Share the Love contest

The first year I went to Storymakers, I won the Share the LOVE contest run by the storymaker's blog. This turned out to be a wonderful with James Dashner, Jessica Day George, David Farland, and Krista Marino. I blogged about David here. This year, I'm entering again in hopes that luck might shine on me again.

So, share the love! And good luck to everyone who is going to conference! I'll see you there.

Storymakers 2013

This year Storymaker's writer's conference (May 10-11th) will have international best seller, Ann Perry, as a Keynote speaker. Here's her bio from the storymaker's website:

"KEYNOTE: Anne PerryAnne Perry is the bestselling author of two acclaimed series set in Victorian England: the William Monk novels, including “Dark Assassin” and “The Shifting Tide,” and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels, including “The Cater Street Hangman,” “Calandar Square,” “Buckingham Palace Gardens” and “Long Spoon Lane.” She is also the author of the World War I novels “No Graves As Yet,” “Shoulder the Sky,” “Angels in the Gloom,” “At Some Disputed Barricade,” and “We Shall Not Sleep,” as well as six holiday novels, most recently “A Christmas Grace.” Anne Perry lives in Scotland."

This year, they are offering tickets to the keynote speach even if you don't want to go to the entire conference (which is awesome BTW, you should totally go).

There are just under 70 days till the conference. I'm so excited!

Storymakers have a fun blog and do a contest every year to share the love. You can find the blog here.

Do You Remember?

Christmas is a time of family and tradition, of love, laughter and memories. Like many of you, I'm missing someone this year and I keep thinking it's been too long since I've called--that I should call. . . . But then I remember why I haven't and that little piece of my heart breaks again. My mother's project this year was sort all the photos grandmother kept and divide them into 6 Tupperware boxes (one for each of her siblings). She asked for my help in writing a poem that would help her brothers and sisters remember their parents and the good times they shared. I thought I'd share my poem with you.

 

Do You Remember? 

Do you remember sweet caramel corn

And donuts by the bag full,

Mom perched on Dad’s lap like newlyweds

Embarrassed kids, loving fools.  

Do you remember Fall country drives

And lazy days by the lake

Love shared with bear hugs and BBQ’s
Coffee cake and rolls she baked.
 

Do you remember making snowmen

When snow fell on our lashes

The hunt of fresh snow for donut spins

Those days, our fun was matchless. 

Do you remember joy and laughter

As cards piled o’er the table

We played, Demon, Spoons, and Hearts all night

Together when ‘ere able.  

Do you remember she loved us all,

Our children, her life’s treasures

She saved each child’s card and little note,

Her love, too great to measure. 

You remember how she’d wait for us,

Count the hours till our next visit,

A smile, a touch, just holding your hand,

She ne’er wanted to miss it. 

Please do remember to share their love

With those in your lives today

Tell them a story of times gone by

Of our family’s joys those days.

 

Remember, though Mom and Dad are gone,

They gave us all they could give.

Our lives, each other, kind hearts and souls

In our memories, they both live.

 

And then Someday when we meet again

Oh the joys and sweet laughter

We’ll share new memories of times they missed

And have our own happily ever after.

By Wendy Swore, Dec 6th 2012


Some of our traditions are silly. Each year, my dad reads the Night Before Christmas . . . wrong. (Away to the windows I threw up on the sash...made a terrible mess) And the grandchildren protest and make him read the correct words. "No Grandpa! Not like that!"

We open PJ's on Christmas Eve, and trek across the field for breakfast Christmas morning at my husband's parents. One year we were snowed in and they sent snowmobiles to fetch us through the blowing snow.

In short, in quiet moments, I miss the ones we've lost, but I focus on the here and now so my children will have many happy memories as well.

My friends, this year, I wish you many happy memories. May you be surrounded by friends and family. Presents are a dime a dozen, often broken or discarded within the week, but family traditions keep you warm long after the fire burns down.

Do you have any special memories or traditions in your family? What do you love most about the holidays?

The Desolation series Finale: Destined

Have you heard of Ali Cross’s Desolation series, if not, you are missing out. I was lucky enough to read a copy of her newest book, Destined, last month and I'm happy to say that it was awesome!

In Become, we follow Desi (Lucifer’s daughter) as she leaves the comfortable familiarity of Hell and travels to the real world on a mission for her father. Once there, she finds that even the Devil’s daughter can choose to become something more than what she is.

In Desolate, Desi is haunted by choices she made in the first book and dreams of her loved one being tormented in the same Hell she used to call home. When a strange demon injures her, she starts to see that choices are not as permanent as she thought—and that the power of choice is that you can make a new one every day. In order to save her friends, she must grasp them from the jaws of Hell, even if it means losing herself.

Destined is the thrilling conclusion where Desi’s friends move heaven and earth to save her. She has lived her whole life with two warring powers, darkness and light, inside her—both fighting for her loyalty. In Destined she embraces them both, recognizing that none of us are all bad or good—that our abilities do not rule our destiny, but rather our choices define us. In great battle for Asgard, involving all nine worlds, Desi finds her purpose and makes her final choice.

All three books use myths like Asgard, Loki, Valkyrie, and the Rainbow Bridge. These fantastic elements are part of her everyday life—they are family after all.  

If you enjoy a series with some deep soul searching and a constant struggle between the pull of darkness and light, then this is it.

When I first read Become, I had my daughter wait a year or two because one of the challenges Desi faces is the lure of seduction. She feels the desire and wants it, but still has a choice. I think this series is more suited to 14 years and up rather than the young YA market. My daughter loves it, but understands why I had her wait a couple years.

The author is Ali Cross, excellent writer and blog expert extraordinaire. You can check out her writers dojo here.  Notice her covers are all original work? I think they are pretty cool.

So in celebration of winter, (my most favorite time of the year because there is no farming to do) I’m giving away a kindle copy of the first two books, Become and Desolate. You can read sample pages on Amazon.

Don't forget to put Destined on your to-read list on goodreads. And snag it when it becomes available on December 12th, 2012.

 How to enter:
Just leave a comment with your email (Like: myemail AT wherever DOT com) saying which book you want! (Though I'm sure loads of good Karma will follow you if you share this to FB or Twitter or goodreads, please do, but it's not required) We'll choose a winner on Wednesday, December 12th because that's release day for Destined!

 

 

The Writer's REAL Journey

Hi all, I hope you are having a wonderful summer. I'm in full farm mode right now (picking corn everyday, picking other vegi's, weeding, watering, preparing the corn maze, selling produce at two markets and out of the garage).  But I'm still reading everyday and working on my latest WIP.

I saw this awesome post from Nathan Bransford which is the perfect depiction of a writer's journey. My daughter and I laughed so hard. I love it. Check it out, and you can thank me later.

The Publishing Process In GIF Form.

On a totally different note, here's a picture that made me laugh.

 

Anything fun or exciting happen in your life this summer? Tell me.

Summer and writing

Sometimes Summer is a trying time for me.

 

It starts out rough....

And usually gets worse.

That said, I always find/sneak time for books. I have a book in the car, one in the throne room (AKA bathroom), one in my purse, and a bunch on my phone. If I'm waiting for anything, I read.

Reading is great, but my favorite days are when I get the outside chores done and have nothing else to do! That's when I read and critique pages from my critique group and write/work on my own writing.

So, that's what I'm up to this summer. Working, working working, with a little bit of play and writing in there.

How are you spending your summer? Getting any writing or reading done?

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?)