The Scribblers Cove

The Murky Middle

2012-02-20T09:11:00.000-08:00

The story begins with excitement and promise. We stand on a high mountain peak, about to embark on a grand adventure. It will be a long journey, but there is the goal, shining straight ahead on the far side of the valley. All we have to do is get through that forest and we'll be there!

And then come the delays. The disappointments. The dangers. The devastation. The whole world changes overnight. That goal, so clear from the ridge behind us, can't be seen from here in the trees. We are lost in the woods and we know we may never escape.

Yeah, I do this to my characters every time I write a story. That doesn't mean I like it when it happens to me.

My writing career began with a lot of excitement. I sold a short story, I had a great time at my first writer's workshop, I met lots of wonderful aspiring authors and watched as a few of them broke into publishing. Surely soon it would happen to me too.

I'm still out here in the woods.

The message of every story I write, of almost every story I read, is that around some bend in the path, or through some swamp, or maybe on the other side of some trackless thicket, lies the road to where you want to be. But you'll never find it if you give up. And sometimes when you burst out of the woods, there in front of you isn't what you thought you wanted, but something even better.

My own life has told me that story over and over.

I want to hear it one more time.

#FREE #Darkspell all weekend. How? Read on!

2012-02-18T08:56:00.001-08:00

Growing up in an abusive home wasn't easy for me--I hated myself and wished for darker things. I found hope and became strong when I realized how loved I really am.

Please Share the Aware with Mybeauty-intensified for suicide prevention! All "likers" will get a FREE e-copy of Darkspell ALL weekend long, including President's Day!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mybeauty-intensified/325315794187449

Registration for WIFYR now open!

2012-02-17T17:26:00.002-08:00

Registration for WIFYR now be open!

Get yer mangy selves over there and enroll! It's goin' 't be awesome!

Ahem.

Linky: http://wifyr.com/registration

For more information on the great conference, go here: http://wifyr.com

Thanks!

WIFYR site now live!

2012-02-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

I'll keep this brief so I don't totally move Rebecca's great post about writing and the internet off the radar (just scroll down!).

So I've gotten the privilege of becoming the webmaster for Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers. And boy, have I had fun! The WIFYR website is now up and running, though registration is still waiting for some back-end payment stuff to be processed. (That back-end stuff can stink sometimes, know what I mean?)

Ahem.

Anyway, check it out here:

wifyr.com

I'll do a follow up post when registration becomes active!

Writing and the Internet

2012-02-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

When I first decided to become a writer, back in the olden days before the turn of the millennium, I had no internet to help me.

To find an agent or editor, I went to the library and checked out the previous year's copy of the "Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market." Submitting a manuscript involved a lot of paper, envelopes, and postage. And waiting. Lots and lots of waiting.

If I wanted friendly feedback on my work, I was limited to the people who lived near me. In those days, I was lucky enough to meet a newspaper writer who read my work and recommended that I read a book on writing style. A neighbor who was a former editing intern taught me how to punctuate dialog. Another writer I met encouraged me and gave me some suggestions. But progress was very, very slow.

I compare that to now, where if I want the latest news on agents, editors, and market trends, all I have to do is explore the children's lit blogs. Finding a place to submit a manuscript is done by checking one of the many reliable online lists. Agents have blogs, websites, and do interviews on other blogs and websites, so when I submit to them I no longer feel like I'm tossing my words out into the dark. And when I submit an electronic query letter, I can start getting responses in less than an hour.

And that's just the publishing end. What about the writing? There's a plethora of information on the internet on how to craft a novel. I can look up punctuation rules. I can download free worksheets to help me with my plot structure. And many of my favorite critique partners are people I only know through the internet, while others I met at conferences or workshops and now keep in touch with across the country via e-mail. That's not to mention all the random research I've done on the internet. Do I need to know how telephones looked in 1958? Do I need to know how to make home-made gunpowder? It's only a few clicks away.

So what will come of all this collective information about writing and publishing? Is it going to produce better books than we've ever seen in the past? Will we now be able to reach higher than those classics that were scratched out alone and in the dark, scrawled longhand on paper or typed in dusty library basements on rented typewriters? Or will we find ourselves boggled by all of these voices telling us how to do it right, telling us what they want to see? Will books become one monotonous shout, purged of all adverbs, passive voice, and extraneous passages, formulated on a three-act plot structure and bristling with hooks to keep the reader turning empty pages? Or do we all now have access to the tools that will empower us to light the world with the fire of our minds?

Only you can decide.

The Secrets of the Art

2012-02-09T19:29:00.000-08:00

Here's some inspiration for you today:
"Don't only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine."
-Ludwig Van Beethoven

All art strives for the same end. To cross the void between solitary minds. To reach out and touch another human soul. Day after day, I find myself staring at the page, asking, how does it feel deep inside? And how do I invoke that feeling with nothing but words? How do I make what is in me echo in another heart?

For that is the secret of the art.

What secrets are you searching for?

Secrets

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

An aspiring writer asked a publisher “What’s the secret to getting published?”
The publisher said, “You won’t believe this, but you just need to show up.”

Huh?

Show Up – as in:

• Write consistently.
• Show up to writing classes, conventions and seminars, etc.
• Improve your writing to a professional level, and then keep improving.
• Query and submit until you get picked up - even if it’s years.
• Keep your deadlines.
• Be reliable.

Also, Be a Finisher.

• Finish that scene you’re avoiding.
• Finish the manuscript.
• Go back and revise. Take the steps necessary - which requires time and a lot of effort - to make your book shine.
• Send it out.

Now a few words on The ‘Why’ of Writing:

Recently I listened to Christopher Loke, editor of Jollyfish Press, speak. The first question he asked was, “Why do you write?” Everyone in the room grew quiet, and you could hear their mental wheels spinning. Before anyone answered, he said, “Please don’t say you write because you love it.”

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one there who looked shocked. Seriously? Don’t we spend the countless hours scribbling on any writeable surface, pounding our keyboards, and thinking through plotlines, because we love it?

I can’t quote his words exactly, but this is the gist of what he said next:

“I hope you write because you’re envisioning your story on a shelf in a bookstore one day. I hope you write because you want lots of people to read your stories. I’m a business man. I don’t want a writer who is just happy writing. I want and need someone who’ll bring me business, keep bringing me business, and keep my company healthy and successful. I really hope you see it as a job.”

Okay. That makes sense. They don't want someone who 'plays' at being a writer. They want people who show up and finish their stories.

I don't know about you, but I'd definitely love to see my book in print in a real bookstore. Sure, seeing writing as a job may take the glamour out of it, but who doesn't envision that glorious finish line: their own sweat-and-blood book in a Barnes and Noble?

I guess if we truly love writing, we’ll be willing to take the steps necessary to get our stories there.

So to close, I’ll be brief.

• Show up.
• Be a finisher.
• Aim high.

And then not only you, but your publisher and all your readers will love it.

Finding Your Writer Vision

2012-02-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a theme beats on my head.

It pounds its way in slowly - a blog post here or a tweet there. It shows up in the scribbled notations in my journal, tapping its way into my conscious thoughts. Then I get an email from a friend and I'm compelled to write a blog post about it.

Rebecca's post about Writer Anorexia - the need to have the perfect manuscript - kicked loose my need to write about how important it is to find your writer vision.

We are each unique, so we tell our stories in our own way. This is almost cliche, except that it is true. The deep truth in this statement is that our vision of the world can easily be squandered, wasted, thrown on rocky soil, if we do not nurture it.

By all means, study bestselling authors and practice, practice, practice your craft. But I promise you that the way those authors became bestsellers was by staying true to their vision of their work. Long before you become a bestseller, you - the aspiring author - need to respect and nurture your own uniqueness and vision of the world. It is your most treasured talent. It is the thing that makes you special, and in this business of creative work, uniqueness is the most valuable thing you possess. Trying to be J.K. Rowling will rob you of the very thing that made J.K. who she is - a visionary.

Discovering your own vision is not easy. It's hard work, in fact, buried in the word mines where you will break apart unwieldy paragraphs to find the shining nuggets within. It's years of writing and crafting of words that helps you hone your ability to let your uniqueness be revealed.

This sounds very grandiose, full of hot air and nonsense, but let me assure that understanding your story-vision is one of the most important things you can do.

When an agent says to you, I love your story, but could you just change these three characters and add a donkey? you need to have the strength of vision to say no. When an editor says to you, We love your writing style, but those (insert here) types of characters don't market well. Can you change it to (insert here)? you have to have the confidence in your story to say sorry, that doesn't work for me.

(Not to say that editors and agents won't offer brilliant suggestions. They will. But if you won't fight to keep the integrity of your story, then no one will. Only you can make sure that the heart of your story is not destroyed in the editing process.)

So, when I tell you to discover your vision, when I say your uniqueness is your treasured talent, I don't mean this is some fluffy thing you can afford not to do. I mean finding your writer vision is a vitally important part of your happiness as a writer, as well as your future success in the marketplace.

And this is what I want for all my writer friends.

Recovering from Anorexia Writosa

2012-02-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

Last night I read something that said, "When an anorexic teenage girl looks in the mirror, she thinks she sees someone who is fat, ugly, and worthless."

I thought, OH MY HECK! That's what I think about my writing!

How did this happen? Somewhere along the line I became obsessed with creating the perfect manuscript. I thought I wasn't worth anything unless I could be J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordian, R.L. Stein, and Beverly Cleary all rolled into one.

It just ain't gonna be. And I have to stop comparing myself.

I'm not a writing supermodel. I don't want to be. I'm me. I like what I write. This morning I feel happier about being an aspiring author than I have in a long, long time. I'm working on a positive manuscript image. My manuscript isn't perfect, but it's a good, solid piece of work. I did my best. I'll give it just a little more love and feeding, then send it out on its way.

What do you do to keep your writing happy and well fed?

An Exercise On First Impressions

2012-01-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

First Impressions are powerful things. I know, because I've blown my fair share of them. For instance, I will never be able to go back and redo my first day of high school with that extra tight permanent (shudder), or even re-meet my hubby for the first time. Firsts only come once.

That's why we're lucky as writers, because we get to practice and revise our firsts--well the pages at least. We can envision and re-envision them until they feel perfect. Then we can do it again. And again. And yet again. Lucky us.

But should we? Is it really that important?

I used to think that all the emphasis on first pages was bunk. How could an agent or editor really get a feel for the whole book in just 150 words? How could a reader? Doesn't the rest of the book need to be just a good? Yes, but after I had the opportunity to help judge several first page contests I changed my mind about beginnings.

First pages tell volumes.

They set tone, showcase ability, and promise story. They evoke emotion. At least they should. And they should reach out, grab you by the imagination, and refuse to let go.

They should captivate on some level.

Easy peasy, right?

Ha!

It's like trying to nail jello to a tree--only more painful.

But it's worth it.

If you don't believe me, try it for yourself. Right now at Throwing Up Words they are having a first page contest, and you get to be a judge. There are a lot of first pages and a lot of revelations on how important first pages are. There are even pages that just might be written by some of the crew here at Scribblers Cove. I won't tell you who because all the entries were submitted under pen names, but you are free to guess. You can vote on your favorite six until Thursday, January 26, 2012. Vote by clicking on the Project Writeway Results link at the top right of the blog.

And have fun!

Leisha Maw

Expectations Kill

2012-01-16T00:00:00.001-08:00

We are all familiar with disappointment. Disappointment is born when there is hope or expectation. Yes, we all need hope to keep moving forward, but I believe that expectation is a whole lot steeper than hope.

I've lost my sights on why I've become published. I became obsessed with marketing my book to the point that I was losing my soul to it! I'm with a very small publisher and it's up to us to promote our own books. That has been a struggle with me because I have a family to tend to as well, and then there's real life that comes with it.

It became so bad that I've had to force myself to take a break for a whole week straight. I found that I had SO much more time open wide for reading, being me, and playing with my kids. I really enjoyed it.

It's been two days since I've returned to my writing career. This time, it's different. I've set aside specific times in my day so that I don't let things rule my life again.

As an aspiring author, I had expectations for my book--but that's like saying a little girl expects to live happily ever after once finding her knight in shining armor.

I had no idea what I was really in for--being published is simply the business side of writing.

Being published doesn't mean all your problems melt away and you're set for life--it's like with any other career out there: you still have to work at it but wisely! You don't stay at your current job 17 hours a day, Monday through Thursday, do you? It's so easy to let that happen with your book because you love it, you're home doing it and it slowly cooks you alive if you're not watching the water boil!

Just like with any relationship gone sour, I need to remember why I started writing. So I'm getting back to the basics: Discovering the pure joy in writing, and remembering the love of sharing my heart's work.

As a rule, authors never talk about the hardships of their careers, and it makes me wonder why because it is there. What struggles are you facing now?

On Publicity

2012-01-11T11:14:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine tweeted this link that is supposed to be a spoof of an author self promoting. It is hilarious, but alas, not much of a spoof. People really do go to extremes to promote their books. From my viewpoint, this has been veeery interesting to watch. I started my writing odyssey as a Clarion West student and from there was invited into a high caliber writers group, full of writers who were published the traditional way, by publishers. Some of them are quite famous. Ten years ago, anyone who wanted to be a real writer didn't get their hands dirty doing self promotion. The writer's job was to write. Some gained a competitive edge by hiring publicists, sending out review copies, doing interviews, setting up signings and that sort of thing, but would never, ever go around flogging their books.

Then came the indie movement, and with it a whole new species of writer. One who can't access the traditional publicity channels, so must find other ways to stand out from the crowd. The result, a lot of people resorting to extreme and even underhanded measures to get word out about their book. People will get their friends to leave comments on Amazon - and I don't mean friends who liked the book and are just nice people. I have a few of those. I mean a legion of "friends" who're out to stuff the ballot box. Said friends will also downgrade bad reviews to try to get them to disappear, and quite a few of these "friends" are the writer themselves, working from a newly created account on Amazon or Goodreads.

Now I stand with a foot in each camp. I've kept Emily Mah traditional, but I took my chick lit moniker, E.M. Tippetts indie. This means I've had to tackle the publicity issue head on and come up with what I am and am not willing to do. In fact, I went indie specifically to learn about publicity, to figure out if there's any way I can influence sales while still keeping my writing goals and my respectability.

When I began this, anything that seemed at all like talking myself up was anathema. I tried to make E.M. Tippetts a website and put good review quotes on it and all that, and despised it. I tore out most of the marketing stuff and started over, and spent more time on things like a cool header that was fun to make and a really nifty background I found. I played with Amazon widgets, again trying to make the site pretty. I didn't feel desperate for sales, so I didn't want to act desperate. Eventually, months later, when book bloggers whom I love and respect gave me nice reviews, I excerpted them on the site, as much to thank them as to have those on display for potential readers.

And I hit the Twitterverse, where I made myself try every technique I could find - short of the fraudulent and spamming ones - to see if any worked. What I found? Being obnoxiously forward does actually increase site hits and move sales. But I really don't like it. Nowadays I do what's comfortable for me, which is just make a lot of silly comments and send an individual tweet to every new follower I get. I rarely ever talk about writing unless someone asks, and not about my own if I can avoid it. I have made a lot of new friends in the Twitterverse, and get a lot of complements on my site. I'm happy in my niche, comfortable, and move a lot more books than I could ever have hoped to if I refused to get my hands dirty.

Through this process I've learned exactly what I set out to learn, which is how to sell more books and still be me. Now, I don't think E.M. Tippetts is set for world domination (she writes Mormon chick lit), but I think she's taught Emily Mah quite a lot about putting yourself out there and taking control of your own sales destiny.

So what are everyone else's stories about publicity? What have you tried or what do you want to try? What scares you the most? What scared me the most was turning into one of *those* authors, the kind who have car full of their self pubbed novel that they try desperately to sell anywhere they can, firmly believing that's the path to the NYT Bestseller list (I know multiple people who've been on that list. Believe me, it doesn't work that way.) The truth is, once you are who you are, being a little more forward with your art will help more than harm you. Unless you really are desperate and unscrupulous...

Why Do You Write?

2012-01-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

One of the girls in the teen writers club I've been mentoring sent out this e-mail:

So, I have discovered why I write. I don't know about you guys, but one reason that I write is because I will never get to experience anything that my characters do. I'll never ride a dragon, or shoot at someone with lightning or anything... It's impossible to fly, and no one has super powers. That's one of the reasons I love the new superhero movies so much. Because on this earth, it's awesome to wish that you could visit completely new worlds and beat bad guys and soar in the sky, but no one will be able to. I write because I wish that I could experience all that. So I live through my characters.

Another reason I write is to explore other people's points of view. We were born in our different places, and do many things with our lives. I like writing about people from different places and times. In my Afalzi story, Anessa lives in a world where people get their years sucked out regularly. It's funny, how much things like that affect and don't affect daily life... We weren't born in the right time to be able to dance at balls with eligible suitors or the right place to have an arranged marriage. So I, at least, find other people's experiences and time periods interesting.

Finally, I write to travel. Sometimes I have to research for my stories, look up pictures and languages and such to be able to write the area of the world the characters are in. I'm probably never going to go to India, or the moon, or many other places. If I write my characters traveling, then I can experience at least some of it. Once again, going back to living through characters.

It made me think back to why I started writing. It was because I loved to read. I loved to read books with characters who got to experience things I might never be able to do, to feel their feelings, to see through their eyes. I loved to read for adventure, for excitement, for story. I loved to read to find characters I simply enjoyed hanging out with.

These days, in all my fuss about dialog punctuation, query letters, and publishing market trends, sometimes I forget why I'm doing this. I forget why I write. I write to bring something to life that was never there before. I write because words are magic. They can make something happen in your mind that feels as real as living it. I write for the joy of language, for the power of story. I write because I want to give people something wonderful to read.

I'll be a better writer if I remember.

Why do you write?

In dreams begin stories...

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, raise your hand if you've ever gotten a story idea from a dream?

So, you know the elation you feel when you first wake up with that golden nugget sparkling inside your brain. Maybe you grab for the notebook and jot the whole thing down, bleary-eyed.

This happens to me, like a lot. And then the next part happens:

I wake up properly, and as the threads of story leave my brain and I try to decipher my scribbles, I find gaping holes in the story logic that my sleeping brain found perfectly acceptable. Or things that seemed really cool but are in fact ridiculous. Here's an example from last night's dream:

source cnn.com

I'm a nurse at an unauthorized research facility that has snatched young girls, harvested their eggs and is performing experiments with embryos. At some point, the facility is found out and the administrators run so fast they leave the girls behind, chained to their hospital beds. As a few of us nurses free the girls before running off ourselves, I stop at one girl's bed, a 12 year old, and as I unlock her, I covertly slip her the fruits of two of her eggs -- two embryos held in stasis. One is a control, which if implanted would mature into a normal baby, and one altered embryo. No one knows exactly what it will become.

Kind of a cool premise for a story about the girl, perhaps a few years in the future when she considers implanting the embryo(s?). But what I, the nurse, slipped the girl was, in fact, two BLUEBERRIES.

source bellybytes.com

Blueberries, yes. The embryos were stored inside blueberries. Are you done laughing yet? It seemed perfectly reasonable in the dream.

I like the overall idea, but the feasibility of handing a girl some transportable embryos is a roadblock that will probably make me abandon the story. And here's the thing: My whole idea-making factory (my brain) is suspect, since I must have thought the blueberries were just as cool as the rest of the show. My whole dream -- or any waking idea for that matter -- is suspect.

So I have a two-part question:

How do you go about vetting your ideas for stories, deciding which are workable,

and,

how do you move them from mere ideas to fleshed out stories?

Big questions, I know. But I'm going to join some old conference buddies this month in a little writing boot camp, and I need to turn some cool ideas into short stories, so I could use some fresh tips.

Feel free to provide examples of weird dreams that became kickin' stories. :)

Bumps and Bruises

2012-01-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

source

It's been about 1 month since Darkspell released--2 weeks since I've had my print copies!

Is life suddenly rainbows and pink clouds? Nope. The book dream doesn't stop here.

I had to wait a week before my printed versions arrived at my doorstep so that I could mail my signed and numbered beauties to awaiting fans. It was the very next work day, my entire family came down with the severe flu--including myself!

I've just shipped off over 30 books this past week, and I'm barely feeling better.

Okay, so here's the bomb: I had my first 4 "rejections" within a 2 week period before my books arrived. They are all from people I know! What I mean by rejection is that they didn't like Darkspell. These people are my close friends and family. Wait, don't go, I have something important to tie in with this lesson.

I've read somewhere--and I wish I could remember where--that if someone gives your book a bad review, it's because you've reached outside your marketing range. It's like submitting a query letter to an agent that loves horror and yours is a picture book.

Can you see what I'm saying?

I'd have to say that I am VERY grateful for these 4 people because it knocked the shock factor into me right off the bat, but now it's not so shocking anymore when I got a 2 star review--amid a sea of 5 stars--saying that it wasn't what she thought.

She's right. My book isn't her cup of tea. Just because it isn't, doesn't mean it's a BAD book. Like when you get rejected by an agent or publisher. It's NOT a bad book, it just doesn't appeal to their tastes--whatever they are at the moment.

One thing is for sure, this 2 star reviewer has made me realize something about "real life". She's honest and upfront. That's more than what I get when I'm stuck in a crowd of smiling people who know me and won't give me the time of day to say hi or at least say WHY they don't 'like' me. (Actions are louder than words, you know...)

What do you think?

For aspiring authors, it's pretty much the same type of rejection when you get your edits back, those nasty rejection letters and such, but being "public" now means that people have permission to make their thoughts public. Be ready!

Those who are published, how do you handle the bad reviews?

Indie Book Fair

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Did you find a new Kindle, Nook, or iPad under the Christmas tree? Browse the Indie Book Fair and find a new ebook to break in that reader!

These great new books were released Nov 2011-Feb 2012 by Indie authors, priced right so that taking a chance on a new author doesn’t have to break your wallet. (Check out my previous Internet Book Fair for other great Indie finds.)

[Indie = self-published or small-publisher, for the purposes of this post, because no matter how we’re published, we’re all in this together, trying to get the word out about our books]

Note: Links are given for Amazon, but most authors publish across all e-book formats. Click on the author’s name for additional purchasing options, including paper copies.

For Your Browsing Pleasure

Contemporary (Adult)

Build a Man by Talli Roland (Chick Lit)

Slave to the rich, rude and deluded, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she's a high-flying tabloid reporter. Unfortunately, every pitch she sends out disappears like her clients' liposuctioned fat, never to be seen again. Then she meets Jeremy Ritchie -- the hang-dog man determined to be Britain's Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between -- giving Serenity a story no editor could resist. With London's biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy's progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success, even going undercover to gain intimate access to Jeremy's life. But when Jeremy's surgery goes drastically wrong and Serenity is ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, she must decide how far she really will go for her dream job. $0.99 on Amazon

The Golden Sky by Elisa Hirsch (Memoir)

The night I met Cade I never would’ve thought that two years later, after we were homeless street musicians in Hawaii, we would have a little girl and another baby on the way. Our son was born with the type of birth defects that make televangelists cringe. The “death home” gave him a really nice funeral, the kind I’d never wished to attend. We lost it after that, totally cemented in our grief. Cade got into drugs, joined a rock and roll band, and I kicked him out of the house. That was how I met: Earl (an old man and unlikely best friend), the “big sag” (a middle aged woman who still flashed folks), Todda (the stripper next door), and Chris (a cowboy who fell in love with me). It wasn’t until I killed a rogue skunk, and my daughter nearly choked on a fry, that I gave my husband another chance. But could our marriage recover from the death of our son? $2.99 onAmazon

Someone Else’s Fairytale by E.M. Tippetts (Contemporary Romance)

Jason Vanderholt is the hottest actor under thirty with legions of screaming fans. Chloe Winters is a college student who hasn't gotten around to watching most of his movies. When they meet by chance, he is smitten, but it just isn't her fairytale. In fact, it could be her worst nightmare as her past, attracted by the bright lights of the media, comes back to haunt her. $0.99 on Amazon

Historical Romance (Adult)

The Duke’s Divorce by Anne Gallagher Available late January 2012

A simple trip to the Scottish Highlands finds the Duke of Cantin with a bride he does not want. With her impeccable beauty and fiery disposition, Fiona takes Society by storm. As their prearranged divorce proceedings draw near, can Fiona change his mind? Check author's website.

Literary Fiction

String Bridge by Jessica Bell

Greek cuisine, smog and domestic drudgery was not the life Australian musician, Melody, was expecting when she married a Greek music promoter and settled in Athens, Greece. Keen to play in her new shoes, though, Melody trades her guitar for a 'proper' career and her music for motherhood. That is, until she can bear it no longer and plots a return to the stage—and the person she used to be. However, the obstacles she faces along the way are nothing compared to the tragedy that awaits ... $6.99 on Amazon ALSO: Music Sample!

Mystery

Sherwood Ltd. by Anne R. Allen

Sherwood. The name immediately conjures up images of Richard Greene, Michael Praed and Russell Crowe. Or maybe that sly fox in the Disney version. Only, in Anne R. Allen's latest rom-com mystery the fox is a coyote and there's no Robin Hood. Or is there? In her usual inimitable fashion Allen peels back the layers, one hilarious subplot after another, until you just never know what's real and what's not. Rather like the Robin Hood legend. When the Manners Doctor, Camilla Randall, flies into Robin Hood airport with a suitcase in one hand and a book contract in the other she thinks she's leaving all her problems behind and is about to start a new life. If you look very carefully you may just spot the Sheriff of Nottingham, Maid Marian and even Little John hidden away. But as for Robin Hood himself... You'll just have to read it and find out. $2.99 on Amazon

Short Stories and Anthologies

The Initiate (Cloud Prophet Trilogy) by Megg Jensen (YA Fantasy)

Over a thousand years ago, the gods left Eloh's people and took their magic with them. To win back their favor, her people sacrifice ten female initiates every ten years. No has ever survived. There has never been a Chosen One. Forced into becoming an initiate, Eloh will try to find a way to beat the odds, stay with her boyfriend, and survive the fires that threaten to consume her. But will her lack of faith in the gods and her disbelief in their magic doom her to a painful death? $0.99 on Amazon

Eight by Karly Kirkpatrick (YA Paranormal Short Story Collection)

Prepare to be thrilled and chilled by Kirkpatrick's eight short tales in EIGHT. These eight stories, while short, pack a big punch. There are demon spirits, zombies, and even some human baddies. Each story comes complete with author's commentary. It also includes the previously unreleased short Grenades. $0.99 on Amazon

{CoverComingSoon} In His Eyes by The Indelibles (YA Anthology) - Available February 14th

Just in time for Valentines Day, The Indelibles bring you a one-of-a-kind young adult anthology! Twenty original short stories, all from the point of view of our favorite male characters - some are old flames from our novels and some were dreamed up especially for this anthology. Let these imminently crushable, swoon-worthy guys show you what romance looks like – in his eyes. Add to Goodreads TBR

The contributors to IN HIS EYES include award winners, frequent “Top 100” placers, and hot 2011 debut authors: S.R. Wells, C.K. Bryant, Elle Strauss, Susan Kaye Quinn, Jessie Harrell, Magan Vernon, Lisa Nowak, Heather McCorkle, RaShelle Workman, Ali Cross, Karen Amanda Hooper, Cory Putman Oakes, Laura Pauling, Stacey Wallace Benefiel, Sarra Cannon, Katie Klein, Cheri Lasota

Transcendent: Tales of the Paranormal by Lani Woodland, Melonie Piper, Rita Webb, Wendy Swore, Melanie Marks, Heather McCubbin and Evan Joseph (YA Anthology)

Discover the secrets of a siren, fly with a hawk girl over the mountains of Montana, and flee supernatural party-crashers as the décor comes to life in this magical journey through paranormal stories. Along the way, watch for ghosts in a haunted house, or ride through the moonlight with a stranger. Save a comatose boy who has lost his soul, and don’t forget to bring your garlic and wolfsbane—you never know when the shadows will snag you. Transcendent includes eight stories of magic, love, death, and choice by some of the newest names in young adult fiction. $0.99 on Amazon

Young Adult

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn (Paranormal/Science Fiction)

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep. Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her. $2.99 on Amazon

Bound by C.K. Bryant (Paranormal Romance)

When a photo shoot ends in tragedy, Kira discovers her best friend, Lydia,has been keeping a secret. Knowing the truth, and accepting it, will change Kira’s life forever and thrust her into a world of ancient curses, magical objects, and savage enemies. What happens next will challenge everything Kira knows about her world, herself and the shape-shifting warrior she’s falling in love with. No longer the timid mouse her mother accused her of being, but a woman who finds the mental and physical strength to endure and survive. $3.99 on Amazon

Become by Ali Cross (YA Urban Fantasy)

Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she Becomes the evil she despises and the good she always feared. When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her Choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is a reason to want to change—something she’s never had before—a friend. $3.99 on Amazon

Exiled by RaShelle Workman (YA SF Romance)

Worlds divided them. Chance brought them together. Only love will save them.
An alien princess exiled to Earth. An arrogant boy. One week to get back to her planet or she'll die. And, her only chance for survival? She must help the boy find his soul mate.
Piece of cake! $0.99 on Kindle

The Secret of Spruce Knoll by Heather McCorkle (Urban Fantasy)

Following the tragic death of her parents, Eren Donovan moves to Spruce Knoll to live with an aunt she’s never met. Little does Eren know the entire town of Spruce Knoll is filled with “channelers”—a magical group of people who immigrated to the small Colorado town when they were driven out of their own lands. Channelers are tied to the fate of the world. As the world slowly dies, so do they—and they alone have the power to stop the destruction of Earth. Soon, Eren learns she not only lives among them, but she is one. When she meets local boy Aiden, his charm convinces her that being a channeler may not be all bad though. $4.99 on Amazon

Destined by Jessie Harrell (Retelling)

When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear. As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she's come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined. $0.99 on Amazon

Darkspell by Elizabeth Mueller (Paranormal Romance)

Winter Sky believes she is everything ordinary . . . until she is kissed by Alex Stormhold. As seer of Stormhold Coven, Alex is sworn to be Winter’s protector against the darkness that hunts her. Violently thrust into a magickal realm she always thought impossible, she stumbles upon a disturbing secret of her own. Will love prove thicker than magick? $3.99 on Amazon

Untraceable by S. R. Johannes (Thriller)

Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival. When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him. One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father. Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves. $0.99 on Amazon

Rival Demons (Book 5 of the Peachville High Demons Series) by Sarra Cannon (Paranormal Romance) Available January 20th

After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Order of Shadows, Harper finds herself thrust into the strange and beautiful world of the shadow demons. But crossing through the portal doesn't mean she is safe. The Order of Shadows is determined to bring her home and transfer the Prima line to the Harris family. They send their most vicious hunters after Harper. Hunters who will not stop until they have found their prey. Determined to keep her safe, Jackson takes her deep into an underground world filled with dangers of its own. Here, Harper will begin a journey that will teach her more about herself and her own path than she ever imagined possible. Add to Goodreads TBR

The Legend of Victor Standish: Under a Voodoo Moon by Roland D. Yeomans (Urban Fantasy/Romance)

Can love kill? Yes ... if you love a ghoul who hungers for your flesh only slightly less than she does your heart. Yet to the lonely street orphan Victor Standish, who has risked his life for a meal, to find love (even for one magical French Quarter night) is worth dying in the morning. $2.99 on Amazon All profits go to the Salvation Army.

Getting Sideways (Book 2 in the Full Throttle Series) by Lisa Nowak (Contemporary)

Getting shipped off to live with his uncle Race was the best thing that ever happened to fifteen-year-old Cody. Then a wreck at the speedway nearly ruined everything. Cody’s making every effort to get his life back on track—writing for the school paper, searching for the perfect girlfriend, and counting the days until he gets his drivers’ license—but there’s no escaping the nightmares that haunt him. A chance to build his own car seems like the perfect distraction. Until Cody realizes he’ll have to live up to Race’s legendary status. But that’s the least of his worries, considering he doesn’t have his dad’s permission. All he has to do is the impossible: keep Race from discovering his lie until he can convince his dad that racing’s safe. Yeah, sure. That’ll be easy. $3.99 on Amazon

Tangled Tides by Karen Hooper (Sea Monster Memoirs)

Yara Jones doesn’t believe in sea monsters—until she becomes one. When a hurricane hits her island home and she wakes up with fins, Yara finds herself tangled up in an underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. Both sides believe Yara can save them by fulfilling a broken promise and opening the sealed gateway to their realm, but they are battling over how it should be done. The selkies want to take her life. The merfolk want something far more precious. Treygan, the stormy-eyed merman who turned Yara mer, will stop at nothing and sacrifice everything to protect his people—until he falls for Yara. The tides turn as Yara fights to save herself, hundreds of sea creatures, and the merman who has her heart. She could lose her soul in the process—or she might open the gateway to a love that’s deeper than the oceans. $4.99 on Amazon

Here by Denise Grover Swank (SF Romance)

Sixteen year old Julia Phillips buries herself in guilt after killing her best friend Monica in a car accident. Julia awoke in the hospital with a broken leg, a new talent for drawing and false memories of the accident, in which she dies and Monica lives. The doctors attribute this to her head injury, but no one can explain how a bracelet engraved with her name ended up at the scene of the accident. A bracelet no one has ever seen before. Classmate Evan Whittaker paid Julia no attention before the accident, let alone after. Now suddenly he’s volunteering to tutor her and offering to drive her home. She can't ignore that his new obsession started after his two-day disappearance last week and that he wears a pendant she’s been drawing for months. When the police show up one night looking for Evan, he begs Julia to run with him, convincing her that Monica is still alive. Julia agrees to go, never guessing where he’s really from. $2.99 on Amazon

The Veil by Cory Putman Oakes (Paranormal Romance)

Seventeen-year-old Addison Russell is in for a shock when she discovers that she can see the invisible world of the Annorasi. Suddenly, nothing is as it appears to be—the house she lives in, the woman who raised her, even the most beautiful boy in town all turn out to be more than what they seem. And when this strange new world forces Addy to answer for a crime that was committed long ago, by parents she has never known, she has no choice but to trust Luc, the mysterious Annorasi who has been sent to protect her. Or so he says . . . $7.99 on Amazon

Embrace by Cherie Colyer (Paranormal Romance)

Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve. Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him. Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own. Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover. $6.99 on Amazon

Onyx Talisman by Brenda Pandos (Paranormal Romance)

Unrest stirs deep in Scotts Valley. Filled with uncertainty, Julia anxiously awaits Nicholas’ return. Phil, holds the pieces of Julia’s fragile psyche together, secretly hoping Nicholas stays away forever. But Alora secretly conspires to reclaim her talisman and strip Julia of everything she holds dear. Little do they know, a war is coming and more than one vampire would like to see the Prince of Vampires overthrown. Can Julia bargain with fate? Find out how it all ends in this explosive grand finale of The Talisman Trilogy. $3.99 on Amazon

How to Date an Alien by Magan Vernon (Science Fiction)

High school senior Alex Bianchi's estranged father gets her an internship at Circe Operations Center to pad her college applications. But Circe isn't your typical military base. It's an alien-run operation center and not all of the aliens are friendly, especially the one that tries to kill Alex on her first day. When Ace, a dark-eyed Caltian, enters and saves the day, she can't help but be drawn to him. Can these star-crossed lovers survive when they're on the brink of intergalactic war? $2.99 on Amazon

Fireseed One by Catherine Stine (Science Fiction/Thriller)

Fireseed One is a journey into a tricked-out near-future earth where 18 year-old Varik has inherited a vast ocean farm, following the suspicious drowning of his Marine biologist father. When Marisa, a beautiful and devious terrorist, destroys the world's food source, Varik is forced to travel to a lethal hotzone, teeming with dangerous nomads and a strange cult to search for a magical hybrid plant that may not even exist. The catch? He must take Marisa along, the only person who seems to know way, way too much key information. $2.99 on Amazon

The Missing by M.A. Leslie (Paranormal)

Eight-year-old, Ethan Doyle is just a normal kid whose biggest problem in life was to fight for the attention of his busy parents from his older twin siblings. But, after his aunt and uncle tragically die, his family takes in his teenage cousin, Kelsey, and moves to a spooky old, manor house in a new town. At first, everything seems fine, but when he begins to see and speak to a spirit named Lucas, his biggest problem becomes, just staying alive. Lucas was ten years old when the spirits of the house came to him and asked him for help setting their spirits free. Unfortunately, he never made the deadline and as a result the spirits took him and made him a part of the house as well. As he soon finds out, the only way he can save his own soul is to save the souls of the missing boys in the house. With his own deadline in place, Ethan enlists the help of his cousin Kelsey to solve the twenty-year-old mystery of THE MISSING. $0.99 on Amazon

Princess Kandake by Stephanie Jefferson (Fantasy) Available February 1, 2012

In Nubia a woman can be whatever she chooses. At 14, Kandake knows exactly what she chooses...Prime Warrior of Nubia. But her grandmother has said that she will follow her father on the throne. Refusing to abandon her warrior dreams she continues to train. When her brother is kidnapped, Kandake learns she must be both queen and warrior to win his release! See Author's Website

Middle Grade

Blink of a Dragon by Eisley Jacobs (Fantasy)

Discovering she’s connected to dragons is one thing, but when another dragon is caught hanging out in the fifth grade, Meia thinks things couldn’t get any worse. Is she ever wrong! Trouble is brewing in the cosmos and Deglan believes this new dragon holds the answers, but his hopes are crushed when the leader of the exiled dark dragons ambushes them. The fate of the dragons and possibly the whole world falls to Deglan and Meia as they search for the only creature powerful

enough to send the dark dragons back into the abyss. What they encounter along the way makes the adventure worth fighting for. $0.99 on Amazon

Darkness

2011-12-30T12:05:00.000-08:00

My mom woke me up this morning with "Amber, it's your week to post on Scribbler's Cove."

Somehow my not-awake brain turned that into "You have to pose for a book." Which didn't make any sense at all, and I tried to tell her that, but I think it came out as gibberish.

"What?" My mom asked.
"What?" I replied.
"It's your week to post on Scribbler's cove. You have to do it today or tomorrow."
Now, that made much, much more sense. So, I got out of bed, grabbed a composition notebook and started brainstorming.

Recently, my mom has been a little worried about me because the story I'm writing right now is really dark. And she is of the firm belief that the world has enough darkness already.

This is a big issue. It's true that there's plenty of darkness in the world, and it's true that the world could use a little more light.

So, the question is: Do we need darkness in our stories? And how much?

First, I wrote down some things in stories that give it darkness. I came up with six big ones.

Death
Pain
Despair
Evil
Violence
Helplessness

None of these things are good. Yet just about all of us experience every single one. Part of writing is to teach people about the world in terms they can more easily understand. We show them different worlds that follow some of the same rules as ours, and people who are caricatures of real people. We can't create a very believable world without darkness.

So, you definitely need some darkness in any story. But how much darkness is too much? Some people have more darkness in their lives than others. Do those people need darker stories, or lighter ones?

Stories with a lot of darkness in them often leave the reader feeling miserable. A reader, in some ways, experiences everything the characters do. It's our decision as writers, how much darkness we want our readers to feel.

I know multiple people who would argue for putting as little darkness as possible in stories. Even a little bit of well-done darkness can give depth to a story. Stories can be wonderful without being dark. So, I thought of things that make a story light.

Comedy
Happiness
Innocence
Goodness
Fun
Accomplishment

A much friendlier list. I've read many great stories that have a disproportionately large light side. I admire them, and people who can write them. But I do like darker stories as well and I think we'd be lacking something important if we didn't have them.

As I brainstormed, one of my questions was 'Should you try for as little darkness as possible?' It looked to me like the answer was 'yes' but I felt like I was missing something. So, I tried to think of an example of a dark book that didn't make me feel like crawling into a corner and dying.

It took me about ten seconds. The Hunger Games. I'm just talking about the first book. It introduces you to likeable characters and then tosses them into a truly horrible situation where it's kill or be killed and there's no hope of avoiding my entire list of things that make a book dark. The idea behind the Hunger Games is that the government is forcing kids to kill each other and then showing it on TV. That is incredibly dark. But so many people love that book. I love that book. Why? At the end of the story, the main characters are permanently damaged, and the world is NOT fixed. In fact, you know things are going to get even worse. So, why does that book feel satisfying at the end?

I think it doesn't have anything to do with what happened. I think it has everything to do with why.

Katniss went through so much darkness but she went through it of her own decision. Not because she wanted to, of course, but to save someone she cared about.

that makes all the difference.

Darkness for the sake of Darkness alone is wrong. There are people who want that. There are people who will buy that. But it's not good for anyone.

However, many of the most powerful stories, whether they're true or only fantasy have a whole lot of darkness in them. The characters in those stories go through things that seem impossibly hard. But they go through them. Because they're doing it for a reason. And it's worth it.

So, I guess the answer is that pointless darkness should be avoided, but darkness, if used right, makes for the very best stories.

And those are the stories we want to tell.

Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day!

2011-12-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas yesterday. Get any good books?

Revising Gently

2011-12-23T23:20:00.000-08:00

I love revising.

I'm one of those writers that can't leave a piece of work alone. I have to change this, fix that, try something else, until I've kneaded all the life out of my prose.

Earlier this week, I printed out all twelve versions I could find of the first two pages of my current project. I was trying to solve a mystery. When I wrote the first draft two years ago and took it to a workshop, everyone liked it. When I took my most recent draft to a workshop last weekend, it got torn to shreds. My daughter helped me read through all twelve drafts, trying to figure out where I went wrong.

"Your first draft is rough, but it's all alive and sparkly. And your most recent draft is polished, but it's dead."

Aren't teenagers wonderful?

So how do I make my words alive, sparkly, AND polished?

Maybe I need to learn to revise gently.

Guest Post: James Hutchings on Creative Commons

2011-12-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

First, a word from the cap'n--with the copyright wars in full swing over the PIPA bill, I thought it would be timely to invite someone to tell us how and why he offers some of his work online to be read for free.

I'm a proponent of the free content business model myself. My brother, Joseph Hoffman, has an online piano academy with free video lessons. If people want to download the sheet music and worksheets that go with each lesson, they pay a small fee, but anyone can watch the lessons any time. My little bro tells me that business is going great. Another person who has found success with free content is web comic artist Howard Tayler. You can read his web comic, Schlock Mercenary, online for free, but it has been several years since Howard quit his day job to make his living selling his graphic novels to his thousands of adoring fans (including my husband and son). This model can work for authors too. People who like a story they read for free will be willing to pay money for more of the same.

So that's enough blether from me. Here's Australian author James Hutchings' take on Creative Commons:

***

Many writers, whether published or just starting out, are very nervous that someone else will steal their work, whether that be another writer using their ideas in their own stories, or someone making pirated copies of their books. When I put out a collection of my writing, I specifically gave permission for anyone at all to copy my ideas, or even to cut and paste whole stories. I also contacted the Pirate Party, a worldwide network that wants to lessen copyright, and told them that I was giving anyone permission to put my ebook on file-sharing sites. In this post I hope to show why I went against common wisdom.

Creative Commons

I used a free service called Creative Commons. Creative Commons is useful for people who want to give the general public permission to use their work, but with restrictions. In my case I didn't mind people using my work for non-profit purposes, such as posting on a blog, but I didn't want to allow anyone to make money off it. Similarly I wanted anyone who used it to give me credit. I could have just listed these things myself. However I'm not a lawyer, and perhaps I would have worded it wrong so that someone could twist what I said to do more than I meant. Also I could have been unclear about what I was allowing and what I wasn't allowing. Sure, someone could email me and ask, but the whole purpose of having a written statement is so that people don't have to ask.

Creative Commons has a series of different licenses, which give permission to do different things. They're all legally 'tight', and they're all summarized in plain language. So all you have to do is go to their site and answer a series of questions, to get to the license that does what you want. In my case I used the Attribution Non-Commercial License.

Why?

That's what I did. But why? Common sense would suggest that I'm giving something away for free that I could be selling. However I believe that, in the long run, I'll be better off. The main reason is that I've seen how many people are, like me, trying to get their writing out there. Go to Smashwords and have a look at the latest ebooks. Then refresh the page ten minutes later, and you'll probably see a whole new lot. The problem that new writers face isn't that people want to steal your work; it's getting anyone to show an interest in your work at all. If someone passes on a pirated copy of my work, it might get to someone who's prepared to buy it - and that someone would probably have never heard of me otherwise. Even if they don't want to pay for what they read, I might come out with something else in the future, and perhaps paying 99c for it will be easier than hunting it down on a file-sharing site.

Science fiction writer Andrew Burt tells the story of someone who disliked his book, and to get back at him decided to put a copy on a file-sharing site. The effect was that he got a small 'spike' in sales immediately afterwards.

I also have some less selfish motives. Many people would assume that the purpose of copyright is to protect authors and creators. Leaving aside the fact that someone else often ends up with the rights (how many Disney shareholders created any of the Disney characters? How many shareholders in Microsoft have ever written a line of code?), that doesn't seem to have been the intention in the past. The US Constitution says that Congress has the power "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." Note that protecting 'intellectual property' isn't mentioned. The authors of the Constitution seemed to see the point as getting ideas out there where people can use them: almost the exact opposite of keeping them 'safe' and 'protected'.

The original idea of copyright seems to have been a sort of deal: you have an idea, and we want you to get it out into the world where it will do some good. To encourage you to do that, we'll give you a monopoly on its use for a limited time. After that, anybody can use it (it will enter the 'public domain').

A lot of people don't know that copyright used to give a lot less protection than it does now, especially in the United States. In the US, it used to be that works were copyrighted for a maximum of 56 years. Today copyright in the US can last for over 100 years. In fact Congress keeps extending the time. In practice, they're acting as if they never want ideas to go into the public domain.

This is great for the owners of 'intellectual property'. But it's hard to see how this "promotes the Progress of Science and useful Arts," or how forever is a "limited time." In a sense it's a theft from the public. Anyone who publishes work has accepted the deal that the law offers, of a limited monopoly in return for making their idea known. Congress has been giving them more and more extensions on that monopoly, but doesn't require them to do anything to earn it.

It probably doesn't matter that much that Disney still owns Mickey Mouse, or that Lord of the Rings is still under copyright. But remember that these laws don't just apply to the arts. They apply to science as well. So an invention that might save lives could be going unused, because its owner wants too much money for it, or because it's tied up in court while two companies fight about who owns it.

Conclusion

I'm far from an expert on either the law or the publishing industry. However I hope that I've given you, especially those of you who might be thinking about publishing some writing, a different take on the whole issue of whether authors should worry about their ideas being stolen. At least I hope I've shown you that there's a different way of thinking about it, and that that way doesn't require you to just give up on making money; in fact that it might be more profitable as well as better for society.

---

James Hutchings lives in Melbourne, Australia. He specializes in short fantasy fiction. His work has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, fiction365 and Enchanted Conversation among other markets. His ebook collection The New Death and others, is now available from Amazon and Smashwords.

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This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License.

Free Books and Swag!

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hi! I just wanted to let you know that I've gathered** an armful of rockin' debut authors who want to spread some book cheer for Christmas!

We will start December 12 and party all the way to the 30th! Okay, I know I said for Christmas, but who wants the spirit to end on the 25th?

All you have to do is visit each of the author's sites, leave comment lovin', and PLEASE spread the word by shouting out on all your social networks our FUN tour! Shouting out is one point per network per day per author (-or- depending on individual author's rules), just let us know your deeds and you'll have that much more of a chance at winning!

We are giving away rockin' prizes--makes for wonderful gifts!
All contests end the 31st, winners announced January 2nd.

Here is the schedule of Debut Authors and their fantastical books for grabs!

December 12 Elizabeth Mueller

December 13 Regan Guerra

December 14 Melissa Pearl

December 15 Claudia Lefeve

December 16 Joseph Beekman

December 17 Pendragon Innmen

December 19 Alex J. Cavanaugh

December 20 Gillian Schafer

Decmember 21 FiaunaLund

December 22 Anastasia V. Pergakis

December 23 H. Linn Murphy

December 26 Tanya Contois

December 27 Patti Larsen

Decmember 28 Red Tash

December 29 Annetta Ribken

December 30 Cindy Hogan

Good luck and don't forget to have FUN!

Guest Post: David Farland on the Future of Reading

2011-12-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

We'd like to welcome author David Farland back to the Scribblers Cove as he celebrates the release of his new book, Nightingale. Many of us here at the Cove have taken workshops with Dave, and we know him to be a wily old pirate with a heart of gold. We wish him all the best as he ventures out into the uncharted seas of enhanced e-book publishing.

David Farland’s Vision: Reading in the Future

You put on your “reading glasses.” The dark glasses are fitted with lasers and high-quality stereo earbuds. As you put them on, your entire field of vision is captured. A laser inside the glasses flashes a novel title on the interior surface of your eye—on a field of view so wide, it’s like watching a movie in high definition.

Of course, the book you see is Dave Farland’s book (why not, it's his fantasy). The letters start small, in the distance and they quickly wash right over you. Just when it seems they're all around you, they explode in a burst of light, “Nightingale, by David Farland.”

You can hardly imagine what life was like before 3D. As soon as you read the last word, a laser with a computer link that tracks your eye movement cues the background music, and images begin to flash in your eye—a holographic video-clip of the character of Bron, as an infant, being abandoned outside the door of a cheap hotel in the Utah desert. The camera pans up to the face of his mother, Sommer, bitter and broken, with tears in her eyes. We flash to the prologue, where Sommer runs through a forest at night, her breathing deep, while dogs snarl and bark as they give pursuit. Fireflies swarm up around her.

Words to the story appear as background music continues, and you read. As Sommer twists her foot, lasers pace your reading and insert a sound-effect—the thud of a body falling, the hiss of breath knocked from Sommer. The dogs bay more excitedly. A man’s heavy footsteps can be heard tromping through the brush behind the reader, and a startled mewling cry escapes Sommer’s throat. . . .

And all of this—text, images, and sound can be fitted to conform to your own individual tastes.

Welcome to the future of reading, where text, images, sounds and music forge a collage. That’s the vision that led Dave to become a co-founder of East India Press.

“We don’t want to replace reading,” Dave says. “Novels have a unique ability to let us achieve deep penetration into the minds and emotions of a character, much more so than with a film.” With his most recent novel, Dave—an award-winning, New York Times Bestselling author, is taking a first step toward creating a more-engaging medium for the novel. “This is the first big advance in reading technology in 500 years,” he says.

Nightingale tells the story of a young man, abandoned at birth, rejected from foster home after foster home for being too “strange.” He’s the ultimate loner until he meets Olivia, a marvelously gifted teacher, who recognizes that Bron is something special, something that her people call a “Nightingale,” a creature not quite human. Suddenly, epic forces combine to claim Bron, and he’s forced to risk everything he loves—home, family, and the only girl he’s ever cared about to find the answer to the questions, “What am I? Where did I come from?”

“I was excited to see how it would be received,” Dave says. “I was even more excited when the first reviewer said, ‘I devoured the novel. It was absolutely incredible! . . . I struggled to explain just how much I enjoyed it in my review. . . . After reading Nightingale, I don't think I will even be able to go back to reading regular e-books again. . . . . enhanced e-books are actually a real deal.’”

The future of books is beginning now. Nightingale is available in several forms—as an e-book, audiobook, hardcover and enhanced book.

Best of all, East India Press has created a new web simulation technology that mimics how the book appears on the iPad, and invites you to enjoy it for yourself for free at www.nightingalenovel.com.

Someone Else's Fairytale is out, and free on Smashwords!

2011-12-09T14:22:00.001-08:00

Hi all! My third book is out in electronic format - both it and Paint Me True will go into print next year, but for the holidays I'm giving Someone Else's Fairytale away for free through Smashwords (and ideally Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well, but they have yet to discount it accordingly.)

This book is about the absurdity of some of the "blessings" we receive. Jason Vanderholt, the hottest actor in Hollywood falls for Chloe Winters, a college student who hasn't gotten around to seeing most of his movies. It's any woman's fairytale, except for Chloe's. Though she thought she'd slain the dragons of her past, the bright lights of the media summon them back once more.

I promise you a happy ending with this one, and a fun ride. I very much enjoyed these characters and hope you do too.

To claim your free copy, go here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/109170

Nook version on B&N

Paint Me True out for Nook

2011-12-06T03:40:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone,

I finally got Paint Me True out in Nook format! It's up for the promotional price of $.99 until Thursday, when my next novel, Someone Else's Fairytale, comes out. Thanks, everyone, who's shown support and bought my book so far.

Once I finish all this formatting craziness, I can get back to reading. I've got Open Minds and Darkspell cued up on my Kindle.

WINNERS!

2011-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who entered our Hurricane Season Triple Book Launch Give-Away! Last night when the contest ended I put all your entries into an excel spreadsheet, then at 7:00 am local time in Hawaii I ran the official random number routine to select our winners.

And here are the contestants who will receive this season's pirate treasures:

A free e-copy of Elizabeth Mueller's Darkspell goes to:

Melissa Sugar

A free e-copy of Sue Quinn's Open Minds goes to:

Nina

The "Perfect Storm" poster goes to:

J.C. Martin

Jonene Ficklin's "Macaw in Flight" print goes to:

Heidi L. Murphy

Rachel Bayless' "Seahorse" print goes to:

Cindy M. Hogan

And a signed copy of E.M. Tippetts Time and Eternity goes to:

Jody FL

Congratulations to all our winners! Please make sure we have your e-mail addresses so we can get your prizes to you. Thanks for helping us celebrate our triple book launch, and we look forward to swapping tales of our writing adventures with all o' ye in the many days ahead.

Thankful for the Internet

2011-11-24T09:34:00.001-08:00

I love the internet! I use it to connect with friends and family, to find recipes, to do research for my books, to swap critiques with all my writing buddies, and to hunt for a literary agent. Without it, I'd be totally isolated on this little rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

But now, my dear friends, the internet is in trouble.

Congress is right now considering the PIPA bill, which will give the GOVERNMENT the power to SHUT DOWN YOUR ENTIRE SITE if they think you OR ANYONE YOU LINK TO infringes on someone's copyright. This will not stop piracy as the bill's advocates claim. Pirates are smart. They will find a way. The people in trouble are people like us, who value the free exchange of ideas. People who enjoy youtube and facebook. People who don't want internet censorship like they have in China and Iran.

Here are some of the people against the bill: the Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, Center for Democracy and Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Human Rights Watch, and Public Knowledge.

Who is for it? The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Microsoft, the Copyright Alliance, and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.

Who's side are you on?

Click here to join the fight! Let congress know you're thankful for the internet.

PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

CONTEST PART 2: Hurricane Season TRIPLE Book Launch Give-Away!

2011-11-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

Guess what! We have a THIRD Scribblers Cove contributor bringing out a book this season. Announcing Paint Me True by E.M. Tippetts (known aboard ship as Emily Mah), now available at amazon.com!

We're going to sweeten the prize line up by adding a signed copy of E. M. Tippetts's first novel, Time and Eternity, to the booty.

And don't forget all our other great prizes! Free e-book copy of Sue Quinn's Open Minds, free e-book copy of Elizabeth Mueller's Darkspell, art prints by Rachel Bayless and Jonene Ficklin, and the Perfect Storm movie poster.

To enter, leave a comment on either this post or the previous Hurricane Season Book Launch Give-Away post. You can earn extra entries too:

Join this blog if not already a follower (+1 entry).

Mention our Hurricane Season Double Book Launch Give-Away on your favorite social media networks (facebook, twitter, google+) and include a link to this blog post (+1 entry per each).

Blog or post about one of our book launches and include a link to the websites:

E.M. Tippets Paint Me True Website: http://www.emtippetts.com

Sue Quinn's Mindjack Trilogy Website: http://www.mindjacktrilogy.com/p/media-kit.html

Elizabeth Mueller's Darkspell Website: http://AuthorElizabethMueller.com

(+1 entry per each)

Contest officially closes at midnight EST on November 30th. Winners will be announced on Dec 1 (after I get up in the morning. Give me some time, the sun rises late out here in the middle of the Pacific).

CONTEST! Hurricane Season Double Book Launch Give-Away!

2011-10-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

We here at the Scribblers Cove are thrilled that two of our jolly crew will celebrate book launches NEXT WEEK! Elizabeth Mueller will bring out her paranormal romance Darkspell on October 31st, and Sue Quinn reveals her paranormal sci-fi Open Minds on November 1st.

In honor of these big events, we're having a Hurricane Season Double Book Launch Give-Away! Between now and the end of November, enter to win the following fun prizes:

- A free e-book copy of Darkspell by Elizabeth Mueller

-A free e-book copy of Open Minds by Sue Quinn

-An official full-sized movie poster from the film "The Perfect Storm"

-A 5x7 print of "Macaw in Flight" by our very own Jonene Ficklin

-An 8x8 print of "Seahorse" by our very own Rachel Bayless

There are lots of easy ways to enter!

1. Leave a comment on this post. In your comment, be sure and let us know what additional entries you claim (+1 entry).

2. Join this blog if not already a follower (+1 entry).

3. Mention our Hurricane Season Double Book Launch Give-Away on your favorite social media networks (facebook, twitter, google+) and include a link to this blog post (+1 entry per each).

4. Blog or post about Sue's or Elizabeth's book launch and include a link to their websites:

Sue Quinn's Mindjack Trilogy Website: http://www.mindjacktrilogy.com/p/media-kit.html

Elizabeth Mueller's Darkspell Website: http://AuthorElizabethMueller.com

(+1 entry per each)

Contest officially closes at midnight EST on November 30th. Winners will be announced on Dec 1 (after I get up in the morning. Give me some time, the sun rises late out here in the middle of the Pacific).

THANKS FOR HELPING US SPREAD THE WORD! Best wishes to our two daring pirate ladies as they launch for high adventure this hurricane season. We're mightily proud o' ye both!

Launching Darkspell with a SMASH!

2011-10-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

I am throwing an online party over at my blog, October 31st! Join in the festivities to win a signed poster Illustrated by moi, a $10 Amazon gift certificate or a copy of Darkspell!

After signing up, all you have to do is post on October 31st--Darkspell's release date--saying what you'd do if you had all the magic in the world. I will provide a cut-and-paste blurb of Darkspell with its cover. Viola!

Are you with me?

PS--please don't miss my stunning Illustration countdown--happening now!

Turning Point

2011-10-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Had any of these thoughts?

What if I'm not good enough?

What if I never make it?

What if I'm wasting my time doing this?

When I started out to become a writer, I never imagined what it would cost. Writing takes time, it takes dedication, it takes passion. It's a serious emotional risk. When the words don't turn out the way I want, it hurts. And like a skater who slips while trying for that triple-toe, I have to pick my bruised self up and try again.

But sometimes I really want to sit there on the ice and cry.

I got that way last week, while stuck for two whole days on a single piece of dialog. No way was it working no how, and I suspected it was because I'd taken a horrible wrong turn somewhere in the story, and that meant I'd need to back up and start over. It was like the ice broke and I fell through into that dark, freezing current that constantly drags beneath my false sense of the solid.

Submerged in cold gloom, I went through the motions of the day, questioning all my writing goals and dreams. What proof do I have that any of this effort will ever pay off? None! Wouldn't I be happier without driving myself to distraction over nothing more than several thousand words strung together by my overactive imagination?

And then one fierce, hot spark sprang up inside me. I don't care how "good" I am. I don't care if I "make it" or not. I chose to do this, and I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it because I love it!

The moment I thought that, all the bad feeling melted away.

Writing is never a waste of time, so long as I'm always reaching higher, pushing myself, learning new things. What wastes time is worrying about what will come of it. With all the changes in publishing in the past year, I can't begin to guess the future lives of my stories. All I can do is make them the very best I can, then see what happens.

That's exactly what I'm going to do.

The importance of punctuation

2011-10-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

I saw a bumper sticker the other day, it read:

Love people. Cook them. Tasty food.

I laughed, then looked again. It actually read:

Love people. Cook them tasty food.

What a difference a dot makes. (Now go comb your manuscript for such faux pas as this!)

Forward Motion

2011-10-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

Hello, this is your amazing cabin girl, and unlike some of you might have thought, I am not dead.

In fact, I've written a second novel-length manuscript. It's much better than my first one. It's also about ten-thousand words longer, but we're trying not to obsess about word count, right?

I brought my new manuscript to school to show all my writing friends in my writing club.

You didn't know about that either? I really haven't posted for a long time.

Anyway, I gave it to a friend before school. She read several pages, occasionally chuckling or gleefully repeating a phrase. She gave it back to me, telling me it was really good, and I went away feeling happy.

At lunch, another friend asked me if they could read it. I gave it to them. The friend who'd read the first ten pages that morning, who was sitting right there, didn't even seem to notice.

In fact, neither person asked me for it a second time, though both of them said it was good. And at least one of them is the type who would tell me if it wasn't. But there had to be something wrong with it if they didn't have a desperate need to keep reading.

Fellow writers, I have just had a major breakthrough.

A few days later I was at my voice lesson, singing "Simple Gifts" which is an amazing song. My voice teacher stopped me at the end of it and said it was good, but it felt like I was sitting on it. I needed it to be light and alive.

That made me think. I've always known that my artwork is very still. There's no life in it. I'm accurate, but the page doesn't come to life and start growing like it should. It's the same way when I sing, and it's the same way when I write, and it's all because I think about the moment and don't look at what's coming. There's no forward motion.

I've found that if I think about the note at the end of the phrase when I'm singing, I sing more in tune and it suddenly comes alive. I wrote the prologue for a story in a notebook. Then, later, as I typed it out, I thought about where the scene was headed. When I read it over, there was life in it.

Now that I know what I'm doing wrong, I can find a way to fix it.

Forward motion is very important in a story. If the reader doesn't feel the need to know what happens next, will they pick up the book again? No!

It's not blind curiosity that makes us keep reading, it's the hints about the future. Things we recognize about stories we've read before and our guesses that want to be proved or disproved. I'm a discovery writer, which means I have no idea what my characters are going to be doing at the end of the scene, much less at the end of the story. So, I need to go back and revise my stories after I've finished them, making sure I give hints about other things that will happen in the future.

Forward motion is what keeps the reader going. Without it, books may be readable. But with it, they're un-put-down-able.

Strength of Character

2011-10-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the immense pleasure of being part of our annual elementary school play-in-a-week. The PTCO takes over the cafeteria during fall intercession and puts on a show. We had over 100 children in the cast, and that's not counting the teenagers from the junior high and high school who were our stage crew, our assistant directors, our writers, and our choreographers, PLUS all the moms who made costumes, painted sets, blocked scenes, and herded groups all week. It was one big long creativity party.

Having been a costume seamstress for our production of "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" last year, I watched this marvelous process in action and decided that this year I wanted to get in on the ground floor. I volunteered to help with the new script, an original one created mostly by our teen writing team. The premise: long ago there was a tablet that kept the world at peace, but it was broken and the pieces were scattered to the seven wonders of the ancient world. In each scene, two or three kids would go to a site, then fight crocodiles, duel Greek gods, or dance with skeletons to earn their piece. In the end, all the pieces would come together and peace would be restored to the world!

A week before rehearsals were to start the script was nearly done. The show was cute, it was working well, but it still needed something.

And then one of the moms took the script home and gave the characters personality.

Where most of them had been generic kids spouting lines, they became surfer kid, gangsta kid, cheerleader kid, detective kid, boy scout, girl scout, polite kid, cocky kid, stressed kid, sleepy kid, etcetera. Suddenly the whole show sprang to life. Each child actor or actress had a distinctive role to get into.

The characters made all the difference. When each one had a unique voice, the show went from pretty good to absolutely amazing. So writers everywhere, learn from this. If your story seems to sag a bit, give it some punch by strengthening your characters.

You Live in a New World

2011-10-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

Watch this absolutely inspiring video about the Social Media Revolution:

The internet is the new town square, and the whole world goes there to find out what's happening. What does this mean for writers? I can't say for sure, but I think in the future it will be less about how much money your publishing company pours into your book's ad campaign, and more about how much your readers love your story--love it enough to facebook, blog, and tweet about it.

I think I'll go sign up for twitter now.

Will You Join My Party?

2011-10-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

I've announced the upcoming release (11-1-11!) of my paranormal/SF novel Open Minds, over on my blog. I would love for any of the pirates of Scribblers Cove who are so inclined to join in my Virtual Launch Party on November 1st!

Thanks for letting me share and sorry I haven't been posting over here as often as I should!

Power of Print

2011-10-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

This placard greeted me as I stepped into the campus copy center yesterday afternoon:

THIS IS
A PRINTING OFFICE

CROSSROADS OF CIVILISATION

REFUGE OF ALL THE ARTS
AGAINST THE RAVAGES OF TIME

ARMOURY OF FEARLESS TRUTH
AGAINST WHISPERING RUMOUR

INCESSANT TRUMPET OF TRADE

FROM THIS PLACE WORDS MAY FLY ABROAD

NOT TO PERISH ON WAVES OF SOUND
NOT TO VARY WITH THE WRITER'S HAND

BUT FIXED IN TIME HAVING BEEN VERIFIED IN PROOF

FRIEND YOU STAND ON SACRED GROUND

THIS IS A PRINTING OFFICE

Long live the printing office! And long live the internet. After I read the placard I ran home, fed Google a few key words, and discovered that this passionate tribute to typeset was created by Beatrice Warde in 1932 as an advertisement for Monotype. She was a typographer who was an expert on the history of the Garamond style of type, which Harry Potter fans will recognize as the charming, old-fashioned font that transported them to Hogwarts.

Warde's words have been immortalized in bronze and stand not only in the BYU-Hawaii Campus Copy Center, but at the entrance to the United States Government Printing Office in Washington D.C.

It got me thinking. A hundred years from now, this blog may be about as easy to read as the journal entries my friend used to keep on his Commodore 64. Possible, maybe, but worth the effort? Electronic words... how long will they last? Only until the formats change, the data corrupts, the CD's get scratched.

I've got a cookbook that was printed in 1855. It's fragile--I keep it in a ziplock bag. But I can still read every page, plus all the recipes its first owner cut from the newspaper and glued onto the end paper. A hundred and fifty years from now, no matter where civilization goes from here, I bet my great-great-grandchildren will be able to read the hardback, library bound copy of Gail Carson Levine's "Dave at Night" that I bought last week from my local library's discontinued book sale for fifty cents.

Electronic books are nifty. But I somehow doubt I'll be able to pass a Kindle on to my great-grandchildren when I die. First of all, unless I die in a car accident soon, I'm going to seriously outlive any piece of electronics I own. Second, even if the Kindle somehow does survive me, whatever they're putting out then will be impossible for it to read, poor primitive thing.

Books, on the other hand, from my hand-penned journals to my children's fiction collection, will still be there for my posterity.

Long live the printed word.

Brooding

2011-09-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

My chicken is delusional.

She hides all day in her nest box, cozy under her perch. She won't come out in the yard to scratch and peck unless we drag her. What's she doing down there?

She THINKS she's sitting on eggs. But she's not. All her eggs are in my refrigerator, waiting to be made into breakfast. Even if we let her keep the eggs, she hasn't spent time with any roosters. She could sit there the rest of her life and no chicks would hatch.

But the worst part is, she's entirely stopped laying.

There was a stage of my writing career when I was like my chicken. I brooded over my first manuscript for ten years, picking at it, making little changes, polishing the prose to perfection. At the time I was sure it would hatch into a bestseller, but now it's obvious to me that I was delusional.

The worst part was, I wasn't coming up with any new stories. I poured all my writing energy into that one manuscript. Sure, I'd get story ideas, but I wouldn't take the time to develop them and write them. I was content to sit on one project.

That was until I went to my first writer's workshop. Day one, first thing the teacher said was, "How many of you have been writing the same book for seven years?"

It was ten years in my case, but I raised my hand with the others.

"I want you to go home and put that manuscript in a drawer. You need to work on something new."

How could he say that? He hadn't even read my story! How did he know it wasn't going to hatch?

It was the best writing advice I'd had in my entire life. I put that old manuscript away and wrote something new, and I couldn't believe how much better it was when I gave myself a fresh start.

So now, three years and three full manuscripts later, I'm feeling more productive. But I still have to fight my brooding tendencies. Here's my plan:

1. Get out of the nest box. Go to conferences and workshops. Participate in my local SCBWI. Read lots of books, fiction and non-fiction. Go to lectures. Keep up on publishing industry news. Don't let myself constantly say, "I haven't got time for that, I need to be writing."

2. More eggs. It's been way too long since I submitted a short story to a magazine, and the only contests I've participated in were associated with writing workshops I've attended. I need to do better. I should make myself write a short story between every draft of the novel I'm working on. Maybe I'll even do NaNoWriMo this year.

I know that some people have the opposite problem - they have a hard time focusing on a single project long enough to get it ready for submission. But as for me, I get TOO focused. I hide in my writer cave and let everything else slide, and then I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do when it comes time to reimmerse myself in the quest for publication.

So if you're a brooder, what do you do to stay in the writing game?

Shifting by Bethany Wiggins

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

After bouncing from foster home to foster home, Magdalene Mae is transferred to what should be her last foster home in the tiny town of Silver City, New Mexico. Now that she's eighteen and has only a year left in high school, she's determined to stay out of trouble and just be normal. Agreeing to go to the prom with Bridger O'Connell is a good first step. Fitting in has never been her strong suit, but it's not for the reasons most people would expect-it all has to do with the deep secret that she is a shape shifter. But even in her new home danger lurks, waiting in the shadows to pounce. They are the Skinwalkers of Navajo legend, who have traded their souls to become the animal whose skin they wear-and Maggie is their next target.

Full of romance, mysticism, and intrigue, this dark take on Navajo legend will haunt readers to the final page.

About the Author:

Bethany Wiggins has always been an avid reader, but not an avid writer. Seriously!!! She failed ninth grade English because she read novels instead of doing her homework. In high school, she sat alone at lunch and read massive hardback fantasy novels (Tad Williams and Robert Jordan anyone?). It wasn't until the end of her senior year that the other students realized she was reading fiction--not the Bible

Several years ago Bethany's sister dared her to start writing an hour a day until she completed a novel. Bethany wrote a seven-hundred page fantasy novel that she wisely let no one read--but it taught her how to write. The fifth novel she write, SHIFTING, is being published by Walker Books September 27, 2011.

Blog: www.suzettesaxton.blogspot.com

web page: www.bethanywiggins.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10224627-shifting

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shifting-Bethany-Wiggins/dp/0802722806/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316660383&sr=1-1

Book Power

2011-09-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

What was your favorite place at your elementary school? Was it the playground? The cafeteria? The music room?

How about the library?

Yes, the library was my favorite. I used to sneak off and go there every chance I had. I'd hurry through my classwork and ask the teacher, "Can I go to the library?" When I got there, I'd slowly walk along the shelves, reading each title, feeling like each book was a present wrapped up between its covers, a present waiting for me to open it.

So I was thrilled to read this article on Physorg.com about how funding for school libraries increases standardized test scores. Many studies have shown that increased spending on schools doesn't really improve student performance, but according to this article, when the spending goes to improve the library, kids actually do better on standardized tests and on other measures of learning.

Tell your local school board! How do we improve student learning? Better school libraries!

Killing Your Darlings

2011-09-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

I've heard many times that you have to be willing to kill your darlings. You have to be willing to take things out of your story that aren't working, even if you really, really like them.

Today I found out how much that hurts.

For six drafts of my manuscript I hung onto a certain subplot, even though I knew from the beginning it probably wasn't going to work. I finally had to let it go. It was messing up my pacing, cost over ten thousand words, and really wasn't necessary to the story.

But as I watched all that gorgeous prose lie there, cut off from the rest of the manuscript, writhing and bleeding syllables as it slowly died, I realized it had been the most beautifully written part of the book. I cared about it more than I cared about any other part of the book, and so I had poured my love into every word.

Can I learn to love the rest of the book as much as I loved that part I had to kill?

Give me a few days to grieve, and then I'm on it.

What's the hardest story decision you've had to make?

Where Ideas Come From

2011-09-20T01:05:00.000-07:00

Ideas come from everywhere. Sparked by experience, memory, dream, they arc across the landscape of our minds in a constant storm of thought energy. It's easy to sit down and write any number of ideas for stories, for characters, for settings. Try it! If you're not worried about quality, you can fill a page in no time.

Coming up with ideas isn't hard. What's hard is coming up with good ideas. Original ideas. Ideas that can become something awesome.

So how do you know when you've got a good idea?

I don't think you can always tell right away. You have to try it out. Work with it. Write that story, and then see what happens. I've had ideas for scenes I thought would turn out great, and then when I wrote it, it didn't work. Other times I struggled with something I thought wouldn't work at all, and when I wrote it, I was surprised by how well it turned out. So I've stopped trying to second-guess my ideas. I don't argue with my imagination any more. I put the words on the page and then I decide.

But with so many ideas coming all the time, I can't write about them all. I probably had three or four ideas for a blog post today, but this is the only one that I'm actually going to write.

So how to choose?

I think the good ideas tend to stick around. They're the ones I can't get out of my head. With a life of their own, they grow and collect more good ideas. I also think that the good ideas are the ones that fascinate me. If I care about an idea enough to turn it into a story, that means there's something good about it. I also think the good ideas are the ones that when I pitch them to other people, their eyes light up and they say, "I want to read that."

But most of all, a good idea gives me that rollercoaster rush of a feeling - like I'm so excited I could burst. Like I want to run around and shout it out to everyone. Like I can't wait to write it. Like I can't wait for people to read it!

How do you know when you've got a good idea?

Darkspell Review by YA Book Babes

2011-09-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Arrr, maties! This be one mighty fine voyage I's been taken on, care to join and see where it leads?

Read on . . .

Winter Sky believes she is everything ordinary . . . until she is kissed by Alex Stormhold. As seer of Stormhold Coven, Alex is sworn to be Winter’s protector against the darkness that hunts her. Violently thrust into a magical realm she always thought impossible, she stumbles upon a disturbing secret of her own.

Darkspell doesn't fit into a typical YA genre box. As a matter of fact, it's one of the most original books I've read this year. A richly woven drama unfolds as young Winter Sky meets two handsome and mysterious neighbors, both fighting for her affection. But one boy, the boy of her dreams--literally-- has already won her heart. But in short order her life is turned upside down as she enters the Stormhold world, a coven of powerful magic users (I'm hesitant to use the word witch/wizard here. This is really something very different.) where she is being hunted by the Shadoweaver. Suddenly everything is in jeopardy as she searches for her gift and fights to keep the boy she loves.

Elizabeth Mueller gives a great story, full of normal teen angst without tipping the scales to be annoying, she keeps us guessing, dropping nuggets for us throughout the story, but never tipping her hand. Combine that with the fantastic use of illustrations that give it almost a graphic novel feel as we read, and this is easily a five star read. I can't wait to pick this up in paperback and you should too! Mueller is a great addition to the YA world and I can't wait to see what comes next from this talented writer!

5 STARS!

~YA Book Babes

And I didn't even giggle, check it out:

Listen to internet radio with yabookbabes on Blog Talk Radio

Out of the Ashes

2011-09-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

I love living on the legendary North Shore of Oahu. My neighbors bring me home-grown bananas, I can walk to the beach, and I'm pretty sure my whole town would survive just fine in an all-out nuclear war.

One of the few downsides - the nearest bookstore used to be 23 miles away. I say "used to" because the nearest bookstore was a Borders and they've gone out of business.

Now I have to drive 25 miles to the nearest Barnes and Noble.

We heard that Borders was selling off their bookshelves, so we went down on Saturday to check it out. The place was post-apocalyptically empty. Only a few books left, scattered randomly on mostly empty shelves. I still managed to collect four titles that caught my interest - especially at 70% off. All the tall wall shelves had been bought, but some of the two-sided island shelves were still there. My husband and I picked one out and called the manager over to fill out an invoice. Since it was there, I couldn't help taking the "Writing" shelf. Maybe some of the wisdom that used to be on those shelves will leak out into my cove. You can see on the top shelf the four books I rescued from the ashes of the firesale.

As I walked among the barren shelves at Borders I couldn't help tearing up as it hit me that this was goodbye. There's nothing like browsing a bookstore. I love to pick up a shiny new hardcover, glance at the back, scan the flaps, inhale the first page, then hold it in my hands and consider whether or not to add it to my collection. Buying e-books just won't be the same. I can't say I wasn't part of Borders' demise. I already buy most of my books on-line from Amazon. But I don't browse there. I hear buzz about a book, decide I want it, and go to Amazon to get a copy. If I want to find something entirely new, something I've never heard of, some literary discovery to call my very own, I need a bookstore.

But I'm glad to have the bookshelf. It's the best bookshelf I've ever owned! The shelves tip back so the books stand up securely in place without a bookend, and I can even turn them cover-out to advertize their presence (Remember me? You wanted to read me!). I've put all my writing reference material, my office supplies, my manuscripts, and my composition books on one side. The other side has all our picture books so the kids can come in and read quietly to themselves while I'm working. Ha ha. We'll see how that works.

Book Club 4 Boys!

2011-09-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

As a writer, I'm always interested in ways to encourage the next generation of readers, so I was thrilled to find out one of my Laie neighbors, Laura Blum, has launched a blog devoted to book club ideas for boys. Click here to take a look.

She's also giving away a free kindle for new followers - check it out!

The site includes book club ideas with treats, book club ideas with field trips, book club ideas to use with cub scout activities, and book club ideas for books with movies.

I'm signing my boys up.

Darkspell Illustrations

2011-09-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

How self-serving is it for me to use the "share buttons" from my own blog to do a shout out?

I love them buttons!

So here's the latest Darkspell ADO!

Want to sneak a peak at Alex and Winter? Click on link below for Darkspell's first drawing!

♥.•*¨Author Elizabeth Mueller¨*•.♥: Darkspell Illustrations

. . . Or is it Just Me?

2011-09-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

source

I think I'm high maintenance. There are many times that I want to visit a friend's house and write quietly while the kids sleep for the night. Where we can read our passages and laugh at our characters' antics or bounce ideas off of each other or work through a tangle of writers block.

It would be awfully nice to critique with this person and even daydream about the settings we've created.

I've longed for a friend who takes writing seriously enough that she wouldn't cancel out because it's only me and her showing up to a meeting, but who would make the most with every quiet moment for writing.

How freeing would it be to find someone who shares the passion of writing just a equally as you who would need you just as much as you need her? Imagine the far places you'd travel with this kind of support!

source

Is this something that every writer wants, or is it just me?

Social Media and The Writer

2011-08-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's been waaay too long since I posted here, and I blame life, busyness, summer, and my writing (basically, I blame myself). But I've also been busy trying to prioritize and get a handle on the social media part of my life.

Social Media as Addiction
Hi. I'm Sue, and I'm a (recovering) Social Media Addict.

Instant gratification, the incessent pull, the warm, fuzzy connection with real, live human beings who understand your writerlyness ... all without leaving your house? Seriously, it's a wonder more people aren't hooked on the social media drug. But don't get me wrong - I LOVE social media and connecting with people and sharing with other writers. I just love it a little too much. And then there's that whole thing where writers are told You must have a platform and You need to build a network and Who is your tribe? All of which is varying shades of actual importance, but misses the most important thing.

I am a writer.

I did some soul-searching and fear-confronting and found that the most important things to me were: 1) my family and 2) writing. The time for those things needed to be sacred, and everything else had to come after.

Just like losing weight and exercising, this is a lot easier to proclaim your intention than to put into practice.

The E-Revolution
Things are changing quickly in the publishing world, and social media is going to continue to play an important role in people's lives, as well as in the publishing world. (See my Notes from the E-Revolution series for some of the latest goings on). I want to be a part of it, but even more than ever, writing is the thing that makes the difference in a successful author's career - writing quality, writing consistency, writing production. These things are only possible with a singular focus on butt-in-chair time and constantly pushing one's self forward in learning the craft.

Social Media Standard Operating Procedures
I've been reading a lot of non-fiction e-books lately about Author Branding and the Self-Publishing Revolution, but Bob Mayer's Write It Forward finally put all of it in perspective for me. Among many other things (like confronting your fears), he suggested writing a social media Standard Operating Procedure, so that you control your social media usage, rather than the other way around. Of course I didn't have a SOP for social media, so I wrote some. It didn't take too long, but definitely put things in perspective for me. My SOP say things like, Use a Timer, and No Checking During Writing Time, as well as a list of places I want to make sure I visit and participate in (like this one). They also forced me to think about what kind of interactions I was seeking on Twitter, Facebook, Kindle Boards, and all the others. If you find social media adversely impacting your writing time, I highly recommend an SOP to help you focus.

Which is not as easy as it seems.

I have 18 minutes left on my timer. I think I'll stop by Twitter and chat with some tweeps a bit, find a couple cool blog posts to RT, and then pop by Google+ to see what's new and cool there. Plus I need to tweet, facebook, and Google+ my own blog posting today, where I'm recommending a friend's awesome self-published Christmas book (Rick Daley's The Man in the Cinder Clouds).

That will probably use up all my time, after which I will shut down my browser and write. No email checking. No twitter updates. Just a solid chunk of quality time with me and my WiP.

Because I'm a writer.

Do you find your social media usage changing?

Why Didn't I Think of That?

2011-08-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

When Pokemon first came out, I thought it had to be the lamest thing on the planet. The sort of thing only annoying little brothers could like. Weird little cute anime monster trading cards? I could draw my own and sell them for five dollars a pack, right?

That was before I'd learned anything about writing for kids. That was before I learned the power of a cool concept.

You all know the Pokemon premise. There are little monsters you can catch, identify, carry around with you, and train to fight each other. What kid wouldn't love to do that? It's a game that combines fantasy pets, combat, competitive ranking, and taxonomy. Don't tell me kids don't adore taxonomy. When was the last time you talked to a third grade dinosaur expert?

With a core idea like that, who needs a plotline? And apparently, twenty years later, Pokemon is still alive and well. At least my kids think so.

Cool concepts like these are what gives a story life beyond the page. It's that yummy nugget of fun that makes you want to play the game. At the center of Harry Potter is the idea that there's wizards hiding among us, they have a school where you learn magic, and any kid could get a letter of acceptance. I guess Percy Jackson is the same thing, but switch "demigod" for "wizard." Adults like cool concepts too. I'd still like to have my own light saber. Dang useful thing that would be.

So does your story have a cool concept in it? I bet it does, or you wouldn't be writing it. It might be part of the setting, it might be a character, it might be an amazing plot twist. What is it? Make sure you find it, and then dangle it right in front of the reader's nose. Use it to sell your book to an agent, a publisher, the entire world!

Make us all say, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Amber Argyle: Events, Winner, and Contest!

2011-08-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

Guess what? A friend of mine, Amber Argyle who lives the next city over, has a debut novel coming out! Her book launch party is Monday, September 12 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm in 50 West Main in Hyrum Utah, so if you're in the area...

She's holding an author chat September 19th at http://www.librarything.com/groups/authorchat. Don't miss out!

Amber Argyle: Events, Winner, and Contest!: "Last weeks winner of Witch Song: Christina Thank you all for participating! On to the next giveaway of Witch Song: Everywhere you ..."

Watch for my debut novel, Darkspell, fall of 2011!

Stretching Your Voice

2011-08-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

The cabin girl and I helped found a teen writers club in our neighborhood. Every week we get together to listen and give feedback as some very talented young writers read their work out loud.

I start each meeting with a short lesson or writing exercise. At our last meeting we talked about voice. Voice is everything. It's the words you chose and the way you use them. From the very first sentence, voice tells the reader what kind of story to expect.

To give these budding writers a chance to stretch their voice skills, I wrote several different voice possibilities on note cards and had them each choose one at random. Then I gave them the first sentence of one of my favorite books, Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Louise Engdahl:

At the edge of the Enchanted Forest there lived a poor woodcutter who had four sons, the youngest of whom was named Georyn.

That sentence, of course, would make you expect a folk tale. But if you read this version, written by the young writer who picked the card Formal British:

At the edge of Derbyshire, in a little forest, there lived one of the mansion's manservants. He was very poor, for the master of Derbyshire treated him very ill, even though he knew the woodcutter had four sons to care for. The youngest, and most eligible as far as wit and handsomeness, was named George.

You're expecting a Regency period romance. Now how about this one, inspired by Contemporary Teen:

"Dad, why do I have to go into the Enchanted Forest?" Georyn complained.
"You've heard enough stories to know that whenever a princess gets kidnapped or there's a dragon on the lose, they're always looking for the youngest son of the local woodcutter to do the rescuing and slaying."

We also had text book (very boring), horror novel (chilling), mean old lady (hilarious), and a few others. I was really impressed by how quick everyone caught on to the exercise, and how much we enjoyed the results.

Why don't you give it a try? Alter that first sentence into a different voice and post it in the comments. Be sure and tell us what voice you used.

Waxing the Cat Part II

2011-08-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

I'm laughing at myself this morning. All summer long I couldn't wait for the first day of school because then I would have peace and quiet and get some writing done.

This morning I sent my older three off to the bus, then walked the younger two down to the elementary school. After a good-bye kiss, and testing to see my bespectacled first-grader could read the board from his seat, I waltzed out the door, a free spirit. Did I go straight home and start writing?

No.

First I went jogging on the beach. Hey, exercise is important!

Then of course I had to shower, but not before checking and responding to some e-mails.

Then I decided to clean and vacuum my room. The pest control people are coming on Wednesday - I can't let them think I'm a slob.

Laundry came next. Also very important.

And some more e-mail.

And by then I needed to fix myself a snack.

Running out of excuses, I decided to call my husband at work and chat for a few minutes.

Now I'm writing a blog post and fighting an impulse to go out and check the mailbox.

WHY DO I DO THIS? Partly because I feel like I have all day, but that's an illusion. I'm killing my day slowly, minute by wasted minute. The other part is trepidation. Can I go in and face the fact that my manuscript isn't yet doing all those things I dreamed it would?

But if I don't get back to work, my manuscript will never do anything.

Bye! I'm off to do some scribbling!

Interview with Debut Author Elizabeth Mueller

2011-07-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

As captain it is my great privilege to announce once again that our very own cove contributor Elizabeth Mueller has her first book coming out this fall. She's been roving the blogosphere and doing interviews all month, so we're pleased to have her back on board today to share a little bit about this thrilling moment in her career.

Hi Elizabeth! Congratulations on the upcoming publication of your debut novel, Darkspell. Tell me, do you have a publication date set?

I do! Look for Darkspell this fall.

How long have you been working on this book?

Probably a gross sum of a year to a year-and-a-half.

Can you tell us a little bit about the story?

Average girl Winter Sky falls in love with the boy from her dreams after he steals a forbidden kiss. Alex is the coven Stormhold’s seer and is sworn to protect her from the darkness that hunts her. Will she love him when she discovers his secret? Will love prove thicker than magic?

What's the juiciest, most fascinating thing about Darkspell? Tell us why we all want to read it.

Winter is sucked into a world where magic and evil roam—where the boy of her dreams belongs. The romance is sweet and alluring where danger lurks in every shadow, then there’s the shocking secret our heroine stumbles into. I’m not sure how I would handle such a thing if it happened to me, really.

What sparked the idea for this book?

It was a small prompt for Gail Carson Levine’s Writing Magic, on page 4, the 5th writing prompt down. Hint: you’ll find that within the first 30 pages of my book!

When did you first decide you wanted to write books?

When I was 11. I wrote my first epic story called Thunder. It was about a wild black stallion who fell in love with a mare after he was captured. I wrote many short stories then, but I wrote my first full-length novel at age 17: over 700 pages long! No need to say, it is in a desperate state of editing attention!

What drew you to your genre?

Darkspell is a paranormal romance. It is paranormal because of the writing prompt, but romance is a common thread in all my books. I love writing fantasy most of the time, but I have only one contemporary, Rock Star, which I feel is just as sweeping as any novel I’ve written.

Are there any authors who have inspired you?

I would have to say Tristi Pinkston in the way that she works hard to make her dreams come true. She is the ultimate writerly mama! She has six published books, is a professional editor, a book tour coordinator, a Cubmaster, a loving and adoring wife, a stay at home mother of four who home schools, and a compassionate down-to-earth friend! I want to be like her when I grow up.

What are some of your favorite books?

Some of the books I’ve enjoyed are Giants of the Frost by Kim Wilkins, The Perfect Fit by Michele Bell, and Emily Windsnap Series by Liz Kessler.

How did you find your publisher?

It all started with a friend who asked me a few times if I would like for her to hook me up, but I felt unsure because I didn’t feel ready. But after pondering and praying over this, I decided to go ahead and submit Darkspell.

Do you have other writing projects in the works? Tell us about them.

For now, I’ve been working hard on my networking. I’m celebrating Darkspell’s release with a pre-book launch throughout the month of July. Visit my website for updates!

I’m planning to speak over at Weber State University over at the English Department’s Creative Writing course sometime this fall. I will talk about how I became published and the blood and tears that go into getting there.

Please join me in my pre-book launch party for Darkspell’s fall release all July long!

Thanks for the interview, Elizabeth! And best of luck on everything.

Reserve your autographed copy of Darkspell at a special rate of $12.95 for July only (you have till tomorrow) at
http://www.authorelizabethmueller.com/

http://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/

Waxing the Cat

2011-07-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

This term, "waxing the cat", I first heard at Viable Paradise. I don't know if that's where it originated or if it's more widespread, but it refers to ways that we stall when we know we ought to be writing. Some behaviors are really obvious, i.e. your cat neither wants nor appreciates being waxed, but some are less obvious. People do long, detailed outlines and then spend hours adjusting the format and fonts. Or they draw a detailed map of their world and then color it all in. Even harder to resist, researching topics that only peripherally relate to your story.

So, what are your vices? Mine is internet surfing and checking email. Other than that, I pretty much just stare at the blank page until it drives me insane - and I get some interesting scenes that way :-) How can you tell whether you're doing serious work or just "waxing the cat"?

Apostrophe?

2011-07-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

I'm reading Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss and it's got me wondering - do we need an apostrophe in the title Scribblers Cove?

When I titled this blog I looked up Sharks Cove and Pirates Cove on the internet, and about half the time there was an apostrophe and half the time there wasn't. I chose to go with no apostrophe because it looks cleaner.

But maybe I'm irritating all the punctuation sticklers out there.

I don't want to call it Scribbler's Cove because there's more than one scribbler here. The plural would be Scribblers' Cove, which I suppose would be okay. The apostrophe implies ownership. But without an apostrophe, scribblers becomes a perfectly acceptable descriptive word, right? This is the cove where scribblers are found.

What do you think? Any editors out there?

Writing with Emotional Power

2011-07-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

Not long ago, Jonene Ficklin did a post on avoiding trite emotional language. Thanks, Jonene! But it left me wondering - if I can't tell the reader that hearts are pounding and faces are flushing, how do I write about emotions?

To find my answer I went back to the very first book that made me cry, way back in high school. I could barely read the last page, my eyes were so blurry. It was Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. How could something written so long ago and translated from some other language move to tears a cool and calculating teenage brainiac who disdained emotional schmultz of any kind?

To answer this questions, I opened Les Miserables somewhere in the middle and looked for phrases that described emotion. There weren't very many. Instead of telling the reader how the characters felt, or describing their physical emotional sensations, Victor Hugo showed how they felt by the choices they made, the actions they took. He didn't need to tell me Marius was grieving for his father's death - it was enough to show me that he was slipping away from his grandfather's house and taking an overnight coach to Paris just to visit his father's grave. I could tell how powerful the emotion was by what it made the character do.

So in order to write with emotional power, I need to give emotions the power to move my characters. Emotions should move them to action, affect their decisions, become an integral part of the plot, and have far-reaching consequences. So much more than a little throat-tightening or palm-dampening.

I think that using emotional descriptions like those Jonene warned us against isn't really showing. You might as well say "He was scared" as "His heart pounded." In fact, it might be better to say, "He was scared," because it's less ambiguous. Any number of things can get your heart rate up. Instead, show what the character does because he's scared. What choices does he make? What power does it have over his actions?

Want to move your reader with the emotional power of your story? Then give emotions the power to move your characters.

Feeling Lucky

2011-07-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

I'm done with draft four. Hooray! Time to start seriously thinking about how I'm going to sell this book. So when I heard that Elana Johnson's From the Query to the Call was now FREE on her website, I popped over and downloaded it.

It's a great read - short and to the point. As a query veteran of two unpublished novels, I thought I knew the routine, but Elana gave me some new ideas for my next round. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is entering the query battlefield.

Impressed by Elana's wisdom, I went clicking around for more, and I came across this list:

7 Personality Characteristics You Need to Get Published by Carolyn Kaufman, Elana Johnson, and Suzette Saxton

At first I didn't want to see the list. What if it had things on it like, "Great marketing skills" or "Look really good on camera?" In spite of my fears of inadequacy and certain doom, curiosity got the better of me. To my relief, the characteristics were things like perseverance, self-confidence, patience - things I've already got! I felt real good until I got down to the last trait on the list.

Luck.

Ow. Haven't got that. I don't even feel like I deserve it. Whenever I submit, I sit there for a while thinking, "This is only one of hundreds of other unpublished manuscripts out there that are all just as good or better. Why should mine be chosen?"

And maybe that's my problem. I need to feel lucky. I need that thrilling conviction that mine is the book they're waiting to see. Because if I don't believe it, no one else is going to believe it either.

Do you feel lucky?

♥.•¨ Crazy is I ¨•.♥

2011-07-10T00:47:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I saw our Cap'n today. It was so fun seeing her and her kidlets, too! Funny is that I wanted to cry as she left.

It's been a crazy month for me. Crazy past several months for that matter! This has been my to-do list:

rewrite Darkspell so that it will impress my Publisher after she had accepted it (I was totally submersed into Rock Star so this took me by surprise!) Darkspell lost 1,000 words!
wait for the editor to be done with DS; but on the meanwhile, I worked hard on my MC interviews for the month of June over at my blog.
while I participated in an MC blogfest, I prepared for my Pre Book Launch going on now and all July long! I bought all giveaway things and today is my first day to announce a winner.
a few weeks ago, I set up a PayPal button for preorders of my book.
I've reformatted DS for my publisher
I've done a typo hunt and killed off over 15 YIKESes!
I've decided to illustrate a picture for every chapter in DS and there are 39 chapters--I've done 6, on my 7th one now! I'm hoping to do at least 3 a day not counting Sunday. I should be done in 16 days. Hopefully I'll be done sooner. I'll try to push myself to doing more. Hopefully.
After my book is ready, I will send it off to a few endorsers.
I'm not sure when it'll be released, but hopefully before my target date of this fall.

There, that's what I've been doing. Basically. It's nutsies over here, you don't want to see my house!

How's your list looking like?

Indie Publishing, One Author's Decision to E-Publish Herself

2011-07-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, as you're all aware, self publishing through Kindle and other electronic formats is becoming more and more common. Self publishing used to be the domain of those who couldn't or wouldn't even try to get agents, but with a new shakeup of the publishing industry, the roadmap is changing.

My Clarion West classmate, Susan Ee, indie published her first novel, and was kind enough to allow me to repost a blog post she wrote about that decision. I very highly recommend her book, something I don't do lightly. I think she's got a lot of interesting things to say. Here's her post (it originally appeared on Nicole Zoltack's site):

When I finished writing my novel, Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, Book 1 ), I had a good feeling about being able to attract an agent and a major publisher. It's a dark fantasy about an angel, a kick-ass girl and the end of the world. What's not to love? :)

But instead of querying agents and trying for a traditional publishing deal, I chose to be an indie author. This was a big surprise to me and to others who know that I’ve worked hard for years in preparation for a traditional writing career. I studied writing through the Iowa's Writers' Workshop and Clarion West. I've had stories published in magazines and anthologies likeRealms of Fantasy and The Dragon and the Stars. I even had invitations by two respected agents to submit a novel based on the quality of other writing they'd seen.

So I’ve been asked why I chose to go indie. Here are the factors I considered.

Wild West Ebook opportunities - I love finding opportunities that the chaos of a new industry can bring. I love the nimbleness it offers--make a mistake, you can bounce back within hours rather than years, so I feel a lot more free to try different things. You can find ways to forge a fresh path because all the potential paths are fresh. Once the industry matures, those paths will have already been forged and many of them will be closed off to newbies. For someone like me, it could be a golden opportunity to find an audience faster and possibly grow it for longer than I can in the traditional publishing world.

Now vs. later - "Angels are peaking now." This statement by a friend haunted me for months. Although I don't know if angel stories are actually peaking, it's a certainty that angels will not have the staying power of vampires. Since it can easily be 2 years from the time you finish your book to the time it is offered to the public by a traditional publisher, who knows what readers' interest in angel stories will be by then? I know there's interest now. In epublishing, the time scale is more on the order of 1 or 2 months from the last polish of the book to the first offering to the public. This was a major factor for me.

Marketing - this was the one area that would have won me over to traditional publishing even if all the other factors pointed toward going indie. If I was sure that a traditional publisher would do serious marketing on my behalf, I would have been knocking on their door, begging them to take a look at my manuscript. But the more I looked into that possibility, the more I realized that's probably a pipe dream. New authors have to market their books and somehow rise above the noise. That's all there is to it.

Competition - as a new author in bookstores, what are my chances of successfully competing against the big authors with marketing budgets ten or a hundred times bigger than mine? Not very good. But as an indie author of ebooks who can undercut publishers, I have a fair shot at getting my book noticed among other indie books with similar marketing budgets.

Did I make the right decision?

Angelfall has been available for a month and it’s been a wild ride. It has gone as high as being #48 on the bestseller list for Kindle Dark Fantasy and somewhere in the 50's for Kindle Fantasy Series. It's currently ranked #1 in top rated Kindle Dark Fantasy, #1 in top rated Kindle Fantasy Series, gone as high as #1 in Kindle's hot new dark fantasy releases and #7 in Kindle's hot fantasy series new releases. But it's also fallen off these lists all together, with some of them coming back and some of them not.

It's an emotional roller coaster watching it go up and down and hopefully back up again. Is this better than how it would have been through a traditional publisher, assuming I could have gone there? No idea. Who knows what will happen after the first month?

I do feel that in order for it to be a fair comparison, I should actually wait the 1 1/2 - 2 years it would have taken before my book would have come out through a traditional publisher. How many books will I have sold by then?

Although it’s still too early to tell, I feel that it was probably the right decision to become an indie author. Why? Because if the traditional publishing route is not the clear choice, then I’d rather ride the crest of the changes in the industry with all my rights to the Angelfall series intact. The industry is changing every week. Who knows what the landscape will look like by the time my second or third book comes out? It’s possible for me to move from being an indie author to a traditionally published author. But it’s extremely unlikely that I can move my series from being traditionally published to being indie published without having to wait many years before I can buy them back.

I expect to have a better idea of the overall picture by September.Angelfall is on the to-read list of a fair number of book bloggers. I expect the bulk of the reviews to come out sometime around August. So far, there have been five blog reviews with all of them giving Angelfall 5-stars. I'm thrilled! But I'm also terrified at the expectation this causes. :) By September, I should be able to see the impact of the blog community and have a better idea of the long term picture.

So I invite you to come back then for an update if you're curious. And in the meantime, may I suggest that you check outAngelfall? :)

Warmest wishes,

Susan Ee

Angelfall o n Amazon US

Angelfall on Amazon UK
Angelfall on Barnes & Noble

Angelfall on Facebook
Susan's blog

Estate Your Business, My Post on Black Gate

2011-06-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to write a post for Black Gate's website. I've got a fantasy story in the current issue of Black Gate. The topic of the post doesn't have anything to do with the story, though, it's all about how to organize a literary estate. Yes, planning for death, everyone's favorite topic. I was an attorney, though, who did estate planning, so it's a topic I know something about.

And while it may not brighten everyone's day to have me come here to the Cove with this topic, it's something every member of the Cove should be thinking about. All of us own copyrights, whether or not our work is published, and if we want our work to live on after us, we need to make sure it's handled in an organized manner. For that matter, all of us should have wills, no matter how youthful and healthy we are. Especially those of us who have children.

My post on Black Gate went live this Tuesday, and I recommend everyone hop on over and at least skim it, not because I'm just the best writer of posts ever and expect you to love it. In fact, I'll think you're a little weird if you love my post, but it's a topic that gets very little attention and on which people receive very little guidance. As a writer, choose to be in the know!

What's a Pre BookLaunch Celebration?

2011-06-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

Join me in Elizabeth Mueller's celebration the entire month of July for Darkspell’s release this fall!

The darkness sends his followers, the Watchers, to haunt Winter Sky, but Alex Stormhold battles to keep her safe from the prowling evil. Rather than being dragged into the dark's destruction, I will provide a way for you to protect yourselves.

These are the *talismans that you could win:

Nox Arcana's Shadow of the Raven for the FIRST WEEK

Canvas Wall Scroll Tapestry: 12"X 17" for the SECOND WEEK

Dragons Sculpture Bookends: 4"X5"X8" for the THIRD WEEK

My favorite: 13" tall. Dark Shadows Lamp for the FOURTH WEEK

Here's how to enter so you can avoid the Shadoweaver's clutches:

It is your charge to haunt the resident bloggers--listed below--that are hosting me as their guest for the week. Go here to answer the questions posted into the contact form every Saturday:

♥.•*¨
¨*•.♥

♥ Each correct answer will equal one entry.
♥ Every comment in the blogger's post will equal one entry.
♥ Every follower on my blog will have 2 entries: a must to qualify for 2 entries: please let me know that you're following me!

♥.•*¨
¨*•.♥

I will announce the winner Sunday evening on my blog!

Do you see Mr. Ole Dark Shadows Lamp there? He likes to pretend that he's the venomous Shadoweaver who seeks Winter. Could it be because he looks so much like him?

I will enter every person who dares to display his blog button, just cut and paste the html code from my grab button on my blog's sidebar to your sidebar for a second chance at the lamp.

♥ In order to qualify for the 2nd lamp, you MUST leave comment in this post with your blog address stating that you've posted the button to your sidebar to make it easier for the Watchers to seek it out.

In other words, I am giving 2 lamps away!

Enter my daring bloggers:

**July 1 Sue Roebuck

July 4 Charlene Wilson

July 5 S. B. Niccum

July 7 Roland Yeomans

July 8 Deirdra Coppel

July 11 Alex J. Cavanaugh

July 12 M. S. Hatch

July 13 Tristi Pinkston

July 14 Susan Gourley

July 18 Jo Schaffer

July 19 Konstanz Silverbow

July 20 Melissa Kline

July 23 Lisa Turner

July 25 J. D. Brown

July 27 & 28 Anastasia V. Pergakis

July 29 Michele Bell

July 30 Rebecca Carlson

*this is all make-believe in the spirit of my debut novel, nothing has been placed under any kind of spells and the Shadoweaver lives within the boundaries of Darkspell.
** first official Contest Saturday starts July 9th!
♥ you don't need to have a blog in order to participate!

Seven Point Story Structure

2011-06-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

Late Tuesday night on my way home to Hawaii, somewhere high over the Pacific Ocean, just as the battery on my laptop was about to die, I finished Draft Four. To celebrate the epic moment, I read a Diana Wynne Jones novel, ate a candy bar, and then played tic-tac-toe with the six-year-old Polynesian girl in the seat next to me.

The next day, when I had my feet on the ground again, all the flaws in my manuscript came round to haunt me. Four drafts and the story still wasn't right, and I couldn't see how to fix it.

After tearfully confessing to my husband that if I can't get this book to work I want to quit writing and take up a new hobby, he had me sit down and listen to this great lecture on story structure by author Dan Wells. I've included the first part here:

You should watch all five parts yourself, but here's what I got out of it:

SEVEN POINT STORY STRUCTURE

HOOK
-Sets up the situation
PLOT TURN 1
-Propels the character out of the initial situation
PINCH 1
-Something bad happens that forces the character to action
MIDPOINT
-Character begins to take action
PINCH 2
-Something really bad happens, it looks like all is lost
PLOT TURN 2
-The character figures out how to save the day
RESOLUTION
-A new state of being is reached that shows progress or change from the initial state

But that's not all! Really great stories have multiple story lines running at the same time, and each one can follow this structure. In the last part of this lecture, Dan Wells talks about mapping multiple story lines to check for pacing and how to build killer scenes by stacking up plot points.

I just had to try it! And when I did, I REALIZED WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY STORY!

Oh, happy day!

I picked out the four most important story lines and wrote out each of the seven points, then charted them chronologically through the book. Turns out one of the story lines was MISSING A POINT! Now I finally know what to do with Chapter 8. But worst of all, I had another story line that didn't hit PINCH 2 until after the other three were RESOLVED! So any reader who didn't care about that particular story line would be feeling done with the book when there's still two chapters to go.

My solution? Integrate that story line so it isn't dangling out, tacked on the end. Stack up the plot points instead to make the ending really rock.

So now I have a plan for Draft Five. But in the interest of not burning my burrito (see Leisha's post), I'm going to take a month off for summer vacation.

Happy writing, everyone!

Burnout and Cooking, Oh and Smoke, too. Lots of it.

2011-06-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

posted by Leisha

Tuesday turned out to be a pretty smokin' day--literally. As in the whole house filled with it, and we all still smell like a toxic campfire. Think of it as our new perfume. We're calling it Burnt Burrito. So sexy. Meowwwww! Want some?

So, how did we all end up burritofied? Let's just say Kid C decided he could cook. By himself. Without permission. Yes, be afraid. I'm still having nightmares. Shudder.

The first clue that something was amiss reached me as I worked in my office. A tendril of charring snaked into the room and coiled up my nose. The mom alarm in me spazamed, and I ran from the room to find the billowing burrito. Did you know that if you fricassee one of those they become weightless? Really. And they turn blacker than the heart of a demon. I know, I checked. Don't ask how, that is so another post.

I wanted to share a picture with you, but someone threw the burrito carcass in the trash, probably because of the smell, and I am not dumpster diving for a photo. Just know it looked something like this:

And did I mention the smell, because DANG!

I know you all are sitting there in your comfy chairs plugging your noses and wondering what this has to do with anything. When I stared down at the smoking remains of Kid C's impromptu lunch I saw myself. (Not literally. I'm way better looking than charcoaled burrito.) But figuratively, I saw myself all burned out, used up, and smelly from spending too much time writing and rewriting and then doing it all over again. And again. And again...and again. Does this sound familiar to any of you?

Now, writing really is like a burrito. It can be spicy and filling and so so good. But if you leave it on the burner for too long it dies, taking all the yumminess with it. Writing is like that. You need to find balance and time away from the fire. You need to take time to eat the darn thing and then eat something else. Something other than burrito. You need variety.

Yes, I'm saying you need time away from writing, or whatever it is you do. Not a lot. Not months or even days. But you need to shut the computer and live in the real world for part of every day or you will burnout or burn up. Either way it will be bad. And smelly.

And by taking the time to live, your burrito tastes even better when you get back to it.

Think of this as a warning for writers. Don't char your burrito.

Leisha Maw

Illos, one of the perks of the job!

2011-06-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

My story, Hostile Environment, should be out today, in the September issue of Analog. I got very lucky with the illustration, by Mark Evans. Check it out:

Whenver I can, I get my own copy of the art and frame it. That may seem a little self centered, but it helps me to have these things to look at on the days when I despair of the whole writing thing.

In this picture are my two teenage main characters, Mala and Jasraj, who live on Mars and should not be jumping that ATV. I love them because they're the kind of people who'll do it anyway. Oh, and there's some burning thermite in the story too. If you don't know what that looks like, click the video below. (Or even if you do, its still fun to watch!)

Getting in the Zone

2011-06-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

Way back in those happy childhood hours of shooting baskets with my Dad, he told me that lots of basketball players had a special routine they went through before making a free-throw shot. Some would dribble a few times, and there was even was one who always dried his hands off on his socks. Whatever they chose to do, it was something to help them get in the zone. Something that said, "Time for a free-throw." Something to ease mind and body into the practiced pattern that would send the ball arcing through the air and swishing through the hoop.

To this day, when I shoot a free-throw, I bounce the ball three times, then sight the rim over the orange sphere in my hands before getting set to make the shot. I don't make it that often. Out of practice.

But what I do practice every day is my writing. And when I sit down to write I do better if I take a few minutes to get into the zone.

First, I sit at my desk and stare at my tack board for a while. I've usually got some part of an outline for my current project up there, plus maps and diagrams, a small prop or two, and motivational quotes like "When Revising, Add Awesome," and "Anticipation is the BEST PART! Make 'em wait," and "CHAPTER 8 NEEDS SERIOUS HELP!"

Then, I listen to a song. This is my favorite part. As I listen, I close my eyes and let my mind play through images from my story. I see the characters, I feel their emotions, I experience their world. And then when the song is over, I wake up and write.

So what do you do to get in the zone?

P.S. Here's the song:

Do Not Do This at Home - or Anywhere Else

2011-06-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

Last week at the wifyr conference, I had the privilege of sitting at the feet of master teacher and author, Martine Leavitt – oh, all right, we sat in school desks – but I learned a million and one awesome writerly traits!

On day one, she asked a classmate to write these on the board:

Heart pounding
Throat constricting
Fists, teeth, stomach clenching
Swallowing
Widening eyes
Gasping
All manner of breathing
Tears
Trembling
Frozen/freezing

Then she informed us: DO NOT USE THEM ANYMORE. Do not use variations, either.

To be honest, at that moment, I gulped and my heart pounded. My stomach may or may not have been clenching, but yup, I did the crazy breathing thing and my fingers were freezing. Why? Because I’m guilty. GUILTY. Guilty.

These words are now so cliché that every editor and agent in the country develops a brain tic when they read yet another one. If you don’t believe me, check out this recent blog by the fantabulous agent Mary Kole:

http://kidlit.com/2009/05/01/describing-emotions-in-writing/

So what do we do with these *gasp* overused physical descriptions? In the words of Martine Leavitt, GET RID OF THEM. Just do it.

- And on the wise advice of Rebecca (see comment below), don't worry about this on your first draft. Hit it in the revision stage. -

You can only save one tear experience, either at the very beginning of your story, or at the very end of the climax. Otherwise the tears will mean nothing to the reader. Only use the above clichéd words if you can do it brilliantly - and just once in your entire manuscript.

Use your imagination to come up with alternate ways to show how your character is feeling. Read the best modern books to see how it’s being done.

I’d sigh, but that’s out. Instead I’m attacking my manuscript. Time to slash and burn, then use the other two thirds of my brain to recreate. This will be interesting . . .

You Are What You Write

2011-06-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

The other day my daughter and I were talking about an author we've both read. We're not naming any names. She's very famous and totally brilliant, but devastatingly egotistical. You read the first line of one of her books and you can sense she thinks she's the divine goddess of fiction.

Eh, maybe she is. If I was her, I'd probably feel that way too.

But it got me thinking. The scariest thing about writing, and especially letting other people read what you write, is that you can't write a paragraph without revealing exactly what you are. Unless you're hiding yourself on purpose. And if you do that, your writing will be flat and dead.

If your writing is alive, the life in it comes from you, and is colored by everything that you are. When I write I pour in everything I think, everything I know, everything I've learned or felt or done, plus all my daydreams and nightmares. Everything counts, nothing is wasted.

And readers can see exactly who I am.

So in order to write the kind of books I want to write, I've got to be the kind of me that can write those kind of books. I want to write fun adventure stories full of action, mystery, and wonder. So I try to be a fun and active person who is always pushing new horizons and learning new things. Yes, I actually do work at this. It would be so easy for me to hide out in my room with my computer all day and play with my imaginary friends, but then what kind of adventures would we have? I have to get out and climb trees, fly kites, audition for musicals (even when I have no business doing so), bug my neighbors to teach me new ukulele strums, try making my own cheese, build sand sculptures on the beach, listen to lots of Irish fiddle music, spend an hour out on my balcony watching the stars, and go "spot hunting" with my five-year-old.

"Come with me, spot hunter." I said in my deepest voice as I handed my youngest son a cleaning cloth. I twisted the nozzle of my cleaning spray into the ON position. "We're going on a spot hunt."

We crept down the hall, peering right and left.

"THERE'S ONE!" I shot a black hand print with a stream of foaming spray. "GET IT!"

Grinning from ear to ear, my little boy scrubbed that spot right off the wall.

"Oh, my gosh!" one of my daughter's friends stood at the screen door. "Your mom is so fun."

Score.

The other day, for the first time in many months, I went around and read all my friends' blogs. And I loved it, because your wonderful words are all so YOU! Thanks for blogging, everyone, because every sentence lets me see the beauty, wisdom, humor, and joy in your hearts.

So what do you do to be the person who writes your kind of book?

Scrabbling Crazy

2011-06-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

Ever since my book has been picked up by TreasureLine, I've been scrabbling crazy!

I started my blog June 20, 2009 and Facebook much later than that. I've recently taken on Twitter and LinkedIn. My Goodreads has been something I've been doing since my blog started. My website is fairly new thing as well. On top of that, I have about 8 other blogs I'm working on, but have slowed down on a few. Me thinks it's time to cut back.

But here's this:

I've been taking on some grand things that I haven't taken on before. For the month of July,
I've been setting up interviews like crazy for writers' characters. The 24th is a blogfest for Main Characters, hosting several giveaways for the blogfest as well as MC interviews.

I've also been working on a pre-book launch party for Darkspell this coming July. This basically consists of about 17 bloggers who are interviewing me or holding me as their guest. I'm still reviewing the questions I've answered to make sure I make sense--I'm not sure if I do anymore!

Then I need to keep up my appearances on all my social networks as well.

I'm going stir crazy! But I feel that this is my fate, this is what I need to do to get my name out there.

I'm keeping myself busy during the wait. The wait. You know, when the publisher's editor is making all the wrongs in the book into rights?

I know there are lots of blogs out there for aspiring authors--rightly so. But I would love to hear how it is for a bumbling, scrabbling debut author.

Any volunteers?

♥.•*¨Elizabeth¨*•.♥

Can Alex save Winter from the darkness that hunts her?
YA Paranormal Romance, Darkspell coming fall of 2011!

Ahoy, Workshoppin' Dead Ahead!

2011-06-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Arr, I haven't posted in a while, so I figured I'd throw up a post to say Ahoy, me hearties!

I be eyeing a week-long writer's workshop called Write by the Lake, casting off on the morrow. It be held at Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, and I'll be roomin' up with a writer matey I'm mighty fond of. I've been to conferences large and small, where I get all quakin' in my pirate boots about my scrawlins going before agent Mates and editor Captains, but this workshoppin' is different. Writers only aboard, jes workin' the craft. Me conference booty for the year is going to the perfectin' me craft, as I figured I've had my share of conferences and networking for a spell. And this pirate is ready to set sail and wrestle me some tales to bring back to port.

The hubs is keepin' the wee ones anchored whilst I'm away.

Wish me some pirate luck!

Signposts

2011-06-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

When I'm driving down a long stretch of unfamiliar highway, I get nervous if it's been a while since I've seen a signpost. I like to know where I am and how far I have to go to get to my destination. I especially like to know that I'm still on the right road.

Readers need signposts too, to help them know where they are in a story. Last weekend I saw Kung Fu Panda 2, and about the time the Furious Five was storming the evil peacock's weapons factory, I realized I had no sense of what part of the story we were at. Were we still in the middle? Were we near the end? There had been a string of amusing fight scenes and run-ins with the bad-guy, but not enough sense of progress to orient me in the story.

So how do we put up signposts for our readers? One way is to use conventional plot structure. Cove contributor Sue Quinn made a marvelous series of posts for us demonstrating basic plot form by analyzing Hunger Games. You can review the first post here. When readers get to an inciting incident, or to the major turning point, they sense they're on a familiar road and they feel secure in knowing how far they have to go to get to their reward at the end, the final resolution of the story.

Besides signposts, as authors we can set up the right sort of scenery for each portion of a book. If the reader is getting a lot of new information about the setting or the characters, they feel like they're near the beginning. When plot threads are being tied up, they feel like it's near the end. If there's a steep rise in the tension, maybe we're approaching the climax. All this helps the reader know that the story is still on the right road.

So signposts are an important part of storytelling. But what I'd really love to have are some signposts to tell me where I am in my writing career. There's no mile markers on this road. No "Welcome to Fourth Manuscript: Publishing Contract 150 mi."

Wouldn't that be nice?

Pace Yourself

2011-06-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

My daughter told me that at school in P.E. she got to exercise using a heart rate monitor.

"You strap it on your arm, and then you jog just fast enough to keep your heart at a certain rate. Fast enough to speed up your heart, but not so fast that you get tired. The great thing was, when I stayed at the right pace, I felt like I could go on forever."

What a concept! The next morning when I went for my jog on the beach I tried slowing down just a little bit. I didn't have a heart rate monitor, but I could tell when my body was comfortable with my jogging pace.

I went farther than I ever have before. All the way along Laie Bay and back without stopping.

And I thought, "Hey, I should apply this to my writing!"

Too often, I get so excited about my writing that I don't pace myself. I skip my morning jog so that I can have an extra half hour at the keyboard. I feel like I don't have time to practice music, to watch movies, to read other books, or even *gasp* to write blog posts.

Before I know it, I feel burned out and discouraged. But if I didn't let myself get in such a hurry, I bet I'd feel much better. If I found the right pace I bet I'd feel like I could go on forever.

So how do you pace yourself as a writer?

Darkspell's Book Cover!

2011-05-27T18:28:00.001-07:00

This is what the fantastic Jaimey Grant has been up to (still working on it):

Super cover artist Jaimey has taken what I started and added magic!

Can you see Alex, my MC, staring at you?

That, my dearies, is my 11 year old son.

I manipulated his face on my PAINT program.

Yup. Paint. Not Photoshop.

I really need to update myself, don't I?

I promise, I will!

How cool does the cover look?

It is wicked awesome!

Releases fall of 2011!

Put Your Words On a Diet

2011-05-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I finished the third draft of my latest masterpiece, tallied up the word count, and nearly fell off my chair when it weighed in at a whopping 92,000.

Ow! I gotta cut back on the cream puffs.

There's a range of opinion on appropriate word count for a manuscript, but for middle grade and a first-time author, 92,000 is too high. I can just see the literary agent reading the first line of my query, groaning, and clicking the delete button.

I'd like to get rid of 10,000 words. 15,000 would make me really happy. But that's 40 - 60 pages! Four to six chapters!

What am I going to do?

First of all, I can cut extra phrases from my sentences. I love to tack on extra phrases like this: "He ran down the street and hid under a hedge that was next to a fire hydrant." Who needs to know that the hedge was next to a fire hydrant? CHOP!

I can also prune my dialog. If I let them, my characters would sit around, chatting all day, and never get to the story. Much of it is charming, but I'm on a word diet. CHOP! CHOP!

Another temptation I have is to show my characters going through their daily routines. If nothing important happens until after lunch, then why do I need to show them brushing their teeth, making their bed, eating breakfast, walking to school... CHOP!

Then in each scene itself, I tend to do some throat-clearing before I get to the point. And after the action, my characters want to sit around and discuss what just happened. There's a screenwriting principle called "in late and out early." If I start each scene as close to the action as possible, then cut out as quick as I can, that's more words to CHOP!

If all this doesn't work, I may have to resort to plot surgery. Yes, as much as I'd hate to admit it, there may be a subplot that needs to go.

I'm waiting for my test readers to give me their opinions while I sharpen up my axe. I'll let you know how the chopping goes.

Where do you find words to chop?

You may be a writer if...

2011-05-19T02:55:00.000-07:00

I know it's been ages since I've posted here. Since I'm too sleep deprived to think of anything intelligent to say, let's play this game instead. I think it was Josie Kilpack who said:

"... you know what a rejection letter sounds like going down the toilet"
"... you know what a rejection letter sounds like going down the garbage disposal"

Ones I thought of:

"...you've rewritten every Oscar winning movie ten times (even though you've only written the first third of your own novel)"
"...you still talk to the imaginary friend you've had since you were six"
"...you know exactly which pockets in your cargo pants can hold a trade paperback, which can hold a mass market paperback, and which can hold a netbook"

I'm sure you all can do better!

Not So Shocking

2011-05-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

My mischievous magazine story is now published! You can read it online here:

http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=2788

And see the cute illustration of me being devious here:

http://magazine.byu.edu/issues/134/2788/4292.jpg

Button Coolness

2011-05-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

Fellow Cove Members - I fixed the buttons! Yay! So, see that social media bar at the bottom of the post? You can now click on those to tweet this post (or FB or whatevs).

Now, it's easier for me to share all your cool stuff.

That is all.

p.s. I used this post if you want to do it for your other blogs.

Happy Mother's Day and a fun Video!

2011-05-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

A music video for our LDStorymaker's writer's conference, lyrics by Krista Lynn Jensen, directed by Stephanie Fowers, Cinematography by Stephanie and Jacqueline Fowers, assistant directed by Sandra Barton, computer graphics by Jacqueline Fowers. Starring: Heather Moore, Jessica Day George, Melissa J. Cunningham, Elizabeth Mueller, Krista Anglesey Jensen, Frank Cole, Marion Jensen, LeAnn Setzer, Josi Kilpack, Jaime Theler, Debbie Hulet, Crystal Liechty, Michelle Holmes, Sarah and Paul Eden

I'm in this video--fun! :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Never Tell Me The Odds

2011-05-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

I posted today about Encouraging Young Writers, and tried to justify encouraging young people to write when it seems like publishing is so hard. (Answer: they are two different things.) But fellow Cove Pirate Rebecca has challenged me to defend the statement in my newsletter that There's never been a better time to be a writer.

Game on!

(Rebecca was really very nice about it.)

As Rebecca put it, these are the best of times and worst of times, and like the famous quote, it depends on your perspective on events.

If you want to be a NYTimes Bestselling Author ...

...and you're not published yet? Probably the worst of times. The route through traditional publishing is looking more and more like a pipeline so constricted that it's cutting off the flow of many, many authors seeking publication. Yes, wonderful authors are still making it through the gauntlet - I couldn't be happier for them, and support the ones I love like crazy (especially if I know them). Yet many wonderful authors are not making it through. I've heard many How-I-Left-My-Agent stories lately, and they're often due to inability to sell (wonderful) stories. This isn't the agents fault - if anyone's caught in the squeeze, it has to be them, with their livelihood depending on betting on the one horse that will win this year.

If you want to write a novel ...

...and you've never written fiction before? Absolutely the best of times! There are so many online resources and so much writerly support. In terms of learning the craft, getting feedback on writing, having abundant people that want to help and support you...writing in 2011 rocks over any time in recorded history. My brother endeavored to be a novelist 20 years and ended up putting it aside out of frustration with the publishing process (it was hard, even then!). But he follows my writing adventures with admiration and a little jealousy, because he can't believe how much support and resources I have access to. I keep trying to tempt him back into the waters, but so far no luck.

If you want to make a living at being a novelist...

...and you've only got one or two novels under your belt? Probably the worst of times. Don't quit the day job, because the days of fat advances (if they ever existed) are no more. Getting a publisher to take a chance on you and grow you as an author? That doesn't seem to happen much anymore either (except with small publishers). As an author, you need to manage your own career (or possibly get an agent to help, although agents caught in the squeeze may not be able to do that either).

If you want to make a living at being a novelist...

...and you're willing to be innovative and entrepreneurial? So the best of times! With e-books raging across the publishing landscape and self-publishing gaining more respect every day (I recently ran across an old posting about self-publishing that likened it to career suicide. This was before Amanda Hocking), for the author that's willing to wade in and take risks, there's lots of rewards possible. Note I said possible, not probable, but a door that used to be locked tight is now cracking open. When even traditionally published authors are turning to e-publishing...because it makes them more money... you know something fundamental is shifting. I see authors putting their backlists on e-books once the rights revert to them, and they start making money (sometimes serious money) from something the traditional publishing world deemed unworthy of print. I see friends whose books have garnered agents, but failed to get book deals, self-publishing and finding their audiences in innovative ways. I see the ground shifting, and it's moving in a direction that directly connects writers and readers. Not everyone thinks this is good, but I think it's inevitable, so getting on board the train before it leaves the station is a better strategy than trying to plug the pike with your pinkie.

There's so much NEW going on in publishing, I can't capture it all in one post. In spite of the odds, I'm still pursuing traditional publication. And I'm also exploring ways to capitalize on the wave the roiling under our writerly feet.

And I truly believe there's never been a better time to be a writer. :)

Becoming a Finisher

2011-05-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the amazing priviledge of accompanying my husband to a Time Out for Women event in San Antonio. TOFW is hosted by Deseret Book, the publishing arm of the LDS church. It's a great event for women to escape their sometimes mundane or demanding routines and have some time to refresh and be inspired by speakers and musicians. My husband was the invited singer for Friday night, and since I grew up in Texas and love San Antonio in particular, I decided to tag along.

I learned many things over the weekend which I would love to have the time to share. But in case I don't get the opportunity, I want to share at least one thing which is already making a huge difference in my life. The theme for this year's TOFW is "Choose to Become," and as attendees, we were asked to choose one thing that we could implement in our lives that would help us to get a little closer to the woman we are supposed to become. I have chosen to become a finisher.

That may seem like an odd or a simple thing, but it dawned on me this weekend that one of my biggest problems is I am not a finisher. I got this idea from a book I bought at the event about parenting. One of the chapters was about teaching our children how to be finishers. As I read, I suddenly realized, that is the reason I have a hard time keeping house. I don't finish tasks. I start a lot of things, like dishes, and meals, and projects, but I never quite fully finish them, which includes the clean-up part. I get distracted or burnt out or just lazy. If I am going to teach my children to be finishers, I have got to learn how to do it myself.

So not only am I doing the dishes, now, I am drying and putting them away and tucking the drainer under the sink. The counters and table are wiped, the chairs at the table are pushed in. I'm seeing this little lesson in every nook and cranny of my activities, now, and I'm realizing just how far-reaching this concept is. Not only do I need to finish my household tasks correctly, but I have to learn to finish my interactions with others correctly, finish keeping the commandments correctly, finish my life correctly. When I sweep up the last emotional bits and pieces of my life and tuck the broom away for the last time, I want to have that same satisfaction, knowing that I completed my assignment the right way, down to the very last step.

Newsletter Debut

2011-05-02T13:00:00.001-07:00

Hey all, just a quick note: I'm running a giveaway on my blog Ink Spells to celebrate my newsletter debut! Hop over and check it out! :)

Getting Better

2011-04-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

I've heard it said many ways.

Your first five books are junk. You have to write a million words of garbage before you write anything good. It takes five years to learn to plot a novel. Learning to become an author requires as much time and effort as learning to become a brain surgeon.

So I put in the time and effort. But am I getting better?

I've been writing stories since third grade, but I wasn't serious about it until eleven years ago. To see if I really wanted to become a writer I took a year off writing any kind of fiction. It nearly killed me! I was counting the days until the ban was up. And then I sat down and wrote something.

It was terrible. I was so out of practice.

I learned two things. Yes, I want to do this, and constant practice counts!

For the next several years I tried to figure out how to do it on my own. I got better, but not much. Not until I started going to the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Workshop. Yes, practice counts, but so does training. Being a self-taught writer got me far enough that I could sell a short story or two, but I had a lot to learn if I wanted to be a novelist. Going to an excellent workshop gave me the momentum and the skills to start scaling the cliffs of publishing.

So, practice and training are good, but now that I'm revising my fourth full manuscript I'm wondering if I've really improved as a writer. My first drafts still stink in the same ways they always have. They're confusing. I use a lot of passive voice. I never say a thing about how the characters are feeling. Act two always opens with a long meandering stretch of utter boredom. Maybe that's the way it will always be.

What's different now? I've learned how to look at the raw material that bubbles up from my brain and make it better. I hope I'm more able to divide the slush from the sparkle, clear away the bad and add more good.

And all I have to do to convince myself that I'm improving is to go back and read something I wrote a few years ago. Oh gar, did I really write that? Yes, thankfully, I am getting better.

What's helped you get better as a writer?

Preparing for a Writers Conference

2011-04-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

I’m excited for the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference in June. (See wifyr.com for more details) In preparation, I’ve been madly working on a new YA story.

I’ll be taking a class by the fabulous Martine Leavitt. (She wrote Keturah and Lord Death, Heck Superhero, Dollmage, and many other award winning books.)

Each of the 13 members in her class will be submitting their first 20 pages in a few weeks. These pages will be critiqued in class, both by the teacher and class members. Martine was kind enough to give us a heads-up of what they’ll be looking for:

- Do we identify with the viewpoint character? Do we care about him or her?

- Is the reader allowed deep enough into the viewpoint character to know him or her?

- Do the secondary characters rise above stereotypes?

- Is the point of view consistent? Does the form fit the content?

- Is the setting well established?

- Is there a satisfactory balance between dialogue and narrative?

- Do we find figurative language? A distinct voice?

- Does the opening hook the reader?

- Do we know what the main character wants? Is there a plot trajectory?

- Is the conflict clear? Is it a conflict that matters?

- Does each scene advance the plot of reveal character?

As I've gone back and reworked (and reworked, and reworked) my first 20 pages, this has been a huge help. I basically have to take one question at a time. Also, my critiquing group has been amazing.

I can't wait for the conference to come, and I know there's so much to learn.

How have you prepared for a conference? Which teachers have been your favorites and why?

Crit Groups, Beta Readers, Critique Partners - What's Your Flavor?

2011-04-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

I've had a range of critiquing experiences, everything from winning a full MS critique by a published author to forming my own online critique group. I've found that different strokes work for different folks, and I was wondering what works for the members of the Cove?

Here's (some) of what I've done:

Online Critique Group: An evolving group of 4-7 writers of different genres and experience levels. Every week, or whenever we have something to post, we submit a chapter or two (4-6k words), and each member posts their critique within a week (mostly).

Pros: Weekly feedback to spur you on; long-term relationships mean you're familiar with the author and their work; three or four perspectives on every chapter.
Cons: Only small chunks of an MS can be critiqued at a time. Not everyone can critique or submit every week. Writers out-of-genre might have a hard time critiquing each other.

Critique Partners: A one-on-one swap of anything from first chapters to partials to full MS. Often I'll critique someone's full MS, and they will critique mine months later (or vice versa), whenever each of us is ready (and in need of a critique).

Pros: Thorough feedback of a complete MS; the commitment to critique often builds long-term relationships.
Cons: Only one perspective; sometimes you don't know if the author is a good match before critiquing.

Face-to-Face Critique Group: On the third Wednesday each month, my local SCBWI group meets face to face. Anywhere from 9-13 people show up, each with a dozen copies of 5 pages of their WiP (beginning, middle, or end). We read our pages aloud, or split the pages among five others, who read aloud for us. Everyone makes notes on their copies, and there's about 5 minutes for verbal feedback after the reading.

Pros: Instant feedback from a dozen different people; verbal feedback during a read (Oohs! Aahs! Ha!) can help you judge the timing of your work; works well for openings (the first 5 pages), less so for subsequent pages, where more background is necessary.
Cons: Only critique very short pieces of work; sometimes a group will reverberate off itself, with independent (conflicting) perspectives not as easily drawn out; only meet once a month.

In truth, I highly value all these different forms of crits, each in their own way helping me grow as an author, and enabling me to help other authors grow as well.

What crit forms have you used? And what do you see as the pros and cons?

I've been Picked up!

2011-04-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hey there mateys and buccaneers o this fine vessel, I have news for ye!

TreasureLine Publishers had found me and took me in and are calling me their own!

Here be the signing! Pardon the television in the background--that be my old man.

I'm so excited, I can just dance! :D

Darkspell, YA paranormal romance, coming soon!

The Versatile Blogger Award!

2011-04-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

Ahoy, mateys. We've received this award from Fi. Catch her wonderful blog at:

http://fionajphillips.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Fi, and thanks to all the amazing writers here at Scribbler's Cove!

According to the code - uh, I mean rules - of the award, we need to do several things, the first being to mention, thank and link to the award giver.

Next, we share 7 things about ourselves.

With Rebecca as captain, our crew here at Scribblers Cove includes these fine writers: Rebecca, Susan, Rachel, Leisha, Amber, Chersti, Elizabeth, and Emily, who I hope will post their seven things as well. (Feel free to add it into this post, or put it in the comments and I'll add them.) I look forward to learning more about my fine shipmates!

So, here are our seven things:

Susan:
1)I'm a stay-at-home mom, but I call myself a writer;

2)In my pre-kids life, I worked for NASA and studied global warming;

3) I love chocolate in any form;

4) Ditto tea;

5) At the end of this month, I am retiring from 4 years as an elected official (School Board), deciding to concentrate on writing rather than seeking re-election;

6)My three boys (7,10,12) are as different as they can be, but they're somehow all related to me;

7)Someday I want to retire to the Rocky Mountains.

Rachel:
1. I love to illustrate, especially things that have a great story: funny, touching, thought-provoking. One of my favorite games as a child was drawing curious scenes for which I had no specific story in mind, handing it to my sister, Rebecca, and letting her put the word bubbles on the characters. (Good times!)

2. I love to cook! Didn’t used to, but since marrying a man with great taste in food, I discovered little pleases me more than making something he loves. It’s my new creative outlet since I have so little time for art.

3. I am the mother of 4 very smart, very creative, very busy, very precocious, very amazing kids, ages 1-9. They keep me on my toes, and constantly remind me of what’s wrong with myself (in a very gentle way) and what’s right with the world (in a loud, joyful way!). The four of them could rule the universe someday, so look out!

4. My husband was a musical theater actor who has toured with two Broadway National companies, and has even played THE Phantom of the Opera (yes, the title role) about a dozen times. Practically every time he went on stage he got fan mail a from die-hard fan of the show who said he was the best Phantom they had ever seen. But he’s giving it all up to become a full time religious educator. And I love and admire him more for that than I ever loved him for being so amazing on the stage (and that’s saying something!)

5. My sister and I had an imaginary fantasy world called Cecilon when we were kids, which was the central spot for all our story writing. Rebecca has moved on, but I secretly keep copies of the old maps and notes on peoples and cultures. I’m either a hopeless pack-rat, or I have secret plans to do something with it someday. I’ll let you decide which is the real reason.

6. While I love art, I also secretly wish I could publish a novel of my own someday. The level of commitment this would require is beyond what I will ever be willing or able to make, so it’s a rather lame dream. On the other hand, I have several ideas for children’s books, which I am certain I will have time to do eventually.

7. I’m a lousy housekeeper, but that is gradually changing.

Rebecca:
1. ARGH! Sorry for me long absence, mateys! I've been haulin' all me goods from one port to another these past two weeks. Yes, item number one is, I just moved for the second time in nine months. Gar!But I still live in Hawaii, so that's good.
2. I build Irish harps, and I play with a Celtic folk ensemble, South Wind.
3. I have five children.
4. Rachel is my sister, and if she thinks I've moved on from the fantasy world of our tween-age days, she should read my latest manuscript.
5. How to Train Your Dragon is my absolute favorite movie ever.
6. My husband and I used to teach ballroom dance.
7. I got a Hawaii Business Tax ID number for Author Rebecca J. Carlson on April 1st (no fooling), and I got to use it today, April 18th, when I sent in the invoice for a magazine story sale. I know that by now this should feel more routine to me, but I still screamed out my upstairs window to my entire new neighborhood, "I'M GETTING PUBLISHED!"

Jonene:
1. I'm writing a pirate book right now, so I'm happily hunkered down in a fine little corner of Scribbler's Cove.

2. My writing life began because of an enormous lie I told as a child. Details here:
http://thescribblerscove.blogspot.com/2010/08/whoa-shiver-me-timbers.html

3. Being surrounded by great writers is always inspiring, so I love the writers here at Scribblers Cove, and the wonderful, amazing gals in my writers group: Leisha, Angela, and Kathy.

4. Not much beats a great book. My all-time favorite is THE CAY, by Theodore Taylor.

5. I'm a very happy wife and mom.

6. I love art - both seeing it and doing it.

7. I know how to do poi balls. Not very well, mind you, just enough to make some pretty impressive bruises.

The final rule to this award is to pass it on. Here goes:

http://www.emilymah.com/

http://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/

http://cherstinieveen.wordpress.com/

http://mindsbase.com/

http://leishamaw.blogspot.com/

http://ladyrachelsgarden.com/

http://www.ink-spells.blogspot.com/

http://rebeccasrecommendedreads.blogspot.com/

Congratulations! And, Fi, thanks again!

Time?

2011-04-08T05:17:00.001-07:00

I don't think I know a single person that has time anymore. Actually, I take that back. Babies have all the time in the world.

But for the rest of us - especially moms - it's a challenge fitting anything extra between cooking, sleeping, driving, taking care of the kids, helping them with homework, working, taking care of everyone else, cleaning, sneaking in a shower and applying make-up, opening the mail, and checking the weather.

Yeah.

Now my family is super important to me. I love giving them my time.

Art is also important. I go through withdrawal symptoms if I don't do it often.

My problem lies in having a third obsession - a very awesome one. Writing. I love it. It loves me. It makes me happy, just like my family, my friends, and art do. It's just plain fun.

So how on earth is a normal mom to find time to write on a regular basis?

I started asking authors at writers conferences. I ended up with some creative, interesting, painful, and downright scary answers:

- One gave up TV.

- Another called her family in and informed them that writing was now her #1 priority. (I don't recommend this. You'll want someone still there to dedicate your book to when it's published.)

- Another doesn't sleep. And another starts writing at 9:00 p.m. and ends sometime in the middle of the night when her eyelids no longer stay open without toothpick props. (I don't recommend this either.)

- And another gets up at 5:00 a.m., writes to 7:00 a.m., then gets her children ready for school, then gets herself off to school where she teaches all day.

I'm sure you get the picture. It isn't always easy.

Me? Well, I didn't go that far. When my last child was born, I began writing my first novel. I didn't have a schedule - just wrote whenever I could. My goal, newborn and all, was to write for 15 minutes a day. Many days my 15 minutes went quite a bit longer. It was a great surprise when I actually had pages accumulating by the end of the week.

Over the years, my writing goals have changed many times, all custom-suited to my current circumstances. I've had set times, set word counts, set days of the week. I've even tried some kinda drastic things.

Two years ago I gave up most TV (I'm not that good.) And voila, I found more time.

Last year during NaNoWriMo, I tried the 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. thingy. Just for a month. Guess what? There were no interruptions. AT ALL. It was nuts. I got so much done. I also walked around with huge dark circles under my eyes. But, by golly, at the end of November, I had a 50,000 word manuscript, all written in one month (still in need of many, many revisions.) But it felt pretty darn good!

So, long story short, there are all kinds of ways to find time to write - IF you really want to.

Now I'd love to hear how other real people with real lives find their time.

How and when do you do it?

An Interview With Kathleen Duey

2011-04-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I have a fun interview, complements of WIFYR with Kathleen Duey over at my blog.

Kathleen is the author of Skin Hunger, Sacred Scars, and a bunch more books.

WIFYR is the Writing and Illustrating For Young Readers conference held in Salt Lake City Utah every June. If you're looking for a fabulous conference to hone your skills, this is the one. There are still openings for some of the morning classes and lots of afternoon spots. Head on over there and check it out.

Leisha Maw

the Blogging Challenge

2011-04-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hidee ho and away I go!

Well, I've gone off and joined this crazy lil thing called the A-Z April Blogging Challenge where you post a letter of the alphabet for each day this this month but Sundays.

So far, it's been crazy fun--meeting and visiting new friends everyday!

If you're interested in my writing tips or thoughts, you're welcome to drop by my blog and read it. My posts are super short and fun!

Happy April!

♥.•*¨ Elizabeth ¨*•.♥

The Scribblers Cove

The Murky Middle

#FREE #Darkspell all weekend. How? Read on!

Registration for WIFYR now open!

WIFYR site now live!

Writing and the Internet

The Secrets of the Art

Secrets

Finding Your Writer Vision

Recovering from Anorexia Writosa

An Exercise On First Impressions

Expectations Kill

On Publicity

Why Do You Write?

In dreams begin stories...

Bumps and Bruises

Indie Book Fair

Darkness

Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day!

Revising Gently

Guest Post: James Hutchings on Creative Commons

Free Books and Swag!

Guest Post: David Farland on the Future of Reading

Someone Else's Fairytale is out, and free on Smashwords!

Paint Me True out for Nook

WINNERS!

Thankful for the Internet

CONTEST PART 2: Hurricane Season TRIPLE Book Launch Give-Away!

CONTEST! Hurricane Season Double Book Launch Give-Away!

Launching Darkspell with a SMASH!

Turning Point

The importance of punctuation

Forward Motion

Strength of Character

You Live in a New World

Will You Join My Party?

Power of Print

Brooding

Shifting by Bethany Wiggins

Book Power

Killing Your Darlings

Where Ideas Come From

Darkspell Review by YA Book Babes

Arrr, maties! This be one mighty fine voyage I's been taken on, care to join and see where it leads?

Out of the Ashes

Book Club 4 Boys!

Darkspell Illustrations

. . . Or is it Just Me?

Social Media and The Writer

Why Didn't I Think of That?

Amber Argyle: Events, Winner, and Contest!

Stretching Your Voice

Waxing the Cat Part II

Interview with Debut Author Elizabeth Mueller

Waxing the Cat

Apostrophe?

Writing with Emotional Power

Feeling Lucky

♥.•*¨ Crazy is I ¨*•.♥

Indie Publishing, One Author's Decision to E-Publish Herself

Estate Your Business, My Post on Black Gate

What's a Pre BookLaunch Celebration?

Seven Point Story Structure

Burnout and Cooking, Oh and Smoke, too. Lots of it.

Illos, one of the perks of the job!

Getting in the Zone

Do Not Do This at Home - or Anywhere Else

You Are What You Write

Scrabbling Crazy

Ahoy, Workshoppin' Dead Ahead!

Signposts

Pace Yourself

Darkspell's Book Cover!

Put Your Words On a Diet

You may be a writer if...

Not So Shocking

Button Coolness

Happy Mother's Day and a fun Video!

Never Tell Me The Odds

Becoming a Finisher

♥.•¨ Crazy is I ¨•.♥