Podcast & Video Recordings and Book Trailer Storyboards!

Yesterday I went to Salt Lake City for a meeting with my publisher, Shadow Mountain to record some promo spots and a podcast. 

My awesome dad drove me down through a blizzard with jackknifed semi trucks and emergency vehicles all over the place. He's a good sport.

For the podcast, we were in a little room at the top of KSL broadcasting station. It was awkward at first but they say I didn't sound too much like an idiot, so that's good. The video clips were harder. I was so nervous, but we did it so, Yay!

When we finished with that, we went back to Shadow Mountain where Chris showed me storyboards for A Monster Like Me's book trailer! They will be filming on Monday. The same director that did Brandon Mull's book trailer will be directing mine. There will be special effects and everything!

 

 He also said that they are working on my poster with Brandon Dorman (artist from Fablehaven books!) doing the art, and will have bookmarks to hand out to all the kids at the school assemblies I'll be doing in March.  So, hopefully in a couple weeks, I'll have a book trailer to share with you.

It's all pretty exciting. I can't wait!

Writer Retreats. Are they worth it?

In a word? 

YES!

Retreats vary according to who organizes them, but usually, the best parts are universal:

* Time to write. -- Away from your family, friends, job, house, chores, farm, pet dinosaur, and anything else that interferes with your writing time.

* Little or no responsibility for meal preparations -- As a mother of five children, let me just say how awesome it is to have people make food and feed me. Not mac and cheese either. We're talking crepes, Hawaiian haystacks, salads, fruit, roasted chicken. Heavenly.

* New friends! -- even the most introverted of writers comes away from retreats with a few new friends. Writers usually get along famously when tossed in a room together. Don't be surprised if you hear snippets of conversation like, "Would a body be harder to find in a lake or in the ocean?" Plotting murders make for great bonding time.

*  Free help. -- With a house full of writers, it's no biggie if you get to the end of your novel and can't figure out how Joe rescues Fifi from the White Lord, because you've got a captive audience that loves to brainstorm! With all these brilliant minds bouncing ideas off each other, there's bound to be something that sparks the idea to get you over the block. (this feature is also extremely helpful for spelling and punctuation advice. Don't fear the Grammar Nazi's, they are harmless as long as the chocolate doesn't run out.)

* Nice rooms -- Most retreats offer nice accommodations, though you might be expected to share a bed. If that is a deal breaker for you, consider bringing your own cot and/or mattress.

* Bonus Prizes! -- At many retreats, there are door prizes or swag and awards for the highest word count, early birds, night owls, best quotes, or most pages edited.

* Classes and/or Workshops. -- Sometimes they offer classes on marketing, brainstorming, or any number of other subjects. They can even watch and analyze movies and discuss plot points as they come up.

As I write, it's the last night of the iWrite retreat in Heber, Utah, and we're all up late to savor the last of our freedom here. I won the award for being most cheerful (I think it's probably my funny writer shirts). It might be silly, but I almost teared up that people enjoyed being with me as much as I loved being with all of them. Alas, it's time to go, but I'm already looking forward to the next one in the fall.

If you can swing it, GO. Retreats are wonderful!

I'm in the hat next to Canda Mortenson, as we roast marshmallows over the fire. Cindy Hogan is the one photo-bombing in the back. This was taken during a break the last night. So. Much. Fun!

Funny Writer Shirts--it's an Addiction.

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So, why the shirts? Well, I blame it on Lisa Mangum and Dan Wells who made me laugh with their funny writer shirts. I spend half the year running around in cowboy boots, man clothes, and a wide brimmed hat--not the best outfit for feeling like a girl. Shirts that make me smile are my own little rebellion--sort of like the name of this blog. I may have to farm, but dangit, I can do it with my own flair.

Last year I organised a writers retreat in Heber, Utah for Authors Incognito. Just for fun, I gathered a bunch of my favorite shirt sayings and had them all made into shirts for the attendees. It was awesome how well the shirts fit the personalities of writers who got them. Here's a few of those sayings:

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    I’M PLOTTING AGAINST YOU. (I’m a writer. It’s what I do.)
    WRITER’S BLOCK: when your imaginary friends won’t talk to you.
    If you were in my novel, I’d have killed you off by now.
    Writers get the last word.
    Some of my best friends are fictional.
    I never got my acceptance letter from Hogwarts so I’m leaving the Shire to become a Jedi.
    WARNING! I’m a writer. Anything you say or do may be used in a story.
    Protagonist
    Be nice to me. (Or I’ll put you in my novel.)
    This is my Writer’s costume.
    There. Their. They’re. Get it right. 
    I’m not daydreaming. I’m Plotting!
    I’m not quiet. I’m plotting.
    There are only two rules: #1 Butt goes in chair. #2 Words go on page. (Chair is optional)
    Save a writer. Buy a book.
    Shut up and Write.
    I read past my bedtime. 
    I write. Therefore I rewrite. 
    Reading Ninja! No book is safe. 
    If a book is well written, I always find it too short. –Jane Austin
    Never wrong a writer. They get their revenge in print. 
    Not all those who wander are lost. –Tolkien
    Irony. The opposite of wrinkly. 
    LET’S EAT GRANDMA. LET’S EAT, GRANDMA. COMMAS SAVE LIVES!
    I like big books and I cannot lie.
    Only YOU can prevent comma splices.
    Book Junkie
    WRITER
    Go Away. I’m writing.
    
    
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Here's a few of my shirts. A Charlotte that says "Meh" cracks me up. My Irony shirt got a gigglesnort out of Brandon Sanderson when I met in last summer at a signing. Shirt.woot.com and teefury.com feed my addiction with daily deals, but I hold out for shirts that really make me smile--usually about once a month.

Do you have any little writer quirks? Favorite pens? A closet stash of action figures? What's your secret addiction?

Storymakers Writers Conference = Awesomesauce



Agent Michelle Wolfson, me, & author Kiersten White
Kiersten later told me, "You have the coolest name!
It's a sentence. That is just awesome." She signed my book,
to "Wendy, of the cool name!" Haha.

Hello, Cyberbuddies

For those of you who saw my last post, you know that I was having a rough time, but I'm happy to report that last weekend rocked.

First of all, the classes and breakouts were superb. I loved hearing from many of my favorite authors and was really thrilled when many of them knew me by name!

I also had the opportunity to meet several agents and take a photo with a few. I tried not to be too star-struck. I don't think I slobbered or anything.



Me and Agent Holly Root

On Saturday, my pitch session went well. Here's my pitch:

"In an empire where dark skinned people rule over pale slaves, sixteen-year-old Anya is an albino.

When she defies the Gods by spitting on the Queen, she is sentenced to death, but a mute boy frees her and she escapes to find the Mix, a band of rebels that live together in peace regardless of skin color.

There, she agrees to help Galen, the young rebel leader, in a daring plot to force social change, but things go terribly wrong and the king dies.

The Queen blames Anya for his death and orders her entire village culled in retribution.

Now Anya must fight to save her home from the Queen’s wrath, but a steam powered empire with lethal tracking cats and the God’s favor is not easily thwarted.

Complete at 59,000 words, COLORLESS would appeal to fans of Birthmarked and Incarceron.

Its first chapter won 3^rd place in the YA fantasy category at this conference last year. Do you have any questions for me?"

Tada! What do you think? So after that, I was already excited, and then came the first chapter contest.

My first place prize box! (I think I was still hyperventilating
 and shaking at this moment)

My story, FIREBUG took 1st place in the YA General Fiction category! How cool is that? When I read Firebug up there on the screen, a jolt went right through me! Oh boy! One of the gals in charge, who happens to be my daughter's favorite author (the awesome Karen Hoover), said that her judges said it was disturbing, but really powerful. Hehehe. *evil laugh*

James Dashner came up to me after the win and teased, "Hey Wendy, when you win a bunch of awards for all these good books someday, you'll have to say, 'it all started with that fateful dinner in 2010 when James Dashner sat at my table and bestowed his greatness upon me." We laughed--but I'm totally going to say that someday.

Thank you for being with me on this writing journey. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

What would you ask your favorite author if you could meet him or her in person? (or would you just stutter and grin foolishly?)

The Happiest Place on Earth... and a Winner!

My 5 Kidlets with my parents.
Princess celebrated her birthday in
Disneyland!

Love all the faces, especially
my littlest one's. So funny.

I've been notably absent from the blog for a few weeks, but I've got a better than average reason why. I went to Disneyland! Yahoo! We packed up our five kids and my awesome parents (extreme good sports) and drove the 16 hours to the Magic Kingdom. Some people can make it there faster, but we drive a 12 seater old Ford van that protests mightily at anything over 65mph.

What made it especially fun is that the kids had NO IDEA it was coming until the day we left. I told them that their ailing great grandmother wanted them to wash every tombstone in the cemetary behind her house because she loved to walk there and wanted it clean. My awesome kids were not only willing to do this huge task, but kidlet #4 even packed pink washcloths so she could wash with her favorite color. They thought it would take the whole week. *Evil laughter*


4 of the 5 Kidlets used the force to fend off
Darth Vador and Darth Maul.
The Force is strong in our family.

Kidlet#3 cracks me up! And yes,
Splash Mountain is my favorite ride!



The answer to that age old question:
"Where did I come from?"
From the store of course.

So that morning, we drove to my parents for breakfast and told them we wanted a picture in the driveway with grandma's poster, but as they unrolled this long scroll, it said, "Swore Kids, You Are Not Going To Logan. You Are Going To . . . . " and then the garage door behind them opened to reveal a big poster "DISNEYLAND!" with fun little things and balloons that I got from the dollar store. They were so shocked they stood there dumbfounded. "What? Really? What?"

When it sunk in, Kidlet #4 started screaming and running all over the place while Kidlet #2 just hugged me and cried. It really took most of the trip there before they really could wrap their brains around the fact that they really, really were going. I'll post the video later.

We put the Disneyland poster in the back window of the van and wrote "Or Bust!" on it and all the way there, people honked and waved--some even hung out the window of their cars with their hands clasped together yelling, "Take me with you!" It was so much fun.

Anyway, I'm remiss on announcing the winner of my last giveaway!

And the winner is . . .

Sarah (AKA IdentitySeeker)

Congratulations! Let me know what book you'd like and it's yours!

I hope you've enjoyed these few glimpses of our fun.

What was the best vacation you've ever taken?

Free Books, Prizes, and Goodies! The Transcendent Blog Tour Starts Now!

Welcome to the Transcendent Blog Tour!

Are you in the mood for some sweet paranormal prizes?

Yes? 

Excellent. You've come to the right place!  In fact, we'll be giving away three,

yes count 'em,

three prize bags full of awesomeness.

(more on that in a moment) 

Transcendent, Tales of the Paranormal, is a collection of short stories from some of the newest names in YA fiction.     ...and Evan Joseph.

 You can read its blurb and great reviews on goodreads, or in my last post. The ebook is out now, and the hardback will be out in about a week.

(Okay, back to the fun part... Let's give away some prizes!)

Goodie Bag #1:

A hardback copy of POSSESSION by Elana Johnson,

an ecopy of TRANSCENDENT,

an ecopy of SEASON OF SACRIFICE by Tristi Pinkston

and your choice of Sour Patch Kids,

Popcorn, 

  or (in honor of one of Elana's Favorite foods) Bacon Popcorn!

*Update, Elana says this popcorn is not as good as regular bacon, but it mails better.*

Goodie Bag #2

A hard copy of TRANSCENDENT,

an ecopy of BECOME by Ali Cross,

an ecopy of BOUND by C.K. Bryant,

And your choice Twizzlers,

or a Symphony bar (C.K.'s favorite treats!)

Goodie Bag #3

A hard copy of TRANSCENDENT,

an ecopy of THE SAPPHIRE FLUTE: Book 1 of the Wolfchild Saga, by Karen Hoover,

an ecopy of its sequel, THE ARMOR OF LIGHT

and your choice of Russel Stoffers Chocolates (Karen's Favorites),

or Junior Mints.

(Shipping only to the continental US. International winners receive ecopys only)

CONTEST IS CLOSED!
Thanks to everyone who entered! See the winners here!

BONUS ENTRIES:

Tweet, Blog, OR Post on facebook about TRANSCENDENT
AND link back to this post
OR add Transcendent to your Goodreads "To Read" list

OR review TRANSCENDENT (on goodreads, amazon, or another online scource)

Or Join the Book Discussion on goodreads,

Or Like the Transcendent facebook page

OR Subscribe to this blog via feedburner (on the left of this page)

= one bonus entry of each kind per day
= 7 possible bonus entries per day.
Leave a comment telling me what you did with the link so I can verify.
Be sure to keep a running tally of your points.

Want More Chances to Win?
Go on the Blog Tour! 

Check out these awesome bloggers--each with a different giveaway! The number in front of their name is the date in December when their Transcendent giveaways begin.

Awesome New Paranormal YA Anthology!

I'm thrilled to announce the release of Transcendent, a new YA paranormal anthology which includes two of my short stories, Strike and Spectre. Check out these excellent reviews:      

"Transcendent is deliciously creepy with hauntingly unforgettable stories that will keep readers glued to the page--even after the lights go out." --Elana Johnson, author of Possession

"Holy cow, I loved this book!!! I'm not usually a short story person, but this was full of creepy tales, love stories, ghosts, and things that go bump in the dark. A fascinating, well written paranormal collection I'd recommend to any and all!" --Karen E. Hoover, author of The Wolfchild Saga

"Mystical, romantic, and downright otherworldly, these stories will open your imagination to the possibilities of all that lays unseen with our mortal eyes." --Tristi Pinkston, author of the Secret Sisters Mysteries

"Transcendent offers everything you get from a full-length novel but in bite-sized pieces--perfect for those times when you only have a few minutes to read!" --Ali Cross, author of Become

~ Back Cover ~

Discover the secrets of a siren, fly with a hawk girl over the mountains of Montana, and flee supernatural party-crashers as the décor comes to life in this magical journey through paranormal stories.

Along the way, watch for ghosts in a haunted house, or ride through the moonlight with a stranger. Save a comatose boy who has lost his soul, and don’t forget to bring your garlic and wolfsbane—you never know when the shadows will snag you.

Transcendent includes eight stories of magic, love, death, and choice by some of the newest names in young adult fiction. Also included, are stories from Lani Woodland, Melonie Piper, (the co-author of Strike) Rita J. Webb, Melanie Marks, Heather McCubbin, and Evan Joseph.

You can purchase an e-copy of Transcendent on Amazon now for just 99 cents. This clean, fun read, would be great for any teen or YA reader who'd like a little dip into the paranormal!  

The hard copy will be available soon. I'll update you as soon as that becomes available!

Isn't that awesome news? While I'm at it, here's one more fun bit of news to share!

 Aspiring Writers Short Story             Winning Entries:     Another of my stories as just come out in this anthology of twelve winning stories, each only 750 words long. My story, Voodoo Hog, not only won the horror competition, but is the overall winner of the collection. All proceedes from this book go to St. Lukes Children's hospital, the charity of my choice. I loved writing this story because I only had 750 words to tell a whole story, so every word had to count.  This collection is available on Lebrery. for $4.00--all of which goes to St. Lukes.

Awesome Shirt

I think I may ask Santa for this shirt for Christmas.

Variant Giveaway to Celebrate Writing Season

As you might have noticed, it’s November—my most favorite month of the year.

Goodbye farming, and hello writing season! I celebrated by attending an awesome writers retreat by Park City, with twenty other writers including Lisa Mangum, Kirk Shaw, Annette Lyon, Danyelle Ferguson, Ali Cross, C.K. Bryant, and many others from Authors Incognito that I'm grateful to call friends.  

Imagine 4 days in a condo/cabin by Park City, Utah, where everyone has a quiet nook of their own to plug in and write. There were enough of us there that we only had to help with one meal for the whole time. Can you imagine? Meals done, quiet time, no kids, almost no calls, and house full of people who shared your same passion for writing. After months of busting my rear on the farm, it was exactly what I needed. We also had prizes for word count sprints, early birds and night owls.

If you ever have the chance to go to a retreat, do it. You deserve it.

To celebrate writing season, I’m giving away 2 copies of Variant by Robinson Wells, a hot new YA dystopian that has been heralded as having the best YA twist since Enders Game. Also, Publishers Weekly has named Variant as one of the best books of 2011. That’s some high praise, my friends.

You can read the synopsis and some of its great reviews on goodreads here.

There are a couple of other great reasons why I chose to give Variant away. Bottom line: it’s an excellent book from a deserving author. If you’ve ever thought of buying it, today is a good day.

TO ENTER the Variant giveaway:

Follow my blog and leave a comment with your email like myemail AT wherever DOT com so spammers don’t find you.

If you would like to tweet or Facebook about the Book Bomb or this post, then you win good Karma and my appreciation for passing it on. J

I'll draw a winner on November 20th!

So, to all you crazy nanowrimoers out there, good luck! (and don’t forget to occasionally do boring things like eat, sleep, speak to your family, and bathe.) To everyone else, may you have a very excellent writing season. I know I will.

Grammar Thief, and the Hag Herself.

Grammar is an evil hag that haunts writer's dreams and laughs as they dither into the wee hours of the morning--staring at the computer screen with haunted faces, agonizing over punctuation.

We've had our disagreements, grammar and I, but over the years, we've learned to tolerate each other fairly well. We give each other our proper space and even, dare I say it, respect. She's learned to bend just a little now and then, and I've learned to stay on her good side whenever possible.

The good news is that the more time we spend together, the better we get along. I don't know that we'll ever be friends, but I think we have developed a good professional working relationship.

How is your relationship with grammar? Do you love her, obsess over her, hate her? How do you deal with all the rules?

COLORLESS took second...again!

Boy what a busy time this has been for me! I've been picking corn, harvesting other produce, making the corn maze, & hauling pumpkins. This picture shows one of the many loads we did today. Tell you what, the kids fell into their beds as soon as we were done.

But in the middle of all that, I entered the first chapter of COLORLESS into another contest and took 2nd place! This one was hosted by Authors Incognito. The cool part is that the other gals who placed 3rd & 1st are really wonderful, published authors. I'm happy to even be on the same page as they are.

Here's a look at the results...

The good news on the home front is that I'll be done with farming and back to writing full time on November 1st! Yay! I've registered for a writer's retreat that first week of November as my reward for working my rear off for no pay all year long.

It's great to get the feedback that people understand and enjoy my writing.

Have you ever gotten that one special feedback that just made your day?

COLORLESS Won 3rd...

Just a quick note to say that my alternate history WIP, COLORLESS, won 3rd place at the Storymakers first chapter contest. Yep, having a pretty good day...

I shall now go do the happy dance.

If Zombies Attack

Spring break is wonderful...and so is the day we get to send the kids back to school. Today I'm cleaning and getting all those things done that I didn't do during our 2 week break (that's right, TWO weeks!). Just for fun, here's a few tid bits of wisdom that I thought you'd enjoy.

What can I say? They made me smile.

Have you seen anything that brightened your day lately? Share the link or tell us about it.

Winners of Adopt a Book!

Thank you to everyone who adopted a book. I’m sure they will be well loved and cared for in their new homes.


And here’s the list of the proud parents with their new books:

lisasanuma , Unlocked, Ten Key Tales

Renee Miller , Artemis Fowl, and The Wish List.

Michelle Teacress , Artimus Fowl, The Opal Deception

Ladies! Congratulations. Please be sure to email me with your address!

Adopt a Book!

Spring cleaning has yielded duplicate—but wonderful—books that need a home since I’ve ruthlessly ripped them from my shelves. 



ARTEMIS FOWL, THE OPAL DECEPTION, and THE WISH LIST by Eoin Colfer



GIRL WITH A DRAGON TATTOO by Steig Larsson



BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, hardback Disney classic (my son loves it, can you tell?)

UNLOCKED, TEN KEY TALES - This has one of my stories included in the anthology!

*Wipes a tear* Poor homeless little dears. Do you have a cozy spot on your shelves for these little darlings? The Goddess of the Corn Book-Adoption agency is ready for your application.

To apply:

Follow this blog, leave a comment stating which book you want to adopt, and mention something about what kind of a home you’d give the book = 3 points. 

For multiple entries or to adopt more than one book, you can get extra entries for:

1. Subscribing to this blog via email (The email widget is just above my picture) = 3 points.

2. Sharing this on Facebook or Twitter = 1 point for each post. (use the Facebook link at the top of the page. The one below is giving me fits today)

3. Blog about it, or adopt out some of your own poor homeless books in your Blog and link back = 5 points.

4. Tell me what you did!

Winners will be announced on April 1st (no fooling) *wink*. Good luck everyone!