Waiting on Wednesday: Incarnate

Don't forget to enter my ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD giveaway.

Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My selection for this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows.

There's a lot of talk about ferrets on her website, so that made me curious, then I saw her GORGEOUS cover and that made it a want, then I "met" Jodi through the apocalypsies and she is so awesome that her book is now a must-have. 

Um...ahem...Of course, the book sounds great, too.  :P

Here's the deets from her website and don't forget to add it on goodreads.

NEWSOUL

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

So...what's your WoW?

Tor Tuesday: Anna Dressed In Blood Contest

Hi all! I've decided to start something new today.  I'm calling it Tor Tuesday.  It's something that's been simmering in my brain and I finally decided to go for it.  Once a month or so (maybe more depending one when I feel like it :P) I'm going to feature a Tor book I've read and loved (YA or otherwise).  Sometimes there'll be contests--like today--other times author interviews, book spotlights, etc, depending on what I decide to cook up.


Since today is the release day for Kendare Blake's ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD, I'm giving away a copy to one commenter.  All you have to do is comment below and tell me what you're most afraid of (if you can't see the comment box, click on the post title and it'll bring you to the post by itself.  You SHOULD be able to see it then.  If you're STILL having problems, email me and I'll add you manually to the list).

The contest will be open until NEXT Tuesday (Sept 5th at midnight), and the winner will be announced that morning around 10am.

ANNA will be purchased through the book depository, so if they ship to your country you may enter.

To win you must be a blog follower and if you're under 18, you'll need to have parental permission to give me your mailing address.  Also, when I announce, you'll have 48 hours to email me before I find another winner, so make sure to check back next Tuesday.

Here's some information about ANNA from Kendare's website if you don't already know it.

Anna Dressed in Blood

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

Kendare's Bio from her website

Kendare Blake is an import from South Korea who was raised in the United States by caucasian parents. You know, that old chestnut. She received a Bachelor's degree in Business from Ithaca College and a Master's degree in Writing from Middlesex University in London. She brakes for animals, the largest of which was a deer, which sadly didn't make it, and the smallest of which was a mouse, which did, but it took forever. Amongst her likes are Greek Mythology, rare red meat and veganism. She also enjoys girls who can think with the boys like Ayn Rand, and boys who scare the morality into people, like Bret Easton Ellis.

Waiting on Wednesday: Article 5

Hey all,

I'm over at the BNW blog talking about plotting, and Pirates of The Caribean, and Sea Monsters, but mostly plotting.  So please visit me over there.  Thanks.

Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My selection for this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: ARTICLE 5.

I'm cheating again, because I'm posting another story I've actually already read thanks to our mutual editor, but I couldn't resist because it is awesome! Also, Kristen is pretty awesome herself (and I can't wait to meet her in September! Don't be jealous. :P)  I'll be buying a few copies to give away when it comes out so make sure to come back here on Valentine's Day 2012 to find details on that.

I love dystopians (obviously), but this was the only one that got my blood boiling a mere 5 pages into the MS. I was at my daughter's pediatrician raving to the doctor about how AWFUL the government in this society is, which sparked a 20-minute conversation about the possibility of it happening to us in real life.  I did not like thinking of that possibility, but that's the point of books, to make it easier to talk about an uncomfortable subject.

Anyway, here's the deets on it (from Kristen's website and goodreads):

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC have been abandoned. The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.
There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials and maybe worse. People who get arrested don’t usually come back.
Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. That life in the United States used to be different.
In the three years since the war ended, Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs—like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes—and how to pass the random home inspections by the Federal Bureau of Reformation. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow. That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And what’s worse, one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

 So what's your WoW?

Waiting on Wednesday.

First, I'm also blogging over at the Brave New Words blog about beginnings and endings, so make sure to stop on by and leave a comment.  Please and thank you!  :D

Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My selection for this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD.

Okay, I'm cheating a bit, because I've actually already read it thanks to our mutual editor, but I couldn't resist pimping it because it's SOOO GOOD! I'll be buying a few copies to give away when it comes out so make sure to come back here at the end of the month to find details on that.

If you watch my tweet stream, you'll see a few weeks ago I tweeted that I couldn't sleep due to this book.  It wasn't just because I couldn't put it down, it was because it was just that creepy.  In fact, it was so creepy I not only slept with the lights on, but had my husband secure the attic door shut!  I know, I know. I'm a chicken $%^&, but really it was that creepy.

Anyway, here's the deets on it (from Kendare's website and goodreads):

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.
So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.

 So what's your WoW?

Monday Musings: Location, location, location

Have you ever gone somewhere you’ve been before, but seen it in a completely different way?  This happened with me this weekend.  We went to one of the prettiest spots in Orlando, Leu Gardens and, while I’d been there before (in fact Evie’s gardens are based on the Rose Garden there--see below pic), I saw it in a completely different way.

It was not just a pretty place with beautiful flowers and lakes, it was the setting for a historical novel that’s been sitting in the back of mind for a while.

I could see the “ghosts” of my characters walking through the house that’s on the property.  While the tour guide was spouting historical facts of the house, I was seeing my characters walking through it, stopping to point out several things they thought to be important, and telling me their story.

Then while I was walking over the pathways of the “gardens,” I saw my post-apocalyptic surface world.  Gavin’s world.  Or at least part of it.  It wasn’t the clean, pretty, organized gardens that were really there.  My mind was showing me what it could look like after 50-60 years of neglect.

My favorite was the clock. While it wasn’t in bloom for this trip, can you imagine seeing that in some near future and trying to figure out why it was there? 

It’s really put me in Gavin’s head and I’ll be able to use that when I go back in for revisions.

I can’t wait to go back and do more “research” and see what my mind shows me next.

Dystopian August

I'm excited to announce that Dystopian August is here!  Fellow apocalypsie, Lenore Appelhans, has devoted an entire month to one of my favorite genres, not to mention the one I write in, dystopian. 

She's going to have over 25 dystopian book reviews, interviews with over 20 dystopian authors debuting in 2012 (including one from yours truly), and giveaways, guest posts, and more.

Click here for more information.  Or on the button in my sidebar ==>

The fun has already started with a book reviews of Blood Red Road by Moira Young and The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan.  And interview with killer unicorn writer Diana Peterfreund and an exclusive peek of her dystopian, Darkness Shows the Stars.  What are you waiting for, head on over!

Monday Musings: Author photos

So, while I wait for my editor to read over my latest revisions to RENEGADE, I’ve been putting a lot of thought into other things.  Other things being my website and author photos.

I’ve pretty much decided on the designer for the website, so that’s out of my hands until I get my cover, so she can design an awesome site that matches it.  Which leaves my author photo. 

And I think I’ve chosen the photographer, but that leaves so many other things to think about.  Location, wardrobe, style.  It makes my brain hurt.  LOL.  Not to mention all the things I DON’T know about taking professional photos.

My husband says to be myself, which is sound advice, but then leaves me taking the picture in torn jeans or yoga pants and a ratty t-shirt, with my hair in braids, and no make-up.  Another friend said maybe I should think about dressing up in a fancy dress and all the things that go along with it, like my MC does throughout her story.  Not a bad idea either, but then it’s not really “me” at all. 

So that leaves me with my best bet, which is somewhere in the middle.  And I have no idea where that is.  I want it to be perfect.  I want to look beautiful, but I have no idea how to make that happen.  And a photographer can only do so much.  :P

So, peeps, what say you?  What have you done for yours, if you’re an author? Or what do you like to see in author photos?

Friday News

So this week has been very strange!  I've been down and out with a sinus infection turned ear infection turned ruptured ear drum.  Yep, you read that right.  Somehow during the night, I had so much fluid build up behind my ear drum that it ruptured it.  Not exactly comfortable.  It's also made it difficult to do anything but lay down because my head spins every time I move.  It's kinda like when you were a kid and spun around in circles with your arms out, then fell to the ground and watched the clouds spin.


So, that started off my week, but then I started getting good news!  I found out that one of my newest crit partners has gotten herself an agent!   Isn't that awesome news!  Please go over there and congratulate her.  She really does deserve it.  :)

I also got more good news that I can't talk about quite yet, but as soon as I can, I'll post it.

I've also gotten the go ahead from my editor (I don't think saying that will ever get old.  LOL.)  to start working on Book 2 of the Elysium Chronicles, tentatively titled REBEL.  So as soon as I can spend more than 5 minutes at the computer, I'll start writing it.  So excited to dive back into this world.

However, the best news I've gotten this week, I stumbled upon purely accidentally.  I was looking up something about RT and this post showed up.  Go on and read the whole thing, but pay particular attention to the second paragraph.  Really, go on, I'll wait right here.  (*Smiles like an idiot*)

Did you read it?  Isn't that freakin' awesome!  If you didn't read it, here's the short of it. I ( or more specifically RENEGADE) am on the RT book reviews website and they want to read RENEGADE!

Here's what they said:

Venturing even further into creepy territory is Renegade by Jessica Souders. Her tale is set in an underwater Utopia where a female assassin realizes that she does not control her own mind or body, and that her memories have been altered. The publication date has not yet been announced, but we are anxious to get our hands on this novel for several reasons, not the least of which is to find out why a utopia needs assassins!

This makes me all sorts of happy. 

So...what good news do you have to share? 

Waiting on Wednesday

So I decided to participate in a meme!  I know, I know.  I'm a little late to the party. LOL.  But better late than never.  Anyway, I'm always eagerly awaiting some book, so I thought this was a great one to be a part of.  So, here's the deets:

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My selection for this week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: Fellow Apocalypise Veronica Rossi's Under the Never Sky!

Blurb from author's website and goodreads:

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—nicknamed The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms eventually will. In this dystopia, even the very air she breathes could kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild, dangerous—a savage. He’s also her only hope.

Perry needs Aria, too. She alone holds the key to his redemption. And their unlikely alliance will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

What's your "waiting on" pick this week?

Monday Musings: What I think about crits.

I’ve been neglectful of my little blog lately.  :(  I’m so sorry, guys. I hope to keep it up from here on out, but I don’t think I’ll be doing daily posts.  I’ll try to blog at least twice a week, but they’ll be probably be pretty random on the actual days I post during the week. 

I wanted to talk today about crits and expectations with those crits. I’ve been doing (receiving and giving) them since I started writing and I spend a lot of time on them.  I want the person I’m criting to not only have a great MS, but to learn something in the process. Something they can take with them on their next round of edits and future manuscripts.  Granted I know, especially with beginning writers, that I can’t teach them everything I know (probably not even most) in just one crit, but I do what I can.

I’m also sure that most people who crit are pretty much the same.  We’re not out to make ourselves feel better by tearing your (using the all encompassing you and this is pointing at no one in particular) stuff apart.   We’re not trying to chase you away from writing so we can take your spot.  And we’re definitely not jealous (in the bad way) of you.  We want to help you get better.  We want to help you find that agent or editor and when it is we can say with pride that we’re proud of you and excited for you and that we knew you when.  LOL. 

I’ve also been on the other side where even the tiniest constructive criticism felt like an arrow to the soul.  Where it’s sometimes hard to see past all the red to see the intention behind why a critter has said something.  But, in order to keep going--to keep improving—we need to get passed that.  We need to learn that we are not our writing. The critter isn’t attacking us personally; they’re not even attacking our manuscript.  They’re trying to help us improve. 

Even if all you see is criticism on the page and the critter hasn’t taken the time to tell you what they’ve liked, it’s not because they want to make you feel bad. Take some time to let it sit. A few days, maybe even weeks before you go back and re-read the crit. Try looking at the things they didn’t say anything about.  They more than likely liked the parts that aren’t marked up, and there’s probably more white than red, even if it doesn’t appear so.  Take a look at what they’ve said didn’t work for them.  Then ask yourself these questions.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?  Have others said the same?  Even if you don’t want to change it, what would you do to fix it and would it make the story better? 

Another problem I’ve seen is people taking everyone’s advice.  Someone says do this and they do it, but don’t really think about whether or not they agree.  Whether it works for the story or not.   Whether or not it really should be changed.

Really think about your crits.  People put a lot of time into critting it and you should take as much, if not more, time working with the notes.

One last thing I want to add is make sure the person (or people) you are working with are the right ones for you and your story. Some people crit very harshly, and are very Simon Cowell-ish.  Some just say they love your work and move on.  Personally, I’m a little in-between and that’s how I want to be critted.  And that’s something you have to think about when working with someone new.  How do they crit?  Can you live with it?  Can you handle it? 

There was a person who was doing crits a month or two back as part of their book deal news (UGH! I can’t remember who it was.  If you all remember, please let me know so I can link to it.  Thx.) and I LOVED how they handled this problem.  They set levels for people to choose from.  It was something like you were a peach if you had a relatively thin skin and wanted a gentle critique.  An apple if you can handle a fairly comprehensive crit, but can still be bruised. And a coconut for people who can take a pretty tough critique.  I think all critters should probably ask this before they do critiques and if you are getting a crit and the critter doesn’t ask what style you are, tell them. That way both of you can back off if you don’t think you can work together. 

It’s also probably not a good idea to work with someone who doesn’t write in your genre.  Certain things that aren’t okay in one genre are what make another work and vice versa.  True that certain “rules” carry out through all genres, like grammar and spelling. Punctuation.  However, things like sentence structure and tone, even POV can be completely different.  Especially between adult (where sentences are usually full and complete and the preferred POV is Third) and Young adult (where you can get away with more sentence fragments and first POV is more prevalent.)

Anyway, that’s just my $.02.  Feel free to salt to taste and ignore any advice you don’t agree with.  :D 

BTW, what the heck is up with blogger? Take a few weeks off and everything has changed.  o.O