To Trust a Thief Release Day Treasure Hunt!!

To Trust a Thief releases today!!

As a hunt for a priceless necklace is at the center of my story, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a little fun and have a treasure hunt of my own :D

Here’s the rundown – for the next five days, you can join me in a treasure hunt for five fabulous prizes. I’ll be making the rounds on my blog and four other fabulous blogs and will leave a clue at each one.

The clue will give you a hint both as to what the prize is, and where you need to go on our To Trust a Thief treasure map to enter the giveaway for that day. You’ll also get a few snippets of the book and a chance for extra entries if you solve a special riddle.

Here are the Treasure Hunt blog stops:

Day 1 - Monday Jan 21st – My Blog 
Day 2 - Tuesday, January 22 -- Romance Junkies 
Day 3 - Wednesday, January 23 -- Cocktails and Books
Day 4 - Thursday, January 24 -- Romance Book Junkies
Day 5 - Friday, January 25 -- Romance Reviews Today

Each giveaway will run for a week, so if you miss stop you can always go back and catch up.

So come celebrate To Trust a Thief's release with me and have a little fun hunting for your own treasure! :)

Starting a Novel from Scratch

I'm so pleased to share a guest post from author, Toni Kerr. Toni's young adult novel, Descendant, will be making its Debut, November of 2013!

Starting a Novel from Scratch

A blank slate can be just as overwhelming as a landscape of laundry and clutter on every surface. But instead of shielding my eyes and pretending it's not there, I'll explore the empty space with baby steps!

Why am I suddenly faced with a blank slate? Because I've invested 100% into one series—one set of characters with a fascinating set of circumstances that I absolutely love. I can't stand walking away from that, but right now, while I wait for the editor's letter, I have nothing to edit, nothing to revise, and nothing waiting in a file somewhere.  

I've accepted the fact (to some degree anyway) that I need to start something new, even if what I write never sees the light of day. I need to because I'll go insane if I don't (and certain writing friends would smack me upside the head).

But planning a novel from nothing is a new concept for me. My first novel ran without boundaries or guidelines. Not that I'm complaining about that, but I'm sure some pre-planning will save me countless hours and many many rounds of editing.  

And so, as with anything that seems overly daunting, I've broken my task into itsy-bitsy baby steps to help me get started. I haven't written that first line yet, but now I know my genre. I have five strong characters and know exactly what makes them tick, how they relate with each other, and I know where they need to start and finish emotionally. I sort of know my theme, but I'm leaving wiggle room for change  as the story reveals itself.   

I'm sure there are as many ways to start a novel as there are writers, but from what I know now, that I didn't know then... here's what I've done to break it down.

Baby Step #1

Research Genres—to refresh your memory on definitions and basic word count expectations. It'll save you from having a novel that doesn't fit in a defined category, and from having to cut 40k because it's way beyond a healthy range.

Baby Step #2

Theme—this might come later, but think about it now. There are many blogs and writing sites listing popular themes—some fit certain genres better than others, and they do spark a few ideas. Having a theme will keep the story on track.

Baby Step #3

Basic Plot—Sadly, most novels can be boiled down to these: overcoming the monster (be it society, some sort of evil, or another person); rags to riches; the quest; voyage and return; comedy; tragedy; rebirth. Even romance falls into these topics...

Baby Step #4

Brainstorm for Ideas! I didn't love Nathan B's query formula when I was trying to write my query, but I was amazed by how simple the plot should be (according to his formula). I swore that for my next novel, I'd write the query blurb first, just to keep my plot THAT simple (I'll of course let it grow from there). So here's his formula:

[protagonist name] is a [description of protagonist] living in [setting]. But when [complicating incident], [protagonist name] must [protagonist's quest] and [verb] [villain] in order to [protagonist's goal].

Keep playing until one or two actually sound workable. (feel free to skip to Baby Step #5 if you're in a hurry :-) )

Some examples:

Shredder is a beta fish living in a handful of water. When he is transferred to a nearby pond, Shredder must live up to his name and fight bigger fish in order to establish a new territory.  

(yes, goofing around, but have a little fun to get yourself started!)

Lori is a 3rd grade immigrant from Earth living on Mars. When the Martians decide they've had enough invading, Lori must convince her classmates and teachers to be peaceful, contributing citizens in Martian society and prove themselves worthy to the Council in order to survive the night.

(eh-not feeling it)

Oak is the last tree living in a middleclass neighborhood. When the city threatens to widen the road, Oak must reach out to a little girl and remember the ways of his ancestors in order to convince the city to let him live.

(definitely not feeling it. At this point, I'd probably go tackle a 10-minute project and see what else I can think of. I'm finding the formula is a hindrance, but by now, I definitely have the idea of keeping it simple.)

Natalie is a hotshot surfer living on the beaches of Australia. When a group of cute college boys hire her as their surfing guide for spring break, and one gets killed at every location she takes them to, Natalie must solve the wave of mysterious deaths before authorities arrested her for murder.

Wow! There's some decent potential there. And it came a little more naturally when I gave myself permission to wander from the formula. Too bad it's not the genre I was going for!

Next, we need characters for whatever the great idea is.

Baby Step #5

Character's Photo ID

I love sifting through Google images for characters. If I know the sex and age of my character, I usually start by searching hairstyles. For example: teen girl hairstyles

A search like this generates nice headshots, which I find most useful when I don't know exactly what I'm looking for—a spark in the eye, maybe some attitude. I save images for every character as I find them, even though I might find something better later. If nothing jumps, I'll alter the search. Such as 'Emo girl hairstyles', or, if I have more information, such as wanting red hair, I might try 'Irish girl'.  

Baby Step #6

Give the characters a life.  

Start a new .doc for all your characters. I like to keep them all in ONE document, separated by section breaks. That way, when you need a very specific detail that you swear you wrote somewhere, you won't have to search through multiple files to find it. (Been there!)

Insert each character's image and fill in the personals. Age.. goals.. interests... biggest regret.. and what's keeping from reaching their biggest goal? The information will depend on the genre/age of the character. There are character sheets and interview forms available all over the place (gotta love Google!). I usually combine what works for me.

I also like to add a few paragraphs about how each character relates to all the other (main) characters. Interesting facts come out of these relationships, whether they are used in the story or not. For example, if character #1 and #3 were a hot item long before #1 and #2 start dating, it might explain why there is such a bitter tension between them. What if they belong together? I'll bet that would make an interesting thread...    

Speaking of threads....

Baby Step #7

Outline! My first novel was not outlined. I had no idea where the characters were taking me, but I went along like a good little typist and didn't get in the way. Maybe that's why it took me so long to get it streamlined?

This time, I'm trying Martha Alderson's plotting system, and so far, I think it'll work great. My scenes are not fully formed yet, but I know where I want to start, the point of no return (end of the beginning), and the final climax. I'll let the characters work out the rest. The good news is, I should be able to keep them heading in the right direction.

How much planning went into your novel before you let the characters speak for themselves? 

Have FUN Writing! (with writing prompts)

There are a few things I always associate with FUN:

• Fridays
• Saturdays
• Parks and lakes
• Ice cream
• Yellow
• Balloons
• Bubbles

You'll notice something very important is missing from this non-inclusive list. 

WRITING!

But writing is fun, right?

Well, it usually is. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it always is... except when it isn't.

Times when writing isn't fun include: 

• writer's block
• December 1st, the day after NaNoWriMo
• post-accident/baby/surgery

All other times, though, writing is SOOOO much fun we're all just giggling manically, right? Maybe that's a bit of an overstatement. Last night, I wrote until 1:30am before I forced myself to synopsize the rest of the story in my head and go to bed... for the sake of the kids the next day. 

Why was I writing so long? I was having the time of my life. It is FUN to make up conversations and relationships and conflicts that only I can resolve. It is FUN to create a whole new world with made-up slang and rites of passage and...

Mmmm...

Oh yeah! Magic edible sparkles!

In fact, there's no job more fun than writing. 

So if you are writing today and you aren't having fun, take a step back and try one of these prompts instead:

1. You're a zoo animal the night before a planned zoo/prison break.
2. You're a socialite/social climber with a huge zit on a prominent body part the night of your engagement party to the man or woman of your dreams.
3. You're a five-year-old child in a war-torn town.
4. You're Scooby-Doo.
5. You're a 7-foot tall man who's falling for his English tutor. 
6. You're the last pickle in the jar.
7. You're a dynamite performer of the charisma level of Elvis and Justin Bieber all wrapped into one, and your stage just collapsed with you and all your favorite people on it.
8. You're Castle meets Veronica Mars meets Doctor Who.
9. You're a five-time mixed martial arts champion with a sprained toe going into the last fight of your career. 
10. You're a small town CPA who starts an a cappella group in the basement of your professional tax preparation office.

Also, see the Writing Prompts tumblr page (not mine, but so awesome) for more inspiration.

Stuff Writers Say :)

Hello my lovelies. I am currently drowning under a scarily looming deadline and preparing for book release festivities (4 more days eeeppp!!!) and so, I give you....funny videos :D Enjoy!

(said a few of these myself LOL)

The Weather Outside Is Frightful

We're just over halfway into January. How did that happen? Snow and ice and all things cold have settled over my little part of the world.

(Image via www.bbc.co.uk)

Snow and ice creates different reactions in different people. 

A) Snow means fun and sledging. Snow means throwing snowballs and running inside to drink hot chocolate to warm up. 

B) Snow is a huge pain in the butt. It's freezing. It makes traveling take forever. The traffic is a nightmare. 

These two different reactions give a little example of how weather can affect the mood of people. And it can have the same effect in a novel. 

We know it isn't advisable to begin a story with weather, but (like I said before) weather plays an important role within writing. Weather can be part the setting and add conflict. Weather can be symbolic for the mood of a character or foreshadowing events. But writing weather needs be done carefully or it can become cliche (think of all those movies where the heroine is crying in the rain). 

Think about layering in some weather the next time you're writing, or revising, a scene. Your characters don't have to talk about how horrible the rain is, but think about how the rain affects their mood? Or their plans? Or adds conflict to the scene? It could add a whole new layer to your story. 

Now I'm off to play in the snow. Happy Wednesday.

Want more weather writing links? Here are a few helpful ones:

Writing about the Weather 

The Bookshelf Muse  

The Emotional Thesaurus  by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi

Happy Book Birthday, Kelly Hashway.

One of my fellow Month 9 Books authors, Kelly Hashway, just had her YA book come out today. So I just wanted to give it a shout out. A Touch of Death is available today from Spencer Hill Press.

Here is the link for her website.
And for the book on Goodreads.
And on Amazon.

Check it out!

Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendents of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.


~~~~

            

Kelly is represented by Lauren Hammond of ADA Management. Look for her upcoming YA novels, Touch of Death (Spencer Hill Press, 1/15/13), Stalked by Death (Spencer Hill Press, 7/23/13), The Monster Within (Spencer Hill Press, 4/14), The Darkness Within (Spencer Hill Press, TBA), and Into the Fire (Month9Books, spring 2014). Love All, the first book in my Game. Set. Match. Heartbreak Novella series, (Swoon Romance) releases 1/22/13. Also look for her MG series Curse of the Granville Fortune (Month9Books, 2016).

You Are Not A Failure

So. 2013 is finally here. You may or may not have resolutions. I sort of have a few, but yeah. It's only sort of. I'm bound to break them if I try to accomplish them too hard. *is lazy* 

Last year, I learned many things about myself, both as writer and person. I also learned many things about life. Of all those things, I struggled with one truth the most: I don't have to understand why things don't go my way immediately. I got to thinking about this particular truth after a few days of reminiscing about high school. Lots of things didn't go my way back then. Lots of things did. I have moments where those that didn't tend to outshine those that did. Sucks, but that's how it is for me. 

One part of the frustration caused by Things That Didn't Go My Way is simple: I had no idea why they happened. I was at a total loss. The moment something goes wrong is the moment I start to pick that thing apart in the attempt to find out where and why I failed. 

The problem? Sometimes the moment something goes wrong isn't the moment you figure out why.

Case in point: my high school reminiscing. I remembered someone in particular. A guy (please stop staring at me like that...). I thought this guy was magic, folks. The kind that inspires you to find your own brand of awesome. I thought he was going to rule the world and shape it into the best version of itself. And I thought I was going to be right there, witnessing it all in his proximity.

He hasn't changed the world, but the world has changed him.

Sometimes he likes his life. Most of the time, he doesn't. He has more regrets than laugh lines. Which is why I'm here today to tell you what I wish I could tell him: you are not a failure. 

Didn't meet all your goals for the year? You are not a failure.

Haven't been able to write in months? You are not a failure.

Don't know how to fix that plot problem? You are not a failure.

Agents and editors rejecting your manuscript? You are not a failure.

Not selling as many copies of your book/ebook as you wanted? You are not a failure.

Why are you not a failure? Because there will come a day when you look back at one moment, or several moments, and you will understand why Things Didn't Go Your Way. I certainly understand why Magical Boy and I aren't living the daydream I had back in high school. He didn't lose his magic--I simply found mine in a reality far stronger than that daydream. You'll find your answers, too.  Spoiler alert: better things are waiting for you. The trick is to recognize them when they cross your path, and seize them before they leave without a trace.

You've been warned. Now go live your life in 2013, not the past.

And have a happy Monday :)

Writing in the Multiverse

Recently I've been working on a requested revision of a picture book for my agent. It's a quite a bit different than the original, which is not uncommon for picture book revisions. Often a revision is a complete rewrite, taking the same concept down to a blank page and beginning anew. Other times, it's more like a variation on the motif -- new elements added, others deleted, to stay at that elusive 600 word mark within the framework. Sometimes at the end, only a handful of the original words remain.

But this version is a split from my original story -- an alternative, not replacing my previous one, but existing alongside it. Which is the real version? They both are. It feels like I'm writing in a multiverse -- each story is an equally true, existing at the same time. 

I have a friend who rewrote a fantasy into a realistic contemporary into a ghost story. Same character, same motivation, but that single character lives in a different instance of the multiverse where her story plays out in different ways, where magic is real or not real or operates under different rules.

Writing in a multiverse has its challenges. When the versions diverge,  commas corrected or sentences tightened in one version remain in the others. It's frustrating to come across an error you remember fixing, only to realize you were working in another universe when you fixed it.  

Rewriting a book in another direction can be an interesting exercise, whether the revision is requested by an editor or agent, or the writer is trying to make a well-loved story more saleable. Or maybe he's just wondering what would happen if some condition in the story changed -- what if the character chose a different option from a "choose your own adventure" map.

So when you have two or five versions of the same multiverse, which is the true one? For me, it will be the one that gets published. But until then, they are equally true.

Do you have more than one version of a story with a major change or different set of rules? Do you keep separate versions of any novels or does the new version always overwrite the other? Have you ever a sold a version of the story that you didn't feel was your "A" version -- that another iteration was better or truer?

TRIANGLES BY KIMBERLY ANN MILLER

Today I want to share an exciting new book by my good friend Kimberly Ann Miller. Kimberly's novel, Triangles, published by Spencer Hill Press, will be making its debut in June of this year! Don't miss out!! 

 
A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong? 

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?

Coming June 2013

More about Kimberly:

Kimberly Miller received Bachelor's degrees from Georgian Court University and Rutgers University and a Master's degree from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She is an avid reader and particularly enjoys true crime and young adult novels. She grew up in New Jersey and currently resides in Monmouth County with her husband and three cats. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel to sunny islands where she snorkels by day and stargazes by night. She always takes her Nook with her.

kimberly's contact info:

Facebook: Kimberly Ann Miller

Twitter: "http://twitter.com/kimberlyannnj">

Email: KAMillerWrites@aol.com

Spencer Hill Press Author Page: Contact 

My blog: http://writersbytheshore.blogspot.com/

Tumblr: http://kimberlyannmiller.tumblr.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13610402-triangles

Triangles on Facebook

Cankering Conflict

It's sickie season, and just about everybody I know has been touched by it in some form or another. When you're a parent, your child getting sick is just about the worst thing ever. The helplessness you feel can be heartbreaking, especially if it gets worse before it gets better. And your relief when a lingering illness finally subsides is beyond description. *angels singing*

Today I want to talk about cankering conflict, the slow, inevitable, heart-wrenching kind. In the novel my sister and I are co-writing, the catalyst character is motivated by his father's ALS, by watching him deteriorate slowly. My sister and I can understand him because we had a glimpse (blessedly short at about six months) while our dad was going through chemo for fourth stage lymphoma.

Chronic illness is a cankering conflict because it just eats away at everything it touches - the actual sick person, the family morale, relationships between siblings and parents and lovers. It's the kind of conflict you can't just push through and deal with because it won't move any faster than it wants to.

You. just. have. to. wait. 

And watch.

And dread.

That's cankering conflict. It doesn't always have to be illness. It can be an arranged marriage, the end of a job contract, the military reservist's report date, the space between nomination and award ceremony.

Similar to the power of absence, the power of time, of inevitability, drives people to act in ways they otherwise wouldn't. 

In Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, Savannah makes a marriage choice that betrays her heart and her true love because of a cankering conflict that's ever-present in her life. In fact, the entire love story is a cankering conflict because of his duty to his special forces team and the physical distance between them.

People who are surviving cankering conflicts - whether they are ill, about to be deported, or just watching a loved one suffer from the sidelines - all they want is some immediate relief.

Their pain is nearly constant.

And this is something all of us have to deal with in some way during our lifetimes. I guarantee your reader understands cankering conflict on a personal level.

Does your favorite book have a cankering conflict? How about your current work-in-progress?

NYRC Grand Finale Giveaway WINNERS

Congratulations to our dozen winners!
(winners have been emailed, so if you think you see your name, check your emails. NOTE: some of our emails have apparently been getting sucked into the spam vortex so if you see your name but didn't get an email, be sure to check those spam filters!) :)

WINNERS:

Alyssa S. wins:

A preorder of Phoebe North's STARGLASS

Joel S. wins:
A copy of ELLIOT AND THE GOBLIN WAR by Jennifer Nielsen

Prerna P. wins:   
A copy of MEANT TO BE by Lauren Morrill

JC wins:
An ebook of E.J. Patten's THE HUNTER CHRONICLES: RETURN TO EXILE

Sherry S. wins:
A Kindle e-copy of LACRIMOSA by Christine Fonseca

Angelica R. J. wins:
An e-copy of SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY by Rachel Harris

Stephanie S. wins:
An e-copy of PRETTY AMY by Lisa Burstein

Dawn A. wins:

An e-copy of ALL THE BROKEN PIECES by Cindi Madsen

Jenn N. wins:
An e-copy KATANA by Cole Gibsen

Heather wins:
SHAEDES OF GRAY by Amanda Bonilla (ebook or paperback)

Heather H. wins:
An ebook preorder of CAUGHT IN AMBER by Cathy Pegau

 Danielle D. wins:
A copy of RENEGADE by J.A. Souders 

Thank you to everybody who entered and attended our first ever New Year's Revisions Conference! It was a blast spending the weekend with you. 

How are your revisions going?

And the Nomination Goes to.....

So this morning I watched the live broadcast of the Academy Award nominations. I never realized they made such a production of it. I did have interest in it this year, as one of my favorite actors, Hugh Jackman, was rumored to be up for consideration because of his performance as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. So I tuned in online and waited with baited breath to see if he'd get the bid. And I'm please to say, he did.

Overall, Les Miserable got great reviews. There were some people who couldn't stand the movie musical, and how they sang everything. And then there were some people who criticized the singing, saying it was nothing compared to the stage cast. However, in a movie, you need a combination of acting and musical abilities  And though I'm not a huge fan of Hugh's vibrato, I thought his performance as Jean Valjean was emotionally amazing. I was so pleased he got the bid. And I'll be cheering for him on awards day, as well.

As they announcing the nominations, it got me thinking about all the actors and directors and writers that were sitting there sweating, hoping that they would be given the bid. As they announced the supporting actors, they had mentioned that every single one of them had been a previous Oscar winner. In comparison to writing, it would be like a group of famous author gaining more bestsellers.

For the actors who have never been nominated, like my man Hugh, I can only imagine what it was like for him to be recognized after so many years. To be an actor, much like being a writer, takes lots of work and a lots of lucky breaks. There are tons of starving actors out there, and to even get a part in a major motion picture is a dream come true. Much like, as a writer, we struggle and struggle to just get an agent's notice. Then we struggle, more and more, and perhaps finally get a small press to notice us. But even then, the journey is not done.

Best sellers do not happen over night (typically). Sure, there are some that seem like they jump right into novel stardom. The journey of a writer is much like Mr. Jackman here. It takes years of persistence, maybe taking non staring rolls at first, and working your way up to that Oscar nomination. As a writer, it might take years to get to the New York best seller list, if ever at all. And maybe, just maybe, when we write the book of our lifetime, perhaps we too can be on the top of that bestseller list.

Remember...the journey makes the destination mean so much more.

Manuscript Mechanics

My car is sick. Not the kind of sick where it refuses to do anything, but the kind of unpredictable sick where it tricks you into thinking it is going to work before it passes out when you really don't want it to. After an afternoon of trying to fix it (changing the spark plugs, cleaning the air filters etc), I decided to give in and book it in to be seen by a mechanic who'll do a proper diagnostic to pinpoint the problem (instead of spending the next week changing different parts on the car and getting nowhere).

But how do my car woes relate to writing? I promise I'm going somewhere. *grin*

I got to thinking how my car like a manuscript. You've been working in harmony for a while. There haven't been too many major problems. Everything on the surface might seem like it's working fine, but there are always things happening you can't see. Like the undiagnosed problem in my car, a manuscript might have a problem you can't see yet. It could be a problem with the plot. A character isn't quite right (or just doesn't work). You might not start in the right place. The pace could be off.

You try to work out the problem. You revise. You rewrite some scenes and chapters. You add scenes. You might even go on a delete button rampage. Sometimes you can see the problem. A simple fix could be all it takes to get your story running again. But sometimes, as much as you try, you might not see the problem.

You call in a mechanic (or, in writing terms, a critique partner). You need someone who can take a step back and look under the hood. Then, and only then, can you start to work on the problem that's really there. Then your manuscript (and, fingers crossed, my car) can start running again.

Happy writing.

Are you doing revisions or just want some tips? Hang out and read our New Year's Revision Conference posts.

Entangled's Exciting News!

It seems like every time we turn around, something new is going on in publishing. And that is certainly the case for Entangled Publishing. Holy moly, Entangled had a big day yesterday! :)

Entangled was already taking the publishing world by storm, in just a little over a year becoming one of the top selling romance pubs with an impressive roster of national bestsellers. And now they are poised to grow even further.

Yesterday, it was announced that Entangled has partnered with Davis Entertainment, in which Davis "gets an exclusive first look at all the titles coming out of Entangled". Entangled has also partnered with two Big 6 pubs, Macmillan and St. Martin's in which "Macmillan will distribute English language e-books of Entangled’s new publications" and "St. Martin's will launch a new joint venture imprint known as St. Martin’s/Entangled which will bring into print and publish a select number of Entangled’s digital first titles." 

It will be really interesting to watch these partnerships. I've seen smaller companies merge with larger companies, or get bought out or absorbed by them. But in these partnerships, Entangled is staying Entangled. They aren't losing anything that makes them the amazing publisher they are but are instead gaining the distribution capabilities of the larger pubs.

And as one of their digital first authors, I've got to say, it's really exciting to be a part of such an awesome company :)

For the full press release articles, go HERE for the Davis announcement and HERE for the Macmillan/St. Martin's. And this is the PW release on it.

NYRC: Comment Winner!

Once again, I wanted to thank all of your for your support on our very first conference. I hope you had as much fun as we did. I hope you all continue to come back here. We've got more surprise in the future.

Now, our winner! Chosen at random from all the comments during the conference for the $15.00 Amazon gift card...

JESS!!

Thanks for everyone's participation. 

You made NYRC AWESOME!

Grand Finale Giveaway! A Dozen Books

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for spending New Year's weekend with us at NYRC 2013! To show our appreciation and to support the fabulous people who made NYRC happen, we're giving away a dozen books written by our participating authors/repped by our participating agents. 

Twelve books to twelve lucky winners! 

To enter, fill out the rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. Winners will be announced next Friday.  

GET LOST IN ONE OF THESE WORLDS...

A pre-order of Phoebe North's STARGLASS

A copy of ELLIOT AND THE GOBLIN WAR by Jennifer Nielsen

A copy of MEANT TO BE by Lauren Morrill

An ebook of E.J. Patten's THE HUNTER CHRONICLES: RETURN TO EXILE

A Kindle e-copy of LACRIMOSA by Christine Fonseca

An e-copy of SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY by Rachel Harris

An e-copy of PRETTY AMY by Lisa Burstein

An e-copy of ALL THE BROKEN PIECES by Cindi Madsen

An e-copy KATANA by Cole Gibsen

SHAEDES OF GRAY by Amanda Bonilla (ebook or paperback)

An ebook preorder of CAUGHT IN AMBER by Cathy Pegau

A copy of RENEGADE by J.A. Souders 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Druid Magic and the Orb of No-Where, No-When - Anne Riley

Anne Riley

Less than two weeks before her baby girl's due date, the fabulous, lovely, and talented Anne Riley gives us an interview for the New Year's Revision Conference. We are honored. And we hope right now she is somewhere with her feet up, relaxing.

Katrina: What were you doing when the idea for Shadows of the Hidden first came to you?

Anne Riley: Basically I was playing house. Rob and I had just gotten married a couple months earlier and we were still child-free, so I was cleaning house, cooking a lot, and waiting for the school year to start at the high school where I teach. The idea came to me slowly over that summer of 2008, and by August 1 I was ready to start writing it down!

Katrina: What was the research process like, and how did you come to include Druid magic in your tale?

Anne Riley: Erm...it was a lot of Googling! The great thing about Druids is that they didn't keep a lot of written records, which means there is only a very skeletal history of who they actually were. This gave me a lot of freedom to create and elaborate where needed! I included Druid magic because I've always been fascinated with their mysterious rituals and the myths surrounding them. I couldn't resist building on their legend!

Katrina: What was the hardest part to write?

Anne Riley: The kissing scenes! Teaching adolescents makes me feel super awkward about writing romantic scenes that involve adolescents. I have to work really hard not to feel like a creeper.

Katrina: What was the most fun?

Anne Riley: The scene at the end where several characters end up in this place called the Orb. It's nowhere, no-when, and it's sort of become its own little mini-society. I loved that part because it is so unlike anything else I've read or written.

Katrina: How long did revisions take, and what's the biggest thing you had to change?

Anne Riley: Revisions took about 600 years.

Oh okay, more like 6 months total. But it FELT like 600 years! The biggest change I made was the ending--at one point I cut the last 20,000 words and rewrote them. *stabs self in eye* It was painstaking, but totally worth it!

About Anne:

Anne Riley is an author of young adult fiction from Birmingham, Alabama. Her first novel, Shadows of the Hidden (previously self-published as The Clearing), will be published by Compass Press in December 2012. 

Anne is a high school Spanish teacher by day, a writer by afternoon, and a mom and wife all the time. Her writing career began in August 2008 when she began working on her first novel, The Clearing. By December, she had a completed manuscript, and by January 2009 she had signed with literary agent Alanna Ramirez of Trident Media Group. 

When Alanna left Trident in September 2011, Anne began the search for a new agent, ultimately landing with Emma Patterson of The Wendy Weil Agency.

Books by Anne:

Amazon

Amazon