This Book Trailer Made Me Giggle!

Thought I'd share something that made me laugh today! Watch all the way to the end, so funny!







If You Were Here is going on my TBR list. Jen Lancaster has a great sense of humor!

Unfinish Manuscripts: How Many Do You Have?

Let's be honest, most of us writers get shiny new ideas (SNIs) that we start off gun-ho about when we open that new document, but soon we let them fizzle. We close out the document when we run out of steam and leave the story sit, sometimes forever. I'm guilty of this myself. I have a whole folder of stories with only one chapter. Why do we do this to ourselves? I've often wondered how the idea seems so brilliant and then when I go to write it, blah, nothing great ever comes out. I guess you could say that's a form of writers block or maybe the idea truly wasn't as fantastic as I thought it was. Who knows. On the other hand, I've started a couple different stories where I couldn't sleep until they were completed. They kept calling to me and the characters kept talking to me (You writers know what I mean. To everyone else, I swear I'm not completely insane. It's just a writers thing.) I would get aggravated that there wasn't enough time in the day to get it finished. I once competed a first draft in roughly 3-4 weeks. Yeah, crazy. I know. That story stayed/and is still on my mind ALL THE TIME.

What I'm wondering is: What are the elements of a SNI that grabs you to where you feel like you have to finish or you just might die if you don't get it out? And what makes us fizzle out on great ideas? What can we do as writers to keep ourselves motivated? Shout it out! Maybe something you do will work for someone else. :)

Happy Writing!!

For YA Reviews:

READING, WRITING AND WAITING

Last Minute Christmas Gifts for Teen Readers

Okay all you last minute Christmas shoppers, I have a list here that will help you buy novels for the teen reader in your life. Here are my recommendations (in no particular order) for hot Young Adult books that are currently on the shelves.




RULES OF ATTRACTION by SIMONE ELKELES

(Book Two in a Series. Book One: Perfect Chemistry)

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.





THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by JANDY NELSON

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.



PERSONAL DEMONS by LISA DESROCHERS

Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak. She has spent years keeping everyone at a distance—-even her closest friends—-and it seems as if her senior year is going to be more of the same . . . until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can’t seem to stay away from him.

What she doesn’t know is that Luc is on a mission. He’s been sent from Hell itself to claim Frannie’s soul. It should be easy—-all he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance. But he has to work fast, because if the infernals are after her, the celestials can’t be far behind. And sure enough, it’s not long before the angel Gabriel shows up, willing to do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came for. It isn’t long before they find themselves fighting for more than just Frannie’s soul.

But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay . . . for all of them.



NIGHTSHADE by ANDREA CREMER

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything— including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

HEX HALL by RACHEL HAWKINS

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.



THE BODY FINDER by KIMBERLY DERTING

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.



THE DUFF by KODY KEPLINGER



Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.







CRESCENDO by BECCA FITZPATRICK

(Book Two in the Series. Book One: HUSH HUSH)

Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but atleast she got a guardian angel out of it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But, despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever and even worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Path hadnt been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something.

Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself increasingly in dangerous situations as she desperatly searches for answers. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.







REIGN CHECK by MICHELLE ROWAN

(Second Book in the Series. Book One is DEMON PRINCESS)



Fresh from finding out that she is a demon princess, fighting her aunt for her life, and rescuing her father from being poisoned, Nikki Donovan is looking forward to getting back to her regular high school life. But when Rhys, the handsome king of the faery realm, decides to show up at her school as a "foreign exchange student," Nikki knows this won't be possible. Couple with this a whole host of other problems: there's a new prophecy that claims she will destroy everyone. Her conflicted feelings for Rhys and her boyfriend, Michael, are getting in the way of their relationship. Her best friend Melinda just might be a demon-slayer-in-training, and her old crush Chris might know of her demon side. Throw in a field trip to none other than Hell itself … and Nikki's going to be hoping for a rain check on more than just her homework!



Self-Editing...How the Heck Do You Do It?

First off, KUDOS to you if you've made it through the intital draft of a novel and are ready to edit. That's a feat in itself. Most people who start a novel never ever finish it. So, stay positive. You're already heading in the right direction.

So far in my journey to publication I have written (and edited) two full length Young Adult novels. The first one was, well, horrible. A complete learning experience. My grammar skills left a lot to be desired, let me tell you. But, hey, putting it out there to beta readers was my very first step in learning to self edit. I didn't even know what a dialog tag was two years ago let alone a beta reader!

When I tried to edit my first novel, I had no clue what I was looking for. Mainly, I just ran through looking for misspelled words and run-on sentences. So, when I got my first red-filled edited version from a beta reader back, I was a little taken back. I had a lot to learn.

Instead of getting mad at the people making the marks, I went back to them and asked them to teach me learn some skills and so I can improve the next time. For this post, I figured I'd share what I learned from the disastrous first novel.

1. Shorter Sentences: Yep. Aim for short concise sentences. Agents even pointed that one out to me. This makes the words flow and people can read it fast.

2. Keep Your Sentences Active: What I mean here is, instead of saying something like..."I watched him stand..." make it "He stood." Again this helps flow.

3. Internal Thought--Make Sure It's There: Another words, just because you know in your mind how you want your character's dialog to be perceived, doesn't mean your reader gets it that way. If your main character says something snippy, but the reader doesn't see some internal reasoning for it, it can turn the reader against your character. You want people to like your characters. To empathize with them. So, make sure they come off the right way.

4. Pacing: Most agents will tell you to start your story with action. To get a good feel for what they mean here, pick up a book from your shelf and read the first couple of pages. More than likely it's an action scene. Don't lead in with backstory, even if it's important. Figure out a different way to work it into the story. Cut scenes that drag the story down. Save them in a file for later, they work somewhere else.

5. Look For Repetition: This can range from overly used words (Look and eyes are some of mine) to repetivie thoughts. I've had my hand smack for saying the same thing eight different ways in just three chapters. The reader will get it the first time, don't beat a dead horse.

6. Forshadowing: Make sure you weave it in throughout the novel. It's imporant. Weather you know it or not, it's one of those things that can keep your reader hungry to finish your novel. So weave in some clues.

7.  Stay in the Right Tense: This is a biggie for a lot of people. If you start in present tense or past tense, stay in that tense. Most of all, pick the tense that best suits your writer's voice.

8. Let Your Voice Shine Through: You hear it all the time, voice is everything. If you hear someone talking to you in your head, write it down just like you hear, weather it's snarky or whatever. It's what's calling to you. Be true to it.

9. Establish Your Crisis in the First Quarter of the Book: First off make sure you know your MAJOR crisis. It's really hard to make that the center of your writing when it's not clear to you even. Take a hard look at your plot and make sure you know and can clearly state it.

10. Have Fun With It: Remember why you are writing. The minute it's not fun anymore, is when you stop loving it. It's okay to put a novel back on a shelf and edit it later if you become frustrated. Sometimes a break can give you fresh editing eyes.



Any other tips you wanna share???? We'd love to hear them!

~~Annie~~

http://www.youngadultbookworm.blogspot.com/

Writing A Heartbreaking Scene: How Do You Go There?

So I've had a couple days off, and I spent a chunk of those days watching sappy click flicks and working on revising my manuscript. There are some really great tear jerking scenes in movies and books out there right now, just FYI. Anyway, when I think about writing a sad scene, like a break-up or something, I like to pull out some sappy movies and get my mind right. Writing a heart wrenching scene works so much better when you can feel empathy for your characters and a well written scene (movie or book) can draw you in and instantly make you feel that.

I was thinking of some of my go to movies and books that just bring out those emotions that in turn help me write better scenes in my own manuscripts and I thought I'd share. But I warn you now, most of my list is YA/Teen stories since that's what I write. Who knows, maybe someone I'll help someone get through a block. :)

Here goes:

Twenty Boy Summer (YA Novel)

The Sky Is Everywhere (YA Novel)

Twilight Saga (New moon break up scene...book or movie)

 A Walk to Remember

There's a few to get you started. Have any you want to share?


Happy NaNo Everyone!!

~Annie~

http://www.youngadultbookworm.blogspot.com/

BookMarks: What (and HOW!) Our Writers are Reading

Like Fiction Flurry contributor Colleen Scott says, “One of the best parts of being a writer is that you get to read!” Absolutely true! In order to improve your craft and also just for the sheer joy of it, all writers should be readers, too. That is why every couple of weeks we like to TALK BOOKS. We like to share what we are reading – from the inane to the profound – and hear what you are reading. I have found many of my favorite books simply by word of mouth from friends and colleagues. (And the flip side to that is plenty of the titles I haven’t enjoyed quite so well have been lifted straight from “best of” lists.)

When I sent out my “what are you reading” email to everyone this week, I got a very interesting reply from Rachel. She wrote she would have to get back to me, as she was in the process of reading three books simultaneously: one in the traditional written form; one as an audio book; and one on her Nook! It’s not that unusual to be reading more than one item at a time, but her answer really resonated with me, and how different our industry is today than even a scant ten years ago. (Rachel even blogged a little about it, and you can read that post here.)

So in addition to sharing what we are reading with you, I’d like to pose this question to everyone: how do you read? Do have an e-reader? Do you “read” in your car using audio books? Are you not ready (or willing) to put down your ink and paper copy quite yet? Let us know your thoughts! In the meantime, here are some books you might want to consider (no matter how you choose to read them):

Michele Downey: Eight Days To Live by Iris Johansen

Why I choose this book: I have read a few Iris Johansen books in the past - she used to write straight romance, then veered into romantic suspense - this book is straight mystery, part of a series about a forensic sculptor who reminds me of the character from Bones. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it is a good read.

Rachel Dilley: I'm currently reading Crafting The Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Non-Fiction by Dinty W. Moore. Besides the fact that the author's name reminds me of canned stew, I chose this book for pretty obvious reasons -- I want to learn to write better essays. My only publishing success thus far has been in the personal essay market, so I'm going with what works!

Annie McElfresh:   The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller:  Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

 

BookMarks: What Our Writers Are Reading

Michele Downey: Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

Synopsis:  Wedding baker Laurel McBane is surrounded by romance working at Vows wedding planning company with her best friends Parker, Emma, and Mac. But she's too low-key to appreciate all the luxuries that their clients seem to long for. What she does appreciate is a strong, intelligent man, a man just like Parker's older brother Delaney, on whom she's had a mega-crush since childhood.

But some infatuations last longer than others, and Laurel is convinced that the Ivy League lawyer is still out of her reach. Plus, Del is too protective of Laurel to ever cross the line with her-or so she thinks. When Laurel's quicksilver moods get the better of her-leading to an angry, hot, all-together mind-blowing kiss with Del-she'll have to quiet the doubts in her mind to turn a moment of passion into forever...

Why I picked this book: The book actually came out a few months ago, but I've been waiting for it to be available at the library. I've read the first two books in this series and really enjoyed them. I love Nora Roberts writing and will read -or re-read - anything she publishes.

Annie McElfresh:  Well, I just finished The Ghost and The Goth.  I love the cover and I met the author and she gave me signed Swag - how could I resist?  As a matter of fact, I'm now doing a giveaway of this book over on my blog: Young Adult Bookworm (be sure to check it out!) 

Synopsis:  After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck here in spirit form with no sign of the big, bright light coming to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser/outcast type who hates the social elite. He alone can see and hear her, but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.   Can they get over their mutual distrust—and this weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?

My thoughts:  I finished this novel in about two days. I literally got sucked in and had to find out what the connection was between Alona and Will. I like the fact that Will isn't a true Goth, just different, and Alona started noticing little things about him that made him cute. Things, she would've overlooked when she was her alive "bitchy" self, like his perfect smile.  This book has duel points of view in first person. Alona feels a little abrasive and shallow in the beginning, but as time goes on she stops hiding behind her stuck up mask and lets Will know her true self. Also, I thought it was so cute that Alona was, like, Will's dream girl and he finally gets some one on one time with her.  This was a really cute book. So, if you like ghosts, and snarky characters that redeem themselves, this ones for you.

Rachel Dilley:  I'm currently reading The Doctor's Wife by Elizabeth Brundage. There have been so many best sellers with titles involving someone's wife that I figured I'd better jump on the bandwagon...The Time Traveler's Wife, The Pilot's Wife, The Senator's Wife, The Zookeeper's Wife, The Kitchen God's Wife...  Anyway, I selected this book because it was the author's debut novel, and I am always interested in the work that causes an author to break through the publishing barrier, even if it is with an overused title formula.

Here's the book review from Amazon:  A suspense novel crossed with a literary exploration of infidelity and marital rancor, Elizabeth Brundage's ambitious debut, The Doctor's Wife, provides more than the usual kick of adrenalin for readers. In a small town in upstate New York, urban transplants Annie and Michael Knowles--he is a rising OB/GYN, and she is a once-trailblazing journalist who has settled into a teaching job--hope to escape the noise and bustle of the city. But both are drawn into danger: Annie begins an affair with an infamous (and married) painter, Simon Haas, and Michael is coaxed into helping an ex-lover at her family planning clinic. He performs abortions for poor women, and tries to ignore the cars that follow him home and the increasingly threatening phone calls. Sometimes Brundage perfectly navigates the twisting, overlapping elements of her complicated story line, but other times gives us too much at a time. And one of her characters, Simon's disturbed wife Lydia Haas, is so fascinating that she puts the others in the shade. Nevertheless, this is a rich first novel and a promising beginning for its author.

Beth Zellner:  On deck for me is Made in the USA by Billie Letts. 

Lutie McFee's history has taught her to avoid attachments...to people, to places, and to almost everything.  With her mother long dead and her father gone to find his fortune in Las Vegas, fifteen-year-old Lutie lives in the godforsaken town of Spearfish, South Dakota, with her eleven-year-old brother, Fate, and Floy Satterfield, the three-hundred-pound ex-girlfriend of her father.  While Lutie shoplifts for kicks, Fate spends most of his time reading, watching weird TV shows, and worrying about global warming.  As if their life were not dismal enough, one day, while shopping in the local Wal*Mart, Floy keels over and the two motherless kids are suddenly faced with the choice of becoming wards of the state or high-tailing it out of town in Floy's old Pontiac.  Choosing the latter, they head off in search of a father who has no known address, no phone number, and no particular interest in the kids he left behind.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff ARC review

Title: The Replacement

By: Brenna Yovanoff
Published: September 21st 2010 by Razorbill
Details: Hardcover, 352 pages
Special Note: ARC Review

Mackie Doyle seems like everyone else in the perfect little town of Gentry, but he is living with a fatal secret - he is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now the creatures under the hill want him back, and Mackie must decide where he really belongs and what he really wants.

A month ago, Mackie might have told them to buzz off. But now, with a budding relationship with tough, wounded, beautiful Tate, Mackie has too much to lose. Will love finally make him worthy of the human world?

My Thoughts:

The entire town of Gentry knows that their human children are stolen and murdered by monsters, but they seem to be okay with the sacrifice in order to keep their town the happy place it is. This novel creates a intriguing world that is full of mystery.

Mackie Doyle is one of the creepiest main characters I've come across in a while, but I will say he is very likable and he won me over very easily. Mackie has this venerability that makes you root for him even though he's not quite human and placed in a crib to replace a human baby that had been stolen and sacrificed. While the creatures under the hill may be evil, Mackie isn't, and strives to just be "normal". Iron, even the slight amount in blood, causes Mackie to go into a toxic shock type syndrome, which adds to the struggle to live in the human world.

This novel is a great YOUNG ADULT (YA) mystery. The kind where you have to figure out exactly what Mackie is why these creatures under the hill suddenly want him back.

If you like creepy YA told from a male first person point of view with a little bit of romance sprinkled in, this one's for you.
 
**See More YA ARC and Book Reviews at my blog READING, WRITING and WAITING**

Writing Muses: Where Do You Find Yours?

All writers seek inspiration for the next big story. The next thing that will trigger the next big idea. Sometimes, it's something as simple as new song found during a quick radio scan in the car. Other times, it's seeing the right celebrity picture at the right time and things just sort of click.

For me, most of my story ideas come to me when I'm driving in the car listening to music. My brain will just kind of take the words from the song and spin them around until new ideas come from them. Since most of my writing tends to linger on the dark side, I am a huge fan of rock music, but every now and then an old song will blast out of my speakers and give me the most amazing idea. So, in my car you will find a little notepad and when I get to wherever it is that I am going I write down the song (so I can find it again) and my idea.

So here's my question to you fellow writers: Any personal muses you are willing to share?

Rejection Thrusday: Stay Positive

Rejection is something everyone experiences at some point in their lives. Rejection happens in love, careers and friendship. Sometimes, it's just barely a sting to the ego, while other times you wonder if you'll ever make it through alive. For us writers, rejection happens quite often. Someone telling you the novel you've slaved over for months sucks, is like someone telling you that your baby is ugly. I know, because this has happened to me several times.

For me, a generic rejection letter doesn't sting quite as bad as being a finalist or being 'this close' to grabbing your dream agent or a spot in publishing house. I can't tell you how many times I have finaled in a contest, only to be told later that the plot is good but the story is missing XYZ. That literally makes me want to pull my hair out or bang my head against my desk (See above picture for stress relief solutions). LOL. I'd rather miss something by a mile, than to be so close that I can almost touch it, my hopes all amped up, only to have the door once again swung in my face. I can see why so many people give up after a short time, because sometimes it feels like it's never going to happen. Makes you think, hey, maybe I should just give up now, right?

WRONG!!!!

After a countless number of times hearing the dirty word no, it only takes one yes. One person to say, I love this, do you already have an agent? One person to say, this is fabulous I want to buy it and send it out to the masses because I believe it'll be a best seller. That one little yes can completely change everything. Those months or years of struggling will haven't been for nothing, because it'll only make you appreciate your success that much more!

So don't give up my friends, stay positive, and I know soon it's gonna happen for all of us who are currently struggling.

Romantic Times Slide Show Recap

Hey Gang!

This video will hopefully recap Amy and I's Romantic Times Adventure. Also pictured is the awesome Susan Gee Henio!! :D

PS---There is music, and if you want to comment, click the title of the video post at the top and the page will reload for your comments. Blogger is being crazy. LOL