts of labor and delivery, but for me...eww. Sorry. Some words belong only in college textbooks and medical journals. Double eww.

But I will tell you this: my awesome and totally manly husband had to lay on the floor of the operating room while they were digging Audrey out! He'd struggled through my previous c-sections, but never got to the point where the surgical staff was yelling at him to lay down before he passed out. The best part was that he was trying to cheer me on from the floor. "You're doing great, honey! You're awesome. Sorry I suck so much!" I seriously love that man and his sense of humor...plus it will make a great wedding toast one day!

BTW, have you entered my contest yet? It's brainless and fun. Here's the original post for more details.

The Plague of What-If

2011-05-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

I refuse to let all the negative scenarios in my head weigh me down. (Take that anxiety! This is me stickin' it to you!)

Sure, I'm having a baby tomorrow (*panics momentarily, takes three deep breaths, returns to typing*). Some of you may realize that babies are life changing entities and that any number of things can go wrong getting them to the realm of the air-breathing. BUT I AM NOT THINKING ABOUT THOSE THINGS! I'm going to focus on all the incredible stuff that could potentially happen like...winning the lottery or becoming a multi-platinum R&B artist. (Are you laughing? Because I am. Who in the world would want to hear me sing? Especially R&B. The mental image is totally awesome though.) Or something even simpler...like having a baby that knows how to eat and is a good sleeper.

So your task today, my friends, is to let you imagination soar! What amazing life-altering thing could happen to you today? No negativity allowed! (No one is allowed to wonder what would happen if a plane on the way to Dulles Airport suddenly crashes on your house...no...I've never thought about that. Why would you ask?) It has to be positive!

The best, most creative, happiest answer will get a prize. I don't know what yet...probably something in the vein of a $25 Amazon gift card. Sorry I haven't thought it through too clearly. Did I mention I'm having a baby tomorrow?

You have till Wed., June 1st to enter. I'll narrow down the participants and let all ya'll vote on which What-If is the awesomest.

And with that, I'll wish you a lovely Memorial Day Weekend. I'm pretty sure I won't be posting for a little while...you know, baby business and all that.

Memos from a Grouchy Pregnant Lady: Part II

2011-05-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Well-Meaning Strangers:

For your convenience, I've created a list of things not to say to a very pregnant woman:

"Holy crap! You're still pregnant." If I could remedy this situation, I promise I would.
"You look miserable." I am. Thank you for reminding me.
"You've got to be due any day." Actually, I'm due Thursday. I'm sorry my appearance disgusts you.
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be laying somewhere with your feet up?" Pre-schoolers do not drive themselves to school, and contrary to popular belief groceries do not magically appear in the fridge, nor does dry cleaning drop itself off.
"Should you be walking that dog?" Probably not, but as she outweighs my three-year-old, I thought it was a better idea if I held the leash.
"Well hey, your face is still skinny." What you're really saying is that the rest of me is so fat you can't help but notice that my head looks like a grape on top of a watermelon.

I'm sure your heart is in the right place and that you really are concerned for my well-being. I appreciate it, I do. I'm just a little sleep-deprived and as you noted earlier, miserable.

Thank you,

The Grouchy Pregnant Lady
----------------------------

Dear Nosy Church Lady:

I'm eleventy months pregnant. Now is probably not the best time to ask me how many more kids I'm going to have. This is my third baby, I'm happy with three. I'm glad you think I'm "young and healthy," but my procreative activities are none of your business.

Thank you,

The Grouchy Pregnant Lady
---------------------------

Lessons Learned from Folks in the Biz

2011-05-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

Besides sitting in front of my computer or emailing my crit partners, I don't get to do "writerly" things very often. But yesterday (as my last hurrah before creature No.3 arrives), one of my published friends, Lezlie Evans, invited me to join the Children's Book Guild for lunch.

Former children's book editor and publisher, Emma Dryden was the speaker. In addition to listening to her awesome speech about publishing in the digital age (which she'll be sharing at writing conferences throughout the summer), Lezlie and I picked Emma up from the train station and held her hostage as we drove around D.C. Yeah...I had one-on-one time with an editor and publisher! Awesome.

You know those stereotypical, abrasive New Yorkers? Emma is not one of them. She's warm, friendly and so easy to talk to. I wish I would have made a list of questions to ask her before hand! Oh well...next time I'll be more prepared. That was the first lesson I learned yesterday, and here are the rest:

When you have an opportunity to meet people in the business, don't be afraid to ask questions! Editors, publishers, agents, published authors are people -- real people! They have kids and dogs and likes and dislikes (not that you should ask about those things). They are willing to give advice or direct you to someone who can.
If you are serious about writing, you should join SCBWI or another professional group that reflects/represents writers in your genre. Why, you ask? Resources! Groups like SCBWI provide access to authors, agents, editors, conferences, and tons and tons of information. They host conferences (some paid, some free to members), offer website links, articles, and opportunities to network with people in similar career stages. If you are going to spend money to help your dreams come true, SCBWI is the place to start.
Writers wear glasses. Okay, this is totally not important. Every member of the Children's Book Guild is a published author or bookseller, and 80 percent of them wore glasses yesterday. If you are a superstitious person, take out your contacts...or pour over manuscripts until you go blind.
The most important thing a writer can do to launch their career is to write a great story. Emma talked a little bit about this subject in her speech, and it was a great reminder. If you are blogging, twetting, or FB-ing, and it's taking time away from your work, then you will never get anywhere. If you can't write a story that feels real or resonates with a reader, wasting time with social network is just that -- a big waste of time!
If you have to narrow your social networking to one element, your focus should be on a blog or a website. Twitter is not a marketing tool. More than likely your readers (especially children's books and YA) are not going to follow you (I think Emma said that only 8 percent of Twitter users fall into the 'teen' category). You can build a fan following on Facebook, and some authors do that successfully. But having a website or blog devoted to your book -- especially one that is interactive, offers an 'experience' or freebie to readers (sneak peeks, free chapters, etc) -- will be the best use of your time and marketing dollar.
Legacy publishing houses will expect you to do more of your own marketing than smaller firms. This point is actually pretty obvious. Bigger publishing house may give you a larger advance. But, they will expect a return on their investment. Why would you want to go with a smaller publisher? Selling 5,000 books with a small company is a success. Those figures may garner you a second book deal.
If you want to get published and stay published, you really need an agent. I know this is 'no-duh' statement to most of you. But the number of people getting published without an agent is abysmal. Some of the authors I met yesterday have been published numerous times in the past, but are having a hard time finding a publisher for their new work. They are focusing on getting an agent so they can continue publishing...the days of slushpile publishing are over.
When you put a group of authors in one room, it gets really loud, really fast. Writing is a solitary venture. Look for ways to meet other authors to both improve your work and your social interactions. Plus, they are really fun, quirky people!

Well...that's about everything I can think of that wouldn't be redundant or Internet regurge. If you have any questions about anything I posted, let me know!

The Sleepless Writer

2011-05-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

I only have 75 pages left of my revisions (WOOT!!! Happy dance! *belly jiggles till I almost fall over*). But late last night I got stuck -- the-staring-at-the-flashing-cursor-for-45-minutes kind of stuck. Rather than waste any more time, I folded three loads of laundry while watching with DWTS. Some sort of productivity always makes me feel better.

At 3 a.m. I woke up from a dead sleep and was finally unstuck. Did I get up and write? Heavens no! I laid there till 5:30 a.m. and stewed. Then my day started.

It's 12:30 p.m.. I haven't written at all, am totally exhausted, and probably need a nap. Should I have just gotten up at 3 a.m. to write even though I would have drawn my husband's ire?

Does your muse ever strike in the middle of the night? Do you get up and work? Can you get back to sleep or are you plagued by story ideas until your alarm goes off?

Words That Make Me Crazy

2011-05-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

Dr. Alf Pratte (whom I called Alf) was a professor of journalism at Brigham Young University, and I had the privilege of taking two of his classes. He was a man of small stature, who had no problem filling a 300-seat auditorium with sound and personality. He was also incredibly sarcastic and a perfectionist who expected the best of his students. Alf taught me more about writing than...well...anyone else.

Of all Alf's lessons, the one thing that I refer to all the time is his "List of Words That Make Me Crazy." Maybe it will help you as you write/edit/revise. (I'm listing these in the order that I can remember them...not like I saved some random scrap of paper for almost a decade.)

Kid/Child: A kid is a goat. A child is a human.
That: You can remove 90 percent of the 'that' in your writing. People are never 'that.'
Its/It's: The first is possessive (something belongs to it) and the second is a conjunction of the words it and is. (I mess this one up all the time...mostly because I'm typing too quickly)
Than/Then: Than is used for comparisons (i.e. rather than). Then refers to the timing of an event.
Beach Speech: Dude, just, like, no way, and really can be used sparingly and in dialogue.
Anyway: Even though people misuse it in dialogue (i.e. "Anyways, we went") it should never be plural.
Used to/Supposed to: Do not omit the 'd.'
For all intents and purposes: This one actually makes me crazy. The phrase is not 'for all intensive purposes.'
Precede/Proceed: Something precedes if it comes first. Use proceeds if it follows.
Elicit/Illicit: Elicit is a verb meaning 'to invoke.' Illicit means that something is unlawful (or naughty...I like to use the word illicit :)

I'm sure there are a gazillion more commonly misused words, but these are the ones I could come up with from memory. I did find two other lists online here and here that may be useful.

What words or phrases make you crazy, whether incorrectly used or overused? Help refresh my memory and make a bigger list!

P.S. It's totally awesome that I did a post on misused words when the Blogger Spell Check feature isn't working.

Say What You Mean to Say

2011-05-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

Apparently my metaphors suck.

I meant Wednesday's post to be a less cliché version of saying, “If it’s not hard, it’s not worth it.” But according to a lovely little Twitter discussion, it came across like “If it doesn’t maim you, break your bones, destroy your spirit, or kill you, it might make you stronger.”

No more life=writing for me.

For the sake of clarity, here are the points I was trying (and failing) to share:

Revising is not fun or easy, but it is necessary.
An outsider can identify flaws in your manuscript better than you can.
Other people (*cough* you know who you are) have more experience, know what makes a story interesting, and will suggest ways to make it the best story possible.
Making changes is hard, but rewarding.

Now I will back away sheepishly, hoping that any offense I’ve given will be forgiven and forgotten.

Losing a Finger

2011-05-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

My ballroom dance team got a new coach during junior high. He really focused on improving our technical skill and spent a lot of time correcting mistakes we'd mixed into our dancing.

One evening he was demonstrating the correct tango hold, and my partner shouted, "Holy crap, Ray! You only have four fingers!"

Until someone screamed it out, none of us (unobservant twelve-year-olds) noticed.

Ray had a good sense of humor, told us the story of how his finger got torn off by a conveyor belt (ew), and went back to teaching. He also said that he could still do everything with four fingers that he could with five, including playing the piano.

Yesterday I got my revision suggestions from my agent.

Yeah...tearing off a finger...I get that now. She asked that I consolidate two male characters into one. Part of me wanted to shriek in agony, "Don't take him away! I love him!" Or something equally dramatic.

I pouted for a few minutes, talked to my crit partners (Thanks ladies! I LOVE you guys!), and then got to work.

Fifty pages into the revision I realized, "Hey...this doesn't hurt so bad." My story can still function short one character. And maybe (gasp) be a better, cleaner version than the original (thus the reason we work so hard to get an agent...they know things we don't).

Has anyone had to go through painful revisions? What lessons did you learn along the way?

Change-Up

2011-05-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your manuscript is LEAVE IT ALONE!

Instead of pounding my head against the wall, I ignored my WIP for an entire day and just read. Three novels later I feel rejuvenated!

Most of us write because we love a good story. But sometimes we (*clears throat* namely me) get so involved with our own work that we forget why we started it. I had to immerse myself in another author's book to remember that I have a great story to tell and I know how to tell it.

Phew! Off to write with a bounce in my step (not too big of a bounce, it makes my belly do weird things).

Good luck in your writing today!

How I Got from Point A to Point (A)B Lit

2011-05-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

A couple of people have asked how I got the attention of my truly awesome agent, Jennifer Laughran. Nothing written below is shocking or unheard of, but maybe the lessons I learned will help someone else on their journey. Here are my tips:

Make sure your manuscript is READY. My ms started with a prologue and ended with an epilogue. Seven revisions later, SAW IT COMING (SIC) had gone through three new openings, two different villains, and a completely different ending. Besides revisions I also: had five beta readers (two of which were agented authors...we'll talk about why I think that was important later), searched for passive verbs and useless words, and read the whole thing aloud three times. Every time I opened the document I found something else that could be improved. When I started debating on adjectives and making other nonsensical changes, I figured it was ready to send.
Put your query letter through the ringer. Not only did I use my regular crit partners to edit and revise my query, I posted it in three different forums. Surprisingly, the version that got the most attention from agents was pretty close to my original query. I will post the two different versions I used below.
Do your research. I used QueryTracker to produce an initial list of agents who rep YA. Then I spent hours (like 36...not kidding) visiting agency and agent blogs, repped writer's blogs, industry websites (like Preditors and Editors and PublishersMarketplace), and used the tools provided by QueryTracker to identify which agents were the best fit for my ms.
Divide and conquer. Once I determined who I wanted on my list, I divided it into tiers. Only you can determine how you want to rank your agents, but here's the method I used: A) Low-hanging fruit: These were the agents I already had a connection with (ie personal contact with someone they rep, newbie agents looking to grow their clientele). I had ten on my list...they were sort of my test case. B) Agents I'd Like to Work With Who Had Quick Response Times: I used the Query Tracker stats to create this list. C) Agents I'd Die to Work with: After doing all the research in Step 3, I had a pretty good idea of who I considered the rockstars.
Test the waters. I used three different query letters. Two of them were pretty successful. I sent out ten queries and waited two weeks for a response. After the first round, I had two requests for partials and eight rejections. I guess those are pretty good stats, but I thought it could be better. I sent out five more queries with a different letter and got zero requests. Then I sent out five more with a new query letter, and had three requests. That gave me the guts to query my Dream Agent List. Of the ten I sent out, I had four requests. I also sent out some random queries when I came across agent interviews on blogs or contests that allowed you to query 'closed' agents. In all, I sent out 36 query letters.
Personalize your letters. I know QueryShark says to jump right into the synopsis, but every letter I didn't personalize got rejected. Every single one (like 15 or so). I'd already done all the research and made notes, so it wasn't hard to think of something positive to say about why I wanted to query that particular agent.
Be patient. Don't query everyone at one time. Test your letters, wait for responses, try again.
Start a new project. Even though I checked my email a minimum of 700 times each day, I tried not to dwell on what was in my inbox. During my eight weeks in query hell, I managed to write nearly 30,000 words in an unrelated WIP. It helped. A new cast of characters, a twisted plot, a completely different world, gave me something besides requests and rejections to focus on. I also did a lot of beta reading. If the ms you're querying with never gets picked up, at least you have something else in the hopper!
Research what you SHOULD do if you get an offer. This is a whole post in itself. But there are a lot of questions to ask, contract details to review, revision suggestions to consider. Figure it out before it happens.

Well...that covers the basics. If anyone has specific questions, please leave them in the comments and I will answer them ASAP.

As promised, here are the two query letters I used:

Query Letter #1
Dear Mr./Ms. Agent,

XXX author raves about you, your insight and your helpful suggestions on her blog. You sound like a delightful person to work with, and I hope you will consider my manuscript, SAW IT COMING, for your list.

Sam Oliveira can barely make it through a day without gut-wrenching visions. But he accepts that no seventeen-year-old can stop the natural disasters and terrorist attacks he sees before they happen.

When his latest vision reveals the death of his crush, Gabby Wilkins, at the hands of a stalker, Sam knows he can’t ignore it. Problem is, Sam’s only getting flashes—wild images of her being beaten, broken, submerged in water. If he could learn to control his precognition, he might be able to protect her.

The two people who can help Sam—an uncle with a murderous agenda of his own and a drug lord who wants Sam's gifts for his business—are unappealing options but time is slipping away and Sam is desperate.

SAW IT COMING is a YA Paranormal Romance complete at 63,000 words.

Per the submission guidelines on your website, I’ve pasted the first two chapters below. The remainder is available at your request.

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Becky Wallace
Contact Information

As I said, this query resulted in two requests...but my crit partners felt that it needed more meat, and given the stats of the other letter, they were right!

Query Letter No. 2
Dear Mr./Ms. Agent,

I’ve read your interviews and profiles on several blogs, and the positive buzz is overwhelming! You sound like a lovely person, and I’d be delighted if you’d consider my manuscript, SAW IT COMING, for your list.

Seventeen-year-old Sam Oliveira doesn’t want to join the family business—not that he has a choice. His ability to see the future is an inherited trait, one that makes him a valuable recruit for the drug lord that employs his mother.

Sam's talent is coveted by cartels and human traffickers who want a definite edge over law enforcement. He'd love to be a normal teenager, but his family is always on the run, changing locations and identities every few months.

When a middle of the night escape lands them in suburban Houston, Sam finally gets the life he always wanted. He wins a starting spot on the baseball team and the heart of his dream girl, Gabby Wilkins.

Everything is perfect until Sam’s gut-wrenching visions return. Instead of focusing on terrorist bombings or rival cartel attacks, they reveal Gabby’s murder at the hands of a faceless stalker. Wild images of her being beaten, broken, and submerged in water have him scrambling to piece together the events leading up to her death.

If Sam could learn to control his precognition, he might be able to save her. Too bad the only people who can help him are on the wrong side of the law.

SAW IT COMING is a YA Paranormal Romance complete at 63,000 words. Per your submission guidelines I’ve pasted the first ten pages below.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Becky Wallace
Contact Information

The second letter is longer, more detailed. I think you get a better grip on the story, and that may have been what caught each agent's attention.

I hope this post is helpful and wish all of you a short journey through query hell!

The Truth in Fortune Cookies

2011-05-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

In November, I ate Chinese food, stole the fortune cookies from my children, ate all the mildly-sweet crunchiness, and read the fortunes. One of them said, "Your greatest wish will soon come true" and I spent the rest of the evening wondering what my greatest wish was.

That night I had a crazy dream which I posted about here. To summarize, the dream started with a pedicure, moved to me in labor (thus the need for a pedicure) and my husband answering the phone while I was having contractions. The person calling wasn't my mom or someone logical, it was an agent from New York offering me representation. And even though I was in labor, I took the call. (Hello! Who wouldn't?)

So here are my toes (obviously unpedicured)

(Any comments about my fat feet/raptor toe will get you a virtual slap to the head.)

This is my belly. Baby is still baking.

And this...

...is my agent! Jennifer Laughran from the Andrea Brown Literary Agency agreed to represent me!

I had a minor heart attack when she called, sweated like a pig through our conversation, and then went and jumped on my bed (which almost put me into labor for real). I'm thrilled to work with her. And yes, she is just as awesome in real life as she is on her blog.

More details to come later...right now I've got two pounds of chocolate to eat and several shows on my DVR to watch. It's the fattest reward I can think of giving myself today! WAHOOOO!!!!!

Memos from a Grouchy Pregnant Lady

2011-05-02T06:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Friendly Stranger Who Rubs My Belly Without Preamble:

Really? Not even a 'hello' first? If I was skinny would you walk up and rub my stomach? I am not Buddha. Rubbing my baby bump will not bring you good luck. In fact, if you don't step back I'm likely to slap you.

There's your warning.

The Grouchy Pregnant Lady
-----------------------------

Dear Overly Helpful Pre-School Administrator:

Thanks for the reminder about Teacher Appreciation Week. The itemized list of expensive items the teacher has requested, the 'required' school attire (how many little boys own 'aqua-colored' shirts?), the days on which we should provide each item, the requirements for handmade cards...yeah...I'll say thank you in my own way. And honestly, how many cans of unsalted cashews and truffles can one teacher eat?

The Grouchy Pregnant Lady

P.S. The list of items you requested for the teacher's classroom should be covered in the ridiculously high tuition I pay each month.
-----------------------------

Dear The Preschool Mom with the Fancy Gift Bags, Glossy Ribbon, and Gourmet Cashews:

Thanks for making the rest of us (namely me) look bad. I hate you.

The Grouchy Pregnant Lady
-----------------------------

Dear Stranger Who Looks at Me with Pity in Your Eyes:

Yes, I'm pregnant. Very Pregnant. Yes, I'm miserable. Thanks for reminding me. If you dare ask me how soon I'll 'pop', I'm likely to puke on your shoes. I have a very developed gag reflex.

Point your pity elsewhere.

The Grouchy Pregnant Lady
----------------------------

Dear Neighbor Who Mows your Lawn at 7 a.m. on Saturday:

I get that the sun is up, but that does not give you the right to rev up your mower before my kids are awake. And if you complain about my dog barking again, I'm going to let her poop on your precious lawn and I won't pick it.

I'm going back to sleep now.

The Grouchy Pregnant Lady

Why I Blog

2011-04-29T05:07:00.000-07:00

I read a post on Between Fact and Fiction yesterday about why people blog. Some people do it for social reasons, others do it to find a community of people with similar interests, and then there are the people who blog just because it's "good marketing."

When I started blogging in 2009, it was because I was bored out of my head! I had two tiny children and a husband who was gone all the time. And I missed writing. A lot of my earliest posts are almost journal entries. I blogged about the night I was terrified when my husband was in Singapore and about a series of bad haircuts (don't go read them...they were never proofread).

I didn't blog because I wanted people to follow me, but because I needed a place to put ideas. And even though a lot of my posts are about writing, most are about the random events in my life.

So if my blog is more personal than other authors' blogs, it's just because I don't mind sharing. If something happens that is entertaining more than educational, I'll probably post it (not the super personal stuff...mostly just the daily disasters). But I'll still devote a good portion of the time to writing/publishing/querying-related topics.

Thanks for joining me on the ride.

So my question of the day is: Why do you blog?

If My WIP Were a Song...

2011-04-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered.
This week's question is: If your WIP or favorite book were music, what song(s) would it be?

I L.O.V.E this question! And there was no doubt what my choice would be. Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts! Here's the video:

Can you taste the betrayal? Because it's there, all potent and bitter.

The images in the video are so perfect for my WIP. The kiss that steals a part of each girl, leaving them changed and weakened...yep, totally happens in my manuscript.

There is also one stanza that screams a major plot point: "I wish I had missed the first time that we kissed/ Cause you broke all your promises/And now you're back/You don't get to get me back."

Just listening to it makes me excited to get back to writing!

So I Have This Dog...

2011-04-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

Over the past several months I think I've mentioned my psycho puppy at least a dozen times. Saying she's a handful is like calling a Category Five hurricane a little windstorm. Rosy is wild, destructive, loud, and chewy. She steals toys, climbs onto my kitchen counters and eats food, and chews shoes. I've cried over this dog more than I have over my children.

I can't count the number of times when I've called my husband sobbing because Rosy has a) torn a hole in the bottom of the mattress, b) pooped in the crate and rolled around in it, c) snuck through the back fence and I had to chase her (remember I'm largely pregnant) through the wooded easement, d) bitten me and drawn blood (thank heavens she's out of that phase). His answer was always the same, "What do you want me to do about it?" He knew that no matter how far Rosy pushed me, I couldn't give her up.

Here's why: The Red Fern Grows. If you've read it, you'll understand. No matter what mischief Old Dan and Little Ann get into, Billy loves them. The dogs return that love ten-fold. Sure, I'm a natural animal lover and a masochist (what writer isn't?), but a book taught me at a very young age not to give up on a dog. So I haven't.

Despite all Rosy's evil-ness (my friends call her Red Dawn and Devil Dog), she has become a member of the family. She sleeps, eats, and plays with us. She takes us on walks and goes to T-Ball games.

And she just graduated from Puppy School. Does that mean she's perfect? No. Not even close. But Rosy is a daily reminder that all good things are worth working for. Billy knew it. I know it. And now I'm sharing it with you.

Go and work hard at something you love. It may be daunting, you may want to quit, but if you keep at it, something wonderful just might happen. Good luck!

I Am Birth Control

2011-04-25T06:33:00.000-07:00

We had dinner yesterday with some good friends. Their fourteen-year-old daughter and I had this conversation:

"Becky, when is your baby due?"

"In about four weeks."

She bit her bottom lip and looked at my feet resting on the ottoman. "So...does that happen to everyones legs when they're pregnant?"

"What...this?" I said, sinking a finger into my ankle leaving a dimple that took several minutes to fade.

Her eyes popped open. "Oh. My. Gosh. That is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen."

"Yeah, well it feels pretty disgusting too."

She took a turn poking at my playdough-like ankle. "I never, ever want to get pregnant."

Her dad gave me a huge grin and a thumbs up from across the room.

If any of you want to give your children a quick lesson on abstinence, just send them my way.

What I Learned About Kissing

2011-04-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of time the last couple of days bouncing around to other blogs that participated in the YA Highway Blog Carnival (see previous post) and I learned some interesting things about teenagers, human nature, and kissing in general.

Since most of you are smarter than I am, these may not be revelations but I'm hoping that they'll act as reminders.

Teenagers are awkward. I can't count the number of times I read the word 'awkward' as I checked out authors' retellings of their first kiss. I have nerdy, shy, strange, pimply, quiet teenagers in my manuscripts. But reading first hand accounts of teeth bumping, spit swapping, alcohol-induced stupidity from real people was very eye opening.
Everyone dreams about the perfect kiss, but fiction sets them up for disappointment. Does that mean my characters are going to have horrible first kisses because most people do? Heck no! There are plenty of good first kisses out there...I just didn't realize how lucky I was to be among them.
First kisses are memorable. Both good and bad, everyone remembers the details of their first kiss...unless they were really drunk (btw, I only came across one of those).
Anticipation is usually better than the real thing. The tension, wanting, electricity before the first kiss is so HOT! I loved how many people were able to build up the 'before' even if the 'after' sucked.
Boys are yucky. Sorry my three(ish) male readers, but it's true. So many stories related that Mr. First Kiss immediately became Mr. Make Out. Hormones...eesh. In other words, if you're writing a "polite" male character, you really need to give the reader a strong foundation for his lack-of-attack. Apparently, that doesn't happen in real life all that often.
Stale gum, pizza, cigarettes and alcohol kill the sex appeal. If you want to write an awful first kiss, just include those flavors. Lots of people will sympathize.

Even though I may have had the best first kiss ever, I also probably had the worst kiss ever. Actually, make that plural, the worst couple of kisses.

Without getting into all the nasty details, Worst Kiss No. 1 involved a guy blowing a snot bubble onto my face during the kiss. Worst Kiss No. 2 was a rapist-esque kiss that happened two days after I had my tonsils out. Can you say super disgusting?

Anyone else have a Worst Kiss story to share?

First Kiss Magic

2011-04-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

Yeah...I know it's Thursday. I'm not an official participant in the blog carnival from YA Highway (but think maybe I should be) because this topic really got my mind spinning. The prompt was: Compare your first kiss with your favorite character's first kiss. Pretty much everyone who commented said their first kiss sucked.

Really? Everyone? Is that why you're all writers? You want to relive your first kiss through your characters?

It's cool. I get it. There's nothing like a first kiss with someone new. The electricity, the tension, the anticipation...oh yeah (says the Twix guy in his super deep voice).

I guess I'm lucky because my first kiss rocked. It took a lot of other kisses to compare with that one. Let me set it up for you:

It was late October. Snow was beginning to drift from the heavy, gray clouds. The white flakes were a stark contrast against the black sleeves of Hayden's letterman's jacket. It was much too long for me -- brushing the middle of my thighs as we walked to the horse enclosure at the back of his family's property.

I climbed onto the bottom slat of the wooden fence and watched as the horses came at his call. They nuzzled his shoulders begging for the treats they knew he snuck from the house. Hayden spoke to them, his dimples deepening as the roan mare pushed her nose into his neck, snuffling loudly.

"Do you want to feed them?" He offered a few apple slices and stood behind me as I gave them to the horses from my open palm. Hayden wrapped his arms around my waist, steadying me so that I could pet their muzzles.

His breath was warm, stirring my hair. I shivered, but it was a pleasant feeling.

"You cold?"

"Just a little." I stepped down from the fence and turned around, right into his arms.

And I'll leave the rest to your imagination ( because if my husband reads this post and all the magical-ness of my first kiss it might be a little weird).

Given my affection for first kisses, it's pretty interesting that I started SAW IT COMING after the main characters had their intial kiss. But the first kiss is an integral part of my WIP, actually a major plot point (Hint: My main character is sort of a biological weapon and kissing is against the law). Here's a little snippet from that scene:

His hand stroked my cheek, moving slowly to the back of my neck. The caress started something I didn’t want to stop.

Leaning forward, I closed the gap between us and pressed my mouth against his. I’d seen a couple of people kiss—my cousin on her wedding day and in one of the movies the government let us watch during the county fair. But I had no clue what it would feel like.

Jake’s lips were warm, a little bit dry, and so…right. His hand tightened on my neck, but he didn’t push me away.

It wasn’t enough; I wanted to know how he tasted. I opened my mouth intending to draw his full bottom lip between mine. Our tongues brushed and he broke contact, jolting back like he’d been shocked by a cattle fence.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…” He let out a ragged breath. “You need to go. I’ll help you home.”

I pressed my lips tightly together, trying to savor that little bit of sweetness, the flavor of Jake.

There is a lot more kissing to come, a lot of teasing, a lot of anticipation. Have I mentioned that first drafts can be so much fun to write?

What I really want to know is WHY everyone's first kisses were so bad and how that helps you write better kisses for your characters?

Do You REALLY Know How to Format your Manuscript?

2011-04-19T04:27:00.000-07:00

I thought I did (and may have been a little neurotic about checking every page, making sure new chapters started halfway down, and researching favored fonts.) My manuscript looks lovely on a computer screen, but thanks to a super helpful post by agent Vickie Motter it now looks great on an e-reader too!

With Vickie's permission, I'm reposting her tips for getting your manuscript to look perfect no matter how an agent reads it. Do not ignore this! REFORMAT NOW! I spent three hours yesterday (and gave myself an awesome case of carpal tunnel) deleting tabs. You'll see why below:

Vickie prefers Times New Roman, 12 point font. I've checked a lot of other websites and all agree that as long as it is legible an agent isn't going to reject your manuscript.
She suggests one-inch margins all around, although she's not positive if it actually makes a difference on an e-reader. (Anyone want to test it out and let me know?)
Don't ever use the TAB key! Tabs do not show up on e-readers. To fix this: Select all (highlighting your entire document) and then right click. Choose Paragraph. Under the Indents and Spacing Tab, go to Indentation. Set Left and Right at 0". Set Special for First Line (this will make your paragraphs automatically indent) by .5". (I removed 290 pages worth of tabs yesterday. I promise, if you do this now you will be grateful later!)
Paragraphs should be evenly spaced. While you're still under Paragraph, choose the Spacing Tab. Before and After should be at 0 pt. (not at Auto), and Line Spacing should be Double.
New chapters should start on their own page. You can either hit Enter to move the text down, or Control+Enter.
Don't put chapter titles in a fancy font. The same font and text size are fine.

Here are a couple of tricks I learned last night to make sure that all this work pays off:

Selecting all the text will change your chapter headings and any hanging indents. Double check them!
Use View to see many pages of your manuscript at once. If you're like me and are concerned about widow/orphans your formatting didn't pick up (it happens), having an extra blank page between chapters, or starting the first page of new chapters at exactly the same distance from the top (like I said, neurotic), then changing the View will save you a lot of scrolling.
Don't forget to top every page (except the Title Page) with a header that includes: Your Name/TITLE and the page number.
Test your manuscript! Load it onto an e-reader and see how it looks.

I think that covers everything! If any of you have other suggestions or questions, please leave them in the comments section. I'll try to answer them all or at least try to find the answers!

And go visit Vickie's blog, Navigating the Slush Pile. She posts several times each week with tips for authors, her favorite reads, and information about upcoming conferences and events.

***UPDATE: I just learned something that will eliminate all your tab searching! Hit ctrl+f (for Find and Replace) and put ^t (that's the No. 6) and then put nothing in the Replace box. It will eliminate all of your tabs! I just replaced 624 tabs from my WIP in about five seconds!***

Ticks!

2011-04-18T04:34:00.000-07:00

First came the gasp, followed closely by the groan, and then the high-pitched shriek (there was also some foot stomping and lots of hand wringing). After letting my children play in our backyard they came in covered in...deer ticks! UGH!

No. 1 had one attached to his shin, but I thought No. 2 was fine...until two days later when I found one deeply embedded behind her ear. It was so small I thought it was a freckle.

Without turning this post into a PSA, I think everyone needs to know two things about ticks: 1) They can cause disease (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Lyme Disease depending on the type of tick) and 2) just use tweezers to remove them. The doctor I talked to said that "old-fashioned" smothering methods (vaseline, dish soap, etc.) may actually cause the tick to burrow deeper or regurgitate. Awesome.

Taking No.2 to to the doctor today because I wasn't able to remove the tick without tearing its head off...which means it is still in her skin. (Did you all just barf in your mouths a little?)

Now on to another kind of tick (that doesn't have an exoskeleton or numerous legs). Writing ticks: Do you guys have them? Are they so deeply embedded that you don't notice them at all?

Maybe it's a specific word or list of words, maybe it's an action your characters do too often (shoulder shrugging, eyebrow lifting).

I have a new one. I've unconsciously stopped using the word "said." I'm not replacing it with verbs like exclaimed, shouted or murmured. I'm letting the character's action act as the tag. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes it's probably not. As I continue working on my WIP, I'm going to pay closer attention to that particular tick and make sure I edit for it later.

W is for Waiting

2011-04-14T06:09:00.001-07:00

I'm not participating in the A-Z Toolbox thing, but I totally have a W for today. I'm tired of WAITING!! This doesn't have anything (that's a boldfaced lie) to do with waiting for agents to get back to me (LOL), but all the other things that have my life in a holding pattern. Like:

a box from my grandma full of See's Candy. It's supposed to be here today and I can't leave until it arrives. I don't want my precious chocolates to melt!

my homemade blueberry-struesel muffins to get out of the oven.

my awesome sister (aka Nanny) to get here. She's staying ALL summer. WOOT!

Baby No. 3 to make her arrival. I'm a really bad pregnant lady.

Spring to really get here.

my puppy to stop acting like a puppy (that's only going to take five years)

that brilliant idea that's going to move my plot to my next imaginary plot point.

What kind of things are you guys waiting for?

Making Lace

2011-04-12T18:06:00.001-07:00

If I used the word "tat" in a sentence, would any of you have a clue what I was talking about? I'm not referring to the old phrase "tit-for-tat," but the ancient art of making lace, known as tatting.

My great-grandmother, Jonesie, knew how to do it. I have very faint memories of her working with string and a tool that looked a lot like a fishing lure to create something like this edged handkerchief. Unfortunately, the art form died with her (at least for our family).

She would bounce the string up and down, adding loops to a pattern that I couldn't figure out. Mostly, it just looked like knots and circles...until you gave it time to develop.

Occasionally, Jonesie would hold the lace-to-be at a distance and smile. She could see what it was going to become well before I could. It was time consuming work, but when it was finished the patterns were intricate and incredibly beautiful.

My current WIP is a lot like Jonesie's tatting projects. If anyone was to look at it now (and one very brave crit partner already has), they would wonder what in the world I was trying to create. The plot is much more complex than anything I've ever written, and there are so many layers of intrigue that I'm hoping will work out. I can't hold it at a distance and smile...even though I know what it's supposed look like. Most of the time, I just push it to arm's length and wonder if I've bitten off way more than I can chew.

Here's hoping that my jumble of strung together thoughts ends up looking like lace.

Progress

2011-04-11T05:38:00.000-07:00

I've got a few major writing projects under my belt now and am 30,000 words into a manuscript I really intend to finish. Parts of it are good, like better than anything I've ever written. And parts of it are very scary.

Sometimes I re-read what I've written and see the mistakes I made in my earlier projects. I slap my head and say, "Did you not learn anything? UGH!" Some things are bad habits (mostly pulled from my days as a journalist) and others are the result of trying to force what's in my head onto the screen.

When you start a new project, do you feel like you're really starting over? That things that applied to your previous manuscripts don't apply?

My current WIP is especially daunting because I'm writing in an unfamiliar POV. Maybe it will be great, and maybe it will be a stepping stone to something even better. Only time (and editing) will tell.