A good Tweep of mine, Dorothy Dreyer interviewed me. Read it here for a glimse at Unlocked, my writer's journey, and woolly mammoths.
Showing posts with label Coyote Dreams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coyote Dreams. Show all posts
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Pop Quiz, How Well Do You Know Me?
Hello, Awesome Bloggers,
A good Tweep of mine, Dorothy Dreyer interviewed me. Read it here for a glimse at Unlocked, my writer's journey, and woolly mammoths.
I want you know how much I appreciate your support and friendship. Give yourself a cyber squeeze from me, and have a cookie. (When sharing with friends, calories don't count.)
A good Tweep of mine, Dorothy Dreyer interviewed me. Read it here for a glimse at Unlocked, my writer's journey, and woolly mammoths.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Good News & Bad News
The Good News: I'll soon have a computer again! As my tweeps and facebook buddies know, My poor laptop died.
The Bad News:
You only have a few days left to win a free copy of my book, UNLOCKED, Ten Key Tales. Leave a comment on this thread and you will be entered for one of 3 free copies. No catches. It's easy! C'mon, don't you know a reader who needs a new good, clean book? Give it a go.
More Good News:
You can download the book for free right now. Go to http://www.unlockedproject.com/ to get your free copy.
We held a candlight vigil for the hard drive amidst much tears, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Okay so maybe it was just me that mourned the loss of all those outlines and notes that it took to the grave, but still. The bright side of this tragedy is that I've emailed all finished chapters to my writing buddies already so my current WIP (Colorless) and my finished one (Coyote Dreams) are not gone forever--just the notes I've made this summer. (You know, all the research, planning, soul searching, character studies... I need to stop now or I'll forget this is the bright side.)
A fixed laptop means that I'll be able to write during the day again--as opposed to in the middle of the night when I should be resting up for the next big day of unpaid grunt labor--er, I mean farm work. Harvest season here on the farm can be brutal, but I strive to write anyway. You can see what I'm up to on the farm right now here.
You only have a few days left to win a free copy of my book, UNLOCKED, Ten Key Tales. Leave a comment on this thread and you will be entered for one of 3 free copies. No catches. It's easy! C'mon, don't you know a reader who needs a new good, clean book? Give it a go.
More Good News:
You can download the book for free right now. Go to http://www.unlockedproject.com/ to get your free copy.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
A visit with James Dashner and Jeff Savage -part 1 of 2-
At Storymaker’s Writers Conference in Provo Utah, I had the privilege of listening to James Dashner (author of the 13th REALITY series and the NY Times Best Seller, THE MAZE RUNNER) and Jeff Savage (author of the YA Fantasy series, FARWORLD) in a very candid breakout.
The charming and witty duo, who have been friends for years, invited questions from the crowd and were refreshingly open about their experiences in the publishing industry.
James’s first 4 books, The Jimmy Fincher Saga, were published by a small LDS publisher. They sold several hundreds of copies, but no glimpse that writing could be full time. Then in August of 2003, He “set a goal to quit my job and be a full time author in 5 years.” He had already written The Maze Runner, but it was rejected for being “too dark.” However, Shadow Mountain did like the writing so he sent the synopsis & query for the 13th Reality. They liked it and it did really well, “but not enough that I could quit my job.”
At this point, James figured he has improved as a writer so he turned his attention back to The Maze Runner and rewrote the whole thing. It went from 68,000 words to 88,000 words—that’s a 20 thousand word difference. He had an agent, but he jokes that they “broke up” and he got a new agent. Random House bought the Maze Runner and the advance was large enough that he could quit his job.
“It turns out that it was 5 years, to the month, from when I had set my goal. Now a movie is being made out of Maze runner.”
Jeff said, “I watched James and thought if he can do it, then I can. One of the things you do in your mind is stop having agents or authors being up here and you down there. The guy selling a million copies is no different than you. You have to get that mindset.” When James told him about Shadow Mountain, Jeff got excited enough to write Far World and sell it to them.
More recently, his publisher requested an LDS Fantasy that is LDS “from the cover to the story to the title.” So, Jeff’s new book, FOURTH NEPHITE is coming out this August.
Jeff’s personal experience shows that even published authors have moments of nail-biting uncertainty with their careers. 5 months ago, because of the economy, Shadow Mountain said they didn’t know they if they were going to publish any more of the FARWORLD series. “400 schools, synopsis, blood sweat and tears and….” He was stuck. Even with published books, he couldn’t write anymore. But then, after going through 4 agents, with the aid of Deseret book and other things—suddenly people wanted it again and Shadow Mountain said, “Hey, go back to that 3rd book.”
Jeff commented, “when you’re giving your all, the time when you are feeling the most hopeless is often the moment when you’re closest to being published.”
When asked about how to find a publisher, James said, “every single successful author I know can trace their success back to someone they met. So, writer’s conferences and things like this are what you want to do.” He met both his editor, Krista Marino (Senior Editor of Delacorte Press), and his publisher that way. “There is no magic formula except keep writing, improve your manuscript, and network.”
Should a non published author hire an editor? Jeff said, “a legitimate editing company will do a page sample and see if you are at the level they think you should be.” He warns to be careful of people who run scams by passing you to so-and-so for money. Also, make sure that what you are getting is worth it because “lots of people have published without an editor.”
Jeff recommended that unpublished authors finish their MS prior to seeking representation. He sent out to 12 agents and got the first response in 3 weeks—though it can be 3, 4, or even 5 months before word comes. “One thing I learned, after you get a message of representation, contact the others and say “I have an offer for representation by THIS agent. Please respond to me within 7 days so I can make a decision.” This is a courtesy for the agents and it helps you get the most offers possible.
As for checking up on the status of your queries, James says, “you can’t freak out, but you CAN email that says ‘Just wondering what the status is’ and they won’t be that irritated. If you can’t sleep at night (and it’s been over 8 weeks) Go ahead.”
How do you feel about Kindle? Jeff said, “Stephen King did a book about a haunted Kindle for Kindle. Brilliant…. I think the biggest thing for me is to still be writing books so you’ll have more opportunities to be read if they liked your name.”
James responded, “I can’t imagine anyone will have a problem with this. Every single page of Diary of a wimpy kid is free online—and yet they sell millions and millions of copies.”
Should I finish the sequel of my book before I submit? James said, “no.”
The audience giggled at his short answer, but then he expanded on the subject. Editors want to be able to publish that book as a stand alone, and then if it’s good it can have sequels. Don’t say, hey I have a 27 book series, publish them please. Besides, if the 1st never sells, what can you do with the sequels?
(Incidentally, this was a great question for me to hear because I was debating whether to write the sequel to COYOTE DREAMS which is seeking representation right now, or work on a dystopian novel I had in the beginning stages. After this advice, dystopia it is.)
Thanks guys for your wonderful information. Part 2 of this visit is HERE Be sure to check it out for the rest of their awesome advice.
What was your favorite part they said?
The charming and witty duo, who have been friends for years, invited questions from the crowd and were refreshingly open about their experiences in the publishing industry.
James’s first 4 books, The Jimmy Fincher Saga, were published by a small LDS publisher. They sold several hundreds of copies, but no glimpse that writing could be full time. Then in August of 2003, He “set a goal to quit my job and be a full time author in 5 years.” He had already written The Maze Runner, but it was rejected for being “too dark.” However, Shadow Mountain did like the writing so he sent the synopsis & query for the 13th Reality. They liked it and it did really well, “but not enough that I could quit my job.”
At this point, James figured he has improved as a writer so he turned his attention back to The Maze Runner and rewrote the whole thing. It went from 68,000 words to 88,000 words—that’s a 20 thousand word difference. He had an agent, but he jokes that they “broke up” and he got a new agent. Random House bought the Maze Runner and the advance was large enough that he could quit his job.
“It turns out that it was 5 years, to the month, from when I had set my goal. Now a movie is being made out of Maze runner.”
Jeff said, “I watched James and thought if he can do it, then I can. One of the things you do in your mind is stop having agents or authors being up here and you down there. The guy selling a million copies is no different than you. You have to get that mindset.” When James told him about Shadow Mountain, Jeff got excited enough to write Far World and sell it to them.
More recently, his publisher requested an LDS Fantasy that is LDS “from the cover to the story to the title.” So, Jeff’s new book, FOURTH NEPHITE is coming out this August.
Jeff’s personal experience shows that even published authors have moments of nail-biting uncertainty with their careers. 5 months ago, because of the economy, Shadow Mountain said they didn’t know they if they were going to publish any more of the FARWORLD series. “400 schools, synopsis, blood sweat and tears and….” He was stuck. Even with published books, he couldn’t write anymore. But then, after going through 4 agents, with the aid of Deseret book and other things—suddenly people wanted it again and Shadow Mountain said, “Hey, go back to that 3rd book.”
Jeff commented, “when you’re giving your all, the time when you are feeling the most hopeless is often the moment when you’re closest to being published.”
When asked about how to find a publisher, James said, “every single successful author I know can trace their success back to someone they met. So, writer’s conferences and things like this are what you want to do.” He met both his editor, Krista Marino (Senior Editor of Delacorte Press), and his publisher that way. “There is no magic formula except keep writing, improve your manuscript, and network.”
Should a non published author hire an editor? Jeff said, “a legitimate editing company will do a page sample and see if you are at the level they think you should be.” He warns to be careful of people who run scams by passing you to so-and-so for money. Also, make sure that what you are getting is worth it because “lots of people have published without an editor.”
Jeff recommended that unpublished authors finish their MS prior to seeking representation. He sent out to 12 agents and got the first response in 3 weeks—though it can be 3, 4, or even 5 months before word comes. “One thing I learned, after you get a message of representation, contact the others and say “I have an offer for representation by THIS agent. Please respond to me within 7 days so I can make a decision.” This is a courtesy for the agents and it helps you get the most offers possible.
As for checking up on the status of your queries, James says, “you can’t freak out, but you CAN email that says ‘Just wondering what the status is’ and they won’t be that irritated. If you can’t sleep at night (and it’s been over 8 weeks) Go ahead.”
How do you feel about Kindle? Jeff said, “Stephen King did a book about a haunted Kindle for Kindle. Brilliant…. I think the biggest thing for me is to still be writing books so you’ll have more opportunities to be read if they liked your name.”
James responded, “I can’t imagine anyone will have a problem with this. Every single page of Diary of a wimpy kid is free online—and yet they sell millions and millions of copies.”
Should I finish the sequel of my book before I submit? James said, “no.”
The audience giggled at his short answer, but then he expanded on the subject. Editors want to be able to publish that book as a stand alone, and then if it’s good it can have sequels. Don’t say, hey I have a 27 book series, publish them please. Besides, if the 1st never sells, what can you do with the sequels?
(Incidentally, this was a great question for me to hear because I was debating whether to write the sequel to COYOTE DREAMS which is seeking representation right now, or work on a dystopian novel I had in the beginning stages. After this advice, dystopia it is.)
Thanks guys for your wonderful information. Part 2 of this visit is HERE Be sure to check it out for the rest of their awesome advice.
What was your favorite part they said?
Monday, March 29, 2010
Avoid the Ticking Clock Mentality
One of the biggest things I have learned through writing and editing my novel, Coyote Dreams, over the last two years is that a good story is worth the time it takes to polish it. Writing the first draft was an exhilarating adventure. I thrilled at each new twist that unfolded on my screen. Typing 'The End' was a big moment, worthy of the happy dance. However, I've since discovered that writing those two powerful words is somewhat of an oxymoron, since finishing a first draft is actually just the beginning of all the real work.
First, I read it over and made what edits/corrections I could see. Then I sent it out to several readers who sent it back full of enough red marks that I feared its wounds might be fatal. I made the needed edits again and sent it out for a second read. Thankfully I've been blessed with some readers who have a very good eye and were willing to teach me how to be a better writer. These are the edits I'm just now finishing. Huge thanks to Renee Miller and Rita & TJ Webb for this one. Don't know them? Well, you should:
http://www.reneeamiller.blogspot.com/
http://afantasyfiction.blogspot.com/
Soon, I'll send it out for one last read with a new set of readers to get their input. Perfecting my synopsis and query letter will be the focus while I wait. When I get those last reads back, I'll fix whatever I missed (and ignore whatever suggestions I don't agree with).
My goal is to be done by the end of April and research which agent to send my work to. It would be a wasted stamp to send my YA novel to someone who specializes in, say, romance. There is a love triangle in my book, but it’s a first kiss, not the whole she-bang.
I hope to get my first letter back from agents by the end of June. I know most will probably be rejection letters because everyone gets them. I think the key to keeping up moral is to have a plan on what to do with them. I'm going to follow Steven King's lead and spear the things on a nail.
While I wait for someone to accept my manuscript, I'll resume work my next story, Firebug, work on the farm over the summer, and begin the whole process again.
If I had been impatient and thrown my story out there before taking the time to polish it, then rejections would have been guaranteed, and the time invested, wasted.
The time was well spent. When Coyote Dreams goes out, I'll know that it is a story worth reading.
First, I read it over and made what edits/corrections I could see. Then I sent it out to several readers who sent it back full of enough red marks that I feared its wounds might be fatal. I made the needed edits again and sent it out for a second read. Thankfully I've been blessed with some readers who have a very good eye and were willing to teach me how to be a better writer. These are the edits I'm just now finishing. Huge thanks to Renee Miller and Rita & TJ Webb for this one. Don't know them? Well, you should:
http://www.reneeamiller.blogspot.com/
http://afantasyfiction.blogspot.com/
Soon, I'll send it out for one last read with a new set of readers to get their input. Perfecting my synopsis and query letter will be the focus while I wait. When I get those last reads back, I'll fix whatever I missed (and ignore whatever suggestions I don't agree with).
My goal is to be done by the end of April and research which agent to send my work to. It would be a wasted stamp to send my YA novel to someone who specializes in, say, romance. There is a love triangle in my book, but it’s a first kiss, not the whole she-bang.
I hope to get my first letter back from agents by the end of June. I know most will probably be rejection letters because everyone gets them. I think the key to keeping up moral is to have a plan on what to do with them. I'm going to follow Steven King's lead and spear the things on a nail.
While I wait for someone to accept my manuscript, I'll resume work my next story, Firebug, work on the farm over the summer, and begin the whole process again.
If I had been impatient and thrown my story out there before taking the time to polish it, then rejections would have been guaranteed, and the time invested, wasted.
The time was well spent. When Coyote Dreams goes out, I'll know that it is a story worth reading.
Friday, March 5, 2010
My Lucky Day!
I've got some more awesome news to share. Remember how I told you that I was attending the LDS Writers Conference? Well I entered a drawing for a seat at the table with the guest authors and won! Oh. My. Gosh. I know! Crazy awesome. THis is who I will be dining with the weekend of April 23rd...and can I just say, Jessica Day George is one of my favorite authors of all time. I can't hardly believe it!
"Two--yes, two--lucky winners of the Show Your Love for the Storymakers Contest will receive a reserved seat at the 7th Annual LDStorymakers Writers Conference for Friday night dinner and entertainment at a special table with:
Shaun Barrowes
Musician for Friday night entertainment, and top 48 contestant on American Idol season 7.
http://www.shaunbarrowes.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/shaunbarrowes
James Dashner
Author of The Maze Runner and The 13th Reality Series.
http://www.jamesdashner.blogspot.com/
Jessica Day George [[[one of my favorite authors!!!]]]
Author of Dragon Slippers; Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow; Dragon Flight; Princess of the Midnight Ball; and Dragon Spear.
http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/
Krista Marino
Editor for Young Adult and Middle Grade books for Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books. Recent books she's edited include The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series by Michael Scott, Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, and The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
David Wolverton/Farland
Author of several books, including the Runelords series, and writing instructor of authors like Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Brandon Mull.
http://www.davidfarland.net/ "
Anyone want to do the happy dance with me? I'm doin it, yeah!
I've also completed editing of three more chapters in my Coyote Dreams YA novel which brings the grand total up to...drum roll please... 25 of the 52 chapters are done. I am on target to get this done and ready for final readers by the end of March.
"Two--yes, two--lucky winners of the Show Your Love for the Storymakers Contest will receive a reserved seat at the 7th Annual LDStorymakers Writers Conference for Friday night dinner and entertainment at a special table with:
Shaun Barrowes
Musician for Friday night entertainment, and top 48 contestant on American Idol season 7.
http://www.shaunbarrowes.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/shaunbarrowes
James Dashner
Author of The Maze Runner and The 13th Reality Series.
http://www.jamesdashner.blogspot.com/
Jessica Day George [[[one of my favorite authors!!!]]]
Author of Dragon Slippers; Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow; Dragon Flight; Princess of the Midnight Ball; and Dragon Spear.
http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/
Krista Marino
Editor for Young Adult and Middle Grade books for Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books. Recent books she's edited include The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series by Michael Scott, Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, and The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
David Wolverton/Farland
Author of several books, including the Runelords series, and writing instructor of authors like Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Brandon Mull.
http://www.davidfarland.net/ "
Anyone want to do the happy dance with me? I'm doin it, yeah!
I've also completed editing of three more chapters in my Coyote Dreams YA novel which brings the grand total up to...drum roll please... 25 of the 52 chapters are done. I am on target to get this done and ready for final readers by the end of March.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
My Spring Writing Goals
As many of you know, I have been working on a YA novel with the working title Coyote Dreams since last year. The exciting news is that I am in the final stages of editing and should have the finished manuscript ready for one last read through at the end of March. I have been editing a chapter a day and need to keep up that pace to meet my goal. By the end of April, I'll have the synopsis and query letter done and sent out to prospective agents and publishers. The reason for the end of March goal is because I need to finish it before farming starts and I will be attending my first writing conference in Provo on April 23rd (2010 LDS Writer's Conference Anyone want to go with me? Check out their badge in the bottom left of the screen- scroll down). I want to be able to say; yes, I have a finished manuscript, and here's the synopsis--not, yeah, I've been working on this story for a really long time and it's still not done. See? That just doesn't sound near as good.
What's it about, you ask? It is a story about a farm family, living on the ShoBan reservation that must overcome tragedy and danger that comes to them in the form of a malicious white dog, the Ghost. 16 year old Jenna struggles to run the farm without her parents and has to face her fears in order to keep her little brother safe.
I have learned so much about writing and how to make the story really come alive since I started. What's more, I have awesome writing friends who have been willing to help me along the way so I can grow as a writer.
On any given day this spring if you wonder what I'm up to, you can make a safe guess that it's writing and editing that takes all my time not spent with my kids or housecleaning.
What's it about, you ask? It is a story about a farm family, living on the ShoBan reservation that must overcome tragedy and danger that comes to them in the form of a malicious white dog, the Ghost. 16 year old Jenna struggles to run the farm without her parents and has to face her fears in order to keep her little brother safe.
I have learned so much about writing and how to make the story really come alive since I started. What's more, I have awesome writing friends who have been willing to help me along the way so I can grow as a writer.
On any given day this spring if you wonder what I'm up to, you can make a safe guess that it's writing and editing that takes all my time not spent with my kids or housecleaning.
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