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Saturday 31 May 2014

#WIPMarathon Update #4

Last report wordcount and chapter count/scene count: I was 39,000 words into my YA post-apocalyptic sequel.
 
Current report WC + CC/SC:
I finished my draft at 70K! :D

I also finished last revisions on Indestructible. Whee!

And I decided my MG Fantasy (which I wrote last year) needed to undergo a major revision. So I cut it into scenes in Scrivener and more or less rewrote it from scratch. And in the process, I fell in love with the story again! ^_^ Now, it's finished and beta-ready, and I'm in a weird hopeful-scared paradox because it's made me re-evaluate my entire game plan for project submission.

I'm also writing another draft, a YA contemporary fantasy. I'm currently at 20K words (thanks to a week without Internet and a ton of inspiration!)

And I wrote most of an outline (and a ton of worldbuilding) for another YA high fantasy project. I may have had a slight case of Project ADD this month...

WIP Issues this month: Being distracted by other projects and shiny new ideas. At one point, I was juggling four at once. Oops.


Four things I learned this month in writing:
  • This fantastic series on character arcs has been so helpful when writing my revision plan for my MG Fantasy. I have two main characters, and I completely lost track of their stories (one of the reasons I decided to rewrite it!). This helped me keep everything on track!
  • On days when I'm inspired, I need to write as much as possible. This might seem obvious, but I've been using 1000 words a day as my target for a while and it's possible to get lazy with it and end up in a never-ending guilt spiral when I get a stretch of days where it's hard to get any words down at all. Now, I'm going to make more of an effort to get as many words down as possible on those days when the words are flowing, so I feel less guilty on the non-inspired days!
  • I read this amazing book by Rachel Aaron about how she went from writing 2K in a day to over 10K. There are some great tips, such as making a list of the things that excite you about each scene before you write them. I'm making the effort to do this, because if I'm excited about every scene, hopefully the reader will be, too!
  • Rewriting can be inspiring! I tend to find drafting more fun than editing, although I've really come to appreciate both stages of the writing process. But rewriting a book from scratch has made me appreciate the bits I got RIGHT, as opposed to the many things I got wrong. It's rewarding! ^_^
What distracted me this month when writing: Plague (boo!) and holiday (yay!).

Goal for next month: I'm hoping to make more progress with my YA contemporary fantasy draft, now it's my main project. :) And I'm hoping to do more plotting/outlining on my next project.

I'm also going to be sending my MG fantasy out to beta readers! I hesitate to say this in case I'm completely deluding myself, but I have a really good feeling about this one... well, part of me is thinking that if any project is the "one", it's this one. If that makes sense? (It does in my head!) As I said in my What's Up Wednesday post, it's a very "me" kind of book, which means it's completely bonkers. I started out writing children's books, and I'd forgotten how much fun it is. :D

Last 200 words: (This is a very rough excerpt from my YA contemporary fantasy WIP, which has the working title of Dark Art. You'll see why...)

The paintings on the walls had a life of their own, soaring angels and fantastical creatures changing shape and form so fast it was like watching a video clip in fast-forward. She looked at Dorian instead, the only steady, solid object in the room, and swallowed hard.

‘This is mental,’ she said, her voice tiny in the huge room.

‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘It’s a mental trick. You have to find your focus.’

‘My what? How the hell are you so calm about…’ She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a migraine pushing at her temples.

‘Find one point to focus on. Don’t take your eyes off it. Everything else will stop moving if you do that. It’s in your head. This place might be crazy-making, but you’re sane and you can do this.’ He took her hand and squeezed it, and she didn’t pull away.

‘Thanks.’ She forced her eyes open. Almost instantly, the swirling colours dragged her in again, but she found one spot, the wing of a tropical-coloured bird, and focused on that. The other paintings tried to draw her eyes away, flickering from one colour and image to the next, but she narrowed her eyes and concentrated on that one image.

Everything else fell away, seeming muted, like someone had paused the video. She breathed out, and turned back to Dorian.

‘You did great, Saffron,’ he said.

‘Wait,’ she said, frowning. ‘We just went down a slide, but we were on the ground floor, right? So is this underground?’

‘Don’t think about dimensions in this place, it’ll give you a headache,’ said Dorian. ‘Trust me. Forget everything you know about the laws of nature.’

Friday 30 May 2014

Interview with James Wymore, author of Salvation

It's time for my first featured author interview here on the Writer's Nest. Today I'm interviewing fellow CQ writer James Wymore, author of Salvation!
Tell me three interesting facts about yourself!
1- I dreamed my own death, but managed somehow to stay alive.
2- I’ve played with a rock band in front of thousands of screaming people.
3- I can’t do accents unless I’m very tired.
Summarize your book in one line.
 If the town can’t prepare well enough, the monsters will destroy them all.
Tell me something cool/crazy/quirky about the book – it can be anything!
The main character is named after one of the Blues Brothers. 
Why did you decide to write this particular book?
I had an epiphany while watching television one day and wanted to write something allegorical. 
Best part of the writing process?
When a reader tells me they really loved my book. 
Share one thing you learned writing this book.
 It’s easier to just concentrate on one thing and work to the end.  By focusing and writing through the whole manuscript, it really was a much smoother piece.
Tell me about one strange experience you’ve had. Again, it can be anything!
I dissected a human being.
Name one fictional place you’d love to visit.
The grid, from the Tron movies.  That would be a blast! 
Name one real place you’d love to visit.
Iceland.  Active volcanoes AND aurora borealis in one place! 
Share one sentence/mini-excerpt from the book!
Jewel said, “If these are our last days, they are precious.”

Thanks, James! (It may make you a little jealous to know that I'm going to Iceland later this year!) 

And here's some more information about James's latest book, Salvation,  which is published by Curiosity Quills!

Elwood has no memory of who he is or where he came from. All he knows is that he was a soldier wounded while fighting against the monstrous Hyzoi; a race of armored mermen with razor sharp teeth and claws. Nursed back to health and taken in by Macey and Bowen—the kindly older couple who find him nearly dead on the banks of a frozen river—Elwood quickly becomes part of their family. Macey even lines Elwood up with her younger sister, and the prospect of a peaceful agrarian life helps him to begin to move on.

But all that changes when Elwood spots a horde of Hyzoi advancing on his new home. Now he is forced to use his military training and intrinsic leadership skills to prepare the people of Winigh to desperately defend against an innumerable foe.

Now available at Amazon!

Book Blast - The Other Me by Suzanne van Rooyen



Title: The Other Me
Author: Suzanne van Rooyen
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press
Release Date: 19 Dec, 2013
Length: 216 pages
Genre: YA, LGBT, contemporary

SYNOPSIS:
Fifteen-year-old Treasa Prescott thinks she's an alien. She doesn't fit in with the preppy South African private school crowd and feels claustrophobic in her own skin. Treasa is worried she might spend life as a social pariah when she meets Gabriel du Preez. Gabriel plays the piano better than Beethoven, has a black belt in karate, and would look good wearing a garbage bag. Treasa thinks he's perfect. It might even be love, as long as Gabriel doesn't find out she's a freak.

As Treasa spends time with Gabriel, she realizes she might not love him as much as she wants to be him, and that the reason she feels uncomfortable in her skin might have less to do with extra-terrestrial origins and more to do with being born in the wrong body.

But Gabriel is not the perfect boy Treasa imagines. He harbors dark secrets and self-destructive tendencies. Still, Treasa might be able to accept Gabriel's baggage if he can accept who she longs to be.

BOOK LINKS:

PRAISE FOR THE OTHER ME:
"The Other Me is a story that will stay with me for a long time. This is what YA should be and Van Rooyen has that uncanny ability to wedge you inside the heads of her characters where you will feel all their pain, love, joy and sorrow. I cannot recommend this book enough if you’re looking for a story that will challenge your preconceptions.” – Nerine, You Gotta Read Reviews

"This book is a great new contemporary read, so different from everything else that's out there, and it is brilliant! Suzanne van Rooyen does a brilliant job of crafting a story that is not only entertaining and engaging, but interesting and unique too.”– Myra, Pieces of Whimsy

"I loved Suzanne Van Rooyen's writing style. It made reading her words so easy. Her characters came across as incredibly real. Add all of that into the uniqueness of the stories subject and The Other Me turned out to be a book that I absolutely loved. So much in fact that I would love to read more of these characters.” – Tracey, YA Book Addict"



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Suzanne is a tattooed story-teller and peanut-butter addict from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring. Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing you can find her teaching dance and music to middle-schoolers or playing in the snow with her shiba inu. She is rep'd by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.

Author Links:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday 28 May 2014

What's Up Wednesday

Welcome to What's Up Wednesday, a weekly meme run by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow. Here's what I've been up to this past week!

What I'm reading

I've been reading lots of children's/MG books this week, to get in the right mindset for revising my MG steampunk fantasy (as up until now I've been working on my dark, angsty post-apocalyptic sequel and needed to read something more light and upbeat!).

I read Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, which for some reason, I haven't read before. I have no idea why! It's about a world where bigger towns eat smaller ones. Yep. It's wonderfully creative and original! I bought the whole series and read them in three days!

I also read The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand, which is fabulously sinister and creepy! It's like Roald Dahl crossed with Tim Burton. Awesomeness.

What I'm writing

I finished my draft!!!!! In an insane day-long writing session in which I wrote over 6000 words, beating my lifetime record! I've mentioned before that I'm a slow writer most of the time, so I'm still convinced an alien took over my brain for the day. Or possibly a demon. 

I'm also working on my YA contemporary fantasy draft. But my main focus is now on...

...revising my MG steampunk fantasy! :) This went better than I expected, considering what a mess I thought the draft was in when I finished it in December. Looking at it with fresh eyes got me excited about it again! It's now ready to send to CP's/beta readers. Yay! :D I'm actually *gasp* tentatively hopeful about this one. If anyone's interested in beta-ing for me (it's a fairly short book, seeing as it's middle-grade), then I'd really appreciate the help - and I'd be happy to return the favour! :)

What else I've been up to 

Other than work and catching up with reviews...not much! Now the lovely weather's departed, I'm back into hermit mode.

 What inspires me

Progress! :D That insane adrenaline rush when the end is in sight and you just want to keep typing and typing!

And rediscovering the love for an old story! I love this odd tale of alternative universes and dragons and clockwork monsters. I love the eccentric characters. It's a very "me" kind of book, which naturally means it's totally bizarre. :D

Friday 23 May 2014

Review - World After by Susan Ee


World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2)In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?


World After is the sequel to the fantastic Angelfall, and my hopes were high. The first in this explosive post-angel-apocalypse saga totally blew my mind, and I’m happy to say that the sequel holds the same high standard! This is an adrenaline-filled, tense, DARK thrill-ride.

Penryn might have reunited with her family, but things will never be the same. Her younger sister, Paige, has been brutally altered by the angels’ doctors, and is outcast as a monster. Penryn herself is distrusted because of her seemingly-miraculous recovery from being stung by one of the angels’ scorpion-monsters. Her mother’s paranoia makes their whole family a target of the human survivors as well as the angels. And Raffe, the enemy angel she allied with, has gone, determined to get his wings back, and thinking she’s dead.

A good word to describe these books is haunting. And also disturbing. Not just because it’s such a scary, gripping portrayal of the end of the world, but because of the grey moral perspective. There are no real heroes or “good people”. The humans can be as despicable as the monsters. Penryn is a great lead character because she’s a survivor above all, and incredibly strong and determined.

The plot is great – not a single scene is wasted, and I was riveted throughout. Packed with suspense, danger and horror, this is a worthy sequel to Angelfall. Anyone looking for a kickass survival story with a great heroine, horrific monsters, and a dash of humour (Penryn’s nickname for the angel sword: HA!) will find something to enjoy here. Hands-down the best angel series (and the best post-apocalyptic novel) I’ve read!

Rating: *****


Wednesday 21 May 2014

What's Up Wednesday

Welcome to What's Up Wednesday, a weekly meme run by Erin L Funk and Jaime Morrow. Here's what I've been up to this past week!

What I'm reading

I read Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood, which is a really good YA historical fantasy about witches. Then I read Half Bad by Sally Green, also about witches - but it couldn't be more different! It's easy to see how this book's drawn so much attention. It's gritty and intense with a fresh, contemporary voice!

My copy of The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa arrived, and I eagerly dove into the finale to the Blood of Eden trilogy, knowing many tears would be shed! And I certainly wasn't disappointed.

Now I'm reading The Lovely and the Lost by Page Morgan. Gargoyles, demons and gothic romance in 1890's Paris - I love this series!

 
What I'm writing

I'm slowly inching towards the end of my draft...

It's not been the best week for my poor other WIP's. Due to a combination of receiving a critique, reading a ton of writing articles, and generally being in a hyper-critical mood, I took a long, hard look at all of my works-in-progress, and came to a decision. The MG Fantasy draft that's been sitting on my laptop since December needs rewriting from scratch (but on the plus side, I've finished my revision plan!). The other YA draft I finished in April is being indefinitely shelved until I figure out what to do to fix it. And I've rewritten the beginning to my YA post-apocalyptic fantasy...again...

BUT, I'm doing the brave/crazy thing and entering my first contest with this project! Eep. I've been tinkering with it for weeks after getting my last round of feedback, afraid to move on even though I've revised the heck out of it - so I'm pushing forward. I just have to hope that at some point, the stars will align for all of my projects!

Meanwhile, I'm carrying on with my YA contemporary fantasy, and also plotting a new YA high fantasy based on an idea I had a few months ago! I might write this one next. (This is how I avoid insanity when waiting in the query trenches/waiting in general. By constantly thinking about the next project!)

What inspires me

The many, many useful articles on Janice Hardy's blog, and also this series on character arcs. It's been so helpful with outlining/re-outlining!

Also, writing the revision plan for my MG Fantasy book. Even though I have to rewrite it from scratch, I have a better idea of what I'm aiming for this time! :)

What else I've been up to 

Oh, tax forms. *mock cheer* To cut a long and tedious story short, as a UK author with a US publisher, I have 30% of my book royalties withheld unless I go through the torturous process of filling out a bunch of paperwork. Starting with obtaining an ITIN (International Taxpayer Identification Number). So, I am passport-less for a while, and I have to trust that Royal Mail don't lose my official documents. o_O (I'm filing this under "Things No One Tells You About Being An Author". Ah, well!)

Other than work, I've been having fun with creative-type things. ^_^ Since coming back from holiday, I've been trying for more of a balance in my non-writing life, as most of the time, it tends to consist of me spending too much time on the internet. So I'm trying for more non-writing-related hobbies like painting, drawing, card-making, etc. Things I used to do when I was younger, before everything became a competition, and Art GCSE stole my soul...

But, seeing as I have enough stress in my writing life, I'm taking up painting, drawing, and card-making again. I'm a complete amateur, but it's purely for fun, this time! :)

Monday 19 May 2014

How I found the Write Path



 I'm taking part in this fantastic blogfest put together by the awesome Carrie Butler! Carrie is compiling letters from writers at all stages of their publishing journey, for a free e-book aimed at writers just starting out!

THE PROMPT: 
Please write a letter/note to yourself when you first started writing toward publication. The only thing I ask is that you keep it under 800 words, including as many (or as few) of these elements as you like:
   - A lesson you learned the hard way
   - Something you didn’t expect about the industry (positive/negative)
   - A writing-related resource you could never do without now
   - One thing you’d change about your journey
   - One thing you’re glad you did
   - Your number one tip for pursuing publication
   - Anything else you feel is worth passing on
INFORMATION: 
   - The name you wish to be credited as
   - The title (if any) you wish to follow your name, i.e. author of the series
   - One major link where people can find you, i.e. website, blog, Twitter, etc.
PLEASE INCLUDE:
   - Whether or not you give me permission to use your entry in the e-book compilation. Don’t feel bad if you don’t want in. We’d still love to read what you have to say!

So: this is my letter to Past Emma, who was just setting out on the bumpy journey of writing for publication...

Dear 2010 Emma,

This isn’t going to be an easy journey. I think you know that already. The world’s already conspiring to stop you starting that novel. Every day that passes makes you grind your teeth with frustration. Time feels like it’s slipping away.

Here’s a secret: there is no time limit. There is no ticking clock. If you don’t get published before you turn 18, you aren’t a failure.

That creative writing course you set your heart on? It isn’t the end of the world if they don’t offer you a place. You don’t need validation in order to write a novel. You don’t need to belong to a prestigious university course to be published. Writing that portfolio for your application feels like it’s sucking out your soul? That’s your first clue. Write what you want, not what you think other people want. If they only want “serious fiction”, it isn’t the right course for you. Your ideas and quirks and odd stories are what make you unique, and stifling them with a literary voice will kill your passion.

You’re more likely to use your skill at analysing Shakespeare in your writing career than the ability to write a decent seven-line poem in one minute under the watchful eye of an interviewer. So don’t worry about that cringe-worthy mess you scribbled down. No one will remember it. Honest.

Emma, for pity’s sake, please, please don’t think it’s a good idea to snail-mail one submission at a time. Those poor trees!

It’s probably a good plan to think of something witty to say when you ask your creative writing tutor for their advice on submitting your novel for publication and they tell you you’re too young to be thinking about that. Without actually asking what you’re writing about.

The internet will be the best thing that ever happened to you. You’ll discover the wonderful online writing community, find critique partners, and learn more from online articles than from three years of university.

I know you love your characters. I know you love that story. But that doesn’t mean you’ll never love another story again. Yes, many tears will be shed. But it’s a writer’s rite of passage. It isn’t the peak of your writing ability. It’s the cue to move on and try something new. Fill that hole in your life with wonderful new worlds and characters.

*whispers* That notebook you lost down the back of the desk might contain some interesting ideas…

Sometimes you’ll wish you could turn back the clock. Don’t. You’ll learn some hard lessons, but you’ll emerge the stronger for it, and every mistake will teach you something new, and bring you closer to that dream.

Love,
2014 Emma




Name & Title: Emma L. Adams,  author of the Darkworld series
Link:  http://throughthegateway.blogspot.co.uk/

Carrie, please feel free to use my entry in the ebook, and thank you so much for hosting this opportunity! :)

Friday 16 May 2014

Review - The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle, #2)Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. 

Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. 

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...
Wow. What is it about Maggie Stiefvater’s writing that makes it so hard to write a review? The second book in the Raven Cycle is just as indescribably brilliant as the first, picking up where The Raven Boys left off. Blue and the Raven Boys continue their quest to find Glendower – a Welsh king buried beneath their town, who is believed to grant a favour upon awakening. With the ley lines around Henrietta awakened, the different members of the group react in different ways. Ronan becomes the central character, as the story revolves around his ability to pull objects from dreams – an ability inherited from his father, whose murder still haunts him. But other, sinister entities start to follow him out of the dream world, and two antagonists, fellow Aglionby student Kavinsky and the sinisterly ordinary-seeming Gray Man, both want his powers for their own reasons.

The characterisation is superb. All the characters feel like real people, complicated and three-dimensional. Maggie Stiefvater builds layers upon layers, delivering more jaw-dropping twists even than in the previous book. Despite the modern setting, the depth of the story makes the impossible seem real. The writing has both subtle humour and poignancy. This is YA paranormal that manages to be totally unique, and I’ll be first in line for the next book!


Rating: *****