The Lives of Tao is out in the wild!

The Lives of Tao has been officially released! I had my launch party at NV Penthouse Lounge last Saturday, May 4th. If you lived within a hundred miles of Chicago, I wished you came! *cough* Kristal *cough*

Over 250 of my closest friends, family, and colleagues from all walks of my life came. It was like every facet of my life was suddenly crammed into one room. My writing friends were there, my Kung-Fu friends, my old coworkers, my Asian friends. Everyone. I think I saw half a dozen of my old bosses there.

The fabulous Book Cellar did my offsite sales and sold all but four of the 127 copies they carried of The Lives of Tao. They were kind enough to carry several of the other author's books that I invited as well. In the end, it was an awesome night.

Also, finally, it's not a real party if there's no cake!

In the end, it was a debut release party and to be honest, probably the only one I'll ever do ever again. If you're interested, you can pick up a copy here at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, or any of your local bookstores. Thanks everyone!

Marinating in Real Life: A Recipe for Better Moments on the Page

A large part of what we do as writers—or what I think we need to do—is marinate in real-life. Being in the moment is so important to creating moments on the page.  

I did a lot of marinating in real-life this weekend as I planned and hosted my son’s 8^th birthday party. When the birthday milestones roll around, I try to soak up my kids’ kidness a bit more than usual. Never again will I have a seven year old boy. Nothing seems more important than remembering  every last bittersweet drop of him at age seven. He picked an air show theme (the Cleveland airshow is cancelled this year due to sequestration issue and he was supremely bummed out). On Saturday afternoon, my backyard was filled with high-energy eight year old boys and their five year old sisters. It was like picture book and middle grade characters smashing into one another at every turn—inspiration for my stories running through the grass. 

Hanging out with my son and a gaggle of his friends gave me a chance to soak up their kidness. (This is something teachers get to do every day, which is why I’m so envious of their profession.) It’s not only good for the soul, it’s great to fill the creative well.

So, my weekend word count is non-existent, but that’s ok.  Being in the moment with my kiddo and his friends will help me create better moments on the page this week. (Especially while eating leftover birthday cake.)

How does taking time off from word-count worries help your writing?

Brain Power at Zero and A Query Critique Winner!!

The last couple of weeks have been insanely busy for me, especially this past week. My brain is so fried I'm not sure how I'm able to form complete sentences at this point. But, somehow, in spite of the million end of the school year things coming through my office, we managed to process 1400 time cards and payroll is done (yay!). And school is out next week (double yay!), so things should be slowing down at work very soon. For now, though, I haven't had time or the mental capacity to even look at anything writerly, much less come up with a topic for this post. So I'm cheating. I promise to have something awesome and thoughtful next time around. :)

Enjoy!



Have a great weekend, everyone! :)

Update: Thanks to all who entered the Rafflecopter for the query critique! The randomly-chosen winner is Christine L. Arnold. If your name wasn't chosen by the Rafflecopter Overlords this time, we'll be doing these periodically so you'll have more chances (you'll need to enter each time, we're not carrying over names). Christine's query, with our comments, will go up on the blog May 27th so be sure to check back!

The Five Stages of Editorial Letters

Happy Friday, Operation Awesome! Today I want to talk to you a little about editorial letters. Whether you're working with an agent, an editor, or someone else in the business, it's a huge step to receive a professional editorial letter for your manuscript, and I hope you're really proud of yourself.

I'm here today, though, to tell you you're not ready. Oh, you're totally ready for the revisions. But you're so not ready for the amazing emotional gymnastics the process will put you through.

Stage 1: Adrenaline

You're doing revisions! THIS IS SO EXCITING! You have all these amazing visions of how perfect your book is going to be once you're done, and you can't wait to get started. You've got your document open, and you're all ready to dive into revising the heck out of it.

However, you don't have your editorial letter yet. You're not actually going to have your editorial letter for a couple weeks. Take a deep breath, lower your blood pressure, and try to work on something else, or take a mini-vacation in preparation for all the hard work ahead. Don't burn yourself out too early.

Then you check your mailbox, and you see an e-mail from the agent/editor/etc with an attachment. It's here. Which brings you to...

Stage 2: Paralyzing dread

You don't even want to open it now. You have convinced yourself that this agent or editor is going to hate your book, because apparently, according to the voice in the back of your head,  agents and editors use their free time to work with books they hate. (Yes, logic has no place in the Five Stages. You're going to be ignoring that little voice quite a bit.)

Then you tell yourself, "Get it together, Mahoney. You're a professional." (Or that's what you would say if we shared the same last name.) And you open the letter, which brings you to...

Stage 3: All the feelings

Get ready for some dramatic ups and downs as you read your letter. Happyflail as you read about the things your publishing pro liked and cringe in mortification at some of the silly mistakes you made - sometimes both, in very quick succession.

And if you can, try to read your letter in a private place, just so you don't get anyone overly concerned. Although watching all these emotions play out on someone else's face would probably be pretty hilarious.

You finish reading the letter, and you let it percolate for a moment. And then you arrive at...

Stage 4: TERROR

OH MY GOD, YOU CAN'T DO THIS.

If you're working with an agent, you might read their client books, and if you're working with an editor, you might read other projects they've worked on. But either way, those books are amazing. No way you could even get close to that kind of quality. And how are you even supposed to approach their suggestions, anyway? You don't know how to tighten the pacing in the beginning, or develop that certain side character, or make the romance more... well, romantic. The letter is probably right about all those things, but they're beyond your level of skill.

Except once you calm down a bit, you do finally pick up your manuscript again. Maybe you start with something I call "triage" - reading through your book and pinpointing the places where you could implement the changes your letter talked about. The more you think about it, the more everything starts coming together in your head. And you finally come to...

Stage 5: Determination

You've got this. You've got this 100%. Your original excitement comes trickling back, and you are motivated and ready to get down to business.

So set your cap at a rakish angle and go riding off into battle. You know exactly what you're doing, and your story is going to be so much better for it.

Best of luck, OAers, and have a great weekend!

Book Blitz! The Girl Guide by Christine Fonseca

The lovely Christine Fonseca has another amazing non-fiction book out! This one is geared toward helping girls find their way in the world; an absolute must read for any young woman and her family. Here is a little info about this fabulous book.

Summer, Girl Guide Style 

The Girl Guide is all about finding yourself and your unique voice in the world. And what better time to start on that journey than summer! Summer is a great time for renewal. The days are long, the weather, perfect, and the vibe – magical. So, as you’re taking a break from school or work, catching up with friends and family, and venturing out for a special vacation, why not add a little “inner” journey to your adventures and spend part of the summer discovering the “real” you?

Journeying inwards, like any trip, requires a map, some supplies, and an adventurous spirit. Fortunately, these things are easily acquired. A journal can become an ideal map to the inner you. Use it as you spend a little time each day reflecting on your dreams and hopes. Take stock of what you’ve accomplished so far, and plan where you’d like to go in the future. Then, once you have a good sense of your inner dreams and desires, make a plan for the future. Add new experiences, read different books, complete projects you’ve previous abandoned. In doing these things you can begin to cultivate your own authenticity.

And don’t forget to pack an adventurous spirit as you journey inwards. Embrace the you that lives within. You may be surprised the “you” you can get to know this summer.

Excerpt! The first chapter is available from the publisher at the following link: http://www.prufrock.com/Assets/ClientPages/pdfs/The_Girl_Guide_Sample.pdf

The Girl Guide

Finding your unique voice in a noisy world can be hard—very hard. But not if you have a great guide! The Girl Guide: Finding Your Place in a Mixed-Up World is a must-read for girls in grades 6–8 as they enter the tumultuous world of adolescence. Packed with fun worksheets and quizzes, as well as stories from older girls and women, The Girl Guide covers everything a teenage girl needs to know on the journey toward her own identity. Proven strategies for dealing with stress management, confronting relational aggression, being safe online, navigating the changing mother-daughter relationship, and more make this the ultimate guide for any girl to get through the teen years and discover her unique point of view in the world.

Availability:
Publisher: Prufrock Press
ISBN: 1618210270
ISBN 13: 978-1618210272

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY: 
• AMAZON• BARNES AND NOBLE • INDIEBOUND• POWELLS
THE BOOK DEPOSITORY • TARGET• PRUFROCK PRESS • And Other Fine Retailers

About Christine Fonseca

Critically acclaimed nonfiction and YA author Christine Fonseca believes that writing is a great way to explore humanity. Using her training and expertise as an educational psychologist, Ms. Fonseca is dedicated to helping children of all ages find their voice in the world. Her titles include Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students and 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids and delve into the often misunderstood world of giftedness and emotional intensity. May, 2013 will bring the release of the much awaited The Girl Guide: Finding Your Place in a Mixed-Up World, a book for girls in grades 6-9 that focuses on developing strong resiliency skills.

In addition to her nonfiction titles, Ms. Fonseca is the author of several YA novels including Lacrimosa (the Requiem Series) and the critically acclaimed YA thriller, Transcend. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she can be sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at her favorite coffee house or playing around on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information about Christine Fonseca or her books, visit her website – http://christinefonseca.com

Author Links: 

Website/Blog – http://christinefonseca.com
Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Fonseca-Author/226271671435
Twitter - http://twitter.com/chrstinef
Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4077598.Christine_Fonseca
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Fonseca/e/B003WJ6EIS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1361737271&sr=8-2-ent
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/authorchristine
Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/113615004883076235547/posts
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/cfon1?feature=mhee

Remember, Remember: Query Critiques

I'm just going to post a little reminder today about the fantastic chance to have your query critique feature Angelica posted about on Monday.

Not read the post? Check it out here for more details.

Want your query critiqued? You still have until May 17th to sign up.

Happy Wednesday!

A New Feature on Operation Awesome: Query Critiques!

In the comments on my query posts, Dierdre Riordan Hall asked for a query critique feature to be added to the Operation Awesome lineup. I've been getting more requests for me to crit queries, so I thought, "Why not?" Or, possibly, my thought was closer to "Hey, that's the perfect solution for when I don't have a blog post ready to go!"

But in any case, I will periodically put up a Rafflecopter asking for brave souls who would like to get their query critiqued on Operation Awesome. I will be critiquing each query, and other OAers will chime in as their schedule allows. Plus, the public can add their thoughts and encouragement in the comments. Sound good?

Great! Because the first Rafflecopter goes up today! Now! In this post!

It will be open through the 17th, and the critiqued query will go up on May 27. We're not requiring you to tweet, share on Facebook, or follow our blog(s) or Twitter accounts, but any of those are always appreciated! And we need a contact in your entry, but it's okay to disguise your email from bots by formatting it like youremail (at) gmail (dotcom).

So if you're up for joining us in this experiment, you must sign up below and then leave a comment. The Rafflecopter is helping us choose, but we need your email to contact you, so you need to be in both places. And this is my very first time creating a Rafflecopter, so fingers crossed that it works.




a Rafflecopter giveaway