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Wednesday 4 December 2013

What's Up Wednesday #18 and IWSG #9


What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme run by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow and is a great way for readers and writers to catch up!

What I'm reading
Black Heart (Curse Workers #3)

I finished reading Holly Black's fabulous Curse Workers trilogy! I can't recommend this enough, especially to urban fantasy fans looking for something wildly different and original. Superb stuff.
The Bone Season (The Bone Season, #1)Darkfever (Fever, #1)

I also read The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. This book caught my attention because the author's the same age as me, and wrote this book while still at university - and it got picked up by Bloomsbury! It's the first in a gritty futuristic paranormal series which mixes dystopia with clairvoyance, one of the most original dystopian novels I've read. The world-building's certainly ambitious and I've no doubt this talented author is on her way to a successful career!

Also, I read Darkfever, a book that's been on my Goodreads TBR list for ages! I want to read more adult urban fantasy, but it's tricky when there are so many awesome-looking books, all of which seem to be the first in a long series. (I like series. My bank account does not. I may have a slight addiction to Kindle one-click buy...) But I'll definitely be carrying on with this one. It's a fantastic take on faeries and Irish mythology, with a great lead character.

Lastly, I read The Maze Runner, which kept me hooked for a very tense couple of days! James Dashner sure knows how to write tension-packed scenes.


What I'm writing

This week marked the end of NaNoWriMo and the start of the #WIPMarathon! I'm carrying on with the first draft of my MG fantasy, which has been a slow, frustrating struggle, but I'm getting there! I'm only managing 1000 words a day, but as long as I keep on track, I should be finished within the next couple of weeks. There is a light at the end of this tunnel!

Meanwhile, I sort of accidentally wrote the opening to another book, the YA post-apocalyptic fantasy I've been planning. I remember this exact same thing happened with my current WIP - in fact, it happens every single time I start a book. Starting a book is the one part of the process that I don't plan. I can't do it on purpose. It just happens. I think it might be the intimidating idea of starting to write that means I have to trick my brain into thinking I'm not going to write it yet...and sooner or later I'll have an open word document with 500 shiny new words in it and no clue how it happened. Once I have that starting point, I can get into a routine!

So yes, I started another book. But I'm being good and finishing my WIP before I change my focus (besides, if I get into Pitch Wars, I'll have to switch my attention back to Beneath the Waves!).

What else I've been up to

After the excitement of last week, I've been getting back into a writing/reading routine and catching up with everything. And as I hinted earlier, I made the decision to enter Pitch Wars! So I've been stalking blogs and perfecting my query. And then on Monday...I hit SEND. Four times. I did it! *flails*

Other than that, I've been editing for clients and reading submissions for my internship. It's been a hectic few days!

What inspires me right now

The #WIPMarathon and the fabulous online writing community! :)



It's also the first Wednesday of November, which means it's time for The Insecure Writers Support Group, created by Alex J Cavanaugh!


Well, I'm a crazy bundle of nerves this week, because (as I mentioned above), I entered Pitch Wars! This is the first time I've ever taken part in a writing contest so publicly, so as you can imagine, it's quite a step. But I'm sure I'm not the only writer suffering from jitters this week as we wait for the results! And stalk the Twitter hashtag, wondering if mentors are reading my submission... *bites nails*

This, along with waiting for another editorial email of doom (on the mega-rewrite of Darkworld Book 2 I did a couple of weeks ago), has made me an overly neurotic, freaked-out mess the last few days. Checking my inbox is something like this:



And my life in general is something like this:

32 comments:

  1. Karen Marie Moning's Fever series is my favorite paranormal romance series. It's awesome! Enjoy. :) Good luck with the Pitch Wars. Take a deep breath and have a cookie. You'll do wonderfully. Just entering is so brave!

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    1. Thank you! :) I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!

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  2. Best of luck with Pitch Wars. Really hope it works out for you :D

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  3. You must have an amazing amount of energy, please give me some! Super impressed with your NaNo, your editing, and so on Emma. Also, good luck in pitch wars. I hope it proves fruitful!

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    1. Haha, I alternate between having too much energy and having none at all! Thank you! :)

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  4. Oh, I have an ARC of The Bone Season since June! And I haven't read it yet ... I heard great things about Darkfever - I wish my TBR list wasn't so big *sigh*

    Good luck on PitchWars!

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    1. My TBR list never seems to end! Thanks :)

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  5. I've been wanting to read all three of those books.

    Good luck with the writing! And best wishes in the Pitch Wars! :D

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  6. Those look like some awesome books!
    Starting's always the hardest part for me, once the first few hundred words are down it's much easier.
    Good luck with Pitch Wars!

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    1. Starting a book terrifies me, that's why I need to sneak up on it! :P Thank you!

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  7. Best of luck with Pitch Wars! I'm having so much fun following along with all the excitement on Twitter. Here's hoping you score an awesome mentor, Emma! Hope you have a wonderful week. :-)

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    1. Thank you! Following the hashtag is addictive!

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  8. Good luck with Pitch Wars!! How exciting. And I LOVE the kittehs. :D

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  9. I loved Holly Black's Curseworkers books too! Her world-building is so effortless. Her newest, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, is an interesting take on vampires. I think it's my favorite Holly book I've read so far! The Bone Season is on my TBR; looking forward to it!

    Good luck with Pitch Wars and WIPMarathon!

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    1. I need to read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, it's on my TBR list! Thank you :)

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  10. Best of luck with Pitch Wars, hope it goes well for you.

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  11. Wow! You are busy reading and writing! Congrats on getting into Pitch Wars and Best Wishes with that!
    I'm going to have to check out that #WIP marathon. :)

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    1. Thank you :) WIPMarathon is so much fun - it's just a group of writers supporting each other with our goals!

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  12. Good luck in Pitch wars! It sounds super exciting.
    I've heard great things about the Bone Season. I must check it out.
    Have a great week.

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  13. Love the kitty pictures. Good luck with Pitch Wars. I completely understand checking emails etc constantly, it gets addictive doesn't it?

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    1. Thank you :) I need to stop refreshing my inbox! :P

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  14. I also am far too fond of Amazon's one-click button, so I can sympathize. Although it's the daily deals that really get me. I've got waaaay too many books to read on my Kindle right now...

    Good luck with Pitch Wars!

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    1. Same, I just keep buying more! Thank you :)

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  15. Good luck with Pitch Wars! No worries. What is the worst that could happen? Now, what is the best...?

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  16. I've noticed a few others doing Pitch Wars as well. Good luck!

    Also...I can totally relate to those kitties, too. XD

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  17. Haha, Lolcats are good for everything. Thank you! :)

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  18. You've done a lot and still have so much going on. I loved the LOLcat pics! Good luck on Pitch wars!! :-)

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    1. My life is slightly insane at the moment. :P Thank you! :)

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  19. Best of luck with with Pitch Wars! That's awesome that you went for it, even though it freaks you out. I'll be crossing fingers for you! :) And I love the #WIPMarathon thing! Such a great idea. Have a great week!

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  20. Oh super good luck with Pitch Wars!! And wow you rock with the reading. I'm so far behind with my own reading list. All those books sound fab tho!

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