It's a Choice

True Confession time, reader-friends...

I signed up to participate in a blog hop, and I failed to do my assignment. *hangs head in shame*

The lovely and immensely talented Sheri Larsen (link) invited her blogger friends (including me) to watch a Video on Gratitude (link) each day last month and take notes on how our attitudes changed. Or just our findings in general.

Can I just say, I'm GRATEFUL that Sheri is as kind and understanding as she is. She's an amazing writer-friend. One of my first! She's always looking for ways to be encouraging and positive, and in this business, you NEED that so much.

I forgot to watch the video every day.

But! While I didn't do my homework, I am still immensely grateful for so many things that have happened to me since I started my publishing journey in 2009.

It's easy to get defeated in this business. Five positive reviews can be killed by one mean-spirited negative review.

Luck is a big part of success--and that can be very discouraging.

Don't get me wrong. Luck is not the only part of success. You still have to produce good work.

But you can work your tail off and only achieve mid-list status for a long time, and then there are friends for whom it seems to come so easy... It can cause one to lose focus. It causes some to make poor choices. (Beware the green-eyed monster, friends!)

Gratitude in this industry is a Choice.

It's not quite the assignment, but Today I Choose to be Grateful because...

1-I got into publishing at an unbelievably revolutionary time. Not only can I make a living from my books, but I get to meet my readers up close and personal, I get to meet other crazy-talented writers... the networks and connections and support are out of this world.

2-I met Susan Kaye Quinn (link). I'm sure there are other phenomenally talented authors out there who are supportive, encouraging, generous, and great friends. Sue's at the top of my list.

3-I met Jolene Perry (link). At a time when I was so scared, she pushed me in the pool. Then she stood on the side and laughed and laughed. Just kidding! She did not. But she did make six amazing book covers for me. She listens to me when I'm having "moments," she makes me giggle and swoon with her gorgeous stories, and she keeps me in the publishing loop... Jolene's another unbelievably talented author who is also an amazing friend.

4-I met Sheri Larsen... And Matt and Tami and Jessica and Kelly and Elle and PK and Lydia and Sarah and all the Indelibles and the kids over at YA Confidential... Did I mention this was an incredible time to be a writer?

The Internet has made it possible to find true friends to offer support and encouragement, to let you vent, and who share what they've learned and a helping hand. What a blessing!

5-I have the most incredibly supportive family. This should be #1. No, this shouldn't even be on a numbered list, but rather it should be the big headline up there... When this business gets me down, I'm so so fortunate to have JRM and the girls to hug me and tell me they think I'm amazing. Isn't that amazing? It makes me cry, I'm so blessed.

6-I have been lucky/blessed. From the amazing reception to The Truth About Faking to the encouraging things happening right now with the Dragonfly series on Wattpad (link), I'm so thankful for the opportunities that have come my way.

7-I found YOU, my reader-friends! (Or you found me?) I love your emails and tweets and Facebook messages and comments on Wattpad... I love YOU! You guys keep me going!

Last year was hard.

From family stresses to changes in the market to being so far from home... I was ready to walk away more than once. JRM asked me what I would do if I wasn't writing at one point. "Get a job at Target! Who cares!" I cried...

Isn't that silly? See, I can be a drama queen too. The Truth About Me, however, is I have to be a writer. I don't have a choice.

That being the case, I'm so grateful I'm alive in these days. I've said it a lot, but this is truly the best time to be a writer.

Please visit these other fab bloggers who actually did the assignment (link), and have a super week, reader-friends~

One Weekend, 99-cent eBooks

Looking for gifts without breaking the bank? How about 20 Young Adult books at 99 cents each now through Monday on Amazon? 

Buy some books for yourself. Gift books to others.

Books are still the biggest entertainment bang for the buck, and there's SO many great titles to choose from. 

Romance, adventure, humor, or contemporary? How about Sci-fi, fantasy, or mythology? We've got you covered! 

  

Get me!

Pick me!

 

Get me~

Get me!

Get me!

Choose me~

How about me!

Choose me~

Get me

Date me!

Pick me~

Pick me!

Me, naturally

Pick me

Get me

Get me

Choose me

Get me

Rescue me

Get me

Last, but not least~

And don't forget to enter my fun, Rouge-New Orleans giveaway (link) ending Monday. And have a great weekend, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

Gratitude, Goodreads, & Interviews

I couldn't think of another G-word...

Anyway, I dropped the bomb and then went out of town/offline for a week! But I'm back now with Three things:

Source

#1-HUGE THANKS! And big hugs and squeezes to everyone who said congratulations, tweeted, sent Facebook messages, squee-ed, and otherwise made me feel all warm and fuzzy these last few weeks about my book deal.

It didn't really feel real until...

#2-The awesome and multi-talented Lydia Kang (link) set up a Goodreads page for my first book ROUGE! (link) Then she told me how to make an author page (link), and suddenly I felt officially official. (!)

If you want to, *kicks the dirt* you could maybe add my book to your TBR list. (Yes? Click here. Or in the sidebar -->)

#3-I'm not here today! I'm being interviewed as one of the Miss Snark's First Victim Secret Agent contest winners. So I'm over on fellow winner David Kazzie's blog (link).

David!

It's a short interview, I promise. Run over and say Hi! (What's MSFV Secret Agent contest you ask? Here's the link.)

Finally (4?), tomorrow I will be here with a special-edition post!

As part of the MSFV winners' blog tour, I'll be interviewing J. Anderson Coats (link), who writes about 13th century Wales. She's very cool like that.

Be sure to come back and check it out!

Again, I can't thank you all enough. Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends! <3

So This Thing Happened

I was all ready to tell you this, and now I'm feeling all weird about it.

The first time I told three of my girlfriends in person, sitting at a table in a restaurant, I felt my face get all red. My palms were sweaty, and I was seriously nauseated.

Tooting one's own horn is really funny to say (I'm doing what?), but it's actually awkward to do... 

I have a book deal.

I'm getting better at believing it (and saying it out loud), though. And seeing it in Publisher's Marketplace helped. Here's what those guys said:

It's actually a three-book deal, with Simon & Schuster's new Pocket Star imprint. Pocket Star does primarily ebooks. There's an option for print, but it's going to be an ebook first and foremost.

The reason I'm telling you that part is because it means I'm about to be crazy-busy. Here's the timetable we've discussed:

• ROUGE (Book #1) is due out Nov/Dec 2012
• Book #2 is due out Spring 2013
• Book #3, Nov/Dec 2013

They have an option on a Book #4, but at the moment I'm trying to get my head around A-That I have a book deal (!); and B-That I ... huh? What was A?

Seriously, though, I can't help thinking I'm just so GRATEFUL for you guys. I would not have made it this far without my family and friends.

From my first blogging buddies, who kept me encouraged through the agent search; to my critique partners, who still help me make my books better; to Authoress (link), who ran the "Miss Snark's First Victim" contest that this book won; to all of YOU, who've been excited and encouraging and told me you can't wait to read my books.

That's just the nicest thing you could ever say. ((hugs))

Sometimes it feels like my publishing journey has more downs than ups, so for a moment, I'm enjoying this up. It could only be better if you were here to enjoy it with me. Cheers!

Thank you, reader- and writer-friends! I can't wait to share my books with you~ <3

(Note: I'm out of town 7/25, so there'll be no new post. But I'll be back on Thursday, Aug. 2, with a great author-friend interview, J. Anderson Coates (link), who is also a MSFV winner. See you then!)

New Schedule and a BIG Congratulations!

First, a big, huge congratulations to my awesome bleep, critter, birthday twin, and fab writer-friend Tami Hart Johnson, who is officially a national bestselling author!!!

Bestselling author

I'm just bursting over here, so you can imagine how she feels. Here, go check her out (link).

And grab your copy of her debut cozy mystery The Azalea Assault (link)! (The cover and link are also in my sidebar -->)

As for my New Schedule, starting Wed., June 20, I'm moving my weekly post mid-week to take part in a very awesome blogging event called The Kindness Project.

I'll do my first post next week. (I'm late, I know, but I just found out last night, and I need to see how it's done!)

For now, here's what it is, and feel free to join me now or in July:

Too often kindness is relegated to a random act performed only when we’re feeling good. But an even greater kindness (to ourselves and others) occurs when we reach out even when we aren't feeling entirely whole. 

It’s not easy, and no one is perfect. But we’ve decided it’s not impossible to brighten the world one smile, one kind word, one blog post at a time. To that end, a few of us writers have established The Kindness Project, starting with a series of inspirational posts. We post the second Wednesday of every month.

Want to join us? Grab our button and spread a little kindness.

In the meantime, check out our other cool participants listed below, and I'll see you back here Wednesday! Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

The Kindness Project

Sophia Chang                         Sara Larson

Erica Chapman                      Matthew MacNish

Jessica Corra                         Sara McClung

Elizabeth Davis                      Leigh Moore

Christa Desir                          Tracey Neithercott

Sarah Fine                              Katharine Owen

Claire Hennessy                     Elizabeth Poole

Elana Johnson                        Lola Sharp

Amie Kaufman                        Michele Shaw

Liza Kane                                Meagan Spooner                     

Alina Klein                               Carolina Valdez Miller

Weird, maybe. Lucky, definitely.

Writers are weird. I've even heard them called crazy, and maybe that's fair.

I'd argue we're working in one of the few fields where you can put more of yourself into your work than you ever thought possible, demonstrate more dedication than you ever believed you had, believe in yourself more than you've ever done in your life, and still not find success.

At least not right away.

I recently heard award-winning author Margaret McMullan (link) speak. She said something that struck me, and I think you might like it. Here it go (roughly):

"Conflict is something we avoid in life, but we collect as writers. You might be having the worst year of your life. Use it."

I noted that first because it's true. But also because life as a writer is so emotionally challenging. I guess that means we have lots of material from which to draw. (?) For example...

Source

Maybe you're writing your first novel. You've got a full-time job, a family, responsibilities, but you get up every night for months until that book is done.

You do everything right. You find beta readers and critique partners, you revise and polish, you write a great query. And every agent passes.

Maybe you get a Revise & Resubmit request from a Dream Agent. With a nauseous stomach and trembling hands, you hunker down and make the requested revisions. You get feedback from your betas/critters, you get it all bright and shiny and polished and ready to go back. And Dream Agent passes.

Or maybe you land Dream Agent. S/he is so in love with your book, s/he's raving about iPad apps and movie deals. You have visions of your baby going to auction and publishers fighting over you, waving incredible advances and sales projections. You send it out and spend six sleepless weeks (or months) waiting to hear something. And every editor passes.

Maybe you get a major deal. You're given a huge advance, much of which depends on your ability to move a certain number of copies. Maybe a fellow writer reads your book. S/he has written something in the same genre (or not) and is bitter or jealous because you got a major deal and s/he was rejected.

This writer crafts a scathing, unfair review and posts it on Goodreads declaring your book garbage and gets all his/her friends to give it the thumbs up so it's the first thing potential buyers see when they look up your title.

Or maybe your book's picked up by a small publisher. It has a fantastic launch and is selling well on all the online outlets. You do all your promotional materials, bookmarks, etc., then you get an email saying small publisher is going out of business. In 24 hours, your baby will disappear from the stores. You're facing weeks to get it back online, losing buyers and possibly even momentum.

What do you do?

I guess McMullan would say "Use it." It's good advice, but in the moment, it's not always super encouraging to think, "This could be my bestselling novel one day."

Back when I was querying, I used to joke about hiding under my desk. That's one option.

Another is to shoot an email to Tami, Carolyn, Matt, Jessica, Susan, DL, Tracy, Sheri, Janet, Katie, Stina, Theresa, Lydia, Sarah, Jen, Anne, Jeannie, Anita, Lisa Anne, Elle, PK, Michael, RaShelle, Shannon, Me...

I had to stop naming names because of space requirements. The point is we've all been there. The examples above are all real, and yet somehow we've all made it through these times and made it to better places. Or heck, we've made it.

We're so lucky to have this group. I know I say that a lot, but I feel so lucky to have you. I've yet to meet another set of writers in real life that compares to this blogging community.

So yes, maybe I'm weird, but I know that if I'm losing it, all I have to do is reach out and help is just an email away. I hope you feel the same about me.

And while we're reaching, check out Elle Strauss's brand new book! I haven't read it yet, but it sounds supercute. Here's the cover and jacket blurb:

Adeline doesn't feel she belongs in her own time, but can bad boys from the past be trusted?

Adeline Savoy had hoped that the move west from Cambridge to Hollywood with her single dad would mean they’d finally bond like a real family, but all she got was a father too busy with his new female friends and his passion for acting to really see her.

Instead she finds herself getting attached to Faye, the divorcee hair dresser she befriends when she travels back in time to 1955. Faye has a hottie, James Dean-esque, bad-boy brother who has Adeline’s heart all aflutter, but bad boys from the past can be dangerous. Is it possible that Adeline really does belong in her own time and that maybe the right boy lives as close as next door?

LIKE CLOCKWORK is available now at Amazon (link) and Smashwords (link).

Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

RAOK BLITZ! and FABRIC, a review

The "Random Acts of Kindness" BLITZ! is below, but first, a flash review of an amazing new poetry collection FABRIC by Jessica Bell.

Jessica Bell

You might know Jessica from her blog, The Alliterative Allomorph (link). She's a gifted novelist, musician, and poet, and her new collection is so gorgeous.

It reads like a series of snapshots of important scenes from different lives.

Sometimes they're right when the thing happens, other times they're reflections. And then some are little stories told from a glance, like side-view images.

And it's extremely accessible, so don't think, "Oh. Poetry." (Trust me on this.)

My favorites are the ones that look back on a situation the speaker misunderstood, like in the poem "Mustard," where the speaker's nemesis is not what she seems. Powerful.

Personally, I tend to miss critical moments when they happen, and upon reflection, I realize how I really feel about them. Jessica can capture that beautifully in 500 words or less. Is that brilliance or what?

I planned to go through and highlight my favorite lines to share, but I ended up almost highlighting the whole book. Lines like:

"I hope prison treats you better than I did."

Get this. Stat!

"The gravel shines like clusters of black diamonds. It was summer. I wasn't afraid."

"You hold my hand as if holding heartache--careful."

Uhh! See what I'm saying? In one, Jessica uses a butter knife to trace a path, and in another she writes the same lines in and out--like the reflection on a lake ("Once"). And I just adored every word of "Spandex," and ... OK, this was supposed to be a flash review.

Seriously, if you only have one collection of poetry, this should be it.

It's like a tray of the best chocolate in the world sitting on your counter and any random moment, you can pick it up and read a poem and experience this amazing sensation. And it's only $1.99, so run get it!

 Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads

Now, bring on the Random Acts of Kindness BLITZ! 

Angela and Becca (The Bookshelf Muse, link) are celebrating the release of their fantastic tool for writers, The Emotion Thesaurus (link). It's a guide to character expression--who doesn't need that?

But instead of telling everyone to go out and buy their book (which you must, link), they asked us to stir some emotions by randomly recognizing a fellow writer who's made our lives better. I picked five.

If you have a minute (or five), please click over and follow these guys. They. Are. Awesome!

Alina Klein

First, Alina Klein (Tip-Tap-Typing on the Lunatic Fringe, link). When I left Indy, I was a a new mom. When I returned to Indy last summer, I was a new author. So I decided to do what new authors do and connect with others like me.

I hooked up with the linkserv for the Indiana SCBWI, and up popped Alina. But in addition to emailing me information, she invited me to coffee, invited me to join her at a conference speaking to high school kids about writing, invited me to be a helper at the IN-SCBWI conference this weekend... She basically fast-tracked my connection goals.

She's an amazing novelist with a new book coming out (link), she's Asst. Regional Adviser for our SCBWI, she heads an "Empowerment Project" (link) for rape survivors, and she's a good friend.

Thank you, Alina! I'm so glad we met.

Second, I have the most awesome critique partners in Tami Hart Johnson (The Watery Tart, link) and Carolyn Snow Abiad (Serendipity, link). (Yes. Be jealous.)

The Watery Tart

These guys have been with me from almost the beginning. They've read my drafts, offered advice, held my hand when I had no clue what an agent wanted in a R&R request...

They've encouraged and reassured me every time I've lost it, but they've also done the virtual slap-slap-slap thing when I've been freaking out.

Thank you, Carolyn and Tami! Where would I be without you?

My newest critter, Susan K. Quinn (Inkspells, link) has been a supercool friend for a few years now. I reviewed her debut novel Life, Liberty & Pursuit (link), and from that, we got to know each other better and better.

Dr. Quinn

Dr. Q is very smart. She's a rocket scientist! And on top of all that, she happily gives away free, valuable advice for writers considering the leap to self-publishing. So if that's you, visit her site (link)!

Thank you, Susan! You are a great friend to me and to all writers.

Last but not least, I can't forget my writing partner Janet Johnson (Musings of a Children's Writer, link), the unofficial Clean Up Fairy.

If it weren't for her 30K in 30 Days challenge, I probably wouldn't have finished my book last month. She made me laugh every day, she cracked the whip, and she sent me a hacky sack. How great is that?

So big ((jugs)) to Janet. Thank you, CUF!

And all of YOU reading are wonderful friends who I value. If I hadn't reluctantly started blogging in 2010, I would've probably given up on this whole thing. So Thank You!

My five got little Amazon gift-card-happies, but Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you--so click on over to The Bookshelf Muse (link) and pick it up.

And please TELL ME about your special people in the comments section. Better still, tell THEM!

Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

Blog What You Want

I started to title this one "gratitude," but by the end I had to change it. 

That's how I imagine the plotter and the panster in me collide when I write. The plotter is the calm, planning one who says what the family will do, a nice trip to the ocean. The panster is the one who smiles and pretends to agree... and ends up taking the kids to Thailand.

Anyway, so this started off about gratitude. I have to say how awesome you all were about my last post.

I already have my first editing project as a result, I've got bleeps offering to plug me on their blogs, I've got Tweeters tweeting about it, some of you directed me to other places to advertise...

It's been a while since I gushed about how great our little writers community is. I think the last time was when I got my agent. That was five months ago! Too long.

I know people say blogging is dead. I don't know. It seems like there are many thriving blogs out there--Jen, Matt, and Katie are the first that spring to mind. But there are so many others.

Some say you should never blog about writing. Can I just jump in real quick and beg some of you to ignore this. Please? 

I've learned so much from reading your discoveries. K.M. Weiland has given me more lightbulbs than I can count--also Dr. Quinn... And speaking of doctors, Lydia Kang is always giving me story ideas with her medical Mondays. And that's only three of you!

Others say you shouldn't blog to sell books. Well... I've bought all my bloggie friends' books. I haven't read them all yet, but the ones I have are fantastic. And it's cool to think I know the authors and we're friends.

I bet to them it's like that starfish story (link)--it made a difference to that one.

I'm sure I'll read somewhere about how you shouldn't blog to find editing jobs. And I'll do like I always do when experts announce how I should fill this space of mine. Shrug and smile.

As my friend Shannon said, "Write whatever the *%!# you want. It's your blog." (Shannon also me two serious work leads after Monday's post--one resulted in a writing job. Whoot!)

So there. This post really is about gratitude. And blog what you want. I'll never know how much I've gotten back from it.

Have a great week-end, reader- and writer-friends! Til Monday~ <3