Operation Awesome #20Questions in #2020 of #NewBook Debut Author Samantha Vitale

The Lady Alchemist by Samantha Vitale

1- What is your favorite coffee?

When I make my own coffee at home, it is always Starbucks Pike Place coffee, made with a French press. (I used to work at Starbucks, and now that's the only kind of coffee I like. Whoops.) When I buy coffee from a coffee shop, I almost always get a redeye. A redeye is brewed coffee with a shot of espresso - it's very strong, very smooth, very dark. Perfect with a dash of cream.

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

Do your best every day. Be kind to yourself and to your first draft.

3- What is the best piece of writing advice you've received?

So I've been asked this question a lot, and my answer changes almost every time. I tend to answer the question with the piece of writing advice that's best for me at the time.
And today, the best piece of writing advice I've received is from one of Chuck Wendig's most recent blog posts about writing during the pandemic. His advice: the goal is simply to move forward.
Writing right now is ... slower. I have to fight for the words one by one. It is frustrating, and it's hard not to get discouraged. But Chuck is absolutely right. The goal is not to move forward as quickly as I used to; the goal is simply to move forward. That's comforting. (His blog is excellent, by the way.)

4- Rumpelstiltskin! Does that word appear in your fantastic retelling?

It actually doesn't! I changed a LOT of things about the original story, and one of the things that went out the door was the name.

5- Would you share a picture with us of your book on your bookshelves?

Due to the pandemic, my author copies have been delayed. I haven't held my book yet! I have, however, flexed my photoshop skills, so I'll share some photoshopped pictures with you.

6- Greed, lies, and making promises you can't keep are all frowned upon by the original fairytale. How could those lessons improve our real world today?

In times like this, it's very clear that selflessness, truthfulness, and follow-through are very important qualities we want from our leadership. And on a person-to-person level, it's more important than ever to be selfless. To take what we need, and leave the rest for someone else. The lesson today is the same as it's always been, I think. Think of others first. Be honorable. Be kind. Help where you can.

7- What's your favorite book to movie adaptation?

The Princess Bride. Always.


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

Bookstagram is where I'm the most active on social media, so I have lots of favorites! Some of my absolute faves are
https://instagram.com/elizabeth_sagan
https://instagram.com/br.enda
https://instagram.com/tomesandtextiles
https://instagram.com/b00kdragon
https://instagram.com/bookstolivby


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

I get the most excited about books with premises that jump out at me. (Recent books I'm excited about that have amazing premises: The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin, Fireborne by Rosaria Munda, The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates...) I also get really excited when fantasy books are placed outside the sort of "stock" fantasy setting. (Like Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes series, S. A. Chakraborty's Daevabad series, or the Winternight series by Katherine Arden.) I just love knowing that, whatever the story does, it's going to do it differently or take me somewhere new.


10- It's our tenth anniversary! How far has your writing come in the past ten years and where do you see your writing career ten years from now?

Ten years ago, I was not writing. I was in the middle of a really difficult period in my life, and I was basically in survival mode. I've been writing for about seven years now, and I've come so far - partly from constant writing practice, and partly because I've become an obsessive reader.
Ten years from now, I hope I write more confidently and judge my first drafts less. I hope to have several more published books under my belt (fingers crossed)! Maybe I am dreaming small, but my goal isn't to become a full-time writer or a bestseller. My goal is to write steadily, and to produce stories that could only have been written by me. Stories that are my own particular brand of weird.

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

Author name: Maggie Stiefvater @mstiefvater
Title: The Scorpio Races
Love because: I love Maggie's writing, because she is amazing at creating characters that are just... real. Puck Connolly and Sean Kendrick are two of my favorite characters. They're fiery and strong and pure and sweet. They know what they want, and they're stubborn enough to go after it no matter what. I love them more than I love most things. Plus, man-eating horses.


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

Books have always been my escape. This may not be what every author would want, but I want my readers to feel safe while they read my book, because that's what I've needed so many times when I turned to a book. I want them to be confident that I want the best for my characters and for the story as a whole. I want them to know that, at least in this book, everything happens for a reason.

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

The Lady Alchemist is largely about finding and accepting yourself. The main character, who comes from a background of physical and emotional abuse, struggles with accepting herself and rejecting the criticisms that have been hurled at her for her entire life. Recovering from abuse, especially when you've internalized so much of it, is not instantaneous. It is a long journey, and often it feels like a solitary one. I hope that if anyone who reads this book is in a similar situation, they will feel less alone. I hope the book will help them know they aren't the only one who struggles with internalized abuse long after they're out of the abusive situation. They aren't a failure. They will get better. They're doing their best, and that is enough.

14- What is the best writing tool, program, or reference book you've ever bought?

I've bought several books about writing, and the one I found the most encouraging was Stephen King's On Writing. This book offers excellent advice, but the thing that stuck with me was the encouragement it offers. It's a book that says, "Go for it!" As a person who tends to overthink things, that encouragement is necessary sometimes.


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

My protagonist has severe dyslexia (termed "word blindness" in the book to avoid anachronism). The love interest is a person of color, as are several other named characters.

16- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

I don't think anyone else can compare to the sheer entertainment value that Paperfury (C. G. Drews) provides in her book reviews. She's so energetic and relatable, and I loved her most recent book, The Boy Who Steals Houses.

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

I don't remember much conscious thought going into this decision. For me, traditional publishing was always the dream, so that's what I did.

18- Which author, past or present, do you feel most resembles your work?

Oof. This question is impossible to answer, because I don't feel worthy of comparing myself to any of my heroes. I will say that I aspire to write books like Naomi Novik's and Brandon Sanderson's.

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

Are you an alchemist or a magician?

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

My Super Official Bio:

Samantha Vitale has an insatiable hunger for two things: big challenges and amazing stories. When not working at her highly technical day job, she can be found devouring books or writing new ones of her own. She lives in Virginia with her husband and their two small humans.

The book blurb:

In a land torn between magic and alchemy, Sepha is an exceptional alchemist, able to bend the rules in ways no one else can. But when a slip of the tongue lands her in prison with a mountain of straw, even she has to admit that she can't transmute straw into gold.
With the threat of a death sentence hanging over her, she's forced to make a deal with a conniving magician. Sepha escapes with her life - but at a cost: she has one year to alchemically create a body for the magician, or else her firstborn child will be his.
As Sepha's deadline approaches, she uncovers a deadly secret. How can she save her country when the body she owes the magician will be used to destroy it?

Website: https://www.sdvitale.com/
And I'm on IG, Twitter, and Tumblr as SDVitale.


The Lady Alchemist by Samantha Vitale

Welcome to the OA Team, Suzanna!

Suzanna Anderson earned a BFA in creative writing from Bowling Green State University in 2012. She has been writing for 26 years with a dream to publish books.

She currently edits The Magnolia Review (two issues a year), a literary magazine she started in 2014. She has participated in National Novel Writing Month since 2009, and she has volunteered as a Co-Municipal Liaison since 2014 in various regions (Black Swamp, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; and Hampton Roads, Virginia).

Suzanna has published poetry with Poetry Pacific, Myth + Magic, Bukowski Erasure Poetry Anthology, Bukowski On Wry, Four and Twenty, and Heavy Hands Ink. Whatever Keeps the Lights On published her short story “The Future of Food Service.”

At Bowling Green State University, Suzanna worked as copy editor, design intern, and copy chief at The BG News. She interned at Mid-American Review, she worked on the literary magazine Prairie Margins as editor-in-chief (2011-2012), and she served as Editor Emeritus to explore the history of Prairie Margins and its origins as Inkstone (2012-2013).

She is a contributor to The Letter Project and The Odd Ducks online. Suzanna’s book reviews are available on Amazon, Goodreads, and The Magnolia Review. 

Currently Suzanna is working on her first graphic novel. She is studying to become an art therapist and continues to write stories and poetry. She leads the weekly writing group in Norfolk, VA, called Hampton Roads Quill-Drivers. Suzanna looks forward to publishing her books and continuing her writing journey.

Find Suzanna at her website, https://suzannaanderson.com/, Twitter https://twitter.com/slawriter89, Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/slawriter89anderson/, and Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/slawriter89/.

First Page Critique - Adult Fantasy

*Answers to the first lines from last week will be posted next Monday.  Thanks for your patience.

We received a First Page Critique entry.  In other words, a brave soul needs our help! It's up to all of us [including YOU] to provide that help.  Please offer your thoughts in the comments section.

Reminder: Be nice, but be honest. [Comments that are not polite/respectful will be deleted.] What would YOU like to know if this was YOUR first page? Do you think it has a good opening line? Does it have a hook? Does it pull you into the story? Do you want to read more? Why or why not? Be specific, so your critique helps the person who wrote the entry.

Category/Genre – Adult Fantasy

I have four months, three weeks, and two days left to live. That’s 145 days more than the poor bastard lying on my clinic table. His legs have been crushed under the carriage wheels. The yellow pus reeks like overripe cheese. A scraggly beard marks him more a boy than a man. Thanks to some quack letting the leeches feed on him, he’s as pale as undercooked dough. My Gift tells me he has minutes left. I need a smoke or a stiff drink. Not both: I learned from bitter experience on my knees in the outhouse that redleaf and alcohol do not mix.

Coughing, I tap the doctor on the shoulder. “Allow me. Nothing but the Sun God will save him now.”

“Excuse me, I’m—” The doctor freezes. “Holy Maiden Ysabel!” Babbling about the honor, he steps out of my way. I reach toward the patient’s feverish forehead.

The door of my clinic crashes open, sending me leaping backward. Armored men pour in. Unfortunately, they wear the yellow coats and black pants of the Head Cardinal’s guard. Cardinal Jiang stalks in after them, gemstones rattling on his coat and pantaloons. He takes his silver cane everywhere, despite having no leg injuries. I hate him with every fiber of my being.

“Noble Jiang, how kind of the Sun God to send you to my doorstep.” I’m sorry for making You bear the blame, God. “If you will give me a moment to finish—”

Dear O'Abby: Should I use a pen name?

Dear O'Abby,

I'm getting ready to start querying my novel, and I was wondering if I should use a pen name.  I'm a pretty private person, and while I don't have anything in particular to hide, I can't help feeling that I'd feel safer and happier about putting my work out there under a different name.

Do you have any advice?

Yours,

Nameless

Dear Nameless,

There are any number of reasons why someone might choose to use a pen name and protecting your privacy is as good a reason as any other.  I mean, you probably don't want Janet in accounts knowing that steamy romance she's been reading in the break room was written by yours truly, right?

Or maybe you're writing police procedurals and your main character is pretty scathing about the inefficiencies and injustices she sees daily in her own department.  And your day job just happens to be as a cop.  Probably don't want your boss to know you're airing the department's dirty laundry to the reading public.

Or perhaps you've been writing non-fiction for years and are something of an expert in your field.  But this is fiction and written to appeal to a completely different audience than the non-fiction you're known for.  By all means, use a pseudonym.

I use one myself because I write primarily YA, but I do, on occasion, write and publish other genres, including (once or twice) erotica.  I don't want my YA readers to accidentally stumble on one of those saucy zombie sex romps, so when writing that type of stuff, I publish it under a pen name.

So yes.  Use a pseudonym if it makes you more comfortable.

Just remember there are downsides too.

One you're published, promoting your book becomes that much harder if you're using a nom de plume.  You can't reach out easily to the people you already know and ask them to help with the promotion.  You can't use your already existing social media networks.  You can't easily organize in-person events (although, in this new COVID-19 world, the concept of in-person events feels somewhat far-fetched).

So think hard about going down this route.  If you've been carefully cultivating a social media following or engaging thoughtfully with the reading and writing communities throughout your writing journey, choosing to use a pen name now may lose you all the ground you've built.  You'll be starting a brand from scratch.

If you are an expert on a subject, or have real-life experience in the area you're writing about (for example, the cop mentioned above), by using a pen name, you're losing the ability to use that real-life experience as part of your pitch as to why people will want to read this book.  People value authenticity, and being able to say in your author bio that you've spent 25 years working in a specific city's police department gives cachet to whatever you're writing about police procedure and practice.  But if that city's police department has no record of someone by that name working there, you could be called a fraud by claiming that bio.

There is also the legal aspect to think about.  When you publish, do you want the copyright record to be under your legal name or the pen name?  At the querying stage, you will want to let the agent know both your pen name and your legal name as all contracting and payment will need to be to the legal name.

My advice would be to think carefully about your reasons for wanting to use a pen name.  If they are more compelling than any of the potential downsides, then go ahead.  If not, I would seriously consider using your real name.  It's just so much easier!

X O'Abby

Operation Awesome #20Questions in #2020 of #NewBook Debut Author Dallas Woodburn

The Best Week That Never Happened by Dallas Woodburn

1- The Best Week That Never Happened is your YA debut. Would you tell us a little about the other short-story books you have for sale?

Yes! Woman, Running Late, in a Dress is a collection of linked short stories, which means the characters all exist in the same world and main characters in one story pop up later in the book as minor characters in other stories, so in a way you get to follow a whole cast of characters through the course of a decade. 3 a.m. is a collection of YA short stories that I actually wrote when I was a teenager myself!

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

With this novel, the final pages were an utter mystery to me until I wrote them. I learned not to force the ending. Give the book freedom to surprise you.

3- What is the best piece of writing advice you've received?

Elizabeth Berg once told me this advice when I met her at a writers conference, and I now have it on a post-it note on my bulletin board: “First, please yourself.” Yes, it is important to get feedback from others along the way, to help you make your writing project the very best it can be—but at the heart of everything, I believe you must stay true to your own voice and vision. Take joy in the journey of writing, not only the final stop of The End.

4- Is there an "origin story" behind the name Dallas?

Yes, Dallas is my paternal grandfather’s middle name. Way back in our family’s lineage, it used to be a last name. I have always loved my name as a visceral connection to my ancestors.
Hey, me too! Shoutout to my Lenni-Lenape people.


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



6- Are there any similarities between your book and the movie "50 First Dates"?

I love that movie! I’ve actually never thought about it being similar to my book before now. My book is also a romance set in Hawaii, and my main character Tegan does experience memory loss. But I would say the tone of my book is more serious and mysterious than 50 First Dates.

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

My Twitter handle is @DallasWoodburn . I’d love to shout out to Sam @_boo_radley , Nora @norawritesbooks , and Liz @LzLwsn .

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

So many! It’s tough to choose just one! I am obsessed with Danielle’s pretty photos & insightful comments books @bookishrhetor .

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

It is always a treat to dive into a new book! The title, the book description and, I’m not gonna lie, the cover are three big things that draw me in. Usually, I get hooked within the first couple chapters and stay up far too late reading. My latest read was Woven in Moonlight by @IsabelWriter09 (talk about a gorgeous cover!)


10- It's our tenth anniversary! How far has your writing come in the past ten years and where do you see your writing career ten years from now?

Congrats – that’s a big anniversary! Ten years ago I was in the MFA program at Purdue University, honing my craft and finding my voice and wondering if I would ever publish a book. I am so proud of where I have come since then! Ten years from now, I hope to have many more books out in the world and significantly more daily writing time since my 17-month-old daughter will be at school most of the day!

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

Author name: Laura Sibson @LauraSibson
Love because:I adore her debut novel The Art of Breaking Things! It is such a beautifully told, raw, powerful story that will rip your heart wide open.


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

I hope my book will give the reader #allthefeels—joy, sadness, excitement, worry, anger and love. I hope they get to sink into the story and escape the anxieties of the current world for a little while. And I hope they feel that wonderful bittersweet sense of anticipation, eager to find out what happens next, but also never wanting the book to end!

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

I hope my book inspires the reader to reflect on their own life and the choices they have made, and truly think about what is most important to them. A major theme of my book is taking action even if you are afraid, and I would be so happy if Kai & Tegan’s story inspired readers to be a little bit braver in their own lives and go after the deep desires of their hearts.

14- What is the best writing tool, program, or reference book you've ever bought?

I return again and again to the book Still Writing by Dani Shapiro @danijshapiro . I can turn to any chapter and find inspiration to continue on the creative journey!


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

Nicola Yoon @NicolaYoon is one of my favorite authors. I especially adore her nuanced, complex, multifaceted characters, and the way her love stories have high stakes. In The Sun is Also a Star we meet Natasha, a science-loving girl whose family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica, and Daniel, who has always been “the good son” and “the good student,” pushing aside his own dreams to please his parents. When Natasha and Daniel’s paths collide on a crowded street in New York City, we get to experience their quickly unfolding romance over the course of a single day through their alternating perspectives. Every time I read this book, even though I now know how it ends, I cry the best kind of happy tears when I get to the final page.


16- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

I love A Court of Coffee & Books @acocoffeenbooks ! Stacy has a way of getting down to the core of books that really resonates with me.

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

My agent submitted my book to a variety of publishers, and Month9Books was the first publisher to get back to us with an offer. The first time I spoke with the founder, Georgia McBride @Georgia_McBride , on the phone, I felt an immediate connection. I could tell that she really loved and “got” my book, and I was impressed by her intimate knowledge of the publishing industry and the way she made me feel so welcomed. Working with her over the editorial process made my book much better than it would have been otherwise! I am very grateful.

18- Which author, past or present, do you feel most resembles your work?

I think The Best Week That Never Happened is in a similar vein to The Love That Split The World by Emily Henry @EmilyHenryWrite – I love her complex characters, dazzling emotion and romance, and the way she weaves magic and mystery through her stories so it seems like anything might happen. I hope readers feel the same about my book!


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

What was the best week of your life and why?

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

Blurb:

After her parents’ bitter divorce, family vacations to the Big Island in Hawaii ceased. But across the miles, eighteen-year-old Tegan Rossi remains connected to local Kai Kapule, her best friend from childhood. Now, Tegan finds herself alone and confused about how she got to the Big Island. With no wallet, no cell phone, purse, or plane ticket, Tegan struggles to piece together what happened. She must have come to surprise-visit Kai. Right?

As the teens grow even closer, Tegan pushes aside her worries and gets swept away in the vacation of her dreams. But each morning, Tegan startles awake from nightmares that become more difficult to ignore. Something is eerily amiss. Why is there a strange gap in her memory? Why can’t she reach her parents or friends from home? And what’s with the mysterious hourglass tattoo over her heart?

Kai promises to help Tegan figure out what is going on. But the answers they find only lead to more questions. As the week unfolds, Tegan will experience the magic of first love, the hope of second chances, and the bittersweet joy and grief of being human.

“This debut novel is captivating and moving. A dazzling, emotional story of love, loss, and living in the moment.”—Kirkus Reviews

Bio:

Dallas Woodburn is the author of the YA novel The Best Week That Never Happened and the linked short story collection Woman, Running Late, in a Dress. A former John Steinbeck Fellow in Creative Writing and a current San Francisco Writers Grotto Fellow, her work has been honored with the Cypress & Pine Short Fiction Award, the international Glass Woman Prize, second place in the American Fiction Prize, and four Pushcart Prize nominations. She is also the host of the popular book-lovers podcast Overflowing Bookshelves and founder of the organization Write On! Books that empowers youth through reading and writing endeavors. Dallas lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.

Website: http://dallaswoodburnauthor.com
Overflowing Bookshelves Podcast: http://anchor.fm/dallas-woodburn
Instagram: http://instagram.com/DallasWoodburnAuthor
Facebook: http://facebook.com/DallasWoodburnAuthor
Twitter:@DallasWoodburn


The Best Week That Never Happened by Dallas Woodburn

Writing Playlists

Music. It expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.

Victor Hugo said that. It's kinda funny that his major works would go on to become these huge famous musicals, and even more so when you consider that the original texts were like 1000 pages long.

I'm the kind of person who needs background noise, no matter what I'm doing. Driving? Radio's on. Lab work? Listening to a podcast. Trying to sleep? Got my white noise machine. So, when I'm writing, it's the same thing - I need something in the background. And that something is music.

When I work on a new manuscript, the first draft is usually accompanied by ambient music, like movie soundtracks or video game music. (Skyrim and The Lord of the Rings are particularly good at this stage.) Once I have a good sense of the tone of the manuscript and the overall feel, I absolutely have to put together a playlist. It's impossible for me to focus without that specific list of songs organized in a very precise manner. I can't say what it is - maybe I just hate silence.

Usually, I have one or two songs in mind that really speak to the manuscript. I start by adding those to a new Spotify playlist, and then I try to branch out to similar songs. I give the playlist ebb and flow - as much as I'd love to fill an entire playlist with total bangers, that's more likely to distract me than inspire me - and see where it takes me. Sometimes it's easy, with the songs popping into my head, and other times it's a half-day project. However long it takes me, I always end up with a playlist that's at least an hour long, filled with music that is this manuscript.

For example, GIRLS BREAK THINGS is a lot of female-fronted heavy metal (since it's a manuscript about badass girls and combat robots, badum-tss), while my new fantasy manuscript is more Love Never Dies meets Billie Eilish. Some of my writer friends absolutely cannot write to music with lyrics, and others have to have that pop ballad. Whatever your jam, writing to a playlist that accompanies your manuscript can be a great way to get inspired. Check out one of my playlists below!


Do you have a writing playlist? What's in it? Drop a link in the comments!

First Page Critique!

Our next Pass or Pages Query Contest will be accepting applications in exactly one month.  Yay!  Something other than a pandemic to think about!

Are you hoping to submit your query and first page?

No, we haven't revealed the genre yet, but if you're hopeful that your WiP will qualify, why not submit your First 50/100/250 for critique?  We started this last year and then took a break.  Let's start again and see if any of you are ready for eyeballs on the first page of your manuscript.

We are accepting entries this week!  Category – Anything.

If you want to submit your First 50/100/250 for critique [no more than the first page], here's the entrance requirements: (1) send us no more than one page [no query, just the first page], (2) it must be your first page, and (3) you must have commented on at least two posts on the OA blog in the past year.  Send us an email formatted as follows:

[Subject:] First Page Critique – [insert category and genre, for example Adult Romance or YA Fantasy or whatever]

The following 50/100/250 [however much you sent] words are my own work and I give OA permission to post it on the OA blog for the life of the blog.

I commented on OA posts on DATE and DATE as [your online ID].

My submission:

[Copy/paste your submission here.]

Entry period opens now and closes at the end of the day on Friday May 15, 2020. All entries will receive a confirmation email from us by Sunday May 17, 2020 that acknowledges receipt of your entry and, if you've complied with all requirements, lets you know what date it will be included on the blog for critique. If you do NOT receive a confirming email by Monday May 18, 2020, send us a DM on Twitter and we'll give you alternative instructions for sending us your entry.

We don't have any entries to critique for this week, so let's have some fun and guess the book titles of the following famous first lines.  To keep it fun for everyone, only post ONE book title answer, to leave the rest for others to guess.  That way more people can play.  And, NO GOOGLING!

1. Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.
2. 124 was spiteful.
3. The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.
4. I had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story.
5. There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.
6. In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
7. You better not never tell nobody but God.
8. In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains.
9. Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small, unregarded yellow sun.
10. This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.

Remember, only post your guess for ONE of the above first lines.

Have fun!

Dear O'Abby: My agent says the real-life truth in my book isn't believable

Dear O’Abby,

I’ve just had a weird response from my agent.  At least, I think it’s weird, which is why I’m coming to you.  My new book was inspired by a lecture I went to and a specific situation the speaker mentioned in her talk.  The entire plot sprang from this single, real-life story she told about her personal experience.

My agent loves the new book, but isn’t convinced that readers will believe a certain part of the story – the part that was inspired by this woman’s lecture.

What do I do in this situation?  My agent has asked me to do a rewrite where I take this element out, but I’m not sure I want to do that, given this is where the story started and is kind of the point of the whole book.

Do you have any advice?

Truly,

Bemused

Dear Bemused,

Unfortunately I understand where you’re coming from all too well.  The same thing happened to me when I wrote Stumped.  When I was querying, agents kept telling me how much they loved the voice and the characters and the themes, but they weren’t convinced about one thing a character did. Which was the one thing I’d taken directly from a real-life situation.  And then, after I was agented, my agent brought up the same thing.  Yet I still resisted. 

Until I didn’t.

And you know what?  The book got better.  My protagonist had more agency over his destiny and the change opened up new possibilities for where he could go.

I do still miss that part of the story because I feel like I lost one of the things I was trying to say with the book, but maybe that book wasn’t the place to try and say it.

So my suggestion is, try to make the change.  If you hate the result, you still have the original sitting there (please don’t save over your other draft – I’ve done that and while it’s possible to get the old draft back, it’s not worth the panic and self-flagellation when you realize what you’ve done).  You might be surprised by how much more potential your story and characters can have without that element.

Even if something did happen in real life, sometimes it just won’t work in the context of a book.  There’s a reason they say truth is stranger than fiction.  Or it could be, it’s just this book where it doesn’t work.  Perhaps you’ve created such compelling, realistic characters that whatever your plot point is, doesn’t ring true with them.  Try something else now you know these characters better than you did when you started writing.  You might be surprised by how they react…

And remember, even if that one element is now out of your book, it still sparked the idea that led you to write it.

Hope this helps!

X O’Abby

Operation Awesome #20Questions in #2020 of #NewBook Debut Author Ruby Walker

Advice I Ignored: Stories and Wisdom from a Formerly Depressed Teenager by Ruby Walker

1- There are reports that depression is on the rise due to the pandemic. Do you have any tips for teens in need right now, especially the ones lacking healthcare?

Cut yourself a ton of slack. All the slack. Don’t feel like you’re a failure for not being productive or happy in the midst of a pandemic. The amount of psychological stress you are under right now is huge.

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

Write a first draft with paper and pen. Don’t cross out any words, don’t edit as you go.

3- What is the best piece of writing advice you've received?

“If it’s boring to write, it’ll be boring to read.” Now I always try to make things fun for me - if that means finding a clever way to skip a scene or using some metaphor instead, I do that!

4- How can young people best deal with older people who say it's not okay to be your best self or true self, that you're supposed to be who they expect you to be because of religion or because they didn't have choices back in their day?

Sometimes you have to separate your world from their world. And just play along with what they say, but don’t let it affect you inside.

5- Would you share a picture with us of your book with something that makes you smile?



6- What is your favorite Pinterest board?

My favorite Pinterest board is probably my poetry board. I love collecting little scraps of beautiful words. pinterest.com/aviatoir/poetry

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

My twitter handle is @rubyirl ! I post a lot of art!

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

Yeah! @rubykatewalker I’m sort of currently locked out of my instagram account, because I can’t remember my password, but if you follow me I’ll get on eventually and post lots of art! Haha.

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

I’m gonna be honest, I am a simple girl of simple tastes. Any scrap of LGBT representation makes me go at a book like a rabid raccoon. Also, I get a lot of book recommendations from the radio shows I listen to!

10- It's our tenth anniversary! How far has your writing come in the past ten years and where do you see your writing career ten years from now?

Well- Ten years ago I was nine. And I wrote a play line in a play that went like this:

SAM: [walking into the room] Hey guys, what’s- OUCH! MY NOSE PIERCING!

So I think my writing peaked right then and it’s been all downhill from there, really.

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

Author name: Malinda Lo @malindalo
Title: Ash
Love because: This book is a beautiful, surreal lesbian retelling of the Cinderella fairytale. It’s absorbing and it made me cry. ‘Nough said!


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

I hope my book makes readers feel seen, somewhat? I hope people are able to read all the embarrassing and exposing stuff I wrote down and think, “Man, I’ve felt like that before, but I didn’t think anyone else did.”

I’ve had moments like that with my friends- this year I found out that when we were 15, my best friend and I would both lie face down on the floor and listen to the Neighbourhood while dissociating. We never talked about it at the time. But all these years later, it turns out we were doing the same thing at basically the same time. I felt so understood when we figured out we were the same. I guess I want my book to create that kind of closeness.

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

I’ve cried a lot reading reviews or hearing from friends that my book helped them. Like, they thought of it and they decided to care for themselves a little more in some small way. If my book keeps helping people, even a little, it’ll have been worth all the work and tears I put into it.

14- What is the best writing tool, program, or reference book you've ever bought?

I love darkroom! It’s a desktop application that basically removes every single feature from word processing. It’s just green text on a black screen. That helps me focus when I’m trying to write and I can’t help getting distracted.

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

I’m a lesbian! I didn’t make that the focus of the book, it’s just a fact about me and something that informs the way I view the world. I wrote about getting my first crush on a girl, and all the tough emotions that came with that, not just because I was gay, but because I was a very emotionally intense twelve year old.

16- Who is your favorite book review blogger?



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

I went self-published because I was impatient, honestly. I finished my book when I was 18 and I didn’t want to wait to give it to people. Plus, I got to control all the design decisions, which was nice for me, as a visual artist as well as a writer.

18- Which author, past or present, do you feel most resembles your work?

I feel like I’d be flattering myself too much to compare myself to any of my heroes, really. But an author that I really admire is Jandy Nelson. I think reading the way her voice blends reality with art and daydreams in I’ll Give You The Sun changed the way I write.

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

What’s a piece of advice you ignored at first, but later turned out to be very helpful?

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

I hope you and your families are staying safe and in good health during this crisis. All my love to you.



Advice I Ignored: Stories and Wisdom from a Formerly Depressed Teenager by Ruby Walker

National Mental Health Awareness Month - What We Can Do as Writers

Last time I checked (and maybe it's been a while), I was human. The tricky thing about being human - that is, being a brain driving a barely-held-together bag of meat and bones - means we make mistakes. Cthulhu knows I've made a lot of them. Like that time I tried to make banana bread muffins without adding flour. Or the time I recycled a receipt, on the back of which my partner had written a bunch of measurements he needed for a home improvement project. Or the several months in which I tried to query a 168,000-word YA fantasy manuscript.

Yup. Mistakes have been made.

It's okay to talk about mistakes. Oftentimes, the only way we can improve - whether it's our attitude, our behavior, our craft, or any number of other things - is by understanding how we have failed in the past. And yet, as querying writers, it can be so hard to talk about mistakes, or about anything that's gone wrong in our querying lives recently. Sometimes, it feels as if we have to pretend as though nothing bad ever happens. Those 50 unanswered queries? Never happened. That blistering feedback from a CP? All good. Nope, nothing unpleasant to see here, folks, here's a photo of my cat.

There's this fear that we can't say anything even remotely negative on social media, Twitter especially, because an agent might see it. Not even just agents anymore - there's this fear that anyone could see a tweet, take a screenshot, and sit on it, just waiting for the right moment to cancel us. It leads to this idea that we have to be perfect online: no mention of failure, of mistakes, of problems, of how much we're struggling. Everything has to be flawless, carefully curated quiet perfection.

It doesn't have to be this way. May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. As writers, let's start to normalize the practice of admitting when we fail, or talking openly about our struggles when things get tough. Let's admit to the fact that we sent all those unanswered queries. Let's let it be okay to have to work for our successes. And as a community, let's stop condemning the truth about how hard writing can be to the silent darkness.

Support writers during this pandemic!

Are you ready for this lockdown to end?  Me too!  But since I don't have any say in that, and presumably you don't either, here's what we can all do to support writers during this pandemic:

1. Read
2. Buy books
3. Leave honest reviews
4. Check out e-books from the library
5. Talk about the books you like on social media

How to help writers during pandemic

How you can support bookstores during pandemic

COVID resources for authors

The pandemic book club

#AtoZChallenge Reflections 2020

A Month of Writing Motivation was the Operation Awesome theme for the 2020 A to Z Challenge. Here are our thoughts on how the challenge went this year:



J: It was a difficult year for the challenge. I thought posting about books on writing motivation would be easier than it actually turned out to be. But I'm glad I did it. I feel like most people could use more motivation in their lives right now. Even if it's something that boosts writing time to just 15 minutes a day. Those few minutes can be an escape if you feel inspired enough. 

Dena: April 2020 was certainly a crazy month.  I chose my motivation topic, “things to work on that still count as writing” back in January, before anyone knew just how insane this season would turn out to be.  And I don't know about you, but I found it difficult to focus on editing my current WiP with all the craziness going on.  This means that my topic turned out to be an actual reflection of what I ended up doing MYSELF during April.  Especially the daydreaming and no-guilt-trips parts.  But now that things are [hopefully] starting to open up again, I'm really excited to get back into my story.  How about you?

Nathaniel: I learned by doing this challenge that I was a hypocrite five times this month because I preached writing advice that I *intend* to practice instead of mastering it beforehand. But that just means we'll all be learning together. :)

Kate: It was a crazy month to be doing the A to Z this year.  When I volunteered to provide prompts, I  din't realize I'd be in a period doing which I was doing little or no writing myself.  I wish I could say that I took my own advice and used prompts to kickstart my own writing, but if I did, I'd be lying...  Thankfully, I found a way to get myself back into it anyway.  I hope the prompts were helpful to anyone else who found writing under lockdown more challenging than they may has suspected.


Amren: I wrote about apps and programs that keep me on-track when I'm writing - I didn't realize how much I rely on technology to keep me in line, haha! It amazes me that anyone's able to get any writing done without all these technological crutches. But it also makes me wonder, what is distracting me so much??? Maybe I need to switch to using those vintage typewriters taking up space in our spare bedroom...





Love the Operation Awesome blog? This is your last chance to join us for 2020! The form has been updated.