Writing is an Emotional Roller Coaster

"A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit." - RICHARD BACH

Writing is an emotional roller coaster. Name an emotion and I've probably felt it, not once but multiple times on my road to writing the first draft of my book. I'm expecting equally as many emotional responses with every step I take along the way. I've talked a little bit in the past about "Crap" syndrome and its true that nearly every writer at some point or another has felt like they weren't good enough and needed a little pat on the back. But when writers want to give up, there is often a lot more emotion involved than simply not feeling good enough.

Learning to write is a journey and we all have to start somewhere - rock bottom. The funny thing about rock bottom though, is for a writer they don't usually start there. Writers usually start with a false high. They get a great idea (or something they think is great) and they run with it. They keep writing until they A.) lose interest B.) lose their way, or the rare C.) actually finish the story. Finishing a book is rare for a lot of people. You'd think it wouldn't be but, between time management, writers block, other great ideas, or a various slew of other distractions people lose site of their stories and their goals. Those things alone can cause a slew of emotions; everything from an exciting rush to frustration, sadness and anger.

At some point in the process, writers tend to seek out some kind of feedback from friends, family, online critique groups, beta readers etc. Friends and family are great to help build you up but "buyer be ware" sometimes your friends and family don't have the heart to tell you something isn't good or they can't put their finger on what is exactly wrong with a piece. Critique groups and beta readers are great because they can usually point you to where you went wrong and all your weaknesses. This is also where the nightmare begins for new writers. It's hard to hear that the idea you created has so many things that need work. Not that the idea was bad persay or that what you did was wrong but that your execution needs work.

This is where I hit my true rock bottom.

Two things happened simultaneously.
1.) I hit my overwhelm threshold. I could not write, critique, read feedback and edit, all at the same time and the thought of doing so stressed me to no end.

2.) The realization that I had a great idea but I knew nothing about writing. Among my greatest offenses, POV jumping, passive voice, wordiness, ineffective use of dialogue... the list goes on and on. Not to mention I had an insane number of people land blast me for the use of a prologue, something to this day I refuse to give up.

Stress + feeling like a failure = my emotional breaking point.

This was a very pivotal time in my writing. If I had let everything that was happening get to me and completely consume me, I would have run screaming from the room and never looked back. It would have ended my writing career. But instead I chose to take the feedback and use it as a learning experience. I took a step back and started from the beginning, with the basics. I learned about writing. I read blogs and books, went to seminars, and took online classes. I kept pushing myself to the brink of my comfort zone and persevered through the emotional train wreck. The negative responses, and advice along the way became the fuel I needed to grow and start to climb that big scary hill. I was determined not to let this bring me down.

In all of this, I always followed my gut the whole way. I stopped when I got overwhelmed. I didn't cut things because people said I had to. I refused to give in on the prologue even though people told me prologues were a bad idea. I knew it was important to my story even if people couldn't see it. So I decided I needed to prove myself by improving my writing.

I worked and worked and worked until things started falling into place. So far I've had at least 10 revisions on my prologue alone, and finally I'm down to mostly minor revisions and suggestions. It's been a long road, and there were definitely points where I wondered why in the heck I was doing this. But I've been lucky to have a lot of cheerleaders and help along the way. If you keep at it and look for help, people are usually willing to offer you valuable advice. There are certainly people out there that are more than willing to tear you down, but you can't let them. In most cases, people just want to help show you how to transform your story into something wonderful.

With every new group I find and get involved in I learn new things and find more people willing to help me and join my every growing network of cheerleaders. Most recently its been the St. Louis Writers Guild. In the few short weeks I've been a member, they have proved to be an invaluable resource. They have welcomed me with open arms and not only offered seminars and discussions but endless support.

After a long bumpy ride, all the work is starting to pay off. The feedback has become far more positive and every new thing I write has less mistakes than the previous. In the end you have to ask yourself: are you going to let the emotional roller coaster run you over, or are you going to grab on and let it take you to new heights? Go out there and turn the negatives into positives. Never give up and never quit. We all have to start somewhere, but thankfully the roller coaster never goes backwards!

Meeting Andrea Cremer, Author of Nightshade!

I love meeting authors! Especially enthusiastic, fun ya authors! I enjoy hearing their unique stories about how they got into writing and how they were published because no two experiences are alike! Andrea Cremer was no exception to the rule, and was certainly a pleasure to meet. She is energetic, bubbly, adorable and bonus I love her books!
Her story particularly resonated with me because she has a full time job as a professor and has three published books with two more on the way. I asked her how she juggled writing and a full time job, something I'm struggling with a bit with now. She replied, writing in every spare moment, dropping to part time at work and even taking time off. She also said to keep writing time sacred and make sure to stick to a schedule. So after that tip, I know I must protect my Sunday writing times. They are sacred!
Some other things from her Q&A that I enjoyed, she said she broke rules. Lots of them. As a new writer with little knowledge of the publishing world she did a lot of things new writers probably shouldn't. For instance pitching a series. Agents take gambles on new writers/clients and when they pitch a series its an even bigger gamble but I love that Andrea went for it and that it worked. A sure sign that some rules are made to be broken! I love a rebel!
When asked about where she got the idea for the series, she said she had a strong female voice in her head that was also a wolf. This was a bit problematic, the wolf part not the voices, (as a writer hearing the voices of your characters is totally normal, I swear!) because werewolves are typically seen as grotesque creatures that are always being hunted in stories. But Andrea didn't want anything like that. Especially since werewolves spend minutes experiencing the change, including a serious of bone cracking transformations that leaves them vulnerable during the shift. She wanted her characters to be able to change at will and not have to worry about having a change of clothes.
So here's the really cool part, she borrowed from physics and string theory. Using the idea that there are an infinite number of dimensions, when transformations of her wolves occurred instantaneously, the human part, clothes and all would be put into another dimension, a closet if you will, until they were ready to use it again. Therefore no crazy long vulnerable, transformations and no naked people running around! Which although can be humorous, has been done many times before. I give her major props for the physics nod, plus I'm a big geek and like that sorta stuff!
One more thing! She signed in colored sharpies! This totally made my day! I love color! And although her signature sentences are related to her series, I think its also great advice, both for aspiring writers and life!

So when I read great books and meet great authors I love to recommend them to others. If you haven't checked out the Nightshade series I highly highly recommend you do! It's a beautifully written series about werewolves, that definitely breaks the mold! Calla is a strong protagonist as an alpha wolf and the leader of her pack. She ends up torn between her destiny, Ren another alpha wolf from a rival pack who she is set to unite with to form a new pack, and Shay a mysterious human who shows up at her school and the new pack is asked to protect. After reading Nightshade I was so torn between the two boys that I didn't know who I wanted Calla to end up with more! I've never read a book and not had at least a small opinion one way or the other about a pairing. So run over to your favorite book buying spot and grab this series! The books are cool and so is the author! I definitely had a hard time putting these books down!

Do Your Homework: Research, Research, Research!

Today I attended a workshop called Editing/Proofreading: A Do it Yourself Job? presented by a St. Louis editor Mary Ward Menke and hosted by the St. Louis Writers Guild. I learned some great advice about proofreading, the power of a critique partner/beta reader, how to go about finding an editor and many other important editing tips, some of which I will share momentarily. However, the biggest thing I learned today was the importance of doing your homework.
Go out there and do the research. Take the time to learn the ins and outs of your craft. If you don't you will sound like a blundering idiot, and DO NOT make the mistake of thinking people won't notice.
And because its worth repeating I'll say it again - DO YOUR HOMEWORK!
The following are some examples of why it is so important to make sure you research.
Example one: A woman attending the workshop, who is about to self publish her book, and by about to I mean within the next month or so, asks some questions of our speaker, Mary. One question, should I be hiring my own editor, or using the editing services provided by the self publisher? Admittedly, I am no authority on self publishing, but I do know this is something she should have asked when she was first beginning to look into self publishing, not a month or so before she's about to turn over her manuscript to the self publisher. But I guess as the saying goes, better late than never.
This particular woman also said some other things that made me question her knowledge on the topic. She continued to spout one self publishing company, the one she was using, and did not make reference to any other companies out there. Statements to the effect of, x company does this or offers that, were made repeatedly. A clear sign to me that she was first not very knowledgeable about the topic and second had not done her homework. Although this woman in question was very nice, I did not have a favorable impression of her as a writer, and I've never even read a single word she has written.
Example two: Mary tells us about a book that was published in which the main characters of the book traveled to St. Louis in 1946, to see a Browns baseball game. While they were in St. Louis they took a side trip to go up in the arch. Now anyone from St. Louis, or anyone with google skills would quickly find that the arch didn't exist in 1946. Ask yourself, would you want to continue reading a book where you knew a part of the plot was completely inaccurate? Probably not. Would you read any other books published by this author in the future? Again probably not. Had the author done their homework (or their editor for that matter), they could have avoided making a mistake like this, as well as losing possible readers in the future.
Example 3: Immediately following example two, a woman in attendance raised her hand and said that in the Percy Jackson series there is a scene in the St. Louis Arch where Percy fights some monsters at the top of the arch and then punches a hole in it and dives into the Mississippi river. Again if you've been to the arch, or if you've looked it up online, you know that while the Arch is near the river it would not be physically possible to punch a hole in the arch, jump out and land in the river.
Now this example is interesting to me, because I have read the book and did think this scene was cool. But at the time I read it, I also thought it was a bit odd how this scene occurred and was not sure how it was possible unless Percy flew from the hole in the Arch to the river. Now I have a bit of an overactive imagination at times, and for some reason I shrugged it off and kept reading, even though I probably should have stopped. Even more interesting, I attended an author signing with Rick Riordan in St. Louis, and the question was asked where did you get the idea to use the St. Louis Arch in the Percy Jackson series. His answer was that when he was originally telling the stories to his sons, he was trying to use places that they had been so they could relate.
Now putting all this together, here is a man who has seemingly done his homework because he's been to the arch, yet chooses to ignore the facts. Maybe he did this for the sake of fiction or some other reason, yet many many children and adults, still continue to read his stories. This is a huge exception to the rule! Maybe in this case ignorance is bliss because a majority of his reading audience is children who may not know better and do continue to read his stories, but there are still people out there who notice, and those that do, will forever question this authors credibility.
So moral of the story do your homework!
I will end with some advice Mary gave related to editing, that relates directly to doing your research. When looking for an editor, shop around. Price will vary. Most good editors will give you a free sample edit of your first 5 or so pages. This is so you can see if you like the editors style. Not every editor is right for every person. Also know that editors can not and should not be promising you publication. If they are, you should as Mary said, "run screaming in the opposite direction." And lastly if there is something you don't want changed dialect etc. make sure you let your editor know up front. So when looking for an editor, do some research.
In whatever you do in life, whether it be writing or something else entirely, please do your homework. You could save yourself a lot of misery, heartache, and embarrassment. You want people to think of you as the intelligent person you are instead of thinking you're a complete idiot!
**steps off the soap box**

I wrote a book!

You can do anything you put your mind to. No truer words were ever spoken. Sometimes we don't realize what we are capable of until we try it. When I first started writing, it was more out of necessity than anything else. An idea was born and something inside me took hold and forced me to put pen to paper. I never had a desire to write - I hated writing in fact, but I couldn't escape, no matter what I did. So despite my previous thoughts on writing I gave it a try. And the more I wrote the easier it became. Writing is hard don't get me wrong, but like anything else the more you do it the better you become. In practicing the art of writing, I soon learned that I couldn't have been more wrong in my thoughts towards it. It wasn't that I disliked writing as a whole, it was certain kinds of writing I didn't enjoy. When I could choose what I wanted to write I truly enjoyed it.

When I decided to finally tackle writing as a hobby, I began to wonder how much I could actually write. 10,000 words? 20,000? 50,000? a whole book? The idea seemed daunting to me, but I was up for a new challenge. Something I had never done before. I began to wonder, how does one go about writing a book?

The simple answer, you write, and you keep writing until its done.

The more complex version, you plot and you write and you edit and you write and you write some more. You let the idea take you on a journey and you see that journey through to the end.

Don't sweat the small stuff. If something isn't working or doesn't feel right or the ideas arent flowing at all, walk away and come back later. Sometimes inspiration strikes when you least expect it.

Perseverance! Should you write every day? Most certainly, but sometimes that isn't always possible. However, that doesn't mean you should let weeks on end pass by and not write. And even if that happens, don't give up, revisit your writing. Treat your writing like an old friend, pick up right where you left off no matter how much time has passed.

Read! Never stop reading. Even when you are writing. It can show you the best and the worst of the trade, and everything in between. And you can learn from it all. What you should and shouldn't do. It can drive your inspiration.

Learn! Never stop learning. Take a writing class, get a book, join an online forum, read writing blogs etc. No one person can know every detail about one subject so never stop trying to learn about it.

Even doing all of these things, I won't lie and say writing a book was a picnic. It's a long winding and bumpy road. It's not easy to bear your sole onto paper and then stare back at it thinking you have a masterpiece. Ever writer at some point doubts their work or their direction or even their writing. It's what keeps us grounded. But just because you hate what you wrote, does not give you a pass to stop doing it. Pick yourself back up and move forward either with that story or another. Keep moving forward not matter how long it takes. It's not a race but the prize is finishing. The sense of accomplishment.

Point is don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't do something - including yourself. Prove the naysayers wrong and go out there and do it. You'll be surprised what you have in you. I know I was!

A Glee-less Holiday

I have to express a bit of a gripe with Glee's Holiday episode. For a show that prides itself on celebrating people's unique qualities, and showing that its our differences that make us each special, Glee has done a poor job when it comes to its holiday episodes.

Their focus for their holiday episode this year was Christmas. Now I realize that a large majority of the world celebrates Christmas, but Glee really missed a prime opportunity to display the multitude of other holidays that occur over the month of December. There was one throw away mention of Hannukah, Rachel at the end of the episode wishing someone who donated money a Happy Hannukah, and no other mention of any other holidays except Christmas.

Glee has characters built into the show that are Jewish, Rachel and Noah 'Puck' are both Jewish and I wouldn't be surprised if McKinley High has students that celebrate things other than Christmas and even Hannukah. Yet we have everyone singing Christmas songs for the most part during their holiday episode, and spouting what they want for Christmas, including the Jewish Rachel.

I understand that there aren't many rousing songs that represent the other holidays, (although I have a little dreidel, I made it out of clay, is a Hannukah classic) there are other ways to represent and honor the other holidays on the show, and they really have yet to do that. Plus with as inventive as a show as Glee is, I'd love to see some new songs, or parodies of existing songs to represent some of the other cultures and holidays.

So for a show as open-minded as Glee, they were pretty closed-minded when it came to the holidays this year. I hope in the future they consider honoring more than just one culture during the holidays.

Ender's Game The Movie

With movie news flying left and right about Ender's Game, I wanted to weigh in some thoughts. I will preface by saying Ender's Game is my absolute favorite book of all time, and I've been waiting for this movie since I picked up the book for the first time well over 10 years ago. Even then there were rumors of a movie, and they were looking at Jake Lloyd (young Anakin Skywalker) to play Ender, but nothing ever seemed to pan out. From what I understand, Card had issues with the numerous scripts that had been written over the years. I certainly can't argue with that mentality, as there are seemingly endless ways one could screw up Ender's Game on the big screen. Doing this fabulous book justice is a bit of a chore.

When I heard the news this year that once again that Ender's Game would be a movie, I was highly skeptical, as this rumor has come around many times before. Honestly, I'm not holding my breath for this, and wont 100% believe it until I see a trailer and then am sitting in the movie theater, but this current effort looks extremely promising.

Before I launch into confirmed and rumored actors for the movie, it has been stated on many sources and by Card himself, that the children will be older than in the book with Ender around age 10. As cool as the book is with Ender starting battle school at age 5, I have to agree with this decision. I think the age bump will work, and let's face it no five year old could honestly portray this character properly. And if producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, both known for the new star trek and fringe, are any indication, this film is headed on the right track.

So onto the actors,

Asa Butterfield - Confirmed to play Ender. I have no complaints about this kid, in fact I think he's about as perfect as you can get for Ender Wiggin. He has the look and he can act. He was amazing in Hugo (if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it, its a beautiful movie!). And he proven he can play slightly darker and mysterious in BBC's Merlin as a young Mordred. All around great choice!

Harrison Ford - Rumored to play Colonel Graff. I think Ford is an interesting choice for this role, but I have no doubt he can play it well. I actually see him a bit as a certain other mentor to Ender (more on that in a minute) but if he's cast as Col. Graff, I wont have any complaints. We all know this man has no trouble acting and has a large portfolio of roles to back him up!

Hailee Steinfeld - Rumored to play Petra Arkanian. Now this one I struggle a bit with. I admittedly have only seen clips here and there of her work, and she seems like a wonderful actress but I'm not sure if I am sold on her for Petra. She was originally who I would have picked to play Katniss in the Hunger Games, but I'm not sure she has that complexity that Petra carries in the book. I picture Petra with a slight fiery streak, someone more like Chloe Moretz possibly, that has proven the range of both soft and fiery. But I know Steinfeld can act and would do her best to portray Petra properly in the movie.

And onto the latest rumor (and this is a spoiler if you haven't read Ender's Game, so you've been warned!)


Ben Kinsley - Rumored to play the thought dead Mazer Rackham. Back to what I was talking about above, I originally thought Harrison Ford would be a better Mazer than Graff, but now hearing this news, I couldn't think of a more perfect person to be Mazer. Ben Kingsley would be great in this role, and certainly bring the right life to this important character. And again like Ford, has great experience as an actor.




So looking ahead, I think Ender's Game, despite many years of hope and fears surrounding a possible movie, is headed down the right general path to do this amazing book justice. The next few months will be telling as to how this project moves forward and if it will make it into production.

Of the uncast roles, Bean is the most important to get right. Personally I hope they find a young undiscovered to bring this role to life. His chemistry with Ender is key to the story, and I hope they find the right kid to do the job.

I look forward to more casting news and hope that this finally makes it to the big screen. I'm definitely getting excited about the Ender's Game movie and can't wait to watch it continue to develop!

Tuesday Teaser

I don't normally do these but just for a little bit of fun today, a teaser quote from the book I'm currently reading The Gathering, book 2 in the Quantum Prophecy series by Michael Carroll.

"Did I ask for a science lesson?" Dioxin snarled. "Make it fly! You can do that can't you?"

Ahh gotta love superhumans, especially of the villian variety ;)

The Muse, a Fickle Beast!

Muse: a goddess that inspires a creative artist*

The definition makes a muse sound so eloquent but let's face it when writing, sometimes the muse is nothing but a downright menace. I've named my muse Orion after the constellation (yea space geek!), but I often wonder if I should have called him Loki. He's one mischievous little bugger.

He rarely cooperates, and likens himself to an unwanted house guest. Showing up at the most inopportune times, taking over with a mind of his own, giving me ideas that either are eight steps ahead of where I am currently or throws entirely unrelated ideas my way, and just when I start to get used to him he takes off on vacation.

Most recently Orion has visited me in the worst possible places. When I'm driving in the car and can't possible write a thing down, and the only place I cant bring a pen and paper, the shower! I find myself scrambling to repeat again and again the ideas so I don't lose them. I know as a writer you should have a pen and paper handy at all times, but that's just insanity! When someone invents a water proof pen and paper for the shower let me know, I'll be forever in your debt. Until then maybe I need a tape recorder for my car. Oh the things a muse will drive you to, and surprisingly it hasn't been off a cliff... at least not literally.

But at the end of the day, I've grown quite fond of Orion's visits. He's been most cooperative these past few days. Lending ideas that will ultimately help me finish my book. And as strange as the hostile takeover is at times, I am quite thankful for my muse, mischievous or not. Because without him, I think I'd be utterly lost, and probably not writing at all!


*ref www.dictionary.com

YA Reads For the Holidays

Looking for that right book to get someone for the holidays or something to dig into yourself? Here's a list of suggestions for holiday ya lit reads and there's something for everyone. Some of these books are known, while others you may not have heard of but you should definitely give them all a look, especially if you enjoy Young Adult Literature as much as I do.

For the YA Fantasy/Mythology/History Lover: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

If you are a Harry Potter fan like me, then the name Nicholas Flamel probably grabbed your attention, but what a lot of people do not know is that J.K. Rowling borrowed Nicholas Flamel from history (he's a real guy google him). But aside from Flamel, the use of magic and prophecy and the page turning read, the similarities between the two series deviates there. The Flamel series, is a wonderful, action packed, magical adventure centered around fifteen year old twins Sophie and Josh Newman, who soon learn they might be the twins of legend mentioned in an ancient prophecy in a magical book called the codex, which is guarded by Nicholas Flamel. At the onset of the series, the evil Dr. John Dee steals the book from Flamel, and Flamel takes it upon himself to awaken the magic in the twins and train them in various forms of elemental magic. This series is fast paced taking place over the course of two weeks, and author Michael Scott masterfully weaves characters together from history and numerous mythologies. In fact every character except the twins is someone that can be looked. If you are looking for a post Potter read, this is it. The first five books The Alchemyst, The Magician, The Sorceress, The Necromancer and The Warlock are out now and the final book the Enchantress is due out in May 2012. And if that wasn't enough to keep you busy for a while, there are a couple of short stories related to the series available in eBook format, and an offshoot series loosely linked to the Flamel series entitled Earthlords is due out in the next year or two. You can watch the book trailer for The Alchemyst here.

(And shameless plug if you've read the series, then you must check out the official fansite http://www.flamels-immortal-portal.com/ complete with news, a podcast, and forums that Michael Scott visits)
For the YA Paranormal Romance Lover:
Falling Under by Gwen HayesGwen Hayes knows romance, and Falling Under is her debut novel to the ya paranormal romance scene. Falling Under is a unique twist on the typical paranormal romance. You wont find vampires, werewolves, angels or zombies in this book which is one reason its so refreshing. I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover but this book has an absolutely gorgeous one that is just as beautiful as the romance written inside it. Theia Alderson leads a sheltered life, but one part of her is free from that, her dreams. And when the mysterious boy she's dreamed about shows up in her school, she is naturally intrigued. She is inexplicably drawn to Haden, but in the real world he wants nothing to do with her. So every night when she closes her eyes, Theia draws closer to him but is pushed away when her eyes are open. What is Haden and why does Theia feel such a strong pull to him? Why is she falling under his spell every night? You'll have to read to find out more. The sequel Dreaming Awake comes out just after the holidays on January 3, 2012, and its cover is equally as stunning as its predecessor. You can watch the book trailer for Falling Under here.

For the Middle Grade Fantasy Lover:
Emerald Atlas by John StephensJohn Stephens is a new author on the scene but you might know him from his previous work in tv. He wrote for both Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl, so his debut middle grade novel Emerald Atlas is one to check out. Emerald Atlas is a fantasy adventure about 3 children Kate, Michael, and Emma, who are "orphans", I use the term loosely because their parents are not dead but lost. They are whisked away in the middle of the night from the parents and transferred from orphanage to orphanage until they end up at the home of Dr. Pym. In Dr. Pym's house the children find a magical atlas that allows them to travel into the time of photographs when they are placed into the Emerald Atlas. Along the way they encounter dwarves that end up aiding them and an evil countess that is involved in a plot to acquire the magical atlas. This book has the feel of Narnia, combined with a splash of lemony snicket, and the prologue read very much like Harry Potter. So if you are looking for magic with adventure and a splash of time travel, Emerald Atlas is a book to check out. When all is said and done it will be one of three in the Books of Beginning Series. You can watch the book trailer here.



For the YA Dystopian Romance Lover:
Matched by Ally CondieCassia Reyes has just been matched with her perfect mate, her best friend Xander, which in her world is nearly unheard of. Most perfect matches live in different cities and meet slowly over time but Cassia has known Xander her whole life. She lives in a near perfect world that has eliminated disease and crime. So why classify this as dystopian? Well it reminded me a bit of the world in The Giver. Every aspect of Cassia's life is controlled, specialized. Her meal comes to her house ready to eat in the right portion. School, work and "free time" is scheduled for them, and their society is tightly controlled by officials. They don't run or yell, they keep even tempered at all times, and their lives end on their 80th birthdays. If you or I lived in this world we'd probably be miserable but these people at the onset, don't know what they are missing. Early on in the story, Cassia plugs in her microchip from the matching ceremony to learn more about her match Xander and another boy's face mysteriously pops up on the screen. Another boy she knows and grew up with, Ky Markham. When the society tells her its a rare glitch she begins to doubt her life and the society. Things slowly start to unravel and she even starts to fall for Ky despite deeply caring about Xander. A beautiful and confusing forbidden love begins to develop between Cassia and Ky. Matched is truly wonderful and gut wrenching, as Cassia decides between Xander and the society life she has always known to be right, or following her heart, her gut, and what feels right when she is with Ky. And if you've finished Matched, Crossed the second book made its debut on November 1, 2011. You can watch the book trailer for Matched here.

For the YA Sci Fi Lover:
Quantum Prophecy by Michael CarrollIf you like action, scifi and a fast paced read then Michael Carroll's Quantum Prophecy series is for you. In the first installment The Awakening, we learn that Superhumans used to help protect the world, but in the height of their reign they mysteriously disappeared. Ten years later a new era of superhumans is rising. Danny Cooper and Colin Wagner discover that they are children of the original superhumans and are developing abilities of their own. When they are kidnapped and used in a plot to rid the world of superhumans forever, they join with past heroes and fight back to try and save the superhumans. This series is an enjoyable read for all ages that is hard to put down and one that young boys would especially like. The series continues with The Gathering and The Reckoning and also has prequels Superhuman, Ascension, and Stronger which is due out summer 2012. A book trailer with information on the first two books can be found here.

So why these books out of all the ya genre? Well they are all books that I found to be refreshing, thoroughly enjoyed, couldn't put down, and wanted to share with others. Plus I've met three of the five authors and they are all as wonderful as their books. When I meet great authors, I love to share their amazing stories with as many people as possible. This list should keep any reader busy during the holidays, and provides great gift ideas for the book lovers in your life. I'd love to hear some of your holiday reads suggestions. What great books do you want to share with others?

Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

My Year Long NaNo

Its national novel writing month, and in honor of that, among other things that I will get to very shortly, I make this post. I know NaNo is only supposed to last a month, but earlier this evening I finally reached 50,000 words on my work in progress, Abducted. I started Abducted last year as a NaNo project.
The idea for Abducted came to me on September 30th, 2010. Shortly after having the idea, I wrote a few paragraphs of chapter one and started an outline. After a week of this idea completely consuming me, I decided to give NaNo a go. So I spent the entire month of October outlining, and on November 1st I began to write. In about a week I laid out over seven thousand words. And before I knew it I was at eleven thousand. By the end of NaNo i made it about halfway to the 50k goal.
This was an enormous feat for me because prior to this, the longest things I'd ever written was a 20 page research paper in high school, another in college, and over the course of three years, a 15,000 word story that I didn't know where I was going with. I was ecstatic because this was by far the biggest writing endeavor I had ever taken on, and I had a clear path to the end of the story.
However, I found Nano and I didn't entirely get along for the following reasons.
1.) Time - I have a full time job, and have very little time to write. Not that its an excuse but it does limit my free time. Combine that with all of my other hobbies and obligations outside of work, and the number of available hours dwindled to near zero. Not to mention during one week of NaNo I was at a women in engineering conference, which inhibited my NaNo participation.
2.) Motivation - I hadn't yet developed a writing rhythm. Because I was so new at it, I struggled to just sit down and write and make time in my schedule. I have since developed a schedule and try to stick to it. I don't always get to write every day but I know that I have times laid out to write and my mind easily slips into writing mode when those times approach.
3.) Editing - I am a compulsive editor. One of the things I do to get myself into the mindset of writing, is read the last chapter I wrote. As I do this I'm constantly correcting mistakes and making tweaks as I see fit. And every so often I felt the urge to read everything I'd written for a continuity and flow check. All things that are not conducive for NaNo, which pushes you to ignore mistakes and just write.
4.) Validation - As I wrote, and despite my fairly well plotted outline, I found it increasingly difficult to continue without validation. I got "Crap" syndrome. Something I think most writers experience at some point in their writing process. The feeling that everything you've done is complete and utter shit and no sane person would ever want to read this. I began to feel like I was wasting my time and wondered if I should even bother. A feeling that I should have never let get to me because even if I was only writing just for me, I had an idea and an obligation to see it through. I had a story I desperately wanted to tell but sadly I let "Crap" syndrome almost completely consume me.
At this point I began to look into critique partners and groups to seek validation. I didn't consider my friends because I was afraid they would just tell me my writing was wonderful because they are my friends. Call me a sadist but I wanted someone to tear my work to shreds. And believe me if you want that, you can find those people online. For every person out there to build you up there's at least thirty waiting behind them to tear you down.
So I joined a couple of critique groups and threw a few chapters out there and waited for someone to bite. In doing so I found my wonderful critique partner Julie S. She not only gave me some of the validation I needed but also was honest and pointed me to things I needed to work on. She also directed me to a critique group that has proven to be invaluable.
From this group I learned a few things.
1.) You can't please everyone - Not everyone will enjoy your story and that's ok. There is always someone out there who will enjoy it, even if its just one person.
2.) I knew next to nothing about the formal writing process, pov, showing vs telling etc. but that was ok because you can learn technique but creativity comes from within. People tore me to shreds for things that are considered basic writing skills but despite my "bad form" I heard time and time again that I had a good story. I knew I was probably onto something special and should have never doubted myself.
3.) I'm not a juggler. Writing, editing, critiquing, reading feedback all at the same time was overwhelming and stressing me out. I couldn't do it all at once but that was ok. I had found my limitations to the craft.
4.) Writing is not a race. Take the time you need to make things right. Don't sweat the small stuff. If things aren't flowing don't push it, walk away and come back later.
So with my new found validation and a sense of balance, I took a step back from the critique group and began to write again. I had a renewed sense of strength and courage and I wanted to not only write but finish my book, something I'd never done before.
Although I have not finished Abducted this evening I am one step closer to my final goal. The huge milestone of 50,000 words achieved. When I decided that I would finish, I set a goal of 60,000 words, the bottom limit for a ya novel. So here I sit, less than 10,000 words from my ultimate goal and five and a half chapters to go to finish my first draft. I'm amazed at how far I've come in a year and excited for the road ahead. Although the month of NaNo didn't work for me, I'm glad I tried, because it led me down the right path. It gave me the courage to write, and pushed me down the road that allowed me to find my writing rhythm and continue on. NaNo helped me do something I never thought possible; Write the story I never knew I had in me, and find the drive to finish it. Even though its taken a year, my NaNo is complete, and Abducted is soon to follow.
**DOES THE 50K word dance** (feel free to join, you know you want to ;) )