If I Speak True blog tour + #giveaways

Hi guys! It's here--it's finally here! If I Speak True was officially released on Monday, and I wanted to share it with all of you (plus, there's a couple of giveaways, including a DVD of Ever After at Kristalyn's, paperback/ebook giveaways and an Amazon gift card)! But first, the blurb:



Dahlia Kennedy's sixteenth birthday marks a decade of mysterious dahlias arriving and strange, lonely dreams of being in a forest. The only difference this birthday, however, is that for the first time, someone is there with her. And he's practically from a whole other era. The more often Dahlia visits Rowan in his land of Ambrosia, the stronger their connection grows. But... is Ambrosia real? Is he real? What is going on between the two of them, exactly, and why does he insist that she keep it to herself? As secrets usually go, however, it's only a matter of time before everything comes out. And when Dahlia finds out the truth of who Rowan is, who she is, and how he really feels -- it’s beyond anything she could have ever imagined. (Add to Goodreads | Purchase at Amazon)

And now, for the blog tour:

Blog Tour Schedule January 27^th – Kristalyn Thornock at The Sarcastic Palmtree (Release Day/DVD giveaway)
January 27^th – Cassandra at Cassandra Lost in Books (Release Day)
January 27^th – Meg at Book Groupies (Release Day)
January 28^th – Kaitlin at Reading is My Treasure (Review)
January 28^th – Lisa at Dizneeee's World of Books
January 29^th – Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer (Author Interview)
January 29^th – Cheyanne at Cheyanne Young (Author interview)
January 30^th – Eugenia at Chasm of Books (Author Interview and Review)
January 30^th – A. Kerr at Kerrific (Review)
January 31^st – Jenna (JL) at Avid Reader Musings (Writing Playlist)
January 31^st – Ella Johnson at Mymcbooks Blog (Spotlight/giveaway)
February 1^rd -- Eugenia at Chasm of Books (Shaver dream cast)
February 3^rd – Heather Rosdol at Buried in Books (Review)
February 3^rd – Rachel at The NerdHerd Reads (Dreamcast)
February 4^th – Penny at One Writer's Journey (Author Interview)
February 4^th – Dana at Dana Square (character interview)
February 5^th – Beverly at The Wormhole (Author interview and book promo spot)
February 5^th – Kaycee at My Crafty Zoo (Deleted scene and recipe)
February 6^th – Kimberly Lim at Kim's Reading Lounge (Review)
February 6^th – Dianne at Oops! I Read A Book Again (Review)
February 7^th – Janie Junebug at Women: We Shall Overcome (Guest Post)
February 7^th – Jodie at Books for Company (Lyrics written for If I Speak True)
February 7^th -- Colleen at Cici's Theories (Plant meanings and their correlations to the characters)


Thanks for sharing in my excitement, guys! :)



About the author: Jessica L. Brooks resides with her husband of over sixteen years, three awesome daughters, and a plethora of pets in Central California, where fog, frost, triple-digit heat and various items of produce arrive bountifully, depending on the season. She has an affinity for both coffee and owls, and loves to connect with fellow readers and writers on most social networks like Goodreads, Twitter and Pinterest. You can also connect with her on her blog, Let Me Tell You A Story. Jessica shares reviews for her favorite books on Afterglow Book Reviews, spreads writing and author love for independently-published authors at Indie Ignites, and salutes all writers (no matter what stage in their writerly journey) at Operation Awesome.

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To Blog Or Not To Blog

Over on my personal blog, Chasing The Crazies, I'm celebrating my two year blogaversary today! It's a bit overwhelming for me because when I first started blogging I thought there was no way anyone besides my family would actually read what I wrote. And honestly, that was okay. I approached my blog as more of a personal journal, rather than a format to spread my thoughts on writing and publishing as a whole.


But then a crazy thing happened. One day I got a new reader. And then a week later a few more. Slowly over the years my following reached a respectable number. And today, I'm eternally grateful to all those people who think enough of me to read my words three times a week.


I've had a lot of people ask me about blogging, and what do I personally get out of it?


Today, I want to share the triumphs and tragedies of actually having a blog. Hopefully, this information will help you consider whether or not you want to start a blog of your own.


1) Pick a topic. Any topic.


In order for your blog to be successful, in my opinion, it needs to have focus. If you're a writer, talk about craft. If you're a reader, perhaps share reviews. Whatever your passion is, use that as a source for your posts. Readers will follow you if you have a specific topic you focus on each and every week.




2) Commit


If you're going to have a blog, you have to commit to posting at least once a week. If someone is going to invest their time in following you, then they are going to want to see original content. If you're not going to do that, be honest about it on your blog. Tell the readers when you plan to post and let them decide if they want to follow.




3)  Respond


If a reader takes the time to ask a question, or leave a comment, respond in a timely manner. If that person has invested time in reading your post, you need to acknowledge that and thank them for reaching out. This simple act of courtesy will get them to return to your blog time and time again.




4) Always, Always, Always, Be Professional


A week ago on Twitter I saw a very high-caliber literary agent post that she wants to see social media contact info in query letters. This tells me that agents are starting to research what authors do and say, not only on Twitter, but on their personal websites and blogs. So remember even though you may want to unload on an agent who sent you a form rejection on a full, or curse out an author who wrote a book you didn't like - DON'T do it. Use your blog to showcase your personality and writing - not your bias.


Blogging is a huge time commitment, but I have made many contacts and grown as a writer because of it. Really think through if it is something you want to commit your time to. If you do, I say go for it! There are many people out their just itching to read something new and interesting from an aspiring writer!


Have questions about blogging? Share them with me in the comments!

Checking in: New Year's Resolutions?

TGIF, everyone! Is it really almost the end of January? I hope your 2014 so far hasn't been as breathless as mine!

My post today will be a short one: the complete draft of my WIP must be on my agent's hard drive by mid-February, and these last three chapters aren't going to write themselves! Though this is a self-set deadline, I am sticking to it as best I can. This project has been ongoing since the spring of 2012, and my main New Year's Resolution is to get it in fighting shape by May.

In publishing, after all, so much is out of our control, and it can be hard to set concrete goals. Though it's difficult to stop thinking about getting an agent, or getting a book deal, or selling x many copies by the end of the year, it's usually best to focus on the things that are within your power: finishing a chapter, nailing that revision, creating a kickass marketing plan. At least, it's certainly always helped me!

So this post is to check in with all of you. Where are you so far with your 2014 writing? And where do you hope to go?

Cut Out For This: A Tribute to My Hero

I like the success stories about men and women in their late seventies who sit down and write their first book, getting it published through careful planning and tenacity. 

I had a great English teacher who published her first novel in 1984 and then taught thousands of students how to write before she took up novel-writing again in the new century. When she finally finished her latest novel (really polished it), she spent a solid month working on her query letter and nabbed an agent in a week. From there, it sold quickly, as if she were an old pro at this getting published thing. 

In the meantime, she had overseen and edited the high school literary magazine for years, written countless recommendation letters to colleges and scholarship committees, proctored countless exams, and worn out countless red pens. She lived and breathed storytelling. I love that. 

Occasionally I look around me at the other mom-writers who somehow manage to squeeze more out of their time in the day than I do, that somehow manage to write GREAT fiction that I love to read and promote, and I think, Maybe I'm just not cut out for this.

That's when I think of Mrs. McDonnell. To be honest, I don't know how old Mrs. McDonnell was when she published her first book, or this more recent one. I was raised never to ask a woman's age. :) I just know that when it happened, I felt inspired. I realized that it's never too late, and that no amount of time spent breathing storytelling is wasted time.

So in tribute to Mrs. McDonnell, I'm highlighting her newest book, published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers first in 2008, then again in 2010.

Goodreads  Amazon

SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD ANNE ALWAYS thought her mother was kind of quirky. In fact, her mom’s taste in 70s-esque furniture and mysterious frequent business trips were just the tip of the quirky iceberg. When her mom doesn’t come home on time from one of her long jaunts, Anne isn’t too surprised. But when a day late turns into a few days late, Anne knows something is very wrong. 

She tries the hotel number that her mother left her, but it has been disconnected. Then a strange man keeps leaving messages on their answering machine, looking for a woman who doesn’t even live there. However, when Anne discovers a lengthy letter from her mother explaining why she has disappeared, the fabric of Anne’s relatively normal life is torn to pieces. Despite her shock, Anne must pull herself together and protect herself—from people who want to find and hurt her mother, and the strange new boy who may change everything.

Winner of Michelle's Giveaway

The winner of my Anniversary giveaway is Rachel Crisman!!! Congrats and happy reading!!

Copyright laws and writing: Not the best combination

Today we're going to talk about music and writing and being inspired and then not being able to share that inspiration because of the big C: copyright laws.

I know I'm not the only one who's ever been inspired by a song and written a scene around it, because I've seen writers galore over the past few years share their "writing playlists" and favorite songs and explain why this or that music lead them to write something that made a big difference to their story line. We, as creative beings, naturally find inspiration in music; in the rise and fall of our emotions as we go along for the lyrical ride and see the pictures in our mind's eye that the ride provides. Problem is, most of the time the very music that spurred us to new creative heights can never even be shared in our books, due to copyrights.*

First example: I've read a book on more than one occasion where a character referred to the classic Beatles birthday song as, "the Beatles birthday song" (I had to do this, myself, for If I Speak True). I'm going to be honest here. At first, I was annoyed. What the heck was "the Beatles birthday song"? Why not just share what they were talking about? But a little further into my writerly years, I figured it out. (Okay, actually, just recently, when my editor was like HEY YOU CAN'T SAY, they say it's your birthday -- that's copyrighted!**)

Example number two: The song everyone's sung about a thousand times before reaching adulthood? (Hint: The lyrics start like this: Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday to you...) That's copyrighted as well. Shocking, I know. And I guess there's a bit of a disagreement there. (Click here to read more about the song sisters Patty and Mildred Hill wrote in the late 1800's that's being challenged in Federal Court.)

So of course, with us being writers, we get all deep and try to find ways to refer to the song instead of flat-out quoting it, hoping our readers will understand. (Or is that just me?) But if we're wanting our books to be timeless (not all, of course are written to be so) and not easily dated, then there's got to be a better resolution to this problem.

My resolution was writing two songs myself, then clipping lines from them and throwing bits of those into the scenes.*** Will it resonate as well with the readers? I'm not sure, but I hope so.  

How about you? Have you written your own songs in order to include those little "moments" in the story line? Listed the title and let the reader go from there? Have you ever been pulled from a story because a song was mentioned? We'd love to hear about it in the comments.

* I was going to share a copyright photo or image here, but all of the ones I found appeared to be under copyright. (The big C was from Wikipedia Commons.)

** For a great explanation of what is usable and considered "fair use" book-wise, check out this post on Jane Friedman's blog, by Brad Frazer; and the Creative Commons website.

*** According to one website, the moment you have officially "recorded" a song, it's already copyrighted. You have every right to then go online and file for a copyright of it. Anybody want to sing a little ditty for me? ;)

What's Your Outlook for 2014?

Happy New Year! I love January. It means the start of a new year and fuels hope that the next 365 days will bring laughter, joy and hopefully the fulfillment of dreams  - both big and small.


I am not a resolution kind of girl. Rather, I like to make small goals that I strive for every couple of months. Last year I worked for my first publishing credit. Then I worked toward another. I wrote like crazy and queried my first novel.


While it was a frustrating (and nerve-wracking) process, I achieved my goal. No, I didn't get an agent, but I got great feedback from the writing community (and agents) and improved my craft way beyond my wildest dreams.


So what are my plans for 2014? Here is what I posted on Twitter...



My motto for 2014: Cheer on your friends' successes and stay positive. Have faith and know your time will come soon!


Notice I didn't write "get an agent" or "sell a book." While I think these are tremendous goals, I also think they add unnecessary stress to your life. Sure, these goals are what every writer hopes to achieve, but in many ways they are things that are out of our control.


You can write a great book, but maybe it's just not catching an agent's eye. Or perhaps the market is too inundated with the topic. That doesn't mean you didn't write something worth reading - it just isn't time.


Yes, getting an agent, selling a book would be awesome, and I will still work toward those things - but my goals are more focused now on things I can control:




- Improving my writing craft


- Continuing to build relationships in the writing community


- Providing more informative posts for writers on my personal blog




What about you? Do you make resolutions or create small goals for yourself? What do you hope to achieve in 2014? I would love to hear about it all in the comments!

Numerical Motivation 2014: Using Spreadsheets To Increase My Word Count

The Words Per Day 2014 spreadsheets are finally finished! :)

I incorporated some of the features from the NaNo Tracker and added a few new features to make them easier to set up and use.

All the setup is done in one sheet. I created three versions so you can set one annual goal, monthly goals, or set a daily goal for each month. Whatever works best for you. :) All versions can be used on either an every day, Monday through Friday, or weekends only schedule. Just enter an X in the box next to the schedule you prefer and clear the other boxes.

Click images to enlarge.

Annual Goal:

Monthly Goal:

Daily Goal:

I've also included a WIP Calculator. The titles can be entered at the top for easy tracking, then enter your daily total word count and it will calculate words written for that day.

On the monthly entry pages, it will pull in/calculate your selected writing schedule, daily goal, weekly goal, and monthly goal. You'll only need to enter your daily words in the green column. It will also highlight the current day.

The Stats sheet shows your progress over the year.

And all sheets contain links for easy navigation within the workbook. :)

To download:

1.  Click one of the links below.

Annual Goal
Monthly Goal
Daily Goal

2.  After you click on a link, you will get something like this :

Click File and then click Download.

3.  Open the file.

Chrome: Click the button in the bottom left corner of your screen.

Internet Explorer: Click Open on the bar at the bottom of the window.

Firefox: Click OK in the window that pops up.

Once the file is open, you might 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.

4.  Don't forget to save your file when you're done. :) Also, Google Drive doesn't like 97-2003 format (xls). If you want the 97-2003 format (xls), leave me your email address in the comments or email me by clicking the button under "Email Me" on the left, 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. Like the NaNo Tracker, I added a password to these ones because I put so much time into them. I'd like to keep my signature on them. I've been over them and tested them several times, but it's still possible I missed something. If you find any issues with them, please let me know and I'll make corrections.

If you want to share the files, please do. I just ask that you use the links below and that you give me credit, link back to my blog, and let me know in the comments or on Twitter @abbyannis. I'd love to check it out. :)

Annual Goal: http://bit.ly/1dnCTTv
Monthly Goal: http://bit.ly/1iGEDyA
Daily Goal: http://bit.ly/JVkB4c

Please note: 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 or click the email button on the left and I'll send it directly to you.

Mac Users: If you can't get it to download, please email me by clicking the button on the left or 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.

Happy writing! :)

Two Anniversaries, A New Release, and a Giveaway!!

January is a special writing month for me. It is the anniversary of two very big milestones in my career. On January 20, 2011, my very first book, Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers, was released from Career Press, making me a published author for the very first time.

Two years later, on January 21, 2013, another huge milestone - my very first novel, To Trust a Thief, was released from Entangled's Scandalous imprint.

And this year, yet another huge and wonderful milestone - the final book in my very first trilogy, A Bandit's Betrayed Heart (Blood Blade Sisters #3) will be released by Entangled's Scandalous imprint on January 13th.

Two anniversaries and a final installment release are just too much of a pile of wonderful to pass up without a celebration :) SO....how does a $20 gift card sound? :D Just fill out the form below and I'll announce the winner next Thursday :D

Derailing a Rewrite

After a crazy second half of 2013, I picked up my first book to continue with rewrites. I had a mostly-clear idea of what needed to change and why, and had already made a start on about 20 pages in a new opening. What's more, I was loving the new opening, and the freedoms that came with my main character's change in circumstances--turns out, moving down in Victorian society completely transformed her expectations. And my own!

So I was chugging happily along with my rewrites, and had nearly reached the point where these pages would mesh up with a section of text from the original version.

But then, it didn't.

I'd gone in a completely different direction, and now trying to get the two versions to meet was like trying to join the two sections of a transcontinental railroad and discovering they're different gauges of track. So I tried a different transitional scene, one that logic told me would lead to where I wanted it to.

No go--wrote myself right into a dead end. Time to step back and take stock of the-pages-that-be, as opposed to the-pages-that-were.

My plan is to do a completely new outline from scratch--without looking at the detailed one for the previous version. If a scene or plot point genuinely belongs, it'll come back to me. Hopefully.

And perhaps this strategy will let me see this version of the story more objectively, and let it develop its own voice organically. I've resigned myself that it may mean a complete and total rewrite, for the betterment of the book.

And that's the ultimate goal, isn't it? To keep growing and learning as a writer, to craft better books? (Yeah, ask me again in a month or so, when I'm kicking myself for doing things the hard way, hee hee.)

But I want to hear from you--have you ever ditched an entire manuscript to start over and survived to tell the tale?

Create Happiness

I've been reading both personal resolutions and writing goals, and I've decided to combine mine into a single guiding principle:

Create happiness.

Creating happiness means:

I will make the things that makes me happy. It may be a novel, a picture book, a short story, or a drawing -- if I am expressing something, that is enough.

I will make things to make others happy. Writing what I want does not mean I'm talking to myself. I can't guarantee that everything will be published -- no one can! -- but I'll think of what a reader or viewer would like and write for them. 

I will try to make other people happy. First is my family -- I won't let my goals and struggles get in the way. I will aim to make them happy, and I will also reach out more to others as well and grow the circle of the people in my life.

I will create happiness in myself. I can't make problems or sadness disappear but I will strive to appreciate the good that I have and live in the moments I have been given.


How much clearer it would be to post a word count goal! Reach it or fall short, words end up the page either way. But creating happiness is only a principle, and it's ambiguous by design. 

The worlds we write carry over into the real world, for ourselves and our readers. I aim to increase my creative output this year without shutting the door. Mine will not be a refuge or flight from real life, and I will not let writing be a struggle that wears me down. I hope to find flow, joy, and peace in the creative process and create greater happiness in myself and others.

About Kell Andrews:  Kell Andrews writes picture books and middle grade novels. Deadwood, her middle-grade contemporary fantasy about a cursed tree, comes out from Spencer Hill Middle Grade in June 2014. 

Rules Rules Blah-Humbug

Firstly, I'd like to wish everyone a peaceful holiday full of love, cheer, and sugar plums.

There are few times in the year when I'm not up to my eyeballs in work. It's usually refreshing for a day or two, then it becomes unnerving. I'm currently doing everything I can to hold off working on book 2 until the first of the new year so I can take full advantage of this OFF time. (I consider myself an obsessive binge writer...) So, I've been running around like a crazy woman with the release of DESCENDANT (which is going excellent by the way!), school closures for snow, my son's 13th birthday, last minute shopping, family traditions....

But let's get back to writing. While I do listen to a lot of audio books throughout the year, I tend not to read for pleasure while I'm writing or editing (lest I absorb someone else's style and lose track of my own). That said, being between projects, I have finally been able to read a few books for sheer entertainment! And you know what? I am reminded of a very important thing: THE WRITING RULES ARE NOT BEING FOLLOWED.

I know we all know this to some degree, but what rules/pet-peeves have you taken to heart strictly because they came from someone you respected ten years ago? Or because how-to books make it seem as though breaking rules is unprofessional and raises a "newbie flag" in the world of publication? (Please don't think I'm condoning first-draft writing as publishable.)

Head hopping used to drive me nuts. I'm starting to believe it's ONLY because I've always been called out on the slightest shift and it's annoying to see 'this' or 'that' book get away with it. But...I'm not a stupid reader and I can follow simultaneous PoVs without any trouble whatsoever. In fact, I'm starting to like it! I'm not saying everyone should do it, but if it makes for a stronger story and you can do it without being sloppy, go for it! Who am I to say you can't when so many published authors do it quite successfully?

I've always believed that writers are harder to please than readers—because writers KNOW what rules you're bending to suit a need. Most readers just want a great story and don't care how it happens.

So one of my writing resolutions for 2014 will be to trust my own judgment when it comes to rules, and to remember that the most captivating stories are not the best because they've been conformed, whittled, and slashed to fit into a suitable marketing box, but because they dare to have a life of their own with a certain magical spark of passion and creativity.

I leave you with this bit of editing (below)—as I found it both funny and sad. I wonder how many remarkable stories have been slaughtered in the editing process.

End of Year Wrapup

I've been purging closets and drawers lately, wanting to start the new year with an uncluttered and streamlined house. Much like when I'm rewriting, I find there are some "darlings" I'm holding onto  for inexplicable reasons. Maybe because so much time and effort went into their creation, or because I think I'll use it somewhere or somehow else, or I acquired it for some self that I wanted to be at the time.

So I'm going to create a "dump box," the equivalent of a "dump file." A dump file is where I put large sections of text that I think I might use elsewhere, but they certainly don't belong in this scene or chapter. Honestly, most of the time they quietly languish there, but every once in awhile I realize it was just in the wrong spot. Then I can recover it and put it in the right spot, without having to struggle to remember what I'd written.

The dump box will have items that I'm not quite ready to let go of, but putting them in the box will hopefully bring me some distance to decide if I really need it. After all, we have a fairly small house, and every item in it really has to earn its keep.

Hey--that's like writing too! Every word in a sentence has to contribute to the whole, as well as having its own weight. And here I was worried I wouldn't be able to tie housecleaning into writing for this post. ;)

Anyway, all the best wishes for you and yours and your writing from Operation Awesome! I'll leave you with a lovely winter scene from our snowfall a few weeks ago.

Making a connection: sympathizing with the characters

Recently, I was asked a question for my upcoming blog tour for the release of If I Speak True in January. It was: What do you think makes a well-written story? I kind of surprised myself when I didn't even have to think before giving my answer: well-written characters, tension, mystery, and humor.

Later, as I was thinking about my interview answers, I had to laugh. Apparently, a plot--of any kind--wasn't even on my list of necessities. I've found that I love to be in the characters' heads more than anything, which leads me to today's topic: How do you keep that happy medium of delving into your characters' heads enough that you readers connect with them, but not so much that they can't stand reading it?

I know some people have felt that Pity Isn't An Option is way too into Jonas and Hattie's heads, and I get it. Sometimes readers are in the mood for a story like that, and sometimes not. Sometimes they're in the mood to get to know characters and coast along on their journeys, other times they'd rather see a wide scheme of things played out before they reach the back cover.

So here's my question for you: How, as writers, do you attain this? I've often seen reviews where readers share their frustrations of feeling no connection to the main characters (or the opposite--they were tired of the characters and wanted more action), and I've wondered, Does the author's voice have anything to do with this? Is it a conflict of personalities (the reader's and the MCs) that makes this such a touchy experience? Or, Did the author simply miss the opportunity to get you to sympathize with the character/s by not helping you understand where they're emotionally coming from, first?

Enabling the reader to sympathize with the characters is, after all, part of writing a "well-written" book in the first place--something all of us writers are striving for. Below, I've listed a few books that really made me connect, sympathize and root for the characters. 

How about you? We'd love to hear about your own personal character connections in the comments!

Should You Comp?

In the last several months there have been a lot of online writing contests.  As submissions come in, participating judges sometimes comment on social media about the glaring errors they see in queries and first pages. In a recent contest, a judge questioned why more people were not using comps in their queries.


If you're new to writing and/or publishing you may ask, "what is a comp?" A comp is a competitive title already in the marketplace that could be considered similar to your book. Many writers want to stay away from using comps because they're afraid agents may think it is too similar to what is already in bookstores. This can be true, but there is a reason why agents like to see comps in queries. This is the reason: If they are considering the book, they need to think about how they are going to pitch it to an editor. They also need to know where your book would go on the shelves at the local bookstore. These are all things agents may consider when deciding whether or not a book might be right for their list.


Say you want to use a comp. How would you go about finding one? With one of my recent manuscripts I used keywords to search both the Goodreads and Barnes and Noble websites. Once I read the summary, if I thought the book was similar to my manuscript, I either bought it or borrowed it from the library. After reading, if I felt it was in the same vein as my title, I used it as a comp.


A few other things of note regarding comps:


1) It is NOT necessary to include them in your query, but it IS one more thing that you can use to intrigue an agent into reading more.


2) DO NOT use major bestsellers as comps. No matter how brilliant of a writer you are, you HAVE NOT just written the next HUNGER GAMES or DAVINCI CODE. Rather, you should use middle market titles that have sold well and that agents may recognize.


3) You CAN get creative. In the query for ORIGIN, author Jessica Khoury likened her story to  James Cameron's AVATAR meets Ally Condie's MATCHED. If you've read Jessica's book, you know this is a pretty dead-on comp.


Queries are a tricky thing, but if you can find a good comp title you might want to think about using it. It may just be the added highlight that makes an agent request more!

Mystery Editor Reveal + Winners!

Thank you so much to all who participated in the December Mystery Editor contest! And our Mystery Editor is...

Mandy Schoen from Swoon Romance!

Mandy Schoen is the managing editor of Swoon Romance. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, dog and books. When she's not reading or editing, she can usually be found hovering over her coffee pot, muttering nonsense until it gives her what she wants.

And the winners are:

THE WHITE LEHUA: full manuscript request, and a 10-page critique of this or any other work

LOOKING FOR ORION: full manuscript request

Congratulations to both of our winners! Please e-mail operationawesome6(at)gmail(dot)com for submission instructions, and include "December Mystery Editor winner" in the subject line.

And if you'd like to learn more about Mandy, check out our interview with her below:

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

The most common mistake I see in pitches is writers trying to cram the entire plot into the pitch, instead of focusing on the hook. A pitch, by design, is a few sentences designed to hook someone’s attention while conveying the basic concept, tone, voice, and genre. That’s a lot of work for a few sentences to do. Leave the details for the query.

2. What books have you read lately that you've fallen in love with (manuscripts you’re currently working with or others')?

I’m currently editing THE ACCIDENTAL SOCIALITE, which is a new adult novel about a girl who moves from small-town Canada to London on a whim to redefine herself, and accidentally becomes famous. It’s seriously the funniest thing I’ve ever read. Which makes sense, since the author, Stephanie Wahlstrom, is hysterical.

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

I’m seeing a lot of paranormal lately, and we’re sort of full up on that. On a smaller, semi-interesting side-note, I tend to see a lot of submissions with the same main character name come in at the same time. The last common MC name was Shelley.

I’m not looking for anything specific right now. I just want a love story that grabs me and won’t let go. How’s that for non-specific?

4. As a romance editor, what are some tropes you’re particularly drawn to? How about tropes that turn you off?

I love to see unique twists on familiar situations. I love “falling for the friend’s old brother” and “falling for the older brother’s friend.” I also love contemporary retellings of classic tales. One example is Stephanie Wardrop’s SNARK AND CIRCUMSTANCE series, which is a retelling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. We also just acquired a YA contemporary retelling of Rapunzel.

5. Any exciting news you can share?

Yes! We’re working on sequels to a few of our titles. One I can tell you about right now is the sequel to EFFORTLESS WITH YOU by Lizzy Charles, which has been one of our most popular young adult books. I’m so excited about this one!

6. And a few just for fun:

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee, definitely.

Sea or mountains?

Sea. I’m terrified of it, which I think is why I’m drawn to it. I’m not the most normal person ever.

Chocolate or bacon?

Um, there better never be a situation where I’d have to choose.

Ebook or print book?

Print. I buy a lot of ebooks, but there’s just something satisfying about holding a printed book.

Favorite tv show?

Right now? Probably The Big Bang Theory. Or The Mindy Project. Or Supernatural. Or…


Thank you so much to Mandy, and thank you all for participating in our final contest of 2013. Here's to many more success stories in 2014!

MOONFLOWER COVER REVEAL PLUS GIVEAWAY!

Coming Soon!  March 1, 2014. Clean Teen Publishing.

Natasha remembers little from her Russian childhood, other than the lingering nightmares of her mother's tragic death. So when someone close to her hands her a one-way ticket to Russia, along with the deed to her family farm, and then is brutally murdered, she has little confidence about what awaits her in that distant land.

With doubt and uncertainty, Natasha has no choice but to leave her life in America for an unknown future. Once overseas, the terrifying facts as to why she was really summoned home come to light.

Fact one: Monsters do exist.
Fact two: The only thing keeping those monsters out of the world is an ancient mural hidden below her family's farm.
Fact three: The mural that keeps the evil out of the world is falling apart.
The final fact: It's up to Natasha to restore it and save the world from a horror unlike anything seen before.

Luckily, Natasha isn't alone in her mission. Three Russian Knights are tasked with protecting her from the demons as she restores the mural. And leading the Knights is the handsome and strong Anatoly, who seems to be everything Natasha could hope for in a man. Unfortunately, there is one huge problem. Her Knights are forbidden from having relationships with the artists they protect, and Anatoly is a hardcore rule follower. But rules cannot stop the way she feels.

When a horrifying demon breaches the barrier and pulls Anatoly inside the mural, Natasha can’t help but charge, once again, into the unknown—this time to save the man she secretly loves. Now on the demons’ turf, she risks her own life to free the very one who is supposed to be protecting her. Little does she realize that if she should fail, it could mean the destruction of the very last barrier shielding mankind. Will Anatoly refuse Natasha’s help? Or will he finally realize, when love is at stake, the rules will be broken.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AT OPERATION AWESOME FOR YOUR 
CONTINUED SUPPORT! 

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A Singular Focus

Over the years I have become the queen of multitasking. The other night I did laundry, cooked dinner, and participated in a conference call all at once. I was exhausted afterward, but I got it all done.

For most people multitasking is a part of their life, and the only way they can get all the things on their "to do" list completed. I get that and appreciate it. I can juggle pretty well, but there is one aspect of my life where I cannot multi-task, and that is with my writing.

I know many writers who have three different manuscripts going at once. And the even more amazing thing is they are in different categories and genres! How they pull it off I don't know, and believe me I've tried.

Earlier this summer I started querying my Young Adult Thriller and it came back with some requests for rewrites. Only problem was I'd already started my YA Historical Romance. I was in a groove with the YAHR, but I needed to work on the Thriller. For weeks, I tried to vacillate between both and guess what happened? They both started to suffer. In fact, I started switching the MCs names in the manuscripts. LOL! Not good.

While I applaud all those who can jump from one idea to another, it's not a skill I possess. For me there has to be one singular focus.  Oh, my mind may wander to that other idea calling to me from somewhere on my hard drive, but I have to push it away. 

The good thing about all this is that when one manuscript is finished, I know I have another one ready to go. And if a fluffy, new idea pops up as I'm working on the next thing? I file it away and wait patiently. I've learned my lesson - one thing at a time. It will all get done, it just may take me a looong time.

How about you? Can you work on several different projects at once? Or are you like me and must have a singular focus? Would love to hear about it in the comments!

December Mystery Editor Contest

Welcome to our last contest of 2013 - the December Mystery Editor contest! Yes, you read that right - Mystery Editor! Are your pitches ready to go? Today we are looking for your one-line pitch, plus the first 250 words of your manuscript.

Our Mystery Editor is seeking:

•  YA contemporary romance 
• NA contemporary romance 
• and adult contemporary romance

and is not currently seeking YA paranormal.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive a 10-page critique, and our ME will request at least two full manuscripts for consideration. 

And here are the rules:

1) Again, you must submit a one-line pitch, along with the first 250 words of your manuscript. (If 250 cuts you off mid-sentence, you may finish that sentence, though.) If your pitch exceeds one line, you will be asked to resubmit.
* Make sure your pitch is not several sentences stuck together with commas instead of periods!

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) 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!!