What Works Blogfest

LTUE's annual contest is taking it to the next level in 2014: it's going to publish the winners in the newly-created Sibyl's Scriptorium! To celebrate and to get everyone writing and drawing their submissions in time to have them polished up for the submission deadline, we're having a blogfest!


Because one of the three LTUE contests is for illustrators, I'm blogging about what draws me to a great SFF illustration.

Now, I'm not an illustrator, and my stick figures tend to look more like ants than people, but even I can appreciate the covers of Brandon Sanderson's newest epic fantasy series, The Stormlight Archives.

The Way of Kings came out in 2010 and I immediately loved the cover art.



The thing that's so great about this is that, in one picture, you get a sense of adventure, heroism, war, and that the landscape and the weather will be very important in the book. I'm sure someone with a better knowledge of illustration could tell you why it works so well, but, for me, I can't ever concentrate long enough on one spot to really take it in. My eyes want to keep wandering from the swirling clouds to the flag, soldier, spear, landscape, lightning, and back up to the clouds. The intriguing figure on the distant peak is shrouded in mystery, but not quite as fascinating as the rest.



The cover for the second book, Words of Radiance, was released at the end of July and it is just as awesome. Do yourself a favor and read the article by artist Michael Whalen, on Tor.com. This cover shows something interesting happening in the skies which will excite anyone waiting eagerly for the book to come out, but the most interesting elements are the characters. Kaladin, of course, is on the front cover, holding his spear and looking poised for action. Then, ominously, we have Szeth in the background on his pile o'bodies, looking very threateningly at Kaladin. If you've read Way of Kings, this scene can't help but excite the same feelings we experienced when we put the first book down: terror, pity, giddy glee at the thought of the coming battle, and a sense that something much, much bigger than either of these two is going to crash down on them both.

Do you judge books by their covers? Do you think that's fair or just to be expected?

Also see my blog post about what I like in a short story on the brand-spanking new Sibyl's Scriptorium blog.

Best Way to Kick-Start your blogging? A Blogfest!

Some of you may know that I've rather swiftly infiltrated the LTUE hierarchy and, in 3 short years, volunteered my way from She-who-had-never-heard-of-LTUE to Pitch Master. Then, during LTUE 2013, I agreed to be the Assistant Contest Coordinator. Coooool. :)

All of which leads up to this: we're having an LTUE Blogfest to advertise the contest for next year. Next year is gonna be huge because not only do we have amazing celebrity judges, but we also will be PUBLISHING THE WINNERS! Which is much cooler than me.

To gear up for the contest, which opens to submissions in a couple months, the Blogfest will explore What Works? What sci-fi or fantasy short story, poem, or illustration struck a chord with you, impressed you in some way, or made you recommend it, go back to it, ponder on it, etc?

Get all the deets at the LTUE blog, and make sure you sign up on the Linky list.

GUTGAA Meet and Greet

Its the first day of the Gearing Up To Get An Agent Blogfest!

Today, we're all answering get-to-know-you questions and adding bios.

Where do you write?
I write at the computer in our tiny living room. The couch is at my right elbow and the TV is over my right shoulder, so my neck kinks to the right whenever my kids are watching Phineas and Ferb.

Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?
The kitchen table is close enough to hold my snacks. When it's dinner time, a quick push of my legs and a 45 degree rotation puts me in front of my food. (Hubby cooks.) :)

Favorite time to write?
Not sure if it's my "favorite" time, but I usually write at night. (Day job.) On weekends, I write in spurts through the day, between occasional chores.

Drink of choice while writing?
Water. Tastes great, less filling, zero calories. Sometimes I'll add lemon.

When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?
All noise is background, so silence is my choice when I can get it. If the family is watching a show I'm inclined to enjoy, I'll put on Pandora and headphones. I like Film Scores Radio most of the time. :)

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?
My WIP (not the book I'm pitching in the blogfest) was inspired by this (which you'll have to watch on YouTube):


Plus this: Writing Excuses 7.25: Writing Capers

What's your most valuable writing tip?
You can't fix a blank page.

Below is the bio in my query, but since it's going to be in the query for the blogfest, I'm blanking it out so you have to select it to read it. If you're a judge, there's nothing else to see, here.

I’m a host of David Farland’s Authors’ Advisory, where I grill bestselling authors for free writing advice. By day, I’m a criminal defense lawyer, where I learn about the drug trade directly from traffickers and addicts. I’ve published a paper on the juvenile death penalty, but I have not yet published a work of fiction. The death penalty paper was easier.

Anyway, enough about me. Go sign up and tell me about you! Then find out about the rest of the GUTGAA bloghoppers:

Gearing Up to Get an Agent 2012

My awesome writing groupie, Deana Barnhart is again hosting the Gearing Up to Get an Agent blogfest. Deana, herself, does not need this, since she has recently acquired herself an agent. For the rest of us, though, she has lined up a bunch of agents and small publishers who will be perusing our polished pitches for possible representation/purchase. Cool, huh?

Also, this year I'm helping. Even cooler, yes? :)

So go here to find out more and to get signed up, then start hopping around to all the other blogfest blogs to say hi (or you can wait for the September festivities. Either way).

So are you gonna play?

Things To Know Before It's Too Late

Deadline #1: You have until 11:59 PM on April 30 MARCH 31 to enter the A-Z Blogfest Challenge. You know you want to. All the cool kids are doing it! I'm spending the month talking all about... myself. What, you're surprised? I might also mention a word or two about all the people and books that have made me the wonderful person I am today. Maybe.

Deadline #2: Right now, the YA Scavenger Hunt is going on. There are 60 books up for the grand prize and countless side contests with jewelry, swag, ARCs, books, and other loveliness to be won. Hop along one or all of three colored trails, collect the letters, unscramble the secret messages, [tell them to Robin, who cannot unscramble secret messages to save her life], and enter it into the grand prize drawing by noon on April 1.

Deadline #3: One year from yesterday, I'll have a 12-year-old son.

I hope he'll feel mature enough to go to a movie with his mother for his birthday.



I just couldn't let you go one more day without joining me in the agony of waiting.

Feeling Kinda Insane

Okay, so last year I sat back in awe as many of my blogger friends joined the A to Z challenge. This year *gulp* I'm going to be one of them.

This recent insanity came partly because I met two of the hosts during an elaborate writer-girly slumber party at Donna's house over LTUE. Konstanz Silverbow and Elizabeth Mueller were both also Donna's guests and, since Donna did the challenge last year, I didn't have a prayer. Inside of two days, I was brainwashed.

Hurry on over and sign up: the list closes on March 31st. If you've never done a blogfest before, this is definitely one you want to check out. It's a great way to jump-start your blogging, attract new followers, find cool new blogs, and meet new blogger friends. The basic idea is to post one blog for every day in April (excluding a few select days to equal 26 total), and to post one post for each letter of the alphabet.

The only thing that makes this possible? Scheduled posting. I'm starting now.

*Brainstorms "A" words*

Winner! ...but first, some housecleaning

My mom always made me do my chores before I could play, so bear with me for just a sec....

The Guess Your Character's Age Blogfest is ongoing through December 10: see and critique my entry here.

You can still enter to win a copy of FIRESPELL by Danyelle Leafty. I've adjusted the rules to allow you to enter by posting about the contest on any social media site, or by telling a real-life person. Go here to enter.

And, finally, the winner of NIGHTINGALE is... Erin Edwards!

Congrats, Erin! I'll email your code for the enhanced ebook to you right away.

P.S. I was sitting at 199 followers for a long time... and suddenly, I was at 201! Now I'm at 202! But I COMPLETELY MISSED 200! Didn't see it at all! Celebrating now seems anticlimactic, but wow. I'm OVER 200. You guys are the best. :)

Another Blogfest: With a Contest!

Brenda Drake has such cool contests. This time, it's this one:

Anyone can play and you can still enter: you post your first 250 words on your blog and general crits as well as guesses as to what the character's age is. Then you polish them up and email them to Brenda before 11:59 PM on October *ahem* December 10 (thanks, Shelly). She'll winnow them out and post them on her blog, where they'll be judged by Gabriela Lessa. Prizes will be awarded. For full details, go here.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you've seen this a lot. It's mildly different, and I'm very open to further changes. There aren't any references to her age, so I didn't have to black anything out.

Brina knew better than to go out in public looking less than her questionable best. But she was late, it was rush hour, and home was thirty minutes away by car… but only ten by air. So she dumped her school bag, gym bag, and purse in her best friend Moira’s closet, threw open the window, and sat on the sill.

She closed her eyes, and, concentrating on the gland behind her heart, started pushing Black pixie dust through her body. When her fingertips started to tingle, she thought small and opened her eyes to see the window frame rising large around her as she shrank down, down, until she was the size of a small mouse, buffeted by the warm fall breeze.

Moira lifted a hand, already headed for her shower. “See you tomorrow,” she said.

Brina grinned, waved, and launched herself into the sweltering air of San Antonio, gliding above the manicured gardens that stretched out under Moira’s window.

The first flash came from her left and, like an idiot, she twisted toward it. Which is how the photographer’s zoom lens caught her: eyes opened wide, long braid slicked back from her face with her own sweat, and limbs sticking out at startled angles from her workout tank and short-shorts. All of it glowing softly brown in the dusk.

As a special bonus, the magazine’s cover photo captured the moment her four bright white wings froze in shock, sending her plummeting a few feet downward. 

So what do you think? How old does Brina seem? Any tips to help me convey her age better?

Note: if you're looking for the winner of NIGHTINGALE, I'll have that up tonight... I hope.

First Campaign Challenge: Flash Fiction

The first challenge of the Platform Building Campaign is upon us and hundreds are playing. Seriously, we have until Friday and there's already over a 120 entries.

Here's the specifics: Write a short story / flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “The door swung open” These four words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words: "the door swung shut." (also included in the word count)

For those who want an even greater challenge, make your story 200 words EXACTLY!

Naturally, I'm doing it all. 200 words exactly (not counting the title), starts and ends with the right phrase. Boo-yah.

So here it is:

SUSPECT

The door swung open a crack, and a dozen conversations buzzed into the room. I could only make out a few.

“Is Jack done with the house yet?”

“Are you kidding? With that mess, he’ll be there half the night.”

“I’m headed out for food—anyone hungry?”

“Just bring back some pizzas for everyone.”

“Suzanne is on the phone, wants to talk to our gal, here.”

“Is that the sister? Tell her to wait in line.”

A strong hand grabbed the door and held it steady, fingers curling through the gap and around to my side. Stubby fingernails gleaming in the fluorescent lights.

I rubbed my red-speckled hands together, longing for soap and water. And a nail brush. One that wouldn’t go straight into evidence.

A fascinating inch of dirty brown carpet crept out of the room and down the hallway toward freedom. If I were a mouse, I could flatten myself and squeeze through that crack.

If I were a mouse, I wouldn’t be able to hold a knife. Or be angry enough to use it.

The crack widened. Officers Milton and Hoff stalked in. Faces grave.

I yanked on my handcuffs below the table.

The door swung shut.

Read the rest of the entries by visiting the challenge post. Also, you can vote for your favorite by clicking the "Like" button under my entry, #125. (For instance.) :)

Tag: 10 Random Facts About Me

In the Platform Builders Campaign, I'm in Group 30: Urban Fantasy(1), where we're having fun with our first group challenge: twitter-tagging each other on our blogs. I was tagged by Megan Nafke (@Megan Nafke).

I don't know many of my group members well yet, but I'm tagging the following four fabulous females:

Lori M. Lee (@LoriMLee)--I've been seeing Lori around the web for months now, since we always seem to join the same contests. Her entries are always amazing, dang it.

Shannon Lawrence (aka The Warrior Muse) (@thewarriormuse)--I just love her moniker... and her blog ain't bad, either.

Miss Cole-Burke: (@MissColeBurke)--she's English (I'm half English), and she likes YA-UF for all the same reasons I do. :)

Amanda Leigh Cowley (@millymoomandy)--she writes adult UF (which is also good), has an ebook available, and posts a new Magic Eye picture every Friday! My eyes are having trouble focusing right now....

Okay, so now here's the 10 Random Facts about Me. I've done lots of About Me lists, so I'm getting my three sons to help me with this one:

So, boys, what are some random things about me?

1. D: You like books


2. C: You read books a lot


3. B: You're writing a book right now


4. D: You have three boys


5. C: You like House


6. B: You want a girl 


7. D: (channeling daddy) Which is not happening


8. C: (also channeling daddy) We won't have any more children


9. B: (vying for favorite) You love us!


10. C: (claiming the last spot) You go to work.

Also, in high school, I had the coolest Magic Eye poster on the back of my bedroom door: it was a knight with a sword protecting a damsel in distress from a flying dragon. Castle included. So. Awesome.

What posters did you have on your teenage walls?

Added: Oh, and my dragon obsession is explained by my birth year: The Year of the Dragon.

What's yours?

How Writing is Like a Political Campaign

If you want to be a politician, you need a platform (so people can predict how you'll vote on stuff).

If you want to be a bestselling author, you need a platform (so people can predict whether they'll like your books and stuff).

If you want to be a politician, you need to network (also known as campaigning).

If you want to be a bestselling author, you need to network (also, now, known as campaigning).

This is essentially a long-running blogfest, but so many cool people are already signed up, I simply had to play along. Join us?

Go here for complete details.

GUTGAA Week 4: First 200 Words

For the final week of the Gearin' Up to Get an Agent blogfest, hosted by the amazing Deana Barnhart, we are perfecting our first pages! First we're posting them on our blogs and hopping around to give feedback and advice. (One of the query contestants last week was smart enough to take MY advice and made the finals!) :D (No, I'm not bitter.)

Then, by Tuesday at 3:00 PM EDT, we email our official entries to Deana, where they will be judged by a team of preliminary judges and then by Agent Kathleen Rushall of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency and by writer Monica B.W..

Yes, yes, I know. I just posted for a first page contest last week. That was a different contest. With different judges. And different participants (probably). If you helped me out with that one, feel free to either help again or ignore this post.

UPDATE: Once again, based on the awesome comments, I've revised the first page and would like feedback on whether I've been successful in fixing the issues you all saw. The original is just below, with the revision after that. Thanks, everyone!

So, without further ado, I present my first 205 words for my YA Fantasy:

Brina knew better than to go out in public looking less than her dubious best.

She knew it, but figured hurrying home for her mother’s birthday party would merit a special dispensation of luck. She didn’t even bother to grow to human size first, but left her purse and car keys with Moria and launched herself out the palace window.

The first flash came from her left and, like an idiot, she twisted toward it. Which is how the photographer’s zoom lens caught her: eyes opened wide, long braid slicked back from her face with her own sweat, and limbs sticking out at startled angles from her workout tank and short-shorts. All of it glowing softly brown in the dusk.

As a special bonus, the magazine’s cover photo had captured the moment her four bright white wings had frozen in shock, sending her plummeting a few feet downward. The resulting portrait could have been entitled “Freak, Falling” but instead the headline proclaimed: “Human-Pixie Hybrids: The Last American Taboo.” That worked, too.

Naturally, it was taped to her locker first thing Tuesday morning. The cover hadn’t been torn carefully, and a jagged gash ripped halfway through Brina’s right wing. As if she needed help looking ridiculous.

So, what do you think? Got any advice that will help me beat you in the contest? :D

REVISION (210 words):

Brina knew better than to go out in public looking less than her questionable best.

She knew it, but figured hurrying home for her mother’s birthday party deserved a special endowment of luck. She didn’t even grow to human size first, but left her purse and car keys with her best friend Moira and launched herself out the palace window into the sweltering air of San Antonio, Texas.

The first flash came from her left and, like an idiot, she twisted toward it. Which is how the photographer’s zoom lens caught her: eyes opened wide, long braid slicked back from her face with her own sweat, and limbs sticking out at startled angles from her workout tank and short-shorts. All of it glowing softly brown in the dusk.

As a special bonus, the magazine’s cover photo had captured the moment her four bright white wings froze in shock, sending her plummeting a few feet downward. The resulting portrait could have been entitled “Freak, Falling” but instead the headline proclaimed: “Human-Pixie Hybrids: The Last American Taboo.” That worked, too.

Naturally, the magazine cover was taped to her locker first thing Tuesday morning. Brina stopped dead in the middle of the hallway, forcing her human and pixie classmates to swerve around her.

 Annnd... cut! Is that any better?

Contest with Teen Judges!

I couldn't resist this one. Brenda Drake is hosting a blog fest with four teenage judges. They're reading the  35-word pitch / loglines and first 250 words of each entrant's WIP, and choosing which one they'd buy. The winner gets a synopsis and 10 page crit, which is so perfect for me, since I'm really worried about my synopsis-writing skills. :)

Now, if I understand the rules right, you get to help me fix my entry before it is judged on the 20th (when I will post it to the entry site). So please feel free to be candid and brutal. I like winning more than I like compliments and I'm perfectly capable of ignoring advice I don't agree with. :)

Without further ado....

35-Word Pitch:

Humans are used to pixies, but human-pixie hybrid Brina will have to leverage her differences to understand her heritage, slow the flow of illegal dust, and win the heart of a certain charming Midsummer ass. 

UPDATE: Based on all the wonderful comments, I've flipped things around a bit. The original (246 words) is below, followed by the revision (249 words). Please comment on whether the revision fixes the problems, introduces new ones, and (if it comes to that) which you like best. Thanks so much!!

First 246 words:

The magazine cover taped to her locker hadn’t been torn carefully, and a jagged gash ripped halfway through Brina’s right wing. As if she needed help looking ridiculous.
Brina stopped dead in the middle of the hallway and forced herself to breathe. Stretched her lips into a slight smile. Pressed her head to the side, as if she were pondering a pleasant surprise. Ignored the churning in her stomach.

Soon, she’d be able to shove her feet forward. 

Brina knew better than to go out in public looking less than her dubious best, but she’d been running late after her workout, and hadn’t even bothered to grow to human size first. Instead, she’d left her backpack and schoolbooks with Moira and rocketed out the palace window toward home and her mom’s birthday party. 

The first flash had come from off to her left and, like an idiot, she’d twisted toward it. Which is how the photographer’s zoom lens caught her: eyes opened wide, long braid slicked back from her face with her own sweat, and limbs sticking out at startled angles from her workout tank and short-shorts. All of it glowing softly brown in the dusk. 

As a special bonus, this particular picture had captured the moment her four bright white wings had frozen in shock, sending her plummeting a few feet downward. The resulting portrait could have been entitled “Freak, Falling” but instead the headline proclaimed: “Human-Pixie Hybrids: The Last American Taboo.” That worked, too.

Revision (249 words):

Brina knew better than to go out in public looking less than her dubious best.

She knew it, but figured hurrying home for her mother’s birthday party would merit a special dispensation of luck. She didn’t even bother to grow to human size first, but left her purse and car keys with Moria and rocketed out the palace window toward home.

The first flash came from off to her left and, like an idiot, she twisted toward it. Which is how the photographer’s zoom lens caught her: eyes opened wide, long braid slicked back from her face with her own sweat, and limbs sticking out at startled angles from her workout tank and short-shorts. All of it glowing softly brown in the dusk.

As a special bonus, the magazine’s cover photo had captured the moment her four bright white wings had frozen in shock, sending her plummeting a few feet downward. The resulting portrait could have been entitled “Freak, Falling” but instead the headline proclaimed: “Human-Pixie Hybrids: The Last American Taboo.” That worked, too.

Naturally, it was taped to her locker first thing Tuesday morning. The cover hadn’t been torn carefully, and a jagged gash ripped halfway through Brina’s right wing. As if she needed help looking ridiculous.

Brina stopped dead in the middle of the hallway and forced herself to breathe. Stretched her lips into a slight smile. Pressed her head to the side, as if she were pondering a pleasant surprise. Ignored the churning in her stomach.

So what do you think? How can I make it utterly un-put-down-able?

Gearin' Up to Get an Agent Week 3: Queries

It's Week 3 of the Gearin' Up to Get an Agent Blogfest, hosted by Deana Barnhart. Here's the rules:

Week 3

Query Critique Contest
-Visit Deanas's blog starting Saturday and sign up in the linky she provides so others can visit your blog and give HELPFUL advice on your query.

Rules:

-We will hop around giving our input until Tuesday.

-Tuesday take your polished query and email it to [Deana]

-Wednesday I will pick the top 5 or 10 depending on number of participants and post on my blog

-Friday, Lora Rivera will pick a winner and he/she will get a choice of a query critique or a first 5 page critique.

One thing about Lora and her critiques...
She may not be an agent anymore, but she still thinks like one. She has told me her critiques are very thorough, therefore I believe they are extremely beneficial!

So this is the leg I'm most nervous about. I've already had my query critiqued by several awesome people, but there's something that feels so vulnerable about putting it online, yanno? Still, more input is good, right? *Sigh* I'm a paranoid wimp, so I'm covering my query in black highlighter. Select it to read it. This might not stop anyone from using it for nefarious purposes, but it makes me feel marginally better. Like hiding under the covers to escape the monster in the closet. :)

Dear Ms. Agent:

You indicate on your website that you are interested in unique ideas, told with a strong voice. I hope you will consider representing my novel GEAS, a young adult fantasy set in modern-day San Antonio.

It’s impossible to fit in when you have brown skin and dragonfly wings. Humans don’t have wings, and pixies are never brown.

Sixteen-year-old human-pixie hybrid Brina stands out even more when she’s cast as Puck in her integrated high school’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream—but after her dust is illegally harvested, her worries triple. It’s hard to fret about call times when she’s suddenly producing all eight kinds of pixie dust, fending off human dust addicts, and dodging a group of rebels convinced she holds the key to an age-old supernatural secret.

Brina will have to embrace her differences if she’s to have any chance of understanding her heritage, slowing the flow of illegal dust, or winning the heart of a certain charming ass.

Fans of WINGS by Aprilynne Pike will enjoy the blending of the real and the supernatural in GEAS. It is complete at 99,000 words. The first ten pages are attached below, as per the instructions on your website.

I’m a third generation theatre geek with seven years of experience as a criminal defense lawyer, where I’ve learned about the drug trade directly from traffickers and addicts. I’ve published a paper on the juvenile death penalty, but this is my first novel. The death penalty paper was easier.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Robin Weeks
[email address]
www.robinweeks.blogspot.com
www.authorsadvisory.blogspot.com
[phone number]

Story Chain!

Deanna Barnhart's Gearin' Up to Get an Agent Blogfest is in its second week, and this one is awesome! All participants are helping to write a story, brilliantly pre-structured by Deanna. To see the list of participants, together with their prompts (and words-to-include), go here. To start at the beginning of the story (participants include a link to the blog after theirs, so you can follow straight through), go here. To just see the part before mine, go see Tayler Roseberry. (Fiona didn't post on time--or at all--so I skipped her. Sorry Fiona!)

My prompt is: Start the climax of the story. Your words are: song, prejudice, string


Here's my piece:


Dio was so startled, she didn't think. "Tony!"


"Dio? Where are you? I've been looking for you all day!"


Dio paused. What if this was the wrong Tony? "Um, I'm safe, I just--"


"You're at home?" Dio cursed the inventor of caller ID. Whoever it was must have been prejudiced against safety. "Hold tight, I'll be right there."


"No! Wait!" "Tony" hung up and Dio stared at the phone. Great.


Just then, in a flash of light, Roddern appeared in front of her.


"Roddern!" She rushed to hug him, but he grabbed her arms. 


"There's no time, Dio. The Grandoolex are planning an invasion. They want to destroy the fairies once and for all and they'll take mankind out with them. We have to seal all the portals. Now!"


"Seal all of them? How?"


Roddern shook his head. "I have no idea, but we only have about five minutes. I think I know what will help, though." He snapped his fingers and her book appeared in his hand. The Wish Granter. She'd never been one to trust in book titles before, but she fervently wished that this one was accurate.


Dio grabbed the book and frantically leafed through it, the smell of rotten eggs wafting up from its pages. There had to be something in here to stop the Grandoolex invasion.


From the couch, her mother cried out "Dio! Your necklace!" 


Confused, Dio reached into her shirt and pulled the circle out. It was glowing, pulsing in time with the frantic beating of her heart. "What do I do with it, Mom?"


Mom was breathing heavily. "You have to make it sing."


"Sing?"


Still panting, Mom gasped out, "Flowers open in your sun, rocks sing with your heart."


"What?" Dio had no idea what that meant, but mom was unconscious again.


She looked at Roddern. "Did you understand any of that?"


Roddern was staring at her mother and thinking hard. "I guess we need to make your heart sing."


Then he took two steps across the room, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her. 


Dio had been kissed before, but man! Roddern poured his whole self into the kiss. Despite the panic she'd been feeling a moment before, she melted into his arms and eagerly kissed him back.


After a moment, she felt a burning on her chest and pulled back long enough to see her necklace flashing a bright white light. Then it let out a piercing 5-note song and jerked upward. The thin chain broke like a piece of string and her rock hung suspended in the air for a heartbeat before bursting into a million pieces.




To continue on the chain, visit Angie Cothran next. She's scheduled to post at 11:30 PM EDT. Which means she gets an hour, so you know it'll be good!

Gearing Up To Get An Agent Blogfest: "I just had to ask...."

This is the first week of Deana Barnhart's Gearing Up to Get an Agent Blogfest, and this week we're doing random writer questions!

So this is probably the lamest question ever, but, I've been wondering for a long time: What the heck is a semicolon good for?

Now, I'm pretty good at google, and I've found an awesome website that actually has a rather helpful poster about it (you can view it and even BUY it). After reading the poster tips, I think I have a better grasp on the semicolon (sorry--attorneys never ask questions we don't already know the answers to), but now I'm wondering if I'm using it correctly. So here's some semicolons I've forced into my WIP. Please let me know if this is a correct usage of that dreaded punctuation mark:

It had been taped to her desk in biology—marked over with devil horns and a forked tail; stuck to the bathroom wall—with bat wings and fangs; and slipped inside her English book—with blacked out teeth and crossed eyes.

The website really wasn't much help on the above: it didn't cover semicolons being used with em-dashes. (Em-dashes I love. Probably too much.)

He had no idea why they so stubbornly lived where no one wanted them; but as long as they were here, he, his three older brothers, and the rest of the San Antonio pixies were forced to mingle with the humans.

I'm pretty sure this is right... right? How about this one?

All in all, it might have been mildly pleasant if not for three things: his lips slammed into hers with the full force of his teeth behind them, pressing with bruising, one-directional force; the arm around her waist caught her lower right wing, folding it back at a painful angle until she almost cried out; he was so much taller than Brina, her head was forced backward until her skull rested on the back of her neck.

See, I think this one is good, too. I'm mostly including it because I like it. ;) I really do wonder about the next one:

Pixie scientists worked with the human variety to develop soon-to-be-essential drugs: Yellow anti-depressants; Orange energy supplements; Red-enhanced testosterone (quickly outlawed in competitive sports); Purple sleep-aids; Blue erectile aids; Green-enhanced vitamins; and White-enhanced psychotropics.

Should those semicolons be commas? I think commas would work, but there's the parenthesis... which I should probably get rid of, huh?

Here's more em-dashes:

Moira’s mother was always pulling her away to have mini-lessons on court politics—also known as gossip; fashion—also known as how to look like a slut without being labeled one; and eligible crown princes—also known as future husband possibilities.

Should those semicolons be commas?

Help?

UPDATE: To answer some easier questions (maybe--no promises), visit this list of blogfest participants.

Get Yer Queries Ready!

I've posted about queries before but, let's face it, I'm no expert. Let's look at the stats:

Books written: 1
Books ready for querying: .8
Query Drafts so far: 8
Queries sent to agents: 0
Successful queries: 0

See? I've read some stuff, but I really don't have the experience to back up my ramblings.

Which is why I'm joining Deanna Barnhart's Gearin' Up To Get An Agent Blogfest. It's lasting the whole month of July, with a different exercise each week to make sure I'm ready to send the query out. Since I REALLY want to be querying by the end of July (we'll see how fast this next edit goes), this is perfect timing for me.

Even more perfect? Elana Johnson's Authors' Advisory call is coming up this Thursday!! [Go to the Author's Advisory site Thursday at 8:45 EDT (or now) for complete call-in details.] Many of you sent in your queries, those queries have been forwarded to Elana, and she's going to break them down for us while talking about how to write a query that will make the agents drool! Since we didn't get the maximum number of queries, I submitted mine, too, and I'm excited to watch Elana tear it apart!

It's gonna be great! Make sure you call in! Come 15 minutes early to ask Elana all about her debut novel, POSSESSION.

That's YAmore Blogfest

Yay! My first blogfest! Over at Oasis for YA, they're hosting a Valentines' day blogfest. I was invited to participate by Jessie Harell, who I've recently "met" and like already. Blogfest participants post "250 romantic, swoon-worthy words from your YA WIP" in honor of the most romantic day of the year. Well, who can resist that?

Therefore, for your (hopeful) reading pleasure, I now present the very first excerpt from my WIP. Enjoy!

“Why don’t we catch a movie?”

Brina’s wings drooped a bit. “I get kicked out of human theatres. Too much glow. It’s why my parents caved and got Netflix.”

“Really? Wow.” Ethan thought a moment. “Do you get kicked out of ice cream parlors?

“Not that I can recall.”

“There’s this great place near the Riverwalk. What if we go there, and then watch a movie at your house?”

Brina smiled. “You want to watch a movie with my family?”

Ethan’s eyes twinkled in the streetlights. “They’ll love me. Plus, I figure if you’re home early, I’ll get a longer date. Make up for the awful party I took you to.”

Brina fought back a giggle, but couldn’t tone down her permagrin. “Sounds good.”

“First, though,” he said, “there’s something I’ve been wanting to do all night that I won’t get a chance to do at your parents’ house.”

“What?” Brina ruthlessly stomped on a rising thread of hope. He couldn’t mean….

Ethan stepped closer, pressed her lightly against the car, and cupped her jaw in his hand. “This,” he said, as he lowered his mouth to hers.

Ethan’s kiss was utterly different from Louie's. Instead of just resting against hers, his lips moved, rocking first one way and then the other. Every nerve ending in Brina’s body buzzed, and she held onto his arms with hands gone numb. Kissing Ethan was like taking a direct jolt of Yellow dust with a chaser of White. It was better than flying.