I've been gone as of late. Yeah, school and all, BUT I was productive while I was away! :)
I figured I'd add this picture for two reasons. 1) I've just learned about the magic of Instagram 2) My outfit has a Greek theme, which works perfectly with my latest WIP.
My latest work-in-progress has hit the 40k mark. Goal is about 50k and I hope to finish it this May. Oh and there's an Oh-so-secret bloggy contest coming up...I won't say anything more, but start editing those loglines...
My latest WIP is a modern retelling of one of the Greek myths, except ya know I take the ONE happy myth in Greek mythology and butcher it. That's the fun in writing, we can do whatever we'd like as long as we have the gull to back it up and make sure it makes sense. I've also done something entirely new, (yes, I'm going to toot my own horn) I've written from the male POV. All those nights listening to college guys interacting and yelling at the T.V. totally came in handy.
Also, as you may have noticed in my last post--I made it into the Writer's Voice contest--*fingers crossed* that I get chosen!
So I ask--where is everyone at today with their writing?
The Writer’s Voice” is a multi-blog, multi-agent contest hosted by Cupid of Cupid’s Literary Connection, Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes, Monica B.W. of Love YA, and Krista Van Dolzer of Mother. Write. (Repeat.). They've based it on NBC’s singing reality show The Voice, so the four of them will serve as coaches and select projects for their teams based on the entered queries and first pages.
Summary for WITCH COUNTRY
Genre: MG Fantasy
Word Count: 35k
14-year-old
Lucas is going to betray his best friend.
After
spending four years trying to find the mother his father sent away, Lucas will
do anything to get her back. Living as Exiles has taken its toll on Lucas, his
insanely competitive sister, and maniacal father. Sure, no longer having to
steal for a bite to eat is tempting. So is finally having indoor plumbing and
that awesome invention called a T.V., but it’ll all come at a price. Crystal,
Lucas’s best friend and crush, is the Witch Queen’s niece and the perfect way
to gain access to the Queen’s scepter, which has the power to free Lucas’s
Exiled people. Of course, that doesn’t matter to him, but it does to his father
who hungers for the dark magic to finally take down the Witches.
Lucas’s
father gives him a choice: betray his best friend in exchange for his mother’s
whereabouts or give up all hope of seeing the mother that sacrificed everything
for him.
First 250 Words:
I broke into a Witch restaurant, sliding a pocketknife into the lock and wiggling until it clicked. My mouth watered just thinking about the basilisk pepperoni pizza that was always left in the fridge. Before stepping inside I glanced around the alleyway and listened. It seemed clear so I stepped through, closing the door behind me. I didn’t flick on the lights. Darkness had never made seeing difficult for me, plus as an Exile electricity wasn’t exactly high on my priority list. Although I had to hand it to those elemental witches, pizza was a divine invention.
Hopping behind the
counter, toward the back of the store there was a little room off to the left
and away from the stove and grill area. In there was a fridge and microwave. God, I needed to convince the others to
steal some of these. Then I realized we would need electricity, something
we lacked. The scent of rotting food clogged my nostrils. I pressed my t-shirt
to my nose. If, like witches, I could move water with just a wand I wouldn’t
have left dirty dishes around. I clenched my fists. Lazy and self-entitled,
that’s what witches were. I grabbed a couple slices of pizza from the fridge and
tossed them into the microwave. I laughed. My father would kill me if he ever
found out where I was. Never trust the
witches, Lucas, he’d say. It was stupid. It was his own fault the witches
forced them—us—into Exile.
Elle Strauss, a fellow YaLitChat.org member, has recently had a change in her book cover she was dying to show off. So I happily obliged. The book has been released in print as well as ebook format. You can find it here. The old cover is below, while the new one is below that one. The first has a whimsical feel, but the new one gives off the perfect cute and fun vibe, which mirrors the actual story. Not to mention it follows the YA trend of teens on the cover (or more accurately the upper body of a teen or a close-up shot of a face), which helps when determining a book's genre. It's the same logic when it comes to spotting an erotica novel. You know that similar half-naked theme they all follow. I've only just heard of this novel, a recent release, but based on what's been said and the plot I do believe I'll add it to my to-be-read list. :)
Previous Cover Synopsis:
New Cover
Casey Donovan has issues: hair, height and uncontrollable trips to the 19th century! And now this --she’s accidentally taken Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Awkward.
Protocol pressures her to tell their 1860 hosts that he is her brother and when Casey finds she has a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor, something changes in Nate. Are those romantic sparks or is it just “brotherly” protectiveness?
When they return to the present, things go back to the way they were before: Casey parked on the bottom of the rung of the social ladder and Nate perched high on the very the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her younger brother gets escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past again.
Which of course, she does.
What's Been Said:
"Readers who 'trip' back in time with Casey will wish they could stay longer in her strangely relatable place." - Kirkus Review
"I loved Clockwise! A great read, and I love your Casey/Cassandra. Congratulations." - Wendy Orr, author of Nim's Island
At age 16, Rhine Ellery has four years to live. Thanks to a botched effort to create a perfect race, all females live to age 20 and males live to age 25. On the cusp of her 17th birthday, Rhine attempts to flee, but what she finds is a society spiraling out of control.
(To Expand on the Goodreads synopsis)
Rhine is forced to marry a baron--one of two other girls kidnapped for this polygamous marriage. At first she wants to hate this man, but the closer she gets to him--the more she sees that there may be other forces at work. And she comes to know her sister wives and a certain servant in ways she never imagined.
My Take:
I loved the premise of this book. I also LOVE the cover. Anything to do with genetics and I'm very interested. Unfortunately, this book didn't deliver as promised. Some people love quiet novels like this. I for one--don't. Though this could be a matter of taste. I really really wanted to love this book, sadly, I merely liked it. It's not to say that the book is terrible, on the contrary I find the world that Destefano creates to be quite intriguing and different from the usual dystopian society. The problem was that Destefano only touched upon specific aspects of her world, but never truly explained them. I felt like a major plot point was left out at the end of the book--something I wanted more of. Also, the love interest is absent for a good portion of the book, to the point where I found myself wondering what the main character saw in him. It was as if he was out of her thoughts for most of the book. I actually stopped 3/4 into this book and read Obsidian then came back to finish Wither. Granted, the idea is ambitious and perhaps because much of the book is set on a restricted floor of a mansion we don't get as much of the outside world as we should. Still, I may pick up the second book just to see. I still really loved the concept.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up. And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens. The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. If I don’t kill him first, that is.
My Take:
Let me first say--to Jennifer--I've never met you, but you've wowed me and congratulations on this fabulous book! I absolutely loved this book. Here's why. A) As a writer and occasional blogger I can relate to the main character. Hell, I think anyone can. She's a teenage girl--a real one--not some supposed teenager with a 30-year-old's voice coming out of her. B) Daemon. Oh god, Daemon. C) Daemon again, but seriously if you're looking for a book filled with so much sexual tension and fun arguments (trust me, you'll feel the heat wafting off the pages) then this is for you. It carried the usual YA paranormal romance vibe, but I felt the sci-fi edge gave it a unique twist. D) You're gunna LOVE Daemon. Well, you're gunna hate him, but god, you're gunna love him. That's all I can say. Read it yourself and find out. I will add that Katy is a great character and not the usual woe is me, how is this guy gunna save me next kinda girl? She makes some sacrifices and that really made me like her. I won't say anymore.
This book has made me believe that if I just delve deep enough I'll find a book I can't put down. I NEED these books. Am I going to read the next one in the series? Oh sweet Jesus--YES!
My rating 4.9 stars
(Yeah, I'm finicky with my 5 star ratings)
******On a side note. This book was released by Entangled Publishing a brand new--barely a year old--venture. I must say, if this is any indication as to the kinds of books Entangled is releasing, I see a VERY bright future ahead for them. Thanks for the great read!
Oasis for YA is hosting a blogfest in honor of Valentine's Day. Basically, post your most swoon-worthy and romantic moments. I settled for funny, yet romantic from the guy's POV. This is from my latest WIP It's Coop Not Cupid.
Not to mention Writing With Hope is hosting one too! "Is it Getting Hot in Here?" Going to kill two birds with one stone!
Shit. Shit.
Shit. Here came the tears. I could see them glossing over her eyes. They were
silent when they fell. Alex leaned into me.
“I feel so
damn pathetic.” Then the crying came. She tried hard to muffle them, poor girl.
Just seeing
her there on my lap, sobbing like some kind of raccoon, I couldn’t help it.
Something inside me twisted and I tugged on her chin. She looked up at me.
“You’re not
pathetic, okay.”
Maybe it was
the puppy-dog eyes or my lack of judgment, but I kissed her. I kissed her hard
and full, pulling her closer to me.
Thing was...she kissed back.
The ride
halted as we parted. There stood Sam, eying me with a look I could only
interpret as hatred. I grinned. Gods, I couldn’t help it. That prick had it
coming. I wrapped an arm around Alex as we stepped off. It was about time he proved
himself. Did he like the girl or not?
“Coop,” Alex
whispered. “What did we…?”
I smiled. “Don’t
worry. Now, we’ll see how that Sam of yours really feels.”
“Wait, that
was just a test?” She looked up, then slowly a smile spread onto her pink lips.
“You know,”
she said. “That was my first kiss that was just fun and didn’t mean a darn
thing. That was kind of awesome.”
I raised a
brow. “What’d you expect? I’m the god of love, sweetheart.”
I've never really talked much about my querying process, but I was interviewed the other day on here by fellow writer, Beth Fred, which got me thinking. I've been striving toward my goal of getting an agent and published for quite some time on and off. At least since spring of 2009. Wow. Spring of 2009. Granted in between that time I've graduated high school, visited colleges, gone to college, and have managed to get about 4-5 internships under my belt. Now, I'm a second semester junior--probably a senior credit hour-wise by now.
But it is interesting to see where I've ended up since then. Was I really ready to get published at the age of seventeen? Probably not. Was I really ready for all the rejection I faced? At first no. Now, when one comes shooting into my inbox I think, "Pass me a Milano cookie and let's shoot off two more queries." Let's face it, this is a business of thick skin. Build it up and wear it proud. I've made plenty of mistakes--like thinking my work of YA genre fiction was literary HAH. My professors would laugh me out of the room if I EVER mentioned that. Even querying agents with a ridiculously LONG query. Luckily mine is about 3 paragraphs now. Short, sweet, and to the point. In fact, I think I'm a pretty darn good query writer. (Or so I think lol)
My point is we're all going to make mistakes along the way. We're all going to find our moment to shine. The writer's journey is all about finding your place in the literary world. I just have to say--the publishing industry as a whole has been awesome. Am I happy I discovered it? Yes--I don't have the words. To everyone on Twitter, YALitChat, and just about every writer's blog out there. We're here. We're listening to your words. And I for one hope for only the best for all of you.
For those who are always striving. Always pushing forward even after rejection. Don't worry. You'll make it as long as you never give up.
So I raise a glass of apple cider (not yet 21) to my fellow writers who through everything--the hardships and the struggles--are STILL here and still trying. Now, THAT's something to be proud of.
Let's make 2012 our YEAR!
Lotsa love guys,
Liz <3
Cat's Don't Dance's OUR TIME HAS COME says it better than I ever could.
Hiya!
I'm Elizabeth. I am a junior in college and a Creative Writing & AD/PR major. I write YA & MG.
I'm very interested in the fields of AD/PR and Publishing. I hope to somehow combine the two with my profession.
I've finished two manuscripts one YA and one MG. Both fantasy.
