Pass Or Pages July 2016 Entry Form

We are now accepting entries for Pass Or Pages! Before you enter, be sure to check out the rules. Remember, this month's round of Pass Or Pages is only for Women's Fiction novels. The entry window closes at 6pm Eastern time on Wednesday July 13th.

Flash Fiction Contest #16 Winner

The one week that I forget to schedule my Buffer tweets, and we get more entries than we ever have. Funny how life works, isn't it? Thanks, everyone, for writing something--tough choice this round!

Flash Fiction Contest #16 Prompt: Boy Band

Entry by Erik Battle

“This one’s going to be trouble,” said the Vat-Tech. She pointed with the clipboard at the tall, male form suspended by cables in the cloudy liquid.

“Trouble’s good, right?” The Stylist asked. "He's got great hair."

“A bit of trouble’s good. Enough to stir up the press junkets. This one though…” She sighed heavily. She handed the clipboard to the Stylist.

“What am I looking at here? You know I don't read PCR. DNA profiling is your gig." 

"This marker," the Tech pointed to a short bar on the PCR analysis. "Drug addiction."

The Stylist clicked her tongue against the top of her mouth. The Tech pointed to another blurry blob.

"And this one. Well...let's just say we'll need to watch him around the fan girls." She arched an eyebrow at her colleague to emphasize her point.

"A bit of eyeliner would really bring out the depth of his eyes," the Stylist said.

"Oh. It's worse." The Tech's eyes went wide.

"Worse? What's worse than drugs and an overactive libido?" 

"These two markers. They are the genes for depression and violence. He'll be a suicidal maniac! Destroying hotel rooms and wrecking sports cars!"

"Dear god! This is awful!" The Stylist flipped up a cover on the vat's control panel. Her hand wavered directly over a big red button. "We should flush him, shouldn't we?"

"No." The Tech calmly took the hand of the Stylist and drew it away from the button closing the panel.

"But, he'll be a monster."

"No." A satisfied smile formed on her face. "He'll be a legend.

***

Our next flash contest is in two weeks--tell your friends. :D

Flash Fiction Contest #16

And here we are with another round of #OAFlash. Rules can be found here. I'd love something this time that makes me laugh, but you write what you want, okay? Okay.

Flash Fiction Prompt For Friday, July 8, 2016

When posting, remember to include your name and your Twitter handle.

Have fun and come back Sunday night to find out the winner!

Why You Should Stop Selling Your Book (and Do Something Better)

Now, repeat after me: selling your book is bad.

Very bad.

“Wait . . . what?” you say. “If I don’t sell my book, who’s going to read it? Isn’t selling my book and making money what authors are supposed to do after publication?”

I don’t know. Is it?

If you want to ensure your book won’t sell, sell your book.

Here’s what I mean:

The on-line world is loaded with authors whining and begging people to, “Buy my book!” They form groups on Facebook, which amount to nothing more than broke writers marketing their books to other broke writers. They tweet purchase links all day and hit up social networks with ads . . . then cry at night because it did absolutely nothing for them.

How do you get a following these days with everyone and their dog writing a book, publishing it and calling themselves an author?

Or how does someone who starts from scratch come out of nowhere and move copies of their work without shoving it in people’s faces? (And we’ve all seen them: those authors whom we’ve never heard of move a gazillion copies.)

To build a following, marketing your book will get you nowhere. Sure, you might catch a few sales and feel like a success story all your own—and rightly you should, to be honest—but to keep those sales going and to build a readership, you need to switch up your game plan.

You need to start marketing yourself.

Some people call this branding. What are we? Cattle? I don’t want a brand for my books. I don’t want my books to be what I’m known for. I want me to be what I’m known for. When I’m dead and gone, that’s the thing that matters, not how many books I sold.

Stop chasing the almighty dollar and start chasing the reader.

You don’t want to be known as that distant author behind a desk somewhere. You don’t want to be that high-and-lofty literary guest at some convention. You want to be that down-to-earth extra awesome person who’s a familiar face at shows and signings. You want to be that friendly and approachable on-line personality who’s a class act and is genuinely interested in interacting with their readers.

“But all I want to do is write!”

Then get out of the business, frankly. Or, if you must write, then don’t publish. As much as I’m an art-first-money-later guy, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t want to make a few bucks off what I do. The motivation to make cash isn’t to be rich, though. I don’t care about that stuff. I just want to make enough to live on. But I can’t do that selling my book. I have to sell me.

Let me break it down for you in really simple terms:

When you first started writing, you went through a lot of trial and error and a lot of drafts. As you wrote a few books, you noticed your style started changing and at one point you reached that magical book where everything was different and you found your voice. Since then, your voice has been your style. Writing is easier, editing is easier, coming up with stories is easier, too.

This applies to your marketing efforts. You need to find your voice. You can’t just be another author spamming the world. There are ads everywhere for everything. People ignore that stuff. But they don’t tune out unique voices . . . especially if that voice has something of value to say. This is how followings are made and grown. You become known as the author “who’s like that.” Not the author “who’s like so-and-so . . . and a million others.”

I’ve been publishing since 2003, and indie publishing since 2004. I’ve seen it all. People have come and gone. There’s been successes and failures. Ups and downs. Yet there is one thing that has remained consistent throughout all of it: the authors who found their marketing voice are the ones who are still doing well today, who have a following, and have cultivated loyal readers based on who they are and not just their work.

To be clear, I’m not diminishing the importance of putting out good books. Sometimes that can indeed be enough to build a readership (i.e. it initiates word-of-mouth, etc.). But if you’re an author lost to the din of the flooded publishing world, writing a damn good book is probably not going to cut it. You need to get yourself out there and expose yourself to readers by showing them who you are behind the page.

Some writers niche themselves and become known for a certain thing or a certain personality. Others are more broad-brush. Whatever the case, simply blasting ads everywhere isn’t going to do anything for you. But if you meet people, whether on-line or off-, and not just use it as a means to pitch them your book, you’ll be surprised at how many copies you’ll move.

Put the people first, your book/comic/whatever second. This is so important. This about reputation and, at least for me, I never, ever buy books from people who blatantly shove it in my face. I don’t care how good the cover is or what the synopsis is about. As a reader, I want to be cared for. I want to know this isn’t just a money game to the writer.

Art first, book(s) second.

And if you’ve somehow missed the point of everything above, all I’m saying is be yourself, share yourself, then share info about your book after that.

Connect with readers first, then point them to the page.

We good?

****************************

About the Author: An independent writer and cartoonist, A.P. Fuchs has been part of the underground publishing scene for twelve years. He is the author of more than forty books, loads of comics, short stories and poetry, and has a weekly newsletter called The Canister X Transmission, in which he currently discusses publishing and marketing tips, past work, indie creator spotlights and whatever’s on his mind that week. Heck, he’s so passionate about writing and publishing he even wrote several books on the subject, one a collection of the first year of his weekly newsletter, another called Getting Down and Digital: How to Self-publish Your Book. Plus a few others. Sign up for his newsletter at www.tinyletter.com/apfuchs and get a free thriller e-novelette out of the deal, and be sure to visit him on-line at his main hub at www.canisterx.com

Meet Jeri Baird in this Debut Author Spotlight

Please welcome Jeri Baird to the spotlight!

1-Handmade paper artist sounds like an interesting profession. Do you have an image you can share to give us idea about your work in that field?

I made handmade embossed paper for thirteen years and created my own molds from clay. I made everything from small pins to wear to large framed pieces. In the beginning I sold at art shows and eventually had three sales reps who sold my work wholesale across the US and in Japan. The Japan market loved anything with the American flag on it and all my Raggedy Ann and Andy designs. I didn't keep many pieces of my work, but this one hangs in my kitchen, because I used my grandma's button collection to make the mold.

2- And a rock painter, too! How did you get into that, and might you have a picture of your best or favorite rock painted work?

After being inspired by painted stones I saw online, I started with mandalas, turtles, and dragonflies. Then I got the idea to glue charms depicting the tokens and omens in my book to stones and paint around them. You can see those on my website - http://jeribaird.com

3- How much research did you need to do to write "Tokens and Omens"?

Initially, I did a lot of research on the medieval era - I've never liked history, so it was all new! Then I moved from a medieval setting to more of a tribal setting. I enjoyed learning how different cultures look at fate and the role it plays in their lives. In TOKENS AND OMENS, Moira (Fate) is a character that directly and indirectly influences the lives of the teens in Puck's Gulch.

4- What most contributed to your choice of publication method?

I'd queried a few agents and participated in twitter pitches. When Jolly Fish Press held their own twitter pitch, I submitted and received a request from two of their editors. Reece Hanzon asked for the full and then offered publication. I researched the press and emailed with one of their authors before accepting.

5- Which film (or films) were you a zombie in and how did that happen?

My first and last experience as a film extra was disastrous (for me!). I was scheduled from 2pm - 5am in an indie film called I Am Alone. It was shooting in my town, and I thought it would make a great author story (someday - no contract at the time). I drove to Cerro Summit where the crew picked us up and drove us up into the mountain. I went through make-up and a zombie class. Being newly moved to Colorado, I knew no one there, but had some nice conversations with the other extras. There was a beautiful cabin, but we weren't allowed inside. It was a bonfire and porta-potties for the lowly extras. At 8pm I was part of a group sent to stand in waist-high grass for two hours while they shot around six, five-minute scenes - same scene over and over. Then it was midnight before they used us again. Unfortunately, at 11pm I started getting a migraine. I took ibuprofen and tried to rest in a lawn chair without any relief. Did I mention that it gets bone-chilling cold in the mountains at night, even in August? But when the call came, I thought I could do it. Three scenes in and I started puking from the migraine. I ran off, puking as I went, with the security guys running after me. Yeah, that was fun! Luckily, at 2am, they decided they didn't need all of us for the rest of the shots, so five of us got to leave and they drove us down to our cars. I was just happy not to puke on the twenty minute drive home. I could have signed up for more days, but was embarrassed someone would remember me as the one who puked. The movie came to our local drive-in last summer. I didn't see me, but my name was in the credits - woo hoo!

6- Any good recipes for brains? I'm kidding! Do you have a favorite recipe you could share (or a link to one)?

In the book, Alexa makes sugar biscuits for the shack kids. This is a recipe I used when I did an author visit with a class of boys. They really liked them! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sugar-biscuits/

7- Are there any diverse characters in your book?

I have five tribes representing different ethnicities. One of the minor characters, who becomes a major character in the second book, is gay.

8- I saw a mention of the Street team members for a TOKENS AND OMENS. Are you still looking for people? Have you had a good response to this brilliant idea?

Thank you! I have 36 people in 26 states setting out painted stones on July 23-24. Unfortunately, I can't take on any more. I'm still painting stones for my tour. My husband and I are going on a 5 State, 2 Wheels, 100 Stone book tour July 19-25. By motorcycle, we're riding through Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah leaving stones and stopping at indie bookstores and libraries. I'll post the adventure on twitter (@jeribaird11) and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jeribaird11) if you want to follow along.

9- In a wonderful world filled with so many books, how do you select which you'll buy yourself next?

I read several writing/reading blogs, such as Operation Awesome, and often find books there. I also have a favorite indie bookstore, Out West Books in Grand Junction, where I find books that are wonderful but might not be getting lots of publicity yet.

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

I'm most active on twitter and FB. My website is http://jeribaird.com. I have a book trailer on youtube.

There's also a trailer that a HS class made for the book on my account.

Here's a blurb:
Zander trusts Fate. Alexa only trusts herself. When Fate intervenes, they find they're both wrong. Now, Fate’s given them each a special gift - Zander sees secrets he doesn’t want, and Alexa's thrilled to find she can control events through her embroidery scenes. In Puck's Gulch, sixteen-year-olds undergo a dangerous trial known as the Quest. During a time of magic, Fate hands out tokens and omens based on their behavior. The teens survive the quest only by earning the tokens that will counteract the potentially lethal omens. After Zander and Alexa each earn a black panther omen that makes surviving the quest nearly impossible, they must break the rules and challenge Fate together. If they don't, one will die. Fate has made it clear – she won't be cheated.

Kara Analyzes Pixar Movies: TOY STORY 2

I was 8 years old when Toy Story hit theaters. I remember eating the chocolate bars my mom smuggled into the theater in her purse while marveling at how darn cool the movie looked. Unlike many movies I loved as a child, Toy Story holds up for me as an adult. Amazingly, so does its sequel, released in 1999.

Sequels have a hard job to do, whether they are books or movies. If the sequels aren't as strong as the original piece that we loved, we as consumers may abandon the franchise, our memories of it tainted.

Today I'd like to examine Toy Story 2, and what makes it such a strong sequel as well as an enjoyable movie in its own right.

1) You don't have to watch Toy Story to enjoy Toy Story 2. We learn a lot about the characters and where they are coming from emotionally in the first movie, which certainly adds to our appreciation of them in Toy Story 2, but you can still understand the plot perfectly without having watched the first movie. It's a complete story all on its own.

2) At the same time, it builds off of what we learned about the characters in the first movie. For example, Woody understands Jessie's pain at being cast off perfectly because of what he went through with Andy and Buzz in the first movie. We as readers/watchers enjoy seeing how a character's experiences inform their choices as they move on through life, which is why so many of us love series.

I think these are important points to keep in mind as we consider writing sequels. Is the storyline of the sequel strong enough to stand on its own? Do we get to see the outcome of the character growth that we showed in the first novel?

What are your thoughts on Toy Story 2 and creating strong sequels? Please share in the comments!

July 2016 Pass Or Pages Agent Panel

July 2016 Pass Or Pages: Women's Fiction

Who's ready for another round of Pass Or Pages? We're so excited to introduce you to the four awesome agents providing feedback on queries and first pages this month!

Danielle Burby

Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency

Danielle began working at HSG in early 2013. Before finding her home at HSG, she interned at Writer’s House; Clarion Books; Faye Bender Literary Agency; Dunow, Carlson & Lerner; and SquareOne Publishers, along with some freelance copy editing for John Wiley & Sons. She graduated from Hamilton College with a degree in women’s studies and creative writing. 

Her passion lies in YA, women’s fiction, mysteries, and fantasy. She gravitates toward stories with strong voices and particularly enjoys complex female characters, coming-of-age stories, and narratives that explore social issues. She finds it hard to resist gorgeous writing and is a sucker for romantic plotlines that are an element of the narrative but don’t dominate it. Genres that appeal to her include contemporary YA, epic fantasy, historical fiction, cozy mysteries, and upmarket women’s fiction.

Melissa Jeglinski

The Knight Agency

A graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in English with a writing concentration, Melissa began her career as an editor with Harlequin Enterprises. Looking to work with a variety of authors and genres, she joined The Knight Agency in 2008. With over two decades experience in the publishing industry, Melissa has fostered her clients to National prominence including a recent Newbery Honor. She is a member of RWA and AAR. Melissa is currently seeking projects in the following areas: Romance (contemporary, category, historical, inspirational) Young Adult, Middle Grade, Women’s Fiction and Mystery.

Patricia Nelson

Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

Patricia Nelson joined Marsal Lyon Literary Agency in 2014. She represents adult, young adult, and middle grade fiction, and is actively building her list.

In general, Patricia looks for stories that hook her with a unique plot, fantastic writing and complex characters that jump off the page. On the adult side, she is seeking women’s fiction both upmarket and commercial, historical fiction set in the 20th century, and compelling plot-driven literary fiction. She’s also looking for sexy, smart adult contemporary and historical single title romance. For YA and MG, Patricia is open to a wide range of genres, with particular interest in contemporary/realistic, magical realism, mystery, science fiction and fantasy. She is interested in seeing diverse stories and characters, including LGBTQ, in all genres that she represents.

Andrea Somberg

Harvey Klinger Literary Agency

A literary agent for over fifteen years, Andrea Somberg represents a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, including projects for adult, young adult and middle grade audiences. Previously an agent at the Donald Maass Agency and Vigliano Associates, she joined Harvey Klinger Literary Agency in the spring of 2005. Her clients' books have been NYTimes and USABestsellers, as well as nominated for The Governor General's Award, the Lambda Award, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Andrea also teaches courses for MediaBistro and Writers Digest, on topics such as nonfiction, memoir, mystery and thrillers, fantasy and sf. Her client list is quite full, however she is always actively looking to take on new authors who write in the following categories: Fiction: literary, commercial, book club fiction, romance, thrillers, mystery, paranormal, fantasy, science fiction, young adult, new adult, middle grade. Nonfiction: memoir, narrative, popular science, pop-culture, humor, how-to, parenting, self-help, lifestyle, travel, interior design, crafts, cookbooks, business, sports, diet, health & fitness.

Details for July 2016 Pass or Pages:

Entry starts: Monday, July 11, 2016, at 6 a.m. Eastern
Ends: Wednesday, July 13, 2016 at 6 p.m. Eastern
Category/Genre: Women's Fiction
How To Enter: Fill out the entry form on the contest post when it goes live
What Is Required: Your query (NO BIO or personalization for agents), your first 250 words, a complete and polished MS

You can also read more about the rules here.


The winning entries with agent commentary will be posted on Operation Awesome the week of July 25th, one entry each day. If you aren't comfortable with having your entry (which will be anonymous) shared on the blog, please don't enter Pass or Pages!

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments or feel free to tweet @OpAwesome6. Also, feel free to chat about the contest with fellow participants on the hashtag #PassOrPages.

June 2016 #OABookClub: Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

Welcome back! In June, the members of Operation Awesome read Me Before You by JoJo Moyes.

J

The writing itself seems to be well done. The characters are fleshed out properly. I could have done without the head-hopping chapters. It made me miss Paris, but for me, I understand the way that Will misses Paris, and feel similarly to him on the subject.

I'm not going to debate if life was "bad enough" for a fictional character. I can think of a dozen ways to write it to make it worse. There are events that separate a person from the rest of humanity. Scars so deep they prevent us from ever being like everyone else. This book discusses three of them with an emotional abandon rarely braved.

The book has inevitable spiritual and scientific debates. I've been drawn into heated debates about euthanasia and the appropriate or acceptable amounts of medically scientific interference that should be permitted for two decades now. This review of a fictional book is not going to contain my encyclopedia-worth of knowledge on the topics. The book is fiction. Besides, the book seems to have covered every angle of those debates. One of the primary characters is diverse only in the sense that he has a severe medical condition. I found other minor characters in the story who had similar afflictions to Will, but who lived very different lives than he did.

I would like to remind everyone not to feed bread to ducks. Seeds and lettuce in moderation are okay.

Kara

I have tried to read two of Jojo Moyes' books before (The Ship of Brides and The Girl You Left Behind), and I couldn't get into either one of them. Both ended up on my DNF shelf on Goodreads. I'm not sure what it was about Me Before You that kept my attention, but it was probably the voice of the main character. I liked her from the start, and so was able to stay hooked. I liked all of the characters, really, even the ones whose choices irritated me. Everyone felt real to me.

I also liked how Lou gradually fell for Will. I hate instalove, especially in situations like this one where Will is fairly horrible to Lou at first.

The ending gutted me. I knew how it would end; with the movie out, spoilers are all over the place. So I was prepared for it, but still ended up bawling like my daughter when her binkie gets taken away. I do not think that Will made the right choice. I think his life was worth living, and choosing to die was selfish and prideful. I don't agree with assisted suicide because of my religious beliefs, so that bias was obviously there, but really. I find it hard to believe that anyone would sympathize with Will's choice. Still, people do.

Which is why I think this makes a good book club book. There are a wide range of opinions on assisted suicide, and the book could be a good jumping-off point for a discussion on the practice.

I'm not sure I would read this one again (even though I read books over and over), but I liked it while I read it. Four stars.

***

Next Book of the Month: August

For July, we're taking a little break from the Book Club due to vacations and general summer craziness in our lives. Come back at the beginning of August to find out what we're reading!

#LesMisRead2016 Update from Samantha

Perhaps I should just re-title this segment "Worst Year Ever Update from Samantha." Since last we met, my father was diagnosed with a (thankfully, very treatable) form of cancer, and I suffered a back sprain from my lingering injury when I was pregnant two years ago. I don't know if you're aware of the difficulty of motivating yourself to read something somewhat challenging while experiencing the pain of a back injury and stress about the health of your parent, but...

OK, so for some happy news: I've joined the slush reading team of Flash Fiction Online! I'm planning on doing a post here one of these days on things I've already learned from slushing. I've only done it for a little over a month, but already I know it's improving my writing dramatically--mostly around ideas and approaches to my stories. We all know the oft-repeated cliche beginnings of novels, but there are cliche ideas (which come in and out of fashion, in fact) that run through slush piles. It's interesting to see those.

So, um, all that to say: I'm getting there. I will finish reading Les Miserables in 2016 if I'm skimming the end while the ball drops for 2017. But I'm behind. Again.

Thanks for stopping by. Let us know what you thought of Me Before You in the comments!

Oh the Things I've had to Research!

I don't find that being a writer makes me the life of the party, probably because I'm an extreme introvert. I don't particularly love tooting my own horn, so I actually try to steer clear of talking about what I do in any great detail. However, sometimes my writing becomes the seed for some interesting conversations.

Writers have to research the strangest things. I was with a group of people not long ago, and I'm not sure how we got on the subject, but I started talking about the ecological issues associated with burying dead bodies. I had a rapt audience for a few minutes, then one of the women looked at me skeptically and said, "How do you know that?"

I told her about a website I'd come across for a coroner in Arizona, how they had some really interesting articles posted.

Then the second question came, "What made you want to read a coroner's website?"

Then, I had to explain how I had needed to know what happens to a Jane Doe when no one claims the body for a novel I was writing.

I started considering all the stuff I've had to research for my novels:

• New York hotels, 1890's (must have balconies)
• Malignant tumors
• How fast someone bleeds out from a severed jugular
• Lilith myths
• Prion disease
• Snowmobile mechanics
• Solar flares
• Medical nanotechnology
• Mining in northern Montana
• Victorian era anesthetic
• Decay rates of submerged bodies

Just to name a few.

I've talked to a number of writers who are pretty sure they're on a Homeland Security watch list because of topics they've had to Google.

Over and over, my writing has pushed me to learn some pretty unusual things. What types of things have you had to research? What strange knowledge do you now possess as a result of your writing?

******************

Melinda Friesen writes MG, YA, and NA novels. She's anxiously awaiting the release of her YA dystopian novel Subversion, the sequel to award-nominated Enslavement.

Meet Ellie Brixton in this Debut Author Spotlight

Author Ellie Brixton is part unicorn and a cookie connoisseur.

1- As a unicorn, how do you feel about this image?

This image makes me feel like this:

But as you can see, it isn't much of a problem because RAINBOWS.


2- Is your hair always pink, or do you rock various colors?

The pink hair is new. I decided that this is the year I'm going to live more boldly and take risks, the big-hearted, making for a happy life kind...it started with deciding to publish #Kissing and has snowballed, in the best of ways, from there.

In addition to the pink hair and becoming an author, I've started taking better care of myself by being more indulgent in some ways (I recently had my first manicure/pedicure in YEARS) and less indulgent in others (I stopped eating ALL the cookies and instead save them for special occasions so it feels more like a celebration when I do have them...though every day is a party over here, so *Shrugs and stuffs cookie in my mouth.*)

3- Is there any diversity we can look forward to in your book?

If by diversity you mean POC or non-hetero characters, for instance, yes. Penny, who becomes Josie's bestie in #Kissing and the star of the next book in the Rock and Romance series (@Snogging) is African American. The bassist in the Halos (the story's rock band) is gay. Also, Josie has diabetes, which I haven't come across too often in fiction.

4- If there were a soundtrack to #Kissing, what would be on it?

I have a #Kissing playlist on my YouTube page. Some of the bands/songs include: Maroon 5, Pink, Gwen Stefani, and Prince, of course.


5- Some people use hashtags outside of social media. What's your take on that?

A few years ago, I was quite contrarian on all things social media; I found it kind of obnoxious the way it was infiltrating and messing with English as I knew it. But it's grown on me, and I've met amazing people, a very cool writing community, and the bloggers/readers are AMAZING! So, since you asked me today and not several years ago, I'm all for usage of using hashies outside social media, #obvi.


6- What's the best cookie, and do you have a link to the recipe?

A great question with an impossible answer! But my solid, go-to, classic is this recipe. The secret ingredient is cream cheese, which might sound weird, but actually makes them super soft, but not cake-like. Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies - Averie Cooks OMGNOM!

7- What most contributed to your choice of publication method?

Freedom, mostly. I didn't pursue traditional publishing, though I'd never say no to working with one of the "Big 5", just sayin', but I like that I have creative control over everything. Though it is a lot of work doing ALL the things. I also really dig the indie author community and loyal readership who support this DIY revival of sorts, where people all over the world are doing fantastic things with technology that entertain, inform, and are super creative.


8- How did a 1959 Cadillac convertible become your dream car?

It's such a classic ride. I had a similar Barbie car when I was little, and I always imagined cruising along a palm-tree lined road with the top down. Practically speaking, it'd mess up my hair with the wind and all, but I'm not usually practical so a 1959 Caddie it is.


9- Any tips for hoping-to-debut authors on how to avoid an epic #fail?

Hmm. My #success has yet to be fully realized, I think. That being said, I haven't #failed either, because I took a daring leap, not quite sure where I'd land, but am so glad that I had the courage to write #Kissing—a story of a girl finding true love, but also finding herself, and then putting it out in the world. I sorta went through a similar process as Josie and I suppose, that's a version of success in itself.

10- Might you have any experience as a groupie or as a rocker?

I wouldn't call myself either, but that world is not at all foreign to me. I love music and part of me has always been fascinated by the rock and roll lifestyle, but I'm more of a bookworm, truth be told and like a koala I need lots of sleep. Josie's schedule so wouldn't work for me.

11- It's one-free-book-for-every-unicorn day. How would you pick which book to get free?

Another great, but tough question. Let's see, I've read some terrific books lately, but if you must know, there are two that ended on a cliffhanger (hate the cliffy!) and I'm dying to know what happens... so I think I'd get my unicorn hooves on a copy of Broken Prince by Erin Watt.


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

#Kissing is about the good girl who found the bad boy, but couldn't forget about the one she left behind. The follow up novella, XOX, will be available in September followed by @SNOGGING, Penny's story, a novella titled PSS, and one more full-length & novella to complete the series, early next year.

Here's an excerpt from #Kissing

I used to be a good girl. I used to be many things. Now I just make it up as I go along. Most of the time I don't even know what I'm doing. Only that right now, I like the way this feels.

My moan disappears into the grinding of a guitar as I squeeze my eyes shut. I make my own stars as phosphenes flicker and dance behind my shuttered lids, winding through my vision in silver and yellow. I'm close, but not close enough for my mind not to wander.

JQ and I found a field as far from town as we could, dimming the city light. His fingers rested just inches from mine. We were young and nervous enough to make an excuse: a science project for Mr. Wilkins. We watched a celestial show in the sky that night, drifting to sleep under a summer blanket of stars. When dawn kissed our cold cheeks awake, we clasped hands. Then he kissed me, and I ran away.

Our lives went in parallax and here I am, my back arching as I call out with pleasure while my boyfriend has his head between my legs. I shouldn't be thinking about someone else. But he accidentally called me Heather once—whoever that is. These days the line between right and wrong is a blur. But pleasure is pleasure. And I can't deny Niko makes me feel good. I'll settle for good.


Let's hang out!
Website ♥ Amazon ♥ Twitter♥ Facebook♥ Insta♥ Goodreads ♥ Pinterest ♥ Newsletter
Also, you can get your copy of #Kissing US ♥Amazon UK ♥ Amazon Canada
This was Ellie's first official interview, but that being said, she thinks these were the BEST interview questions EVER. I'm so glad! You were fun to interview, Ellie. Thanks!

There is no such thing as too many books or too long a TBR. #bookworm #booklovah

— Ellie Brixton (@EllieBrixton) June 20, 2016

When Should You Write Your Query Letter?

I don't know about you folks out there, but I didn't learn what a query letter was until after I wrote my first book and revised it a few times. Somehow I got it in my head that a query letter could only be written in the weeks before you sent your book out to agents or publishers. If your book wasn't written, polished, and ready to go, you couldn't write that query letter.

How wrong I was...

Earlier this year, I won a query critique from an agent in a random Twitter giveaway. I was a couple weeks away from finishing the first draft of my MS, so of course I hadn't already written my query letter.

Commence scrambling.

Now, to be fair, I've gotten a lot better at query letters over the past few years, so writing this particular query letter wasn't as soul-crushing as previous ones have been. I came up with a rough draft, workshopped it with my Facebook writing group, polished it up, sent it to a CP with notoriously quick turnaround time, then sent it on to the agent who gave me a thumbs up and a request for pages. I let her know (sheepishly) that the book wasn't finished yet, but that I'd send the pages on eventually.

The thing that astonished me most, however, was that in the process of writing the query letter, I discovered that the conflict and stakes of my manuscript were weak. So I made something up that my writing group agreed was much stronger. Then, when I went back to do my first revision on my novel, I was able to add the key scenes that I needed to increase the conflict and therefore the stakes.

Now I recommend to everyone that they write a query letter for their novels somewhere between the beginning of the first draft and the start of the first revision. That way, if the query letter reveals that an aspect of the book needs work, you are in the perfect position to fix it.

When do you write your query letter? Have you tried this before? Let me know in the comments!

How To Survive Being a Newb

Newb in the urban dictionary has two spellings and is divided into two classifications: Newb/newbie and noob/n00b. In the online gaming community, the former is a person who is new to the game and inexperienced, but willing to learn and improve. The latter is a person who is inexperienced, but doesn't try to improve, often saying and doing things to annoy and be a nuisance to other players. The term 'newb' can be applied to anyone new or inexperienced at a task or profession.

Being a newb in any profession is awkward and humbling. You're on a constant mission to collect information and experience so that you'll no longer be branded as the 'new guy'. Your best friend is anyone willing to share information and advice without teasing you for your ignorance. The only way to stop being branded a newb is to become competent and experienced in your profession...or to become more competent and experienced than the newest member of your team. (See how that works?)

Being a newb in the writing community shouldn't be as daunting as being a newb in the gaming community. This all depends on the people you surround yourself with. If you associate with people who tease you, berate you, or discourage you, your experience will be unpleasant and it may even turn you away from writing. You will encounter people like these, even if you're careful what blogs, forums, and websites you visit. The best thing to do when this happens is to ignore them and don't respond to their baiting. (If a person is consistently bothering you or others, chances are he's a troll and you don't want to 'feed' the trolls. Trolls don't respond to reason or logic, since their purpose is to see how angry they can make you.)

To survive being a newb in any community, writing included, you need to find a safe place to learn and mingle with like-minded people. Scout these out carefully through research, exploration, and recommendations from others. A good place (forum, website, coffeehouse, etc) will be where you spend most of your time interacting with the community, so you want to know your way around it, know the atmosphere and the people who frequent it. This will take time in itself, so the research beforehand is a good idea.

To start you out, here are a few recommendations from me. 

You can't go wrong with Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writers Support Group. They have a monthly blog hop where you can meet and mingle with other writers going through the same hurdles you are. You can also find them on Facebook (groups) and Twitter.

There are many hashtag chats on twitter where you can make helpful connections. The two I've been a part of are #kidlitchat (Tuesdays at 9pm EST), and #storycrafter (Sundays at 3pm EST). Storycrafter is a light, fun chat with writerly themes in Q&A format. It's open to all genres.

Finally, there's the Writers Chatroom which has topic chat Sundays at 7pm EST and open chat Wednesdays 8pm EST. The room is only open during scheduled chat times, but the people there are helpful and good at answering writing questions.

Once you've found a place, be friendly, humble, and willing to learn. These are the best qualities a newb could have to propel her out of newb status to leet. Take part in things, reach out to others, don't be afraid to try. If you fail in front of helpful people, they'll support you and encourage you to try again. Seek out someone who could become a good friend, a guide to the profession and its community or even someone just starting out like you. If you're blessed enough to find a mentor who knows the whole thing inside-out, that's great. Never turn down advice from someone who knows more than you do. You might not be able to use it now, but it's good to know for later.

To recap, this is How to Survive Being a Newb:

1. Find a safe place to mingle and learn
2. Be friendly, humble, and willing
3. Make a friend
4. Listen to advice (and thank them for it)
5. Don't be afraid to try 

 If you have advice or recommendations for other newbs, please share it in the comments.

Flash Fiction Contest #15 Winner

Thanks for stopping by to read the winning entry!

Flash Fiction Contest #15 Prompt: France

Entry by Laura L. Zimmerman
I pulled at the silky threads that clung to the walls of the cave. “Spider webs.” My nose crinkled in disgust.

Lydia giggled but kept her flashlight in the shadows. She was tall for twelve. It made her easier to spot, though, as the light bounced off the walls. Was the passageway getting smaller? My throat closed.

“Shhh. We’re almost there,” Jimmy said.

Why did we need silence just to look for buried treasure? It’s not like we’d scare it away. But I kept my mouth shut.

Something skittered to my left, and my head swung around, eyes wide.

“Don’t fall behind, Corban. The ghost of François Aregnaudeau might get you.” Lydia giggled once more.

“Tell me who this François guy was again? Something to do with horse-hair?”

“Honestly, don’t you listen? I already told you everything on our hike to the cave. He was a corsairs, which is French for privateer… but many went rogue and became pirates. In 1811 he arrived in New York with a boatload of loot, which the U.S. government immediately took –“

“Or so they say,” Jimmy cut in. “My great-grand-pops kept the map his grandpa gave him when he was a kid. It’s bona fide authentic, I tell you. We follow this, and we’ll find the treasure of Captain François. Or the part the government didn’t take.”

My hand fell through another doorway of silk and I jumped. “Sure wish we’d hurry up.”

“Don’t be a whiney pants,” Jimmy said.

“Hey! There’s a fork up ahead!” Lydia whisper-yelled, before I could get snarky with Jimmy. “We go left, then it’s in a ditch to the right.” The light flipped up to the narrow passage that jutted to the west. My heart skipped a beat.

“This is it,” Jimmy whispered.

We slowly moved forward, the group tightly knit, each breath labored with excitement. Around the corner, Jimmy fell to his knees before I even spotted the hole in the ground.

“I’ve got something!” he exclaimed.

Lydia aimed her flashlight low, the rest of us hidden in darkness. Anything could be behind us. A shiver ran down my spine. “What is it?”

A small wooden box that cracked open with resistance, then a woven cloth of some sort. Inside, a ceramic doll.

“What –“ Jimmy and I looked at one another, our brows pulled together.

The treasure was a doll?

“Break it,” Lydia said. “The map says to break it.”

“Oy!” I yelled, as Jimmy tossed the thing to the floor.

It broke into a million pieces, but there was something there, another paper. He picked it up, Lydia quick with her light. Her lips moved as she read the French under her breath. She swallowed hard, her gaze on ours.

Her shoulders straightened and a smile tugged at her lips. “The treasure isn’t here. We’ve got a little farther to go.

“This time, to France.”

***

Buried treasure--so fun!

Our next flash contest is in two weeks--tell your friends. :D

Flash Fiction Contest #15

Welcome to our #OAFlash fiction contest! Apologies for the small hiatus. This year just keeps kicking my rear. But never fear, I'm back again with a new prompt!

Rules for our flash contest can be found here.

Flash Fiction Prompt For Friday, June 24, 2016

When posting, remember to include your name and your Twitter handle.

Have fun and come back Sunday night to find out the winner!

That Moment When You Want to Quit

I remember my moment well. 

It was September of 2013. I’d just given my first pitch to a literary agent at a conference. For weeks before the conference, I feverishly prepared for that pitch, watching YouTube videos, researching, and gleaning wisdom from others who have pitched before. I wrote and rewrote what I would say. I practiced a dozen times in front of my very-bored children. I walked into that room, nervous, but knowing I’d done absolutely everything I could do to make the pitch the best it could be. I’d packed an atomic bomb’s worth of emotional and mental energy into that moment.

But, bombs have a tendency to explode.

I gave my pitch, but I failed to impress the agent.

I told myself it was okay, that I’d find another way. But, after receiving nothing but rejections on my work for years, I began to spiral downward. I struck the ground hard. I went to my room and detonated. I was done. I couldn’t do this anymore.

I’ve lost count of how many writers and other artists I’ve spoken to who have experienced “that moment.” I’ve watched friends withdraw and become depressed, hopeless. I’ve seen it so many times, that I know what exactly what’s happening to them. The industry has worn them down. Their strength has given out under the constant crushing weight. Their dream to do this thing they love, feels dead.

Have you been there? Are you there right now?

That weekend in 2013, I quit for about two hours. When I got beyond the tears and gnashing of teeth, I realized that, in my quest to be published, I’d lost sight of my first love—writing. Would I still love writing even if my books never achieved publication? Absolutely. I took a little break from querying to heal and focus on my writing.

I started sending work out again, but at a slower pace. I realized that I’d been sprinting and this is a marathon industry. I also realized that I couldn’t hold so tightly to my narrow dreams. Perhaps I needed to broaden them and allow them to take shape within the realm of reality. I invested in positive friendships with other writers for much needed encouragement, shoulders to cry on, and the often needed kick in the pants to keep going.

Most writers have experienced moments where they want to quit. These feelings are normal. The question is, what will you do with that moment? Will you allow it to win? Or will you keep going?

********

Melinda Friesen, author of the dystopian One Bright Future series, writes novels for teens and short stories. She is an avid collector of rejection letters.

Meet Jamie Zakian in this Debut Author Spotlight

Welcome, or welcome back, to debut author Jamie Zakian. The first writing contest to feature this author's query was Operation Awesome’s mystery agent contest back in 2014!

Ashby Holler by Jamie Zakian
Ashby Holler series Book #1
Genre: NA Criminal Suspense
Release Date: June 14, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing



1- What was the inspiration behind Ashby Holler?
At its core, Ashby Holler is a story about a young woman who refuses to live by the standards that society places on women, and of course the fallout of daring to live out loud. I’ve struggled since childhood to have people accept me for how I prefer to dress, had a million snide comments about the masculine traits I was born with pierce my ears. That struggle inspired the character of Sasha Ashby. She could be violent, raw, say the things I’ve always been afraid to speak, think the thoughts I was told were wrong. The storyline, and adventures she ended up taking just sort of happened as I wrote.

2- Has living in South Jersey affected your research for your book about organized crime?
A long time ago, in the era of B.C. (before children), I studied criminal justice. Thankfully I still had my old college books, and one of them was solely based on organized crime. The books were in-depth, detailed the structure of many criminal organizations, and described the mentality of certain types of criminals. That resource helped immensely when perfecting later drafts of this novel.

3- Your query letter mentioned “drug trafficking Mack truckers.” Did you visit the Mack Truck Museum in Allentown, PA for research?

I didn’t know there was a Mack Truck Museum in Allentown, but I’m definitely going to visit it now that I do! I actually am a trucker, just not a Mack trucker. I’m more of a backwoods mud-trucker. But, to get a feel for the authenticity of a big rig, I browsed a lot of pictures on the internet, talked to a few friends who are owner/operators, and even studied the schematic of a semi.

4- Have you ever run up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum?
I did run up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum! Just once in 1997, when I was seventeen. It also happened to be the place where a boy first told me he loved me. It was very romantic, set a rather high bar for the people who followed. There was a little balcony around the side of the museum overlooking the Schuylkill, which we sort of climbed/trespassed on. The moon was shining on the river, and icicles hung down the stone railing around us, sparking. I was just about to tell him I wanted to go back to the car because it was too cold, and he leaned close and said, “I love you.” It was so sweet! I have no idea what that guy is up to now. He was a bad-boy, we had to go our separate ways.

5- What most contributed to your choice of publication method?
After a few rounds of querying agents, I knew Ashby Holler was going to be hard to place based on the feedback I received from full/partial requests. The story was romantic, but not a romance. It had criminal elements, yet it didn’t fit the crime genre. It was heavily dramatic, had a southern feel, but wasn’t quite a southern drama. Genre-crossing can be good, but when you straddle so many there’s no one place to situate your book. Plus, figuring out who to market to is a disaster. So, I decided to take the script to small presses who were open to motorcycle club stories, since that’s where my novel seemed to fit best. In the end, I received three offers from small presses for Ashby Holler, but decided to go with Limitless Publishing because of their passion for my story.

6- As a reader, what most motivates you to buy a new book to read?
Since I honestly love every type of story, I usually don’t bother with the back cover copy of a potential new read. I always go straight to the first page. The voice of the main character is very important to me. It doesn’t matter if that voice is quirky, crude, dorky. As long as it’s unique, I’ll want to follow it through whatever world the author created.

7- What is the most memorable trait or visual oddity of one of your characters? (Example: Lou’s mother never sitting down in Me Before You, or Harry Potter’s lightning bolt scar.)
My main character, Sasha, loves brass knuckles. To her, that strip of metal is the great equalizer. It makes her skinny girl-sized fist pack the same punch of the large, brutish men around her. Sasha doesn’t go anywhere without a set of brass knuckles in her pocket, and she’s never afraid to swing them.

8- Given your archery skills, might there be a “Katniss Everdeen” or “Legolas” character in your writing future?

There is definitely a foul-mouthed, bow-wielding character in my future! Archery is one of my passions, and I’ve longed to incorporate it into my writing. I actually just outlined a story featuring a hardcore archeress who leads an intergalactic mission, seeking out a habitable planet for her species to migrate to. I’m very excited to get started on it as soon as I wrap up the Ashby Holler series.

9- What diversity can readers look forward to in your pages? (age, race, LGBQT, etc)
My main character is exploring her sexuality with both genders. Since the book is set in 1984 Kentucky, she has to do it in secret. Back then, in most places, it wasn’t okay to be gay, and bisexuality wasn’t even recognized. Some of the subject matter in Ashby Holler, the phrasings used to harm my main character, the things done to her just because she’s different than those around her can be uncomfortable but was necessary to reflect real life. Especially now, with how volatile the world’s become, I feel it’s important to show the perspective of the one’s falling victim to stereotypes. It’s 2016, and we as a people are still hating what we don’t understand instead of trying to learn more about it. My hope with Ashby Holler is that people will see—no, feel the damage that stereotyping does through the eyes of my main character.

10- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?
I recently shared an excerpt on my blog, which you can find here:
http://starvingartist-jz.blogspot.com/2016/06/ashby-holler-excerpt-1000-amazon.html
I know this site is family friendly, and my book is quite explicit so I’ll just share my PG-rated blurb:

Sergeant at Arms for a deadly club of drug traffickers doesn’t sound like the ideal job for a nineteen-year-old girl…

But Sasha Ashby has never been typical, and she’s waited her entire life to sew a club patch on her leather jacket. Raised on violence and crime as part of Ashby Holler Trucking, while hiding her own dirty little secret, Sasha knows she can handle anything.

Now there’s a spot open at the table, and Sasha will do anything to secure it—including betray herself…

Her best friend and fellow prospect, Vinny, devises a stupidly brilliant plan—they fake a relationship. It’s a match the club president, who happens to be Sasha’s mother, has longed to see. It’s a good idea, in theory. Vinny knows she’s into girls, and what’s a little sex between friends? The ruse works well, elevating her in line for the coveted position, until Vinny’s older brother Dez gets out of jail and breezes into her seat.

There’s something about Dez that Sasha can’t shake…

She should hate him. It’s only natural after he snatched away her opportunity of a lifetime. But the instant Dez locks his fierce gaze on her, Sasha’s world turns upside down. In the midst of a war with a rival biker gang, Sasha must figure out what she needs most. Is it the gentle touch of her best friend Vinny, the savage hold of his dangerous brother, or the soft skin of the many women who crawl into the cab of her semi?

The timing couldn’t be worse, but the lies, deceit, and death that dwell in Ashby Holler wait for no woman.

About the Author:

Jamie Zakian lives in South Jersey with a rowdy bunch of dudes, also known as family. A YA/NA writer, her head is often in the clouds while her ears are covered in headphones. On the rare occasions when not writing, she enjoys blazing new trails on her 4wd quad or honing her archery skills. She’s a card carrying member of the Word Nerd Association, which means she’s probably stalking every Twitter writing competition and offering query critiques so keep an eye out.

Website: www.jamiezakian.com 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15152930.Jamie_Zakian 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/demoness333
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamieZakianAuthor/

http://amzn.to/1rsSRtr

Thanks, Jamie! Interviewing you was a pleasure.

Tuesday Museday gets a sibling?

If you have siblings, you likely know that there are things you can get away with doing to your siblings that you can't do to anyone else. Take this photo for example:

This is me and my cousins, plus my sister, my husband, and my cousin's wife (none of us were married at the time; this photo is OLD).

If you study the photo, you will notice that my sister, in the stripey sweater, is thrusting her hips forward and has her arms behind her back. This is because a second before the photo was taken, I credit-carded her. 

Do I go around swiping my hand up random people's butt cracks? Nope. That behavior is reserved for my sister. Poor Cassi.

Your characters will similarly have things they do or personality traits that they can show only around their siblings. Use those interactions to your advantage! Show a gruff character's silly side. Show someone who always acts cheerful dropping the facade around their family.

As a writing exercise, write a scene (even one that doesn't make it into your book) between characters and their siblings. This is a good way to get to know your secondary characters as well as your main character. It'll be interesting to see what it reveals about them!

Need fresh eyes on your query letter? Comment below, and I will select a few random commenters for a critique.

By the way, when you get in the business of critiquing people, you often worry that someone will react badly to your critique and flame you publicly or privately. I've been doing Tuesday Museday for nearly a year now, and I have yet to have this experience. All you OA readers who receive critiques from me have been polite and grateful. I'm grateful to YOU for your classy behavior. Thank you!

July 2016 Pass Or Pages Details

We are so grateful to the agents willing to participate in Pass Or Pages. Without them, we straight up could not host this contest. For July's contest we have four awesome agents on our panel, and we can't wait to hear what they have to offer for query help.

In July, the category for Pass Or Pages will be Women's Fiction. Please note that women's fiction and contemporary romance are different genres, and while we do plan to host a round of Pass Or Pages dedicated to contemporary romance in the future, this is not that round. If you aren't sure if your book is women's fiction or romance, please check out these helpful links:

Agent Scott Eagan on Romance vs. Women's Fiction

Author Linda Goodnight on 5 Reasons the differences between Romance and Women's Fiction Matter

Here are the important dates for this round:

July 4: Agent announcement and recap of rules
July 11-12: Entry window open (via a form here on Operation Awesome)
July 25-29: Feedback reveals!

To learn more about Pass Or Pages, please take a look at the rules and previous feedback reveals.

Spread the word to your friends writing women's fiction! We can't wait to see those entries!