UtopYA Con 2015 and Beyond

One of my original critique partners, Christina Mercer, started going to the UtopYA Con in Nashville a few years back, and raved about the experience. Which is why that con was the first one to come to mind when I decided earlier this year that I wanted to travel to a fun con as a debut author.

It took some planning (and more money than I anticipated) to be able to attend this year, and I'm so glad I did! UtopYA started with a focus on YA paranormal and fantasy books, and has evolved over its four-year lifetime. For 2016 and the fifth year, they're expanding the scope to include MG through Adult categories, in the paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary genres, with a name change to Utopia Con to reflect that it's not just YA any longer.

Panel on "Is Time Travel Really Possible?" with Myra McIntyre, PK Hrezo (an Operation Awesome alumna), Robert Scherrer, Rysa Walker, and Sherry Ficklin

This is the most fan-based con I've ever gone to, and there was so much enthusiasm given to each and every author--we all joked that we're spoiled for other cons now, because we know what it's like to go to a great one. EVERYONE I interacted with was friendly and welcoming, and the creepster factor encountered at a lot of cons was nearly completely absent (I only heard of one incident with a member of the public trying to push his book idea on authors on fan day). Oh, and I got to have fellow Operative Karen McCoy as a housemate!

For me and Crow's Rest, going to UtopYA Con allowed me to peek into an entire other world of bloggers and fans that I haven't been tapping into. These authors (mostly indie- and self-published, and even trad pubbed authors like Rachel Harris) at UtopYA were doing everything right, and have a fan base that I wasn't even aware of. I hadn't ever heard of many of them before the Con, and yet they had fans traveling cross-country to squee over meeting them--and then those fans bought every single print book by that author to get it signed. I know of several people that left with close to 200 books they'd purchased at UtopYA. 

And not only did the con offer good-quality workshops, panels, and talks, there were tons of opportunity for letting loose! On karaoke night, the theme was time travel, so I wore one of my steampunk outfits and got lots of compliments

L to R: me, Karen McCoy, Michelle Kellogg, and Lora Beth Johnson

Karen and I rented a condo with critique partner Alison Kemper, and we got out into the humidity for a walk and to see some of Nashville. We were located on the Cumberland river and my photographer side fell in love with all the rusted metal

The railroad bridge near our condo

The drawbridge upriver from our condo

The view from our balcony

A statue of a French dude which I mocked mercilessly

And then on Saturday, there was a Fan Day and signing event, and Alison and I both had tables set up

Alison's books are rom-zom-com (romantic zombie comedy), so she gave out eyeball lollipops at her blood-spattered table

My display included my trailer on a loop, free bookplates, buttons, and bookmarks. You can't see it in this picture, but my skirt has blackbirds embroidered on it!

On Sunday, one of the attendees, Eva Pohler, organized a tour of the Parthenon replica in Nashville's Centennial Park.

I know I'm not doing this con justice--there were just so many cool things that happened, large and small--oh, oh, we saw nuns playing basketball!

Actually, that unintenionally-rhyming brain detour captured it pretty well! I'm still on overload and trying to process all the things I learned and saw. I even got video of Karen's lip sync contest performance, but it didn't turn out well. The best footage is in another post by Michelle Kellogg if you'd like to see her in action.

I really hope to be able to swing the finances to attend again next year--will I see any of you there?

Interior Design for Book Nerds

I bet you thought this was going to be a post on how to make more bookshelves fit into your home decor, didn't you? No, this post is aimed at those who enjoy the details that go into the design of the interior of the book.

They can range from little artsy accents on the page numbers, all the way up to full-blown illustrations. I personally love all incarnations of art in written works, and believe they can enhance the experience for the reader. Here are a few examples from Honey Queen, by Christina Mercer:

You'll see there's a bee hovering at the page number in the bottom right corner, and here's a closeup of the chapter headings:

Christina includes titles for each of her chapters, and I think this sort of artwork is a great way to draw the reader's attention to each one, while also tying it in with previous chapters.

For Crow's Rest, I had already bought a bunch of vector artwork of crow silhouettes and wanted to sprinkle them throughout--fortunately, Errick A. Nunnally, who designed the interior layout, went along with it and I love how it turned out:

The title page

The top of each page corner features a tiny crow, and what else do you use for section breaks but a line of crow tracks?!?

These are the chapter numberings

I know of several other books that incorporate art this way, and I love how it becomes a unique part of each story. If you have a favorite book that uses interior art, please share in the comments below!

Honey Queen At Large!

New Release! YA Fantasy/Romance HONEY QUEEN

 

Love is honey sweet, but it comes with a fatal sting . . .

Melaina Maris needs wings to fly the gap between loving Sam and her family's ancient curse that forces carnal love and then kills the male lovers. She won't let the same fate that killed her father befall another. She refuses to allow her goddess-created bloodline to continue. But there's no easy way out, especially after the curse turns her into the Honey Queen--savior to honey bees--intensifying her charms. To help her fulfill the curse's demands in the least harmful way, her grandmother takes her to mate with terminally ill Boyd. But Boyd's gay. And an expert in mythology. Instead of having sex, Melaina learns how she might summon the goddess who created the ancestor bee-charmer and cursed her bloodline. Melaina's magic--tears to save honey bees from endangerment--could be enough to persuade the goddess to end the curse. But an unexpected discovery soon changes that hope, spinning Melaina into a swarm of love, friendship and death.

A Regional SCBWI "Best in Show"

Easy Click Purchase:

Author Bio:

Christina Mercer is an award-winning author of fiction for children and young adults. Honored titles include Tween/Teen Fantasy ARROW OF THE MIST and its sequel ARMS OF ANU, and YA Fantasy/Romance HONEY QUEEN. In addition to writing, Christina holds a degree in Accounting from California State University at Sacramento and a Certificate in Herbal Studies from Clayton College of Natural Health. She resides in Northern California enjoying life with her husband, two sons, four dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees. To learn more about her and her writing, visit: WebSite | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Arms of Anu by Christina Mercer

Back in April of last year, I introduced you to my former critique partner, Christina Mercer, and her debut book Arrow of the Mist.

Well, I'm happy to say the sequel to sequel to the award-winning MG/YA fantasy ARROW OF THE MIST is coming out March 17, and I get to share the cover with you! Here it is, plus a little teaser blurb:

Blood of body, blood of soul, 
Entwined for life, then unfolds;
If blood still runs when magic binds,
Soul is never too far to find.

In ARMS OF ANU, Lia and Kelven battle through a land of tyrants, war and magic.

Can Lia escape the foes who ensnare her?

Will Kelven’s love withstand the darkness taking root inside Lia?

Is freedom too high a crown to reach, or will they forever remain in the hollows?

RELEASE DATE SET FOR MARCH 17, 2014 (St. Patrick’s Day!)

Isn't that cover a great complement to the first book?

Thanks for the opportunity to spread some cover love, Christina!

Christina Mercer, is an award-winning author of fiction for children and young adults. She enjoys life in the foothills of Northern California with her husband and sons, a pack of large dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees. For more about her and her writing, visit:

WebSite | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

 

Christina Mercer and Arrow of the Mist

Today I want to introduce you to my critique partner (from back in the days when we were working on revising our first books), Christina Mercer.

 Christina Mercer writes fiction for children and young adults. She earned a degree in Accounting from California State University at Sacramento and a Certificate in Herbal Studies from Clayton College of Natural Health. She took Writer’s Best in Show at the 2012 SCBWI CA North/Central Regional Conference and was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakout Novel Award Contest. Christina resides in Northern California enjoying life with her husband, two sons, four dogs, and about 100,000 honeybees. You can find her at  www.christinamercer.com and she tweets at @cwritebuzz

About her new release, Arrow of the Mist:

Terror strikes the Celtic inspired kingdom of Nemetona when barbed roots breach the land and poison woodsmen, including 15-year-old Lia’s beloved father. Lia embarks on a quest to the forbidden land of Brume to gather ingredients for the cure. She relies on her herbal wisdom and newfound gift as a tree mage through a land of soul-hungry shades, trickster creatures, and uncovered truths about her family.

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY REVIEW: 

“Ancient magic and herbal lore mark this engaging, fast-moving fantasy with a botanical bent. Lia, 15, is a winning heroine, discovering and wielding her magical gifts. Smoothly crafted writing conjures up a wondrous world where trees impart wisdom and dwarves tend ancient and powerful crystals. Well-developed characters, elegant dialogue, trickster creatures, exciting scenes of mystic battle and intriguing riddles stir up a powerful potion that will charm readers.” –Publishers Weekly

 I got to go to Christina's very first signing of her book, and I have some pictures and interview questions to prove it!

ARJ: You did a great job of incorporating your own herbalist background into Arrow of the Mist. How did you make the leap from studying herbs, and deciding herb lore would be the perfect twist in a fantasy book for teens?

CM: Thank you! I've read lots of fantasy where elements of the natural world were used to bring about magic, but for me, herbs and trees carried so much "real" magic that it wasn't too far a stretch to enhance their power. Plants have always had the ability to heal or kill, and tees were especially revered in Celtic mythology. I wanted to bring a little of that ancient lore back into the minds of readers.

ARJ: You joined the Indie-Visible group before you published Arrow of the Mist--what kind of benefits are there to belonging to such a group for you and your book?

CM: I honestly don't think I'd be having this interview had it not been for the consistent support by my fellow members at Indie-Visible. So many details are involved in the publishing process, from cover design to copyediting to formatting to promotion. The collaborative efforts through this process were/and still are invaluable to me. I am humbled by the many talents found there and honored to be a part of such a powerhouse.

ARJ: It seems like it's crucial in the world of self-publishing to release titles as close together as possible, and the sequel to Arrow of the Mist is scheduled for this fall. Has your writing process changed as you moved into self-publishing? Any tips you'd like to share for efficient drafting and revising?

CM: In addition to my regular critique partners, my fellow Indie-Visible members will help with vetting the manuscript for necessary revisions. I'm lucky in that the sequel was close to being finished before I published the first book, but I'm also well aware of how much work it is to revise. I would tell anyone who plans to self/indie publish to make sure you have solid critiquers and then hire a professional copyeditor to clean up errors. And yes, you have errors, no matter how much you've combed through the manuscript!

And now the fun questions!

ARJ:What's your favorite herbal tea?
CM: I drink tons of black and white varieties of tea, I love chai tea, and I enjoy a sleepy time blend of chamomile and mint in the evening.

ARJ: Your favorite honey treat?
CM: A giant spoonful of honey suits me just fine, though I love baklava because of all the honey & carb goodness combined.

Hope y'all enjoyed meeting Christina and her new book!