Audio books

Recording an audio book

This week, let's look at audio books!  My commute to work is an hour each way, and I love listening to a good book while I negotiate the Los Angeles area freeway system.

Have you ever tried to read a physical book and couldn't get into it, but tried again with the audio book and loved it?  I've done this several times.  The most memorable was The Martian.  I only got through about 4 chapters in the physical book before I put it down.  I LOVED the audio book and laughed so much there was one occasion when I had to pull over to the side of the freeway because I was laughing so hard I couldn't see where I was going!

I write MG and I've noticed that there are more MG audio books than there ever were before.  Some are CD, others are Playaway.  But I can read both in my car.  This is great because it means I can read more.  It's hard for me to find the time to read print books lately.

14 websites to find free [legally free, not pirated] audio books online

Buzzfeed's 23 audio books that were really popular in 2020

Reedsy's 60 best audio books of all time

Audible's most popular books 1997-2017

[OMG - It by Stephen King is 45 hours long!]

I finished Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt last week.  I love his Andy Carpenter series.  Have you read any good audio books lately?

Dear O'Abby: How do my co-writer and I work together?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm working with another writer on a dual POV novel.  She's writing one POV, and I'm writing the other.  We're just about through editing and starting to think about publishing and realized we have no idea how it works for teams of writers working together.  Do we just query like usual?  What about if one of us already has an agent?

Can you help?

Best,

Bemused

Dear Bemused,

If one of you is agented, I have to assume said agent doesn't rep the genre this particular novel falls into, or you'd be pitching it to her first.

If neither one of you is agented, I suggest you just query as you would on your own.  Make it clear in the query that there are two authors for this book even if you plan to publish it under a single pen name.  It will make things simpler later on and agents like to know this kind of thing, especially since two authors can make twice as much work for the agent.

The most important thing, before you do anything else, is to make sure the pair of you have a really good agreement drawn up regarding the partnership and how it works.  The writing part might have been a dream, but once there's money involved, like all good things, there's potential for things to go south.  To avoid destroying your working relationship, make sure both of you understand how the partnership works and are happy with it.  A tiny detail like whose name goes first on the cover can end up being the thing that ends a fantastic creative partnership.

Don't sign any publishing or agency contracts until this partnership agreement is firmly in place and you are both happy with the terms.

Other than that, go forth and query.  And good luck!

Yours,

O'Abby

Spotlight on New Book Debut Author Candice Marley Conner #giveaway

Sassafras and Her Teeny Tiny Tail by Candice Marley Conner (June 8, 2021)
The Existence of Bea Pearl by Candice Marley Conner (June 15, 2021)

Rare case! This debut author launched a Children's picture book that's in the "Mentally Disabled Education" category and a "Teen & Young Adult Nature & the Natural World Fiction" book within days of each other! Here's an author who is clearly One to Watch:



1- What inspired you to use a squirrel for your book Sassafras and her Teeny Tiny Tail?

Real life! My daughter and I went on a walk around our neighborhood when a squirrel with the tiniest stub-of-a-tail scampered across a neighbor’s yard. Immediately, I thought of how this squirrel could be affected since squirrels use their tails for balance, communication, and more. Then I wondered: could this squirrel’s difference somehow save the day? The picture book idea was born!

2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Always keep your mind open to the possibilities and wonder around you. You never know when an idea will pop up!

3- What most motivates you to read a new book?

Plant magic, atmosphere, recommendations, and an awesome cover.

4- According to Goodreads, Sassafras and her Teeny Tiny Tail came out June 8th 2021, and The Existence of Bea Pearl came out June 15th 2021. What was it like to have two books come out within days of each other?

A whirlwind! Luckily, I never had any edit deadlines due at the same time. Sassafras was originally set to release in 2019, so I had most of her edits completed when I needed to work on Bea Pearl’s. It helped that one is picture book and the other young adult so I could promote each differently.

5- Would you share a picture with us of your books in a fun setting?

Here’s a picture of both books on the bestseller shelf at my local indie. Such a great feeling to see them both up there!

6- I got: Bea Pearl Buzzfeed quiz Which character did YOU get?

I got Honey, the bestie!

7- What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?

I’m @candice_marleyc , and shout out to @sandradsutter for her picture book expertise, @elwaters for the way she writes spooky settings, and @wonderwegian for how she can immerse you into another time period!

8- Do you have a favorite #bookstagram image or account/ profile?

So many gorgeous and creative bookstagram accounts out there, but one of my favorites is @book_dragon06 . Love the aesthetic and the books featured.

9- Are you a Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser, and how did you adopt that style?

Plantser. I have to have an inkling of where I want the story to go, like the setting, the main character(s) and maybe a scene or motif, so I have something to keep me on track, but if I try to plot out too much my creative muse deserts me.

10- What does your basic writing schedule look like, and how often do you write?

Ha. Schedule? Right now since my kids are back in-school for the first time in over a year and I’m working more (I’m a part-time bookseller at a local indie), my schedule is all kinds of cattywampus as I try to find a new routine. I’m hoping to get back in the habit of writing every morning as that’s when my brain works best.

11- What is your favorite book by someone else, what's the author's Twitter handle, and what do you love most about that book? #FridayReads book recommendation time!

Author name: Natalie Lloyd @_natalielloyd
Title: all of them? But I’ll go with A SNICKER OF MAGIC since that was my gateway book into her magical, middle grade worlds
Love because: of how she infuses everything—her setting, characters, storyline—with such magic and wonder and hope and quirks and love.


12- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?

Hope and belief in yourself even if your whole world feels against you. I’ve also had readers tell me they love the eerie spookiness, so I like that my words give them a chill too!

13- What kind of impact do you hope your book will have?

THE EXISTENCE OF BEA PEARL is, in-part, my love language to the swamps and river I grew up in. It’s an incredibly biodiverse area and I want my book to encourage readers to be present in the natural world around them and explore wild places to see the beauty that exists there.
I commissioned artwork from the talented @erica_ross_visual_art and set up a Threadless shop (theexistenceofbeapearl's Artist Shop | Featuring custom t-shirts, prints, and more (http://threadless.com)) where proceeds go to the Alabama Rivers Alliance to help protect our 132,000 miles of rivers and streams. And I’m doing a giveaway with Operation Awesome where one commenter will win either a Swamp Wild, River Wild, or Beauty of a River (winner’s choice) spiral notebook! (US only please)



14- What is your favorite creative non-writing activity to do?

Reading, of course! I also enjoy experimenting with essential oil scents and making beeswax lotion bars. It soothes my cottagecore, green-witchy vibes, haha. And I adore bees.

15- diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks What's your favorite book with a diverse main character?

So many favorites! I thoroughly enjoyed Bethany C. Morrow’s YA, A SONG BELOW WATER. Combining sirens and Black Lives Matter was eye-opening and thought-provoking, and the way she used voice really resonated with me. Alda P. Dobbs historical middle grade, BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA, based on her great-grandmother’s journey to the U.S. border during the Mexican Revolution of 1913 struck a chord with me and gave me a different perspective on immigration and the American dream.(Interview coming soon!) Ooh, and Angeline Boulley’s FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER is high on my TBR list!


16- What method do you feel is the best way to get book reviews?

Advanced reader copies! I had a limited number of paper ones for Bea Pearl that I placed in Little Free Libraries and I helped build my social media presence by offering ARCs as giveaway prizes. I also had postcards made up with the e-ARC NetGalley link that I mailed to indie bookstores in my region. For Sassafras, I sent the PDF to my former debut group and they generously read and posted reviews.

17- What was the deciding factor in your publication route?

I need validation in my writing so I went the more traditional route. And I went with a smaller press because they understood my vision for Bea Pearl and worked hard to make it the best version of itself rather than focusing on filling a slot on their list.
I decided on my picture book’s publisher (also small press) because their books have a great message on letting one’s differences stand out and shine, and they print the books in dyslexie, a weighted font that allows for more inclusivity and easier readability.

18- What's the biggest writing goal you hope to accomplish in your lifetime?

I don’t want to limit myself by answering this, because what feels like a pipedream now may one day be reality. Goals change because they’re stepping stones. We’re always growing and pushing ourselves as writers and authors. For instance, I had a radio interview a few weeks ago. I NEVER thought I would have that opportunity!

19- Would you please ask our audience a question to answer in the comments?

What themes/motifs and genres are you most excited to read?

20- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?

Sometimes your differences make you a hero.
Squirrels need their tails for balance and to communicate so with her stubby, bristly tail, Sassafras is the laughingstock of the oak tree. Always falling, tripping, tumbling, and it feels like no one understands her. She tries everything she can think of to make her tail look as fluffy and long as all the other squirrels’. But when danger strikes, the thing that makes her different might just save the day.
CATEGORY: Self-esteem & Self-reliance | Growth Mindset |Social Themes | Animals & Nature

If her brother could stop existing, could she too?
Sixteen-year-old Bea Pearl knows her brother isn’t dead. Even if her parents don’t agree. Even if the entire town doesn’t believe her. She knows it’s true. When orders came to evacuate Lake George due to rising floodwaters, Bea Pearl saw Jim head toward the river. She followed him. Only she returned.
When her parents have Jim declared legally dead, Bea Pearl decides it’s up to her to figure out where her brother could be if he is alive, and so begins to unravel the mystery of his disappearance. But it seems like someone else wants to know what he was hiding when his bedroom is ransacked. More clues come together: a scrap of paper, mysterious numbers that may lead to swamp monkeys, Jim’s shoes turning up in unexpected places. Bea Pearl can’t figure out what connects them all until she’s stolen from her bed in the dead of night.
Bea Pearl’s insistence that Jim’s alive and her quest to figure out why he went down to a flooding river in the first place takes a toll on her shattering family. But she must unearth the truth surrounding her presumed dead brother. Otherwise, the rumors are true and she has killed him. Because if Jim can stop existing, could she too?
CATEGORY: Mystery | Southern | Ecological | Thriller | Action & Adventure

Growing up between swamps, a river, and the Gulf Coast, Candice Marley Conner’s stories emerge from cypress knees, muddy water, and salty air. She is the kidlit haint at a haunted indie bookstore (but not haunted how you’re thinking), a Local Liaison for SCBWI, and an officer for her local writer’s guild. Her short stories and poems are in various anthologies and magazines including Smarty Pants Magazine for Kids, Highlights Hello, Cabinet of Curiosities, Under the Full Moon’s Light, Babybug, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and more. Her picture book, SASSAFRAS AND HER TEENY TINY TAIL and her YA Southern mystery, THE EXISTENCE OF BEA PEARL, both debuted this June. She lives in Alabama with her husband and two children (one of whom is possibly feral).
Candice is represented by Katelyn Detweiler of Jill Grinberg Literary Management. Visit her website at http://candicemarleyconner.com, Twitter @candice_marleyc
, Instagram @candice_marleyconner,
and Facebook @cmarleyconnerauthor.
Thanks so much for having me!

GIVEAWAY!

MUST comment here on this blog post with an answer to the question to be eligible to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Sassafras and Her Teeny Tiny Tail by Candice Marley Conner (June 8, 2021)
The Existence of Bea Pearl by Candice Marley Conner (June 15, 2021)

Random trivia #3 - the 25 most challenging books to read

The 25 most challenging books you will ever read

I've only read one of these books all the way through - The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.  And that's only because it was assigned in high school.  Now in the interest of full disclosure, I may have READ it all the way through, but I didn't understand more than maybe 20% of it, and today [many many many many (okay that's enough) years after high school], I remember approximately none of it.

Have you read any of these books all the way through?  If so, did you understand them?  Did you like them?  Did I just bring back memories you prefer to keep forgotten?

Query Friday

 

 It's time for #QueryFriday! Enter for a chance to win a query critique by yours truly! Here's how to participate:

1. Comment on this post and at least one other post from this week by SUNDAY 08/22 at 12 pm EDT.

2. Leave your email address in the comment or have it available on your Blogger profile. (If I can't find you, I can't get in touch with you!)

The winner will be chosen via random draw and will be announced in the comment section of this post on Sunday.

See this post for additional rules. Good luck!

-Amren

Dear O'Abby: What do I do if my book is too long?

 Dear O'Abby,

I've been working on my first novel for about five years now, and finally got it to the point where I felt it was ready to show other people.  So I joined a critique group.  They seem like nice people and several of them have published more than one novel, so I'd hoped they would be helpful in getting my book into some kind of shape.

Well, they have, to a degree.  But all of them agree that my 146,000 word novel is too long.  I've already cut it down from over 200,000 words, so I'm not sure what else I need to do.  I feel like if I cut too much more, the book won't make sense.

Can you help?

Best,

Longwinded.

Dear Longwinded,

I'm afraid I'd have to agree with your group.  146,000 words is too long for a debut novel.  Around 100,000 is the upper limit for most adult novels with around 70,000 being standard for YA.  Fantasy can sometimes run a little higher because of the amount of world building required to set up a fantasy world, but if you're getting close to 120,000, you need to take a good hard look at what you've written.

There are a number of ways to start paring word count if you feel like you're too long.  I like to go through each chapter and remove all those pesky filtering words like just, believed, thought, quite, wondered etc.  You can usually cut a good chunk out just by doing this.

You can also search for redundant words and phrases.  Things like "she nodded her head."  I mean, what else would she nod?  And adverbs can often be redundant too.  If someone is walking quietly down the hall, see if you can find a verb that would better describe the action.  Maybe he's creeping down the hall, or shuffling, or tiptoeing.  All of these words convey something more than just moving quietly and can tell the reader something about the character and his intentions as well as describing the action.

Read through every scene and make sure what you're describing is relevant to the story and/or the characters.  If you have a paragraph describing the outside of a house, that house needs to be important.  What it looks like needs to mean something to the character looking at it.  If neither of these things are true, do you need to describe the outside of the house in that much detail?  Sometimes a broad description works just as well if the scenery is not critical to the plot or character.

You can do the same thing with your action scenes.  Are your characters doing mundane things like making tea or drawing a bath?  You can just say that's what they are doing.  You don't need to outline their actions as they do them unless the way they make tea or draw a bath is important to the plot or gives important information about the character.  

Read your dialogue passages closely.  While you want dialogue to sound natural, you can often cut a lot of dialogue out because people say a lot of stuff that doesn't mean anything.  Only keep the things people say that actually mean something.

Basically, every word of your novel needs to count either as something that drives the plot or something that colours your characters.  If you have stuff in there that does neither, it can go.

Hopefully that helps...  Best of luck with your novel!

X O'Abby

Spotlight on New Book Debut Author Jessica Lewis

Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis

1- There appears to be an animal or familiar on your cover. Would you tell us about that creature?

The dog on the cover is named Conrad! He’s a mastiff-mix, 145 pounds of muscle and sweet personality and drool. He belongs to the main character of BAD WITCH BURNING, Katrell.

2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Don’t be afraid to change directions if something isn’t working!

3- What most motivates you to read a new book?

My personal immediate-buys: sapphics, monsters, mysterious and dangerous woods, murder. In that order, hah!

4- What is your favorite cooking show and who is your favorite celebrity chef?

I’ve seen Kitchen Nightmares no less than five times. I wish I was kidding. So obviously Gordon Ramsay is a favorite!

5- Would you share a picture with us of your book with something fun?



6- Has the pandemic had any impact on your writing or publishing?

Everyone knows how its affected publishing—longer delays, no more live events, overwhelming sense of dread. But I did actually have a positive impact. At the beginning, I was furloughed from my full-time job for three months. I wrote three whole books, start to finish. It was a nice!! I see why writers quit their day jobs now!

7- What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?

Mine: @JLew100
Courtney Gould @gayowyn
J. Elle@AuthorJ_Elle

8- When did you first know you wanted to publish a book someday?

I wrote for fun in middle and high school, but I didn’t get serious about pursuing publication until my senior year in college.

9- Are you a Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser, and how did you adopt that style?

Plotter. I tried to pants once, and it took me a year and a half and many tears to wrangle it into readable shape. My normal time is about six months, so I know that pantsing isn’t for me!

10- What does your basic writing schedule look like, and how often do you write?

Since I have a full-time job, I can only write on the weekends and after work.

11- What is your favorite book by someone else, what's the author's Twitter handle, and what do you love most about that book? #FridayReads book recommendation time!

Author name: Chad Lucas @ChadGALucas
Title: THANKS A LOT, UNIVERSE
Love because: it’s a wonderfully realistic book about a middle school experience!


12- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?

Several people have told me they cried while reading! I also hope people feel a little spooked after reading certain scenes.

13- What kind of impact do you hope your book will have?

I hope kids who grew up like me, poor and struggling and angry, can see themselves in this book.

14- What is your favorite creative non-writing activity to do?

I love watching anime! I’ve been an avid fan since I was in middle school. A recent favs is To Your Eternity.

15- In what ways are the main characters in your book diverse? diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks

My main character, Katrell, is a Black, plus-size teenager who struggles with depression toward the end of the book. BWB also has a nearly all-Black cast.

16- When you need the spelling of a word, where do you turn?

google, of course

17- What was the deciding factor in your publication route?

I’ve always wanted to be traditionally published. It’s the best route for me, since I’m not that great at marketing on my own. Plus, it’ll be amazing to see my book in stores!

18- What's the biggest writing goal you hope to accomplish in your lifetime?

I really want someone to use BWB as a comp in their query letter. What an honor that would be! Someone not only loved it enough to read it, but also compare it to their precious work. AND that means more YA horror entering the world!!

19- Would you please ask our audience a question to answer in the comments?

what’s your favorite 2021 release so far this year?

20- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?

Bio:

Jessica Lewis is a Black author and receptionist from Alabama. She has a degree in English Literature and Animal Science (the veterinarian plan did not work out). She lives with her way-funnier-than-her grandmother, who answers all of her wild questions about ghosts and zombies and werewolves, even if she’s annoyed sometimes (read: all the time). When she isn't writing or working, she enjoys binge watching cooking shows and anime or playing farming sims. Her debut novel, BAD WITCH BURNING, has two starred reviews and releases August 24, 2021.
Social media: @JLew100
Website: https://authorjessicalewis.com


Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis

Email subscription service

This blog previously had the option for readers to follow the blog by email, using Feedburner.  As many of you may know, Feedburner no longer exists.  Do any of our blog readers [yes this means YOU] have any recommendations for an email subscription service that we can use to replace Feedburner?  We have already received one message [hi Allison!] from someone who's asking.

Thank you for any recommendations or suggestions!

The OA Team
[This post is written by the least computer-savvy person on the OA team.  Any errors in basic understanding are entirely my own. 😬]

Guest post from Michelle McLean, author of Hitched to the Gunslinger & Operation Awesome Alumni

 Hey everyone! I’m so excited to be back here at Operation Awesome! It’s been a few years lol I was a contributor back when OA was a brand new blog and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that OA is still here being an incredible source for writers everywhere. 

OA was such a big part of my writing journey. I started with this group back in 2010 (and I just realized how many years ago that was, holy moly!). I did have a book deal under my belt – a non-fiction book on how to write essays, and a great agent. But non-fiction wasn’t what I wanted to do. I’d sort of put that book together from a blog series I’d done and getting an agent and contract for it was a HUGE fluke. My agent was amazing but didn’t rep fiction. So we didn’t work together for too long after that book published since non-fiction, while I do enjoy writing it, is something I prefer to do on the side. Novels, romance novels specifically, are what call to me.

So, I was still slogging through the fiction query trenches and joining OA also meant joining the critique group comprised of the other contributors. I learned so much from all of them and they were all a huge support to me. Querying is not for the faint of heart! A good support group helps sooo incredibly much. In fact, my two biggest sources of writing help, query/agent info, and all around much needed support were the amazing contributors of Operation Awesome, and the community over on Querytracker. Which, if you haven’t checked QT out yet, you really need to. One of the best sources of info on agents and querying around with a really great forum.

The amazing OA ladies read my book more times than I can count and had my back through the well over 200 rejections I received. And then, in 2012, after 5 years of trying to find a fiction agent, I signed with Entangled Publishing and have been lucky enough to have been kept busy with them since then. I did eventually query again. I picked five agents/agencies I’d really love to work with and sent off a query – and even with twenty-odd books and a Hallmark movie under my belt, I still got rejected. BUT, one of those queries ended up not being a rejection and I found my fabulous agent, Janna Bonikowski at the Knight Agency.

It’s been 10 years and a few months since the release of my very first published book. And I’m now celebrating the release of my 25^thbook, Hitched to the Gunslinger. Gunslinger is a fun romp through the Wild West that follows a cantankerous gunslinger who’s hellbent on retiring at any cost and an overachieving spitfire of a woman who has an unfortunate proclivity for life-threatening altercations. It was an absolute blast to write, and I hope it’s just as fun to read!

I write under two names (at the moment…there may be a third cropping up in the near future) – historical romances under my own name and contemporary rom coms as Kira Archer. And I swear, despite the insane roller coaster that is this business, I still love it. Coming up with new ideas, finishing a new book, putting it out in the world – it never, ever gets old. But I might not have stuck with my journey if it wasn’t for groups like Operation Awesome. I am honored to have been a part of OA and thrilled that they are still here being such an awesome support to the writing community. Thank you for having me back today!

Gray “Quick Shot” Woodson is the fastest gun west of the Mississippi. Unfortunately, he’s ready to hang up his hat. Sure, being notorious has its perks. But the nomadic lifestyle—and people always tryin’ to kill you—gets old real fast.

Now he just wants to find a place to retire so he can spend his days the way the good Lord intended. Staring at the sunset. And napping.

When his stubborn horse drags him into a hole-in-the-wall town called Desolation, something about the place calls to Gray, and he figures he might actually have a shot at a sleepy retirement.

His optimism lasts about a minute and a half.

Soon he finds himself embroiled in a town vendetta and married to a woman named Mercy. Who, judging by her aggravating personality, doesn’t know the meaning of her own name. In fact, she’s downright impossible.

But dang it if his wife isn’t irresistible. If only she’d stop trying to steal his guns to go after the bad guys herself.

There goes his peace and quiet...

Spotlight on New Book Debut Author Honni van Rijswijk #giveaway

Breeder by Honni van Rijswijk

1- Did being a a lawyer and an academic help or hinder you in writing this book, and in what ways?

It definitely helped! I'm interested in questions of power and BREEDER deals with lots of law themes--contracts, human rights, complicity, and evil laws.

2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Write the story that you want to read—this tip keeps me loyal to my idea even when writer’s block strikes.

3- What most motivates you to read a new book?

The hook / the premise—writing a strong story is so hard, but I love it when someone else’s novel flies

4- How does one become a Google Scholar and how much time and effort does it take to maintain that presence?

Google Scholar picks up on all scholarly works, so anyone publishing with an educational press will get picked up: this could be an undergraduate Honors thesis right up to a scholarly monograph. It takes between 3-6 years to get a PhD and then often a few more years to get a permanent academic job!

5- Would you share a picture with us of your book in a classic Australian setting?

We’re in COVID19 Lockdown right now so here I am on my balcony.


6- How likely is it that Breeder could become reality or near-reality?

I wrote Breeder because I’m scared about growing inequality—people’s jobs are becoming more precarious, it’s hard to make a living, and the rich are getting wealthier. At the same time, reproductive rights are being threatened all over the US. I think we need to fight so Breeder doesn’t become a reality.

7- What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?

@Honni_van_Rijs

Yes, I love my Twitter writer friends:
@gracelavery
@authorpoppygee
@seeorsea

8- Do you have a favorite #bookstagram image or account/ profile?

@yashelf

9- Are you a Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser, and how did you adopt that style?

I’m a Plantser—I started as a Pantser but wrangling hundreds and hundreds of pages into a story was super unpleasant, so I’ve switched to focusing a little more on having a story plan

10- What does your basic writing schedule look like, and how often do you write?

I try to write a couple of times a week, usually first thing in the morning before work! And then a couple of hours on Sundays.

11- What is your favorite book by someone else, what's the author's Twitter handle, and what do you love most about that book? #FridayReads book recommendation time!

Author name: Tamsyn Muir @tazmuir
Title: Gideon the Ninth
Love because: it’s so fun: a reanimated dead servant becomes a warrior!


12- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?

Fear, tension and ultimately, hope!

13- What kind of impact do you hope your book will have?

I hope it will make people feel seen—and hopeful, because there are so many of us in the world wanting to fight hyper-capitalism and gender violence.

14- What is your favorite creative non-writing activity to do?

Playing My Little Ponies with my six-year-old
14 b- Who is your favorite MLP?
Shady! I still have her from the 80s. What about you?

15- In what ways are the main characters in your book diverse? diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks

The main character, Will, is nonbinary and queer, and at the bottom of a very divided society. Will needs to decide between saving t

16- What method do you feel is the best way to get book reviews?

I actually don’t have an answer to do that question!

17- What was the deciding factor in your publication route?

Blackstone Publishing—an indie press. I love their commitment to writers and to good writing.

18- What's the biggest writing goal you hope to accomplish in your lifetime?

I hope to write to keep writing compelling stories in different genres—crime, horror and thriller.

19- Would you please ask our audience a question to answer in the comments?

What do you think makes a good villain, and who’s your favorite?

20- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?

"Pacey, gritty and inventive, BREEDER buzzes with a dark energy as it follows the fate of two teens trying to survive in a crumbling dystopian society where men are valued for their work productivity, and women for their reproductive ability. In this intricately imagined and grimly fascinating world, teenage friends Will and Alex find themselves trapped in the Corporation’s frightening web. By taking us inside a dark nightmare that offers its protagonists no easy answers, Honni Van Rijswijk holds a fearless and ferocious mirror to our own lives. Written with gleaming prose, these characters are fully formed, and their triumphs and betrayals are as harrowing as they are heartfelt. A brilliant debut novel filled with heart-in-your-throat tension as it races toward a stunning finale."
—Poppy Gee, author of BAY OF FIRES and VANISHING FALLS

"Honni van Rijswijk’s debut is a thrilling ride through a not-too-distant future where state control over capital, sexuality, and labor is even more rigorously maintained than in our present moment. Although only by a bit—the prescience of BREEDER is felt on every page where a militarized “Corporation” knows everything about you and your desires. If there is hope for us, it derives from the queer and trans strategies of self-making and unmaking that van Rijswijk’s characters devise: they have, and she has, much to teach us about resisting contemporary technologies of control. Plus, it’s thrilling, sexy, and gorgeously paced."
—Grace Lavery, author of PLEASE MISS

"Proxy meets Handmaid's Tale, BREEDER will force readers to ask how far would they would go to decide their own fate."
—Joelle Charbonneau, NYT bestselling author of THE TESTING TRILOGY

"Van Rijswijk’s beautiful writing paints a vivid picture of a dystopian future where oceans are acid and the air itself is poisonous. As brutal as the world itself is, it’s nothing compared to the people who inhabit it. Poignant and eerily timely, Breeder is a fast-paced sci-fi that reminds us a value can’t be placed on our humanity."
—Lani Forbes, Award-winning author of THE AGE OF THE SEVENTH SUN SERIES

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Breeder by Honni van Rijswijk

83 days...until NaNo Begins

I can't believe it is 83 days until November 1, when National Novel Writing Month begins with writing 50,000 words in 30 days (or 1,667 words per day).

What is unusual is that I have not chosen what to write this year, and I usually choose a project by June.

I have always wanted to write a Dare novel, where you add scenes following Dares on the NaNo forums. Some Dare examples here.

And one day, probably not this year, I would like to do a double NaNo where the goal is to write 100,000 words in 30 days. 

I will have to ponder what story I want to tell this November.

Are you thinking about NaNo yet? If yes, what are you going to write in November? Do you have dreams and goals for future NaNo projects?

Random trivia #2 - Publishing quizzes

I found this collection of publishing quizzes.  

https://www.sporcle.com/games/tags/publishing

I tried the first one, "Novels everyone loves".  There are 27 authors and you have 9 minutes to enter the novel by that author that "everyone loves".  I didn't do as well as I thought I would.

I did, however, correctly input the 6 Dr. Seuss books that have been withdrawn from sale.

Did you try any of these quizzes?  How did you do?

Query Support Group: When we stall?

 

I think there is a lot of talk out there about the publication journey being a long road

Or a rocky one

But what happens when the road isn’t the problem? What happens when we just stall out?

I think this is where I have been/am/hope to escape from(???). I only started querying in small batches (8) and got anticipated rejections, but as I received them, I found it harder than expected to embrace the rejection process.

This wasn’t my first time in the trenches so what was the problem?

As much as we try to be immune to it rejection is never easy, but sometimes it is way harder to accept then others. Depending on what’s going on in your life you may not be in a place to smile through the rejection. And that’s okay.

Persistence and perseverance are important but recognizing that you may need some time to get yourself prepared or take a break are equally important. Right now, I need a moment to breathe and that’s okay. I haven’t given up, far from it. I’ve even enlisted help in refining my query but I am just not ready to pull the trigger on that second batch of queries yet.

 If you’re stalled, or faltering, or have some words of encouragement for those of us who are comment below or connect on Twitter using the #querysupportgroup tag or directly with me at @midlifecreative. I hope you all find yourselves on smooth fast roads into the sunset.