See what AuthorsNow! members are blogging about...
megancrewe.com - Blog » The Ways We Struggle – Leah Cypess
Click here for an explanation of the The Ways We Struggle guest post series.
This week we’re hearing from Leah Cypess, author of the YA fantasy novels Mistwood and Nightspell. Leah’s studied biology and law, and she lives in Brookline, Massachusetts (right outside of Boston) with her husband and their three children. She sold her first short story while ...
[Link]Author2Author » Editing the Indie Novel, Part Two
Today I'm going to touch on content edits. A book that ignores this step is probably doomed to failure.
First you should tackle editing content. This is where my friend Angela Carlie ... [Link]
A Twisted Clump of Seaweed (and other treasures found at low tide) » THE WRITING AND CRITIQUE GROUP SURVIVAL GUIDE, by Becky Levine
Becky Levine is a writer, who, like many of us, is in a critique group. Her group has been together for ten years. In my ...
[Link]megancrewe.com - Blog » The first The Way We Fall sequel post
A few readers have been wondering whether The Way We Fall will have a sequel. Indeed it will! In fact, it will have two — it’s the first in a trilogy. (I didn’t actually intend to write a trilogy; it just sort of happened, as I explain here.)
Book 2 is written and edited and with the copyeditor right now. I ...
[Link]<link>http://saundramitchell.com/blog</link> <description /> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:16:31 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <s » Read-In Against Arizona Book Bannings
A readng from Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña– a book currently banned in Tuscon schools because of discriminatory legistlation. Find out more at Banning History in Arizona . To find out more about Matt’s books, visit his website at mattdelapena.com.
Also check out No History is Illegal and Debbie Reese’s rundown of events. ...
[Link]Author2Author » Perfect Young Adult Books for Valentine's Day
Tip of the Day: If you're a teen in the western suburbs of Chicago, come see me at this Valentine's Day event tonight.
It's almost that time again...Valentine's Day. Are we yay or nay? I used to be more excited about Valentine's Day but now it seems like an endless flow of kid's valentine's and filling them out and buying treats ... [Link]
writerjenn » UnExpectations and News
I've noticed that unhappiness often springs from the difference between what we have and what we think we are "supposed" to have. In recent years, I've gotten better at letting go of those expectations, especially when they're externally driven. If a dream is truly something we want, if it's internally driven, that's one thing ... but the other kind, the ... [Link]
megancrewe.com - Blog » Creepy disease post: Plague
The virus in The Way We Fall is totally made up, but there are plenty of super-creepy sicknesses that really do exist. Over the next several weeks, I’m going to fill you in on some of them. (Those with hypochondriac tendencies may want to skip these posts. )
To start, let’s go back to possibly the best known disease in history… ...
[Link]Author2Author » Been There, Read That (or Tired and True Tropes)
Tip of the Day, Librarian Edition: February is Love Your Library Month! Ask your local librarians what you can do for them!
All of us writers trying to sell books know that it is a tough, competitive market for YA. What can we do to stand out in the slush piles? One idea I plan to implement is to work harder ... [Link]
Author2Author » Enough is enough...
Tip of the Day: I started doing something I swore I'd never in my life resort to...keeping a food journal. But I have to admit its sort of easy with this app. All I have to do is search for foods and click to add to my journal. With all the hard work technically done for me, it's been enlightening ... [Link]
Gabe's Meanderings- Exploring the Past » The Silence of Trees
Just finished reading Valya Dudycz Lupescu's book, The Silence of the Trees. I enjoyed it - but thought the first half was a lot better than the last half. In fact, I wanted to just hurry up and finish it, although, I knew where it was going and there didn't seem to be a point to finishing it. (That sounds ... [Link]
Suzanne Young » YALSA's Readers' Choice List--YAY!!!
I'm sooooo excited!! Eloquent, right? A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL is on the 2012 YALSA's Readers' Choice List for Romance! I'm completely honored! Thank you, readers! Thank you, YALSA!
Yay for Charlotte and Harlin!!!
In the meantime, I'm going to celebrate! Check out the ... [Link]
Deva Fagan's Journal » Ten Steps to Reading More
I was chatting with some friends about reading, right around the new year when resolutions were in the air. “Read more” or “Read X books” seem to be goals for a bunch of folks, and it reminded me of the Dark Times.
As in, the years when I was not a Reader.
I started off as a Reader. My wonderful mom ...
[Link]megancrewe.com - Blog » The music of The Way We Fall – “Crowd Surf Off A Cliff”
I’ve talked before about making playlists for my books as I’m working on them, and how those help inspire me. Now that The Way We Fall is out, I’d like to share each of the songs on its unofficial soundtrack with you, and discuss how they relate to the story. (I’ll try to keep spoilery details out for those who haven’t ...
[Link]Through The Wardrobe » Marketing & Publicity for Authors: Part 1
writerjenn » You're invited
You’re all invited to the launch party for Try Not to Breathe, this Saturday (Feb. 4) at Children’s Book World, Haverford, PA, from 1 to 3 PM. (For directions, go here.)
If you’d like a signed book but don’t live nearby, you can call the store at 610-642-6274 to order one.
There will be refreshments, and there will be a few other ... [Link]
Author2Author » Secrets in YA and MG, or the Character in Ignorance
Tip of the Day: Are you following Kristina's blog? She's running a giveaway of a signed hardcover, has news about her YALSA honor, and more!
Here's a secret about me: one of my pet peeves is when people think the difference between Middle Grade and Young Adult writing boils down to sex, drugs, and rock and roll. No! There are huge ... [Link]
The B-log Blog » TOUCHED Winners!
I want to thank everyone for entering the TOUCHED contest! Because I had so many entries, I decided to choose two winners, who are:
Also, I have ...
megancrewe.com - Blog » Infect Your Friends: A The Way We Fall Giveaway! – Until Feb 8th
With The Way We Fall just out, I think it’s time for one super huge giveaway!
What’s up for grabs? Take a look:
-Signed copy of The Way We Fall (or ebook if you prefer)*
-Signed copy of Give Up the Ghost (or ebook if you prefer)*
- The Way We Fall notebook, pen, magnet, bookmark, and hand ...
Frolicking through Cyberspace » A café, an interview, and a review. Oh my!
It's been a busy week! My husband and I have just wrapped up the Grand Opening weekend of our café & gallery. I have an in-depth interview up at GotInterview.com. And Julie Hedlund chose Bedtime Monster for her Perfect Picture Book Friday post. People even said all sorts of nice things about my book, which made my breaks during my ... [Link]
<link>http://saundramitchell.com/blog</link> <description /> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:16:31 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <s » History of Racism Repeats Itself: Get Involved!
On February 2, 2012, a national teach-in will take place to protest the racist book and education banning taking place in Arizona. Debbie Reese has a list of things you can do as an educator to participate in the teach-in.
Those of us who are NOT educators can also participate. Banning History in Arizona encourages you to submit a ...
[Link]writerjenn » What editing is
I often see misconceptions about what editing is. There's a tendency to associate it with proofreading or copy editing, which is the phase of editing that focuses on grammar, punctuation, spelling, basic consistency problems, word repetition, and the like. Copy editors know the difference between faze and phase. They know that you can't have two Saturdays in a row (unless ... [Link]
Of This and Other Worlds » Heads up, fellow MWT fans...
Chachic's Book Nook has been hosting a Queen's Thief Week, with guest posts by various book bloggers and authors who are fans of Megan Whalen Turner's writing -- including me! So today I got the chance to ramble on about the things I like most about the books, particularly her handling of religion:
How I fell in love with the Queen's ... [Link]
megancrewe.com - Blog » The Ways We Struggle guest series – Struggling To Be by Janet Gurtler
Today I’m pleased to be introducing a series of guest posts you’ll see here on my blog between now and April: The Ways We Struggle.
The idea for the series came about through the meeting of two thoughts. One was that The Way We Fall is all about different kinds of struggles — on the larger level, Kaelyn’s struggle to survive ...
[Link]<link>http://saundramitchell.com/blog</link> <description /> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:16:31 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <s » Revisions, Revisions
I got my revisions. Many of the notes are in track changes.
For the first time, I’m actually trying to interact with track changes. You know, as opposed to opening a whole new file and typing everything back in.
Y’all, it’s embarrassing. I’m good with the comment bubbles. And when things are being deleted.
But when I have to re-arrange whole ...
[Link]Author2Author » Editing the Indie Novel, Part One
Okay, I wasn't going to do this right away, but it feels like a discussion of editing should be the next step. The reason I hesitate to tackle this topic is because nothing in e-publishing leads to more anger and ... [Link]
writerjenn » Bookish Bits
I have many nuggets to share with you today:
In a must-read for any introverted writer who does public appearances, Jim Hines discusses the disorienting second-guessing and fatigue that can follow. Judging by the comment thread (which is also a must-read), a LOT of us do this: blurt, feel awkward, wonder how we come across. My take-home conclusion is that most people ... [Link]
Just Your Average Crazy Writer » Speed Hump, Anyone?
One of the weird things I do (out of, like, 400 billion weird things) is take pics of signs I find as I go oot and aboot in my daily life. Here are some of my favs:
This one's on the side of my husband's leaf blower. I like how they show you the mangled finger. Good warning, yo. ... [Link]
<link>http://saundramitchell.com/blog</link> <description /> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:16:31 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <s » Buying a House
So my husband and I are buying our first house this summer. We have a price limit, we are doing lots of research, blah blah blah responsible adultcakes. One of the websites we use for our research likes to play a dirty trick, though.
We put in a zip code, our top price limit, and minimum number of bedrooms, and hit ...
[Link]Author2Author » Tweet Your Favorite Author Day!!
Tip of the Day: There is still time to enter my contest for a signed hard cover of Just Your Average Princess. It's easy! Go to my blog to follow me and comment here to let me know.
I've been having a very good e-mail/facebook/twitter week. By this I mean I've been getting super nice notes from fans, parents, and librarians and it's ... [Link]
Frolicking through Cyberspace » Monster List of Picture Book Agents--Kirchoff/Wohlberg Literary Agency
Kirchoff/Wohlberg is another one of those slightly mysterious agencies that are hard to find information on, but I find them quite interesting. This listing has certainly put my internet search skills to the test! Kirchoff/Wohlberg seems to be an agency/book packager. As you will see on their website they provide solutions to publishers and have numerous published projects, many of ... [Link]
Author2Author » ALA Youth Media Award Winners (or Silver and Gold Writing Lessons)
Tip of the Day, Librarian Edition: If a library fine of less than $1 appears erroneously on your account, please make sure your freak-out to the library staff is monetarily equivalent. It is hard to take you seriously if you are foaming at the mouth over 50 cents.
Wow.
Just wow.
None of the books that the Printz Club read made it on ... [Link]
megancrewe.com - Blog » Picturing The Way We Fall‘s characters
When I’m getting ready to write a new story, I often have a much easier time figuring out the characters’ personalities and voices if I can form a picture of them in my head. Some characters arrive with a distinct physical presence — I knew what Cass from Give Up the Ghost looked like before I was totally sure what her ...
[Link]<link>http://saundramitchell.com/blog</link> <description /> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:16:31 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <s » The Springsweet Trailer
With just three months to go before THE SPRINGSWEET comes out, I’m excited to share the trailer for it. Short, sweet and to the point- if you’ve wondered what THE SPRINGSWEET is about, this trailer will answer that question!
[Link]Author2Author » 5 Tricks to a Revising Mood
Tip of the Day: need a good stress relief? Check out some of these aromatherapy products. Cheap and effective!
If you are like me, then you have to be in a "certain" mood to revise. At least revise well. This magical mood makes everything flow better. It not only sparks ideas of paragraphs to move around, but the right words also ... [Link]
writerjenn » The Truth
Jo Knowles just blogged at engchat about a topic that's been on my mind since Try Not to Breathe came out--since before it came out, actually. Even though people know that novelists are writing fiction, i.e., stories that are not literally true, we seem to have a great hunger to know how much of a novel is based on true-life ... [Link]
Into that world inverted... » Cagefight With Your Shadow Self: Who Will Be The Mistress of Mellyn?
In the spirit of the new year, I thought we could take on one of the first modern Gothics!
ELEANOR HIBBERT: I am a bestselling author under the names Jean Plaidy and Philippa Carr, but I want to pick a new name and be an even BIGGER bestseller.
PUBLISHER: Lady, we like your style. Have you noticed that this book REBECCA has ... [Link]
megancrewe.com - Blog » The Way We Fall Virtual Launch Party!
The virtual launch is over! Thanks to all who participated!
~~~
The Way We Fall hits stores today, so it’s time to celebrate! Party with me from now until 10pm EST tonight.
Available in stores and online at:
Amazon ~ Chapters ~ B&N ~ Powells ~ Indiebound
Here’s where you can join in:
The Prize Room ...
[Link]Frolicking through Cyberspace » A Quacky National Buy a Book About a Duck Day Reading
I love my ducks. Whenever I go outside they greet me with their jovial quacking. They sound like they're laughing. It makes me smile every time. Since it's National Buy a Book About a Duck Day I thought it would be a great way to celebrate by reading our ducks a book! We got Henry Goes West by Robert Quakenbush. ... [Link]
Through The Wardrobe » Debut Authors of the Class of 2k12: Megan Bostic
