What's coming up on the blog: A new blog chain, blog tag and interview with Cinda WIlliiams Chima

Let's see..I am now part of a blog chain with my good friend Michelle McLean a bunch of other awesome authors. Look for my first post in this chain later this week. Also, I'm in a blog tag with Christine Foneeca.

Also, I have another interview and this is a really hot one. I'm going to be talking to one of my fave authors, Cinda Williams Chima, author of the super-great SEVEN REALMS fantasy series (THE DEMON KING, THE EXILED QUEEN, THE GREY WOLF THRONE). The fourth book in the series, THE CRIMSON CROWN is due out in October and I can't wait. Meanwhile, to whet your appetites, how about a look at the cinematic, theater quality trailer for the book.

The Backstory Buggaboo

Lately I've been working with a few lovely and talented beta readers and I notice they grapple with a common issue. Back story overload. Once I cut away two thirds of what they had written (and my their writing was lovely!) the wonderful stories they were telling emerged, glistening and lovely as morning dew. And, to their credit, each of them accepted the bloodbath and rewrote, to excellent results. I've been calling this bloodbath, "Killing Your Darlings" for years, a phrase I have gleefully borrowed from Stephen King from his book, ON WRITING. (If you haven't read it, get it NOW.) http://www.amazon.com/On-Writing-Stephen-King/dp/0743455967

I also find that backstory, how little or how much to include, still gives me headaches at the beginning of any new WIP. When I noticed this excellent blog post about back story dos and dont's I had to share it (with Janice Hardy's generous permission). You really should check this out. I think I'm going to look at this website every day. It's a huge treasure trove of writerly information.

http://blog.janicehardy.com/p/contact.html

So how do you deal with the distraction---I mean multi-tasking?

Lately, I've found myself wishing either for an extra five-ten hours in the day or perhaps a pills that would let me do without sleep. And while we're at it, how about a personal chef and a very intelligent robot that can clean my house and buy my groceries. (and maybe do the laundry as well?). Then I'd also like a personal assistant to keep track of my appointments and someone to do---oh never mind. You get the point right?

Between thinking about marketing myself, doing design work, keeping up with my job, the household stuff (which includes paying attention to what my teenage daughter and college boy are up to) and oh yeah--the three WIPs I have going (did I mention critiquing and beta-reading?) I'm kind of on a creativity overload. I'm not complaining---it's all good. But, I've never been known for my cool methodical temperament. When you think of me, think of a cheerful storm, or as my colleague and I call ourselves once we get going--a detonation.

Yeah. It's an exciting time for me. But I am wanting to do everything at once. And I am finding it a little difficult to focus on writing with so many other cool projects begging for my attention (blog design, designing my website, book cover design, illustration---shall I continue?). Plus, my amazing publisher Spencer Hill Press and the incredible Kate Kaynak seems to be just like me--full of ideas and energy (but much more organized about it.) She's got me so excited, I'm about to bust (but I'm not breathing a word of what she's got me excited about--CIA swear as one of my students says.)

So, I want to know--how do you all handle it? I do drag myself to the gym and that helps. But seriously--maybe most of you aren't as kooky as me? If you are, I want to know (not you, Michelle!--I already know all about it, lol). This morning I'm really proud of myself--I ate breakfast before noon, showered and even painted my toenails..but it was a struggle.

How do you spell multi-tasking? D-I-S-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N?

Book Deal for Breaking Glass

I've had it all over on Twitter and Facebook, but I guess it's time I put the news on my blog.

My book, BREAKING GLASS, is due out in June 2013 from Spencer Hill Press. Thank you to my agent Victoria Marini for her support and unflagging belief in my writing.

Here is a snippet:

Now (November 17th)

Outside the dinner theater lobby, the glow of street lamps barely penetrates the thick mist that shrouds the parking lot. It’s the kind of night that Jack the Ripper might have prowled the cobblestoned streets of London searching for victims.

In the lobby, fresh from the standing ovation he’s received as Tony in our production of Westside Story, my best friend Ryan Morgan is surrounded by a crush of people. For two weeks running his performance has been drawing crowds from all over Westchester County, his surprising star turn unprecedented for a high school junior.

I glance around furtively, but no one notices the lighting guy. Truth is, my hearts not in theater. I’m only working weekends to pad my college applications and my wallet. So, I take a minute to study the latest text from Susannah Durban, Ryan’s girlfriend of three years. Heat creeps to my cheeks.

For the past year Susannah’s been inexplicably texting me with Youtube links to her haunting stop-action animations. I watch her half-clothed body drift across the screen draped with filmy gauze, her dark bronze hair and golden skin amid floating leaves, graveyards, ballet dancers, Indian goddesses and scattered words in Hebrew and English, most of which make no sense.

But other than telling me the link is private and to keep it our little secret, Susannah never mentions them when I see her. Neither do I.

Yet if I could dive into my iPhone and swim beside her, an exotic fish in her private world, I would do it and never look back.

And Ryan would kill me. Best friends don’t want to do their best friend’s girlfriend. I think that’s written somewhere.

I glance behind me. Ryan is intertwined with Claudia Herman, the community college girl who plays Maria. Claudia’s hot. And she’s slept with the whole track team. I think of Susannah, mercifully out of town on a college visit.

My phone vibrates. Susannah again. This time it’s an actual text.

I clench my jaw and look away from Ryan and his latest fling, sworn to silence by the Guy Code of Honor.

Jeremy! guess what. i’m here! got n earlier flight

I peer out into night then glance at Ryan again.

Shit.

Claudia has one toned leg coiled around Ryan’s tall frame like a boa constrictor. I fumble with my phone. Texting under pressure has never been my strong suit. 

And please enter my contest! (see below)

Interview with Heidi Ayarbe

I'm switching the order here, folks. The awesome debut author Christine Johnson will be my next interview. This week I am featuring Heidi Ayarbe author of 2008's FREEZE FRAME and the forthcoming COMPROMISED. Heidi joins us to talk about her books, her philosophy of writing and a few random thoughts about American Idol (a guilty pleasure I share ).

Heidi is another of my long-time critique-mates (since 2005- wow) and I have had the great joy in witnessing her rise as a successful author of YA fiction. Aside from being a truly original voice and gifted writer, Heidi is almost pathologically generous of spirit. She feels everyone's pain, which could be why her books never fail to move me to tears. Even after I've read them six times. Go out and read them all. You will be changed.


Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a daughter, sister, *favorite* aunt, wife, mother, and YA author. (I’m really good at being an aunt! ) Other people may call me other things, but we’ll just leave it as is.


Tell us about your forthcoming May release, COMPROMISED.
Maya’s always lived a life of science based on procedures after her father’s arrest, Maya is sent to live in Kids Place, a group home, while waiting for foster family placement . She makes a plan to escape – in search of an aunt Maya’s never met and is joined by Nicole (Cappy), a street smart illiterate kleptomaniac. The two are joined by Klondike, a burn victim who suffers from Tourette’s. The unlikely trio sets forth to face life on the streets.

..and your previous release, FREEZE FRAME...
No matter how many times Kyle re-writes the scene, he can't get it right. He tries it in the style of Hitchcock, Tarantino, Lynch -- all his favorite directors -- but regardless of the style, he can't remember what happened that day in the shed. The day that Jason died. And until he can, there's one question that keeps haunting Kyle: Did he kill his best friend on purpose?

...and your next year's release, THE DOUBTING.
I’m on final revisions stage of THE DOUBTING about a high school soccer star who suffers from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and has spent his life hiding it from everyone he knows. The novel has been a challenge because it all takes place over the course of a weekend – a weekend when everything comes crashing down in his life and he has to come to terms with the fact he has this disorder.


Any hints of what your fourth book will be? (pushy, aren't I?)
I’m really excited about the little seed of an idea I have … But I’m a bit superstitious and never tell anybody (except for my agent) what I “might” be working on.



Do you feel being an American native residing primarily in Colombia affects your writing about contemporary American teens, either adversely or positively?

Well, we don’t have Cheerios here which is a travesty. That alone must have some kind of adverse effect. Let’s call it, “The Cheerios Effect.”

That said, in all honesty, I don’t think living abroad has affected my writing for American teens at all. You had a great interview with an author who said something to the effect of, “We never get over middle school.” (I believe that was the magnificent Anne Spollen). Much of my writing comes from my experiences growing up as a teen in Carson City, Nevada (where Freeze Frame and The Doubting take place). I always draw from that world to write. And from Colombia, I draw on the texture, smells, and colors of a world that’s very different from the one in which I was raised to help remind me of the details of Nevada. (It’s ALL about the details in this business!)

What it does effect, though, is the ability to promote my books in the States. As you can imagine selling books written in English about American teens doesn’t really draw in the Colombian buyer.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to the Cheerios deficit.


What inspires you?
Challenges. Tackling something that I think I can’t. For some reason I have stories that I want to tell. I don’t know why they’re here with me, but I need to get them out on the paper. Plus, having a deadline is a great inspiration. J


What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
LOVE words. Read. Read, read, read, read, read. Write what you love – don’t write for the market. Share your writing with competent, supportive, critical readers and LISTEN. Listen to ideas. Filter the information and revise. Revise, revise, revise, revise … And keep at it. There’re so many wonderful opportunities for writers out there, and I really believe that this is a tortoise/hare business. Right now, though, it’s tough to break in – even tougher than a few years ago. So make sure your first draft is as perfect as can be. Be market savvy. Know what’s out there similar to yours and find a way to makes yours stand out. Then read some more.


What kind of books would you like to see more of on the shelves?
Maybe the question could be what would I like to see “less” of on the shelves. Last year almost 300,000 books were published in the USA. THAT’S MADNESS. That said, within that deluge of words and pages, there’s so much amazingness out there. SO MUCH! I can’t wait to see “more” of something I never expected, like last year’s brilliant surprise, giving us a modern-day Don Quijote on acid (Libba Bray’s Going Bovine) for instance.


Tell us something we may not know about Heidi Ayarbe.
I have a crush on one of this year’s American Idol contestants. This makes me a “cougar.” Gack! Okay. Other than that, which might not be the most appropriate fact for your interview, let me see … I’m actually a really private person, I guess, and don’t feel comfortable with people knowing too much about me. For this reason, I will not disclose the name of my secret crush.

Heidi, thank you so much for dropping by. As evident in your answers, you are made of awesome and so are your books. Love you, lady!

Coming in April

Yeah, yeah...I've been silent of late, stewing in the juices of my revisions. But I'm breaking my silence to announce four, yes FOUR, fabulous interviews and two contests!
I should divulge that all of the woman I am going to interview are my critique-mates from two different groups. Once you *meet* them you are going to go green with envy to think that I get input from these awesome people on a regular basis! And they are SO AWESOME I am compelled to share:

First interview: Cyndy Kennedy Henzel, writer of middle-grade and YA historical fiction. (aka Cuda of the west, and I'm going to fess up, the best damn editor and critiquer in the known universe.) Cyndy is way too humble so I'm happy to embarrass her and heap public praise on her writing, editorial skills and her incredible generosity of spirit which she cloaks in hysterical one-liners.

Second interview: Christine Johnson, author of the upcoming CLAIRE DE LUNE, a YA werewolf love story from Simon Pulse/ May 2010. Christine is a member of my crit group The Wordslingers. Christine writes first drafts that are better than most of what makes it into print and we all *hate* her for it. Nah--we love her to pieces. Plus she does all the amazing things she does with a toddler and a five month old baby. Yikes!

Third interview: Heidi Ayarbe, author of the upcoming COMPROMISED/ May 2010 (HarperTeen—an imprint of HarperCollins) and the 2008 FREEZE FRAME (Laura Geringer Books/HarperTeen an imprint of HarperCollins), is also a member of Wordslingers and in addition to being one of the most caring humans on the planet writes the most gut-wrenching YA fiction in print today. Her writing often drives me to tears (in a good, cleansing sort of way).

Look out for other upcoming Heidi Ayarbe releases: THE DOUBTING from Balzer and Bray 2011 (HarperTeen an imprint of HarperCollins)

FREEZE FRAME paperback release: May 2010

First contest: We are going to be holding a signed ARC giveaway for CLAIRE DE LUNE and COMPROMISED.

Fourth interview: Kate Milford, author of the upcoming THE BONESHAKER/ Clarion May 2010, and another member of the Cudas is our very one female Stephen King and purveyor of mg steampunk fantasy. I featured a little info about THE BONESHAKER a few posts back.

tentative second contest: I hope to hold a BONESHAKER ARC contest as well.

Okay, PHEW. Now you know why I was quiet...I had to store up energy. April is going to be hectic around here. Sorry if I'm gushing a little too much, but they are all very, very dear to me and totally brilliant in their own individual and fascinating ways.

Portrait of a teen reader: Meet Allison

Some teenagers read only when forced (by gunpoint sometimes.) Some read in spurts, like my 14-year-old daughter who can sometimes read 100 pages a night, and then not pick up another book for a month.

And then there is my daughter’s friend, Allison. I have rarely seen Allison without a book, whether she’s on the soccer field (at half-time, of course) or hanging out with the girls. Usually when we see each other we get this crazed gleam in our eyes and gravitate toward each other; two obsessed book freaks. The other girls, my daughter included groan; there they go again! Allison and I are always exchanging books. I have two of hers now! (and I think she has a few of mine—I tend to lose track).

I thought it would be fun to share some of Allison’s thoughts about books and reading in general, since she is an actual, real life teenager and a member of our target audience.

Welcome, Allison! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I'm 14 in 9th grade. I play soccer, I like swimming, hanging out with friends.


How many books would you say you read a month?
I would say I read at least two books a month.


When did you become the voracious reader you are today?
The first books I was really into was the HOUSE OF NIGHT series. It was about the time when TWILIGHT was not really popular (two years ago). My sister was reading TWILIGHT and kept telling me how great it was, so I moved onto my next series. Then I didn't read anything for a while. I sort of read the IMMORTALS books, but just as something to read until the next book of HON came out. Then I started talking to Lisa who introduced me to the UGLIES series and the MORTAL INSTRUMENTS series. Now I'm waiting for the next book in most of those series, and reading the Sookie Stackhouse series (the books the show True Blood is based on)


What’s your favorite genre?
My favorite genre would be fantasy, supernatural, teen romance.


Is there any particular book that sparked your interest?
The Mortal Instruments is by far my favorite out of everything I’ve read.


Do you prefer series or stand-alones?
I definitely prefer series over stand-alones.


What do you look for in a book? What keeps you reading?
In every book I’ve read there is always forbidden romance, so that really gets me interested. I like books that keep me guessing and really pull me out reality.


Do you have a favorite book?
My favorite stand alone book is WALK TWO MOONS. That book has no out of the ordinary characters and no real twist, but something about it makes me want to read it over and over again.


What kind of book would you like to see on the shelves in the next year or so?
I’m really looking forward to the next book in most of the series I’m reading. Maybe a new kind of genre altogether that doesn’t have any super natural beings.


Do you ever think you might want to write as well?
I would love to write a book someday but I don’t think it would be any good.


Thank you for stopping by, Allison! And let me let you in on a little writer's secret: None of us are any good when we start. You just need a story to tell and the courage (or insanity?) to keep writing. With each book we get a bit better. Some of us even get published. And we are always afraid we aren't really any good. But that never stops us from writing. So be brave and give it a go! If you start now, imagine how good you'll be by the time you graduate high school!

Interview with Becca Fitzpatrick, author of HUSH, HUSH

HUSH, HUSH is a dark and dangerous YA fantasy set in a town in coastal Maine involving a romantic liason between a high school girl and a fallen angel. The plot is involved but the action kept me completely riveted and never confused. I read through the book in less than a week, which is a big thing for me, because it takes a VERY engaging book for me to give up writing time. I just had to know what happened. So, I am so thrilled to introduce Becca Fitzpatrick, the author of HUSH, HUSH, who will give us some surprising insights into the book's origins.
Patch the fallen angel from Hush, Hush is such a dark and seductive creature. What gave you the idea for the book?

The very first inspiration for the story came from an experience in my own tenth-grade biology class. We must have been studying human reproduction, because my teacher asked me, in front of the whole class, to name characteristics I would be attracted to in a mate (yikes!) I sat next to a really cute boy, and the thought of naming characteristics I might look for in a mate was a humiliation I was not about to subject myself to. I told my teacher, “pass,” but the experience always stuck with me, and when I sat down to write Hush, Hush, that little piece of my history evolved into an early scene in the book.

Hush, Hush is set in coastal Maine and makes much use of it’s moody terrain. What is your connection to this area?

When I was in high school, I was pretty sure I would grow up to be a marine biologist. I had posters of whales and dolphins pinned up all over my bedroom, I had a huge collection of whale/dolphin T-shirts, my Christmas present from my parents in 9th grade was a whale-watching vacation to California, and my aunt and uncle adopted a humpback whale for me named Tanith. Every so often, the whale adoption agency would send me photos of Tanith in the wild, and once I even got a humpback whale calendar. As I was flipping through the photos in the calendar, I came across this amazing photo of a breaching whale, and in the background was the Maine coast, dense with evergreens. I hung on to that picture for years, and it was my dream to someday move to Maine. Eventually I forgot about that dream, but when I started writing Hush, Hush I found myself writing about a girl growing up in a small, atmospheric Maine town without even realizing that of course I'd picked Maine as the setting because of my childhood dream. It's funny how something so seemingly small as a photograph I first saw when I was fourteen years old could have such a big impact on Hush, Hush, but there you have it.


You wove your intricate plot so deftly, yet you left some loose ends that I can only assume are deliberate. I’m talking about the mystery behind Nora’s father’s death. I’m feeling this is going to be explored in the next book, CRESCENDO. Am I right, or is that top secret?

Without ruining anything, I will say that in Crescendo, you'll find out what happened the night Nora's dad was murdered. Let's just say he was living a secret life...one with ties to Patch...


Nora Grey is a pragmatic girl who shuns danger, yet is drawn into Patch’s dangerous web. Do you relate to Nora in anyway or is she strictly a fictitious character.

The only thing Nora and I have in common is our curly hair. (If I remember one thing about my teen years, it was how much I hated my hair. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to torture Nora with the same big, curly hair. Ha!) While Nora claims to be a sensible person who shuns danger, she's a pretty unreliable narrator. She's actually very lured by the idea of danger. Since her father's death, she's tried very hard to create a safe, comfortable life for herself. She's terrified that what happened to her father will happen to her. But underneath everything, she's a very reckless, impulsive, and spontaneous girl.

As a follow-up; is Patch based on anyone you know or would like to know?

His character was inspired by a guy I knew long ago. And that's all I'm going to say about that!

How long have you been writing? Is Hush, Hush the first book you’ve written?

I started Hush, Hush in the fall of 2003. After receiving several rejections for the manuscript, I put it away and started another YA novel called The Tornado Interviews. In the end, I came back to Hush, Hush, and found someone who believed in it as much as I do.

What was your road to publication?

Long and bumpy! It took me five years to write and sell Hush, Hush. I probably have around seventy five rejection letters.

What is the best advice you can give aspiring authors?

Keep a journal. You never know when your own life experiences will inspire a story.

What are some of your favorite reads? Which influenced you most as a writer?

Oh, wow. I love so many different types of books. I love Jane Austen, Diana Gabaldon, Karen Joy Fowler, Laurie Halse Anderson and Sandra Brown. This year, I really enjoyed Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.


Tell us something unexpected about Becca Fitzpatrick.

Hmm. In high school, I could run the mile in five-and-a-half minutes.


Are you doing a book tour? Where are some of the places you are scheduled to visit?

I'm touring in January and February, but my schedule isn't finalized yet. I'll post cities on my website as soon as I can.

Can you tell us the best place to visit you online?

My website is www.beccafitzpatrick.com

Thanks so much, Lisa, for the interview!!
You are most welcome, Becca. Stop by again when CRESCENDO is due to come out.