Dead Jed by Scott Craven

Today I wanted to put a plug in for one of my fellow authors from Month9 Books.

Dead Jed: Adventures of A Middle School Zombie  

Coming December 1, 2013. Preorder Now!

Jed is not your typical middle school geek. He is, to use the politically correct term, "cardiovascularly challenged." And though his parents attempted to shield him from the implications of being different for as long as they could, when Jed was eight and at a friend's sister's birthday party, he blew his lips off onto the cake in front of everyone, finally prompting the Big Talk—and an emergency SuperGlue repair by his dad. Now as a target of Robbie, the supreme school bully, and his pack of moronic toadies, seventh grade at Pine Hollow Junior High is rapidly becoming unbearable. From being stuffed in a trash can as "dead meat" and into a trophy case as the bully's "prize," to literally having his hand pulled off in the boys' room and a cigarette put in it to try to frame him for the recent reports of smoking in the school, Jed's had enough and is ready to plan his revenge. (Jed's always losing body parts, but luckily, with a good stapler and some duct tape, he's back in action.) But Jed finds that it's awesome what you can do when you're already dead! He goes from underground underdog to over-the-top hero and proves you don't have to be living to have a lot of heart. For every kid who's ever felt different, been picked on, or kicked out, this is a heartwarming and funny story about surviving middle school, making friends, and keeping your limbs.




Amazon Link
Goodreads

And here is the new book trailer for Dead Jed.

November Mystery Agent Reveal + Winners!

Thank you so much to all who participated in the November Mystery Agent contest - we loved reading your pitches! And our fabulous MA is..

Kaylee Davis from Dee Mura Literary!

Growing up in The Middle of Nowhere, Ohio, Kaylee’s lifeline to sanity was the local library where she nurtured her love of all things literary. Kaylee received a B.A. in English Literature and a B.A. in Sociology from Miami University, and she is certified in Copyediting from Emerson College. Recognized for her obsessive-compulsive attention to detail and crazy-fast reading ability, Kaylee joined the team as a professional copyeditor, proofreader, and administrative assistant. She has recently been promoted to Associate Literary Agent.

Find her on Twitter at @kaylee_davis_  

And the winners are...

Grand Prize (1): full manuscript req (with query+synopsis) with feedback

GYRE

Honorable Mention (5): first 50 pages req (with query+synopsis) with feedback

PIECES OF ME

SATELLITE HEARTS

MACHA AND THE RIVER BLUE

REDWING

TOTALLY SUPER

Congratulations to all the winners! Please shoot us an e-mail at operationawesome6(at)gmail(dot)com for submission instructions!  

And to learn a little more about Kaylee, see the interview below:

1. Any tips for writers struggling with their pitches? Common mistakes you see in them?

Think of a 140-character pitch as an opportunity to create a big impact while encapsulating the overall essence of your project. The most common mistake I see is when a writer is too generic and there’s nothing to really get excited about—the ultimate point of a pitch is to get your reader excited! Effective pitches are concise and evocative, and they focus on what makes your manuscript stand out.

Here’s a great example of a successful pitch*:

YA sci-fi: Sleeping Beauty meets Avatar in a world that pits cyborgs against humans, and Prince Charming is the rebel leader.

This pitch gave me goosebumps and I just had to know more. Immediate request.

*For more info on the fate of this pitch, please see below!

2. What books have you read lately that you've fallen in love with (your clients' or others')?

Of course I’m obsessed with all my clients’ work, and could never pick a favorite. But some other things I’ve read lately and have loved are The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. Both have the character development and emotional depth that really sticks with me long after I’m done reading. And that’s pure gold.

3. What are you seeing a lot of in your slush pile lately? What would you like to see more of?

I’m one of those crazy people who actually loves my slush pile. I have found almost all of my writers this way, and even though it’s sometimes like finding a needle in a haystack, the process can be so incredibly rewarding.

That being said, I can’t say enough how often I see writers make the same mistakes:

- Not following submission guidelines. All writers deserve to start out on an equal playing field, no exceptions.
- Taking query rejections personally. I understand how getting a rejection can feel personal, but I promise it’s not. And ultimately you shouldn’t want to be represented by someone who’s not 150% behind you and your work.

- Querying too soon. My general advice for fiction is to get feedback from trustworthy people who aren’t family members or otherwise morally indebted to say you’re fantastic no matter what. Consider the feedback seriously and as objectively as possible. Revise. Then rinse and repeat until you’re convinced your manuscript is the absolute best it can be. Then it’s ready to send out.

      Things that I wish I saw more of in my slush pile: 
- Writers who mention following me on Twitter (and actually do). If you check out my feed, I guarantee you’ll have a much better idea of what speaks to me and what I’m likely to request. And you’ll have access to pitch parties I participate in, as well as query critiques and other giveaways I do. So if you query me traditionally, don’t be humble here. Tell me you follow me, or saw my #MSWL post that matches your concept, or something I mentioned that is relevant to your project. It shows me that you’re serious as a writer because not only are you carefully researching agents you’re interested in, but you are also actively building your social media platform.
- Fiction that explores alternate worldviews, from the conspiracy theories of Ancient Aliens to the survivalist mentalities of Doomsday Preppers. Think fun, fascinating, and psychological.
- Steampunk in MG through Adult. I’m still looking for an engaging concept that’s fantastically executed.

      4. I loved that, in your wishlist, you said that you'd like to see projects that explore character growth and identity. Could you talk a little more about that?

       The thing is, IRL no one stays the same. Identity isn’t this static force, this constant that never wavers. As we grow we change, and our interactions with the world influence our internal and external identities.

        No matter the genre, I think the strongest storytelling incorporates this change. The characters who show growth in ways both profound and mundane are the most evocative and real. And that allows readers to connect more emotionally to them.

      5. Any exciting agency news you can share?

 

    To that pitch I mentioned above. The author is Dina von Lowenkraft, and I’m very happy to announce that I just signed her! : )

      It’s incredible to say I found a client directly via a social media pitch event. Here’s the story.

       Dina’s pitch was strong, and I had just mentioned on #MSWL that I was looking for a cyborg project. Dina and I were already Twitter buddies so I knew she was very active in the industry, both as a writer and as Regional Advisor for SCBWI Belgium. Most importantly, however, Dina’s synopsis and writing in the first 25 pages really spoke to me. I requested the full, and ended up reading into the wee hours of the morning.

     I made “the call” after coordinating around my trip to the annual SFWA Reception and the ridiculous time difference between Belgium and Boston. Dina and I talked for hours about everything imaginable and could have easily talked for hours more. Most importantly, though we made sure we shared the same vision for her manuscript and that we were on the same page about edits.

       Dina hadn’t yet begun querying traditionally but already other agents had shown interest in her work. I was incredibly flattered she had done her research and knew so wholeheartedly that she wanted to work together. I always have a warm fuzzy moment when a writer accepts, and it will always feel like glitter and fanfare and magic.

   

6. And a few just for fun:

      Coffee or Tea? Both! In this weather, I’m gravitating to a hot honey latte (or two, or three) in the AM and Moroccan mint tea in the PM.

      Sea or mountains? Sea. The ocean’s the new frontier!

      Chocolate or bacon? Chocolate, on popcorn.  

      Ebook or print book? Print. And organizing my bookshelf like a crazy person.

     Favorite tv show? Sherlock and Doctor Who are pretty tied for me right now.

Thank you for joining us this month, Kaylee, and thank you to everyone for being a part of the contest! And be on the lookout for our next contest on December 1st. Stay tuned for more details!

 

Inspiration Along The Road

(Pacific Coast Highway - Big Sur, CA)

The past several months have been a very inspirational time for me. While most of my writing ideas usually come in the shower, or while driving, recently most of my inspiration has come while I've been traveling.


The idea for my current manuscript, a Young Adult Historical Romance, came while visiting the Field Museum in Chicago this summer. It was impossible not to be bombarded by ideas while walking through this incredible place full of mystery, history, and relics of untold value.

 

(Field Museum, Chicago, IL)

After I finished this manuscript, I knew I needed to separate myself from it for a while. There was months of research involved, and it was an emotionally draining story to write, so I put it to the side to marinate for a while.


November was slowly approaching and I had a lot of friends doing NaNoWriMo. While I thought about taking a break, I knew I wanted to write something new. I had no idea what my next story would be until inspiration struck again during a planned trip to California.


Sure enough while driving along the Pacific Coast Highway in Big Sur (see picture above) I was struck with my next idea. This time the story would be contemporary and in a category I had never written in - New Adult. I'm not sure if this manuscript will ever see the light of day, but it has been tons of fun to write, and it has gotten me out of my YA comfort zone.


So what about you? Where do you draw inspiration from? Family? Friends? Travel? 


I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Evolution of a Snowman

In honor of the first real snow of the season, I'm re-posting this from my personal blog. It was originally posted in January 2011. Enjoy! :)

Our family moved from Arizona to Idaho at the beginning of last year, so my kids don't have a lot of experience with snow. As a result, they haven't built many snowmen.  ßThis is still true in 2013.

We came up a several years ago (2006, I think) to visit family and that was my kids' first real experience with snow. This was their first snowman:

It wasn't really their fault this one turned out so sad since the snow didn't want to stick together, but still, he looked like he was already melting before they even finished. Poor thing.

When we moved here, I thought the kids would be all excited to get out there and make some awesome snowmen, but apparently, it's cold outside when it snows, so they resisted. Then we had the great blizzard of Nov 2010 (not as blizzardy as they made it sound like it would be) and since we were on break, the kids finally attempted another snowman.

They worked on it for quite a while, so I thought for sure this one was going to be huge. I promised not to look until they were done. My patience was rewarded with this:

Not bad, though it looks more like a cake than a snowman. I'm sorry, snowwoman. And my daughter wasn't very happy with me when I started laughing. But it was so not what I was expecting and sometimes, the laughter just can't be controlled.

So when the response to snowman #1 was less than satisfactory, they set out the next day to make another one. This was the result:

And so begins the tale of the girlfriend snowwoman and the boyfriend snowman, as told by my 11-year-old daughter. The boyfriend (on the left) had to go out for some reason in a terrible snowstorm. It was so bad it buried him up to his neck. His girlfriend went looking for him and when she found him, she ran in circles, waving her hands around, screaming, "Help! Help!" And when no one came to help, she made a sign. And she lost her scarf.

Rough day.

As far as I know, the only help they got was our Great Dane eating their noses. Apparently, he likes carrots.

Have a great weekend, everyone! :)

Permission to Unplug

Let me start with something you all already know: publishing is hard.

This isn't going to be one of Those Posts, though! If you're following us here, chances are you've experienced how hard it is already, and you've kept going. You've committed to keeping up on publishing Twitter and blogs, and you might even have a Publishers Marketplace subscription. You're learning about the business you're trying to break into, and that's awesome.

But even though social media makes it possible for us to maintain this amazing community, it means we have endless opportunities to compare ourselves to one another. Even though things happen at different speeds for different people, it's easy to look at one of your friends and wonder if you're ever going to make it to where they are. You can look at how long it took them to get their agent, or sell their first (or second or seventh) book, or sell hundreds of copies of their self-pubbed book - and then start to feel discouraged about your own process.

If you feel like that sometimes, that is totally okay. No one is a tireless optimism machine 100% of the time, and it doesn't mean you're not happy for your friends. I struggled with this a lot during some of the rougher periods when I was querying, where some days I felt like I'd cry if I typed 'Congratulations' one more time. And it's no coincidence that, at that point, I also felt like I had to stay plugged into the publishing world 24/7, so I could feel like I was doing something.

So let me just state, for the record, that when you start feeling like this, it's okay to give yourself permission to unplug. It's more than okay, it's necessary. I can be a better writer when I can focus on my story instead of the new genre craze, and I can be a better friend to my fellow writers if I don't bring my own baggage into their good news party.

The literary landscape is frantic and quickly changing, and I know I wouldn't have it any other way - but a little quiet and distance is good for the soul. So next time you feel overwhelmed, remember that you don't have to force yourself. Take a step away for a little while. We'll be here when you get back.

Jackson Pearce on NaNoWriMo

I haven't done NaNoWriMo in a few years, mostly because I always seemed to be either moving or editing that month. However, this year, I have a book due in mid-December and as of Nov 1 I needed about 50k words to finish it. Soooo, there really wasn't any reason NOT to do NaNo since I would pretty much be doing it anyway :D

So....I'm going to get back to my manuscript and leave you with a few words on NaNoWriMo by the ever awesome Jackson Pearce :D




Are you doing NaNo this year? How's it going? You're not filling your ms with fluff, are you? :D

And here's another one that is just too funny not to share :D

Cover Reveal ~ DESCENDANT

I'm proud to announce the upcoming birth of my debut novel, 

DESCENDANT 

book 1 in a Makai series

available December 16th, 2013

For 15 years, Tristan has done everything he can to bury the maddening thoughts of others—blaring music, isolation, the occasional painkiller. In the end, it was a small thing that pushed him over the edge—his mother hocked his iPod for a carton of cigarettes.

His suicide attempt would have succeeded if not for an old woman who claims dragon ancestry makes him the rightful guardian of a powerful emerald containing the soul of a Valkyrie. With the emerald stolen and the woman murdered, Tristan must survive on his own in a world he never knew existed to get the emerald back.

Shadowed by a secret society and guided by an avatar falcon, Tristan's escape from the murderer lands him on an uncharted island in the Pacific. When the murderer kidnaps the island's caretaker, a feisty young Druid priestess, Tristan discovers he'll risk anything to save her, unleashing powers he can't control.

Find me at Goodreads!

SQUEE!

A Wealth of Historical Detail

Research is one of my favorite aspects of writing historical fiction (my favorite part being taking that research and turning it into an immersive story), and I've come across some useful books I wanted to share.

Ian Mortimer has a great book focused on Medieval England

that takes you on a tour of the sights, smells, and daily habits of the English people during this time period. In general, it's a fun read, though you might wish to save the sections on medical care for when you're not eating. He apparently has one on Elizabethan England that I haven't acquired a copy of yet.

 Looks promising!

A nice followup is Bill Bryson's book--and I managed to score one of the illustrated editions at Costco for a good price!

This one goes into great depth (and on entertaining tangents) on the history of private life, using an historic house as a model. It's eye-opening how recent some of our homely comforts actually are.

What about you? Do you have a favorite history or nonfiction book you can lose yourself in?

Celebrating Unwanted Milestones

The other day a friend mentioned that she'd gotten her first bad review. I offered sympathy, but she
said no hugs were required -- it's a milestone for every writer.

So it is. There are many milestones that show we're writers -- finishing a first novel draft, getting that first agent. Those are worth celebrating.

But so are the milestones we don't want. Often writers get excited for their first query rejection -- they are real writers, with the rejection to prove it. We should celebrate those too with battle decorations of kind. They show we keep going.

So let's all celebrate all those unwanted milestones that prove we're really trying. 

First terrible critique

First query rejection

100th query rejection

First trunked novel

Fifth trunked novel

First ex-agent

First bad review

First snarky GIF review

First Internet kerfuffle

First royalty statement with unearned royalties

First royalty statement where returns exceed sales

First remaindered book

First time rights returned for lack of sales 


It keeps going. But that's because WE KEEP GOING.

COVER REVEAL--Jaclyn and the Beanstalk by AJ Riley

When zombies attack in the city and devour Jaclyn Baxter's family, everything is lost. Everything except Nicolas Kerrey—a long-time crush who arrives with an army of his best men to rescue her. He takes Jaclyn to her grandfather's farm where she soon learns there's more than zombies and looters threatening the community—a clan war over territory has been brewing for nearly twenty years and Nicolas is a high-profile target. The Kerrey clan prepares to surrender when news of Nicolas' death arrives, but Jaclyn knows he is still alive... and she'll risk everything to save him. 

AJ Riley lives in a writing cave just off the coast of Reality. She is fueled by coffee and carbs and armed to the teeth with a vivid imagination, which is forever empowered by precious writing buddies who refuse to let her get a real job. Bless their hearts. 

 Links: 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jaclyn-Beanstalk-AJ-Riley-ebook/dp/B00GK5NIBC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1383966175&sr=1-1&keywords=jaclyn+and+the+beanstalk 

 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18760749-jaclyn-and-the-beanstalk

This is such an awesome and fun read. Hurry and get your copy today! 

I'd Rather Be Writing

Remember those bumper stickers that read, "I'd rather be fishing"? Whenever my life gets really outta control I think, I'd rather be writing. You could say my life is outta control these days. We've recently moved to a new state, got a contract on a quaint little cottage that needs a lot of work, and are in the process of finding a builder who won't charge us everything we've got. Every day since we got the fantastic news that our offer was accepted on the house, it seems there is more bad news. The absolutely awesome root cellar downstairs is riddled with plumbing and electrical jimmy-rigs from previous owners.

The lot is too narrow to add an attached garage within city ordinances. None of the contractors on my mom's list can take on our particular job. [Insert random unexpected expense here.]

I'd really rather be writing.

Writing is my therapy. Whether it's a blog post, a journal entry, a facebook update, a poem, or a novel, it's soothing in the same way holding a fishing pole must be for those "I'd rather be fishing" people. In fact, you can pretty much figure out how stressful periods of my life have been by how heavy the writing files are. My teen years are represented in storage by an overflowing three-inch binder packed with loose-leaf poetry. Ah, the angst! I remember it well.

If I didn't have writing as therapy, I'd probably be in a loony bin by now. Happily, I just got a new tool to use in my therapy.

1939 Smith-Corona (the green is a typing manual from the 40's)

Actually, my six-year-old asked for this for Christmas, but we'll be sharing. It makes me happy just looking at it, let alone pressing these antique keys. I plan to write lots of poetry this winter to get me through the building/buying process.

When you write for therapy, what do you most often gravitate toward? Journaling? Novel-writing? Poetry? Space-opera screenwriting? And do you use a computer, typewriter, or pen?

Please do share.

Love Your Antagonist via Loki

So how many of you are going to see the new Thor movie this weekend?

(raises hand)

Did you know that they added extra filming after it was finished, just to add more Loki scenes? There was such an outcry for the character (And Tom Hiddleston) that they added more of him to make the fans happy.

I admit, as much as I like Thor, I LOVED Loki. A good part of it was the actor. But also, the character himself. He is a villain with baggage. He's not evil, just for the sake of being evil. He found out he was adopted and not like everyone else. He was lied to. He lived under the shadow of his brother. And even though he was the antagonist, you felt for him. (And Tom's voice doesn't hurt either.)

So I have a few questions for you. Ready?

1. Is your antagonist sympathetic? Can you see a reason that he/she is bad, or did you just make them bad/evil?

2.  Who are your favorite sympathetic villains. Books. Movies. I don't care.

3. Team Loki or Team Thor. :o)

Here is something to tide you over while you wait for the movie to come out:

Blurbs -- make them work for you

It's that time again. Yep. Blurb time.

While many of you have submerged yourselves in the NaNoWriMo (productive) hole, I've been working on the blurb for my upcoming book, If I Speak True. If you haven't done so yet, writing a blurb is actually a good thing to do during NaNoWriMo, too. It took me a couple of years, but I finally learned that writing the blurb at the beginning of writing a book makes a major difference in knowing which direction the book is going. (Versus having no idea what is actually supposed to happen at all, and writing blind, which can be frustrating.)

So. Here's the universal formula (ish) for writing a blurb (A.K.A. a brief synopsis -- but blurb is less scary of a word than synopsis, right? Ha.)

1) Forget everything detailed you've written and separate yourself from your story. I know, this sounds hard and maybe a little mean, but it's necessary. Yes, it's good, yes it's the best you've ever written (let's be honest, we're proud of our work), but for now, step back a bit and imagine only needing to know a couple of key elements. Then prepare yourself to possibly not use all of those, even.

2) Start your blurb out with the current situation. Is Moe heading to the store to get a cup of Joe when a car falls from the sky, severing his toe? Then start there, using a quick, easy-to-understand summary no longer than a couple of sentences.

3) The issue. Now what? Imagine inserting the word "but" here, then hearing the dun dun dun... because something is about to happen.

Moe heads to the store to get a cup of Joe, when a car falls from the sky severing his toe. BUT.... without his toe, he can't prove he is an alien from Schmoe. If he can't prove he's from Schmoe he can't marry their princess visiting earth, Lady Doe. What will he do? How does he prove this? Where will he go?

Here's where you throw out the problem that gets things rolling.

4) A lot of times the thing the character is set to lose is mentioned here. (Think: stakes.) The more I read, the more I see there aren't always huge stakes, though... life isn't always like that. So use this to work for you, but make sure to pull in the reader and make them go: I need to know what happens after this. Now.

Remember: Make your words count. 

* Anything that stands out or goes with the title/storyline will bring your book back to mind again and again. That's a good thing.

* Don't go all crazy on the adjectives. ("Silly, exuberant, klutzy Moe and his big, swollen, alien toe...")

* Pretend you're watching a commercial for your new book on TV. What would stand out and make you go, I AM SO GOING TO WATCH THAT? Here's an example of an upcoming show I can't wait to see (Notice any key elements that get you anticipating the show's arrival?):


Last, this is the time to show off your writerly voice. Don't let the summary turn into a Ben Stein commercial. Give them a taste of who you are; set them up for what's to come.

Here are three blurbs I really liked -- you can see they're all very different (one is contemporary, one dystopian, and post-apocalyptic).

Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham 17, finally confronts her past. Hannah, the closest adult she has to family, disappears. Jonah Griggs, moody stares and all, is back in town. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future. ~ Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive. ~ Unwind by Neal Shusterman

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death? ~ The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Feel free to share blurbs you've enjoyed in the comments!

The Power of Music in Writing

 

I have a confession...I hate writing love/romance/kissing scenes. Well, let me rephrase, it's not that I hate them, it's just that I'm not really any good at them. 

Believe me, I wish it wasn't this way. I read Rachel Harris, Simone Elkeles and Katie McGarry all with total awe, and wonder why can't I do that? Why can't I just create heat in the blink of an eye without struggling with where the guy should place his hand? Or where the girl should move her lips?

This is all a big problem for me because right now I'm editing my YA Historical...wait for it...Romance.

Yes, I am a glutton for punishment. When I wrote this book, I skipped over much of the romance by just putting in "write something smexy here." And when I finished the book (except for those scenes) I worried that I wouldn't be able to pull the romance part off.

But then I was driving in the car one day and Ed Sheeran's "Kiss Me" came on the radio. In an instant, I was in the scene with my characters. The lyrics to the song had me actually visualizing how my characters' first kiss would be. I stopped what I was doing, turned around, and drove home. I raced in the door, downloaded the song, and played it full blast, over and over, while I wrote a love scene I never knew I had in me.

Music is a crazy thing. It gets us pumped up or makes us melancholy. A single note can force us to remember heartbreak or pure unadulterated love. Above all things, it makes us FEEL.

As a writer, I've found many things give me inspiration, but nothing is as powerful as music.

What about you? Does music make you a better writer? Is there a song that has inspired a scene in your manuscript or even helped you come up with a new idea? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

PiBoIdMo: How to Catch Picture Book Ideas with Sticky Paper

This month, I’m taking on another kind of writing challenge. In case you didn’t know, November is also time for Tara Lazar’s annual Picture Book Idea Month or PiBoIdMo. The challenge is to generate 30 picture book ideas in 30 days. You don’t have to turn any of the ideas into actual manuscripts or share your ideas with anyone. You simply go to Tara’s blog: and sign up.

She always has an amazing line-up of guest bloggers to share their picture book idea generating tips and tricks. (Have you ever wondered where Jane Yolen gets all of her picture book ideas? She’ll be on Tara’s blog November 13th to share!) Registration for PiBoIdMo runs until November 7th. By registering, you are eligible for really cool prizes, including agent critiques and feedback.

This is my third year participating in PiBoIdMo. Over time, it has turned into more than a month of creativity, but an online creative community through an active Facebook page.

Like NaNoWriMo, PiBoIdMo is a way to turn on the faucet of creativity without judging your ideas. It’s a time to go for it and see what pours out. It’s also a time to keep your eyes and ears open for ideas zinging around the universe and catching them on the sticky paper of your choosing. I sat down with a stack of index cards yesterday, my preferred PiBoIdMo sticky paper, and reflected on things I heard from my kids over the past week in preparation for Halloween. By the end of a 60 minute brainstorming session, I jotted down about eight ideas. Mind you some of them are absolutely, positively blech. But there were three in my pile that made me feel like I could turn them into something worthwhile in December.

So, if you are interested in writing picture books but aren’t really sure where or how to start, consider signing up for PiBoIdMo. Because getting inspired is always a good way to get started. If you write picture books, how do you capture ideas zinging around the universe? Is anyone doing PiBoIdMo and what do you think of it so far?

-- Kellie DuBay Gillis

NaNo Tracker Spreadsheet

NaNoWriMo has begun! How's everyone doing?

I created a tracking spreadsheet, and I shared it on my blog the other day, but I wanted to post it here in case anyone missed it. I think it has some pretty cool features, but I did make it myself, so it's possible that's just me patting myself on the back. Go me! ;)

I set it up to be easily changed with just a few minor adjustments. 

Depending on your schedule, you can select to write daily, Monday through Friday, or only on the weekends, and it will calculate what you need to write on those days to stay on track. You can also adjust the total goal for the month and it will recalculate the amounts based on that. And if you're using a WIP for NaNo instead of starting at zero, you can enter your starting word count and it will factor that into the totals for the month so you can just enter your WIP total each day. 

Plus, it's date driven, so it will highlight the day you should be on and it will let you know your goal for that day. It will also show you if you're on track to meet your monthly goal. :)

Here are some examples to give you an idea of what it will look like as you enter your word count throughout the month. Click the pics to enlarge.

Before you start . . .

About 1/4 of the way through . . .

Halfway point . . .

3/4 of the way there . . .

And you're a winner! :)

So how do you get a copy for yourself? 

You can download it here: http://sdrv.ms/190sFtU 

After you click on the link, you will likely get something like this :

Just click OK and then click the appropriate button to open the file.

Internet Explorer:

Firefox:

Chrome automatically downloads the file and displays it in the bottom left corner of your screen. Just click the button and it will open.

Once the file is open, you may need to enable editing. To do this, simply click the yellow Enable Editing button at the top of the spreadsheet. If you don't see this button, you don't need to do anything--you should be good to go.

Don't forget to save your file when you're done. :) Also, Skydrive automatically converts the file to the newest format (xlsx) when uploaded. If you want the 97-2003 format (xls), leave me your email address in the comments, and I'll send it directly to you. Just FYI, I don't have access to versions of Excel older than 2007, so I'm not sure how making the file 97-2003 compatible will affect the functionality.

The workbook and worksheet are protected to protect the structure and the formulas, but I added a password to this one because I put so much time into it. I'd like to keep my signature on it. I've been over it and tested it several times, but it's still possible I missed something. If you find any issues with it, please let me know and I'll make corrections.

If you want to share it, please do. I just ask that you use this link (http://sdrv.ms/190sFtU) and that you give me credit and link back to my blog.

PC Users: If your computer is telling you it can only be downloaded as read-only, you probably need to save it to your computer, close it, and reopen it before it will let you make changes. If all else fails, leave me your email in the comments and I'll send it directly to you.

Mac Users: Several Mac users have not been able to use the file, either because it won't download or because it's locked. If you can't get it to download, please leave me your email in the comments. I'm happy to send it directly to you. If it's opening in read only, try the instructions found here: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macoffice2011-macexcel/office-files-locked-for-editing-in-mixed/d838b0d7-6b26-4206-b310-029c73cf0ba6. If that doesn't work, let me know what it's doing, what type of error messages you're getting, and I'll try to figure it out.

Any questions, please leave them below.

So, who's participating this year? If you want to add me as a buddy, my profile is here. Or leave your username in the comments and I'll track you down.

Good luck, NaNo-ers! :)

The November Mystery Agent Contest starts NOW!

CONTEST CLOSED!! Thanks for pitching! :)

Okay, guys - the time has come! Our Mystery Agent contests starts right now! Are you ready to pitch?

One more time, here's what our MA is looking for:

- YA, NA, and Adult

-science fiction

-fantasy

-steampunk

-contemporary

-action/adventure 
-romance (YA and NA only)

Our MA is particularly interested in projects that are high-concept and those that explore self-identity and character growth.

 And here are the rules:

1) Your pitches must be the length of a Tweet: 140 characters or less. If your pitch is over 140 characters, you will be asked to resubmit! Before you submit your pitch, try copying and pasting it into a new Tweet just to make sure you haven't gone over. (You'll still submit here, though, not on Twitter - it's just a handy way to double-check!)

2) Entries must be for completed manuscripts. No unfinished drafts, please!

3) Entries must be left in the comments section of today's post (please don't email us your entries!). We'll close the contest once we've reached our limit.

4) You can only enter once today (only one project). If you participated or won previous MA contests, you can enter this one as well!

5) Please include NAME, CONTACT INFO, GENRE, and TITLE, followed by your one-line pitch.

6) The contest will close when we receive 50 entries.

7) Our MA will award one grand prize of a full manuscript request (query and synopsis included) and she will provide feedback. She will also award five honorable mentions, who will get to send their first 50 (query+synopsis included) and she will provide feedback. 

8) If the rules aren't followed, your entry will be disqualified.

Please format your comment like this:

Name: 

Email or twitter: 

Genre: 

Title: 

Pitch: 

GOOD LUCK!!