PAPER HEARTS by Beth Revis

Today, I'm super-thrilled to host Beth Revis and her newest release, PAPER HEARTS!! Beth and I go way back, and I've read a lot of this book. Beth's going to answer a few questions, and then we're going to give away a copy!!

About PAPER HEARTS: Fight the blank page.

When it comes to writing, there’s no wrong way to get words on paper. But it’s not always easy to make the ink flow. Paper Hearts: Some Writing Advice won’t make writing any simpler, but it may help spark your imagination and get your hands back on the keyboard.

Practical Advice Meets Real Experience

With information that takes you from common mistakes in grammar to detailed charts on story structure, Paper Hearts describes:

-How to Develop Character, Plot, & World
-What Common Advice You Should Ignore
-What Advice Actually Helps
-How to Develop a Novel
-The Basics of Grammar, Style, & Tone
-Four Practical Methods of Charting Story Structure
-How to Get Critiques and Revise Your Novel
-How to Deal with Failure
…And much more!

BONUS! More than 25 “What to do if…” scenarios to help writers navigate problems in writing from a NY Times Bestselling author who’s written more than 2 million words of fiction.

BUY!

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords | IndieBound

What prompted you to write and publish PAPER HEARTS? Tell us everything!
Honestly, I’ve been writing Paper Hearts for ages, even before I was published. I used to be a teacher, so story structure, grammar, literary criticism—these are things I love. And I love teaching. I started with blog posts, often in answer to questions. When I had a lot of blog posts on writing done, I realized it was a little unwieldy, so I moved it to WattPad. After the posts there starting reaching more than 100k reads and people asked me for print copies, I began to seriously look into what it would take to get this book to my readers.

This isn’t going to be a good book for everyone. But it’s exactly the kind of book I wish I had before I was published, so I’m very happy with it.

Writers are always looking for advice, and there’s a lot out there. What’s different about yours?
My favorite chapter in the book is called “All Writing Advice Books Suck, Including This One.” I really hate it when advice books that deal with something subjective like art or writing present an attitude that “this is the only way to do it.” That’s very damaging to authors, and honestly just terrible advice. But by its nature, writing advice books do present solutions and give practical methods to do things, including mine. But I wanted to make it extraordinarily clear that there is no one right way to write, and that it’s entirely possible that my advice is the wrong advice for you. I just present the methods that have helped me, and try to point people in the direction of methods that can help them.

What’s a piece of your advice that you constantly take yourself?
Live. Growing up, I was very much a Hermione Granger type person. I studied hard and often. And I approached writing that way, too. I locked myself in my room and wrote until my fingers ached.

But that often meant that I was missing out. Missing out on family and friends time, missing out on the latest movies, missing out on adventures. It took me a long time to realize that practice is important, but discovering the stories in your life is more important. Go out. Have adventures. Try something new. Discover new ideas. Yes, you absolutely have to write at some point. But don’t forget to live.

PAPER HEARTS is part of a fun and fascinating publishing journey. Give us a glimpse of your path so far, and where you’re going next.
I wrote my first novel as a sophomore in college. It was horrible. Basically fan fiction, derivative and not very well done. I sent it out to agents because of course I thought it was brilliant. Surprise, it was rejected soundly.

So I wrote another novel and sent it out too. And then another. And another. I wrote ten novels over ten years, and none of them got me an agent, much less a book deal.

And then I wrote one more. It was weird. I never thought it had a chance. But I loved the idea.

That book was Across the Universe. It got me an agent—my dream agent, actually. And it got me a book deal for the entire trilogy, the kind of deal that changed my life. I was able to quit my job and making writing my career. So I was an overnight, decades long success.

Since then, I’ve been diversifying my career. I self published a book that wasn’t a good fit for Penguin’s catalogue but was something that I felt my fans wanted. The Body Electric came out last year, and it was so eye-opening to self publish. Since then, I’ve put out some short stories, in both traditional and self publishing format, and I’ve written another novel for Penguin, A World Without You, which will come out in July 2016. I’ve got another book contracted through Penguin, plans for another self published book, and I’m putting out three books in the Paper Hearts series over the next three months.

Oh, yeah, and I had a baby ☺

When you're looking to decompress by reading, what book do you reach for?
I go through moods. If I’m working really hard on prose and drafting, I tend to read what I call “candy books”—usually really trashy romances. I don’t want to think too hard, I want to escape. If I’ve been in a reading funk, I try out something new, something that’s just beautiful and strange. I recently read The Nest, and it was perfect for this—a short read that was just so weird.

If you could be a contestant on Survivor, what's the one item you'd take with you?
Haha, I’d get kicked off pretty quickly, so I wouldn’t need anything too crucial. Maybe a boxed set of the Harry Potter books?

A guilty pleasure?
Put Lindt chocolate truffles in the freezer. Trust me.

Bacon or chocolate?
Chocolate covered bacon. With salt on top.

About Beth: Beth Revis is the NY Times bestselling author of the Across the Universe series. The complete trilogy is now available in more than 20 languages. Beth is also the author of The Body Electric and several short stories. Her nonfiction books, the Paper Hearts series, gives writers advice on craft, publishing, and more. A native of North Carolina, Beth is currently working on a new novel for teens, tentatively scheduled for 2016. She lives in rural NC with her boys: one husband, one son, and two massive dogs.

Find Beth online: 
Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Instagram

Interview with Author of TORN CANVAS, Donna K. Weaver

Okay, so I'm here with author and friend Donna K. Weaver for her blog tour of TORN CANVAS! I cornered her and asked her some questions, and I can't wait to share them with you.

1. So TORN CANVAS is a sequel. Or a companion? Tell us about the first book, A CHANGE OF PLANS, and how TORN CANVAS fits into the series.
It's a companion novel since it has different main characters. It actually begins about 80 pages into A CHANGE OF PLANS, the first book in the Safe Harbors Series, when the main characters of the two books part ways (by force, due to those dang modern-day pirates). Lyn and Braedon from ACoP end up missing at sea, while Jori from TORN CANVAS is rescued and returned to American Samoa where their cruise ship had been docked.

Jori, a hot model, receives a wicked face wound during the fight with the pirates. Kind of messes up his life. He's a bit of mess anyway, something his beauty hid. In TORN CANVAS, we follow him through his journey of healing, both physically and emotionally. Toward the end, we get to see Lyn again. TC finishes a few days after the end of A CHANGE OF PLANS.

Some of the challenge with this story is that anyone who's read A CHANGE OF PLANS knows that Jori doesn't actually meet the love interest, Olivia Howard, until nearly the end of the book. Since the two books follow almost the same timeline, Jori's growing relationship with Olivia is a very different kind. And considering his character arc, that distance is important.

There's also a short story/novelette, HOPE'S WATCH, which is set during that week in American Samoa when the Coast Guard is searching for the missing catamaran. The main character is Elle, Lyn's best friend and cabinmate on the cruise. Jori, while he's in the hospital, gets a small role. It's a nice lead in to TORN CANVAS.

2. When did you write TORN CANVAS? What's one scene that you can still remember drafting for the first time?
TORN CANVAS was my NaNoWriMo project in 2012. (Yes! I love NaNo novels that get published!) I like to do my first draft fast, so I love the NaNo experience. Once I have my outline (that first, very rough draft), I can take my time to work through the story some more before I send it to my beta readers. My editor had some great suggestions, so I ended up doing a major rewrite to add Olivia's point of view.

A memorable scene, for me, is one that's actually the basis for the book's cover picture. When Jori loses his looks and has to pursue another career, he decides to try art which he had studied in college. The following scene is when Jori's interviewing with the man who becomes his art agent:

“Did you like modeling?”

“No.” Jori reminded himself this was an interview for a job. “Because it’s fake.”

“How so?” Mr. Schulze raised his brows.

Opening his mouth, Jori paused and snapped it shut, not sure how to put it into words. “That didn’t come out very well. I don’t mean to dis digital artists. I should have said it’s not real.” Jori leaned forward in his seat, clenching his fists. “It was all make believe. They would dress us up and use makeup to enhance us and when that wasn’t enough …,” Jori scowled, “and it was never enough, they would edit the pictures.”

“Not real?” Mr. Schulze shifted in his chair, a hint of disdain in his narrowed eyes. “How is that any different than, say, a Picasso?”

“Picasso knew people recognized his painting as his artistic interpretation, his abstract vision. That’s not what my modeling photos were about.” Jori flicked a finger at the pictures on the desk, unable to keep the anger from his voice. “That’s fine, as long as everyone knows that what they’re looking at is fantasy.”

“But these photographs are to sell a product.”

Rising, Jori riffled through the glossies until he found an especially sexy one of him in a loose bowtie hanging with an open dress shirt. It hung over his tanned and ripped chest and abdomen, his designer slacks riding low on his hips. He remembered the oil on his skin to make it shine—and the waxing to remove every speck of body hair.

Jori stabbed the picture with his finger. “Yes, they’re to sell a product, but they’re also selling a logical fallacy. ‘Buy this shirt and you can be as hot as Jori Virtanen.’ Hell. Even Jori Virtanen could never be that hot.” He pointed to his cheek. “Even before this.” Jori went silent and dropped his hand, his flushed cheeks making the still tender scar burn a little. “Sorry.”

3. How much research have you had to do for the series? Or are you a seawoman at heart?
I do a lot research, though I was a Navy brat growing up, so I've had a lot of opportunities to see places. By the time I was 13, I'd sailed the Pacific three times and lived in Asia nearly five years. I've never been to American Samoa--though I want to visit there very badly now--but I have lived in the Philippines and been to Hawaii many times, including spending the summer I was 16 there. I know the tropics well.

4. When you're looking to decompress by reading, what book do you reach for?
That kind of depends upon my mood at the time. Since I write adventure romance, I find myself picking up more romances lately. (I've also written but not yet published a YA fantasy series and I'm working on a SciFi trilogy--all with heavy romantic elements.) (Publish these, Donna! Stat!)

I've always preferred my romances with a dish of something else; that's why I write adventure romances or romantic suspense. One of my favorites is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The story, set right after the end of WWII, touches on some heavy topics but manages to be uplifting and a delight to read.

If I'm not in the mood for a book with a heavy romantic element, I can pick up anything by Brandon Sanderson and get lost in his stories. The man's writing is amazing and complex.

5. If you could be a contestant on Survivor, what's the one item you'd take with you?
After all the research I had to do for the shipwreck section in A CHANGE OF PLANS, I realized that I would only need one thing in order to survive in a survival situation--my husband. He is Mr. Handy.

Somehow, though, I don't think the producers for Survivor would let me bring him. I'd have to be satisfied with a Swiss Army Knife. Very versatile.

6. A guilty pleasure?
Don't tell my husband. He hates zombie anything--he's so tender hearted. We watched the first episode of WALKING DEAD, and he was ready to turn it off when the main character had to shoot a child zombie while the opening credits were still running. (I'm with your husband. I tried Walking Dead -- didn't make it through the first episode.) I made him watch the rest of the episode, but he was so done. I haven't done it yet, but I think I'm going to go back and watch a few more episodes when he's not around. We left the main character in a terrible situation, after all. :D

7. Bacon or chocolate?
This is easy for me. I know you're a huge bacon fan. Me, not so much. (Oh no! It's okay, we can still be friends!) It's okay sometimes. So chocolate for me. DARK chocolate.

Isn't she the best! She totally is. Here's a bit more about her and her book, TORN CANVAS.

About TORN CANVAS: Modern-day pirates took more than Jori Virtanen’s friends; they stole his face. Not only does the twenty-four-year-old former model have to confront months of reconstructive surgery, he discovers his previous life was as superficial as his looks. Jori struggles to make a new life for himself as an artist while evading the press. They expect a hero, but he knows the truth. His beauty masks a beast.

Olivia Howard’s given up a normal life for her job, and the sacrifices are finally paying off. The twenty-six-year-old talk-show host’s ratings are heading to the top of the charts. Her dream is to make a difference in people’s lives, but the studio wants mind fluff—like interviewing hot model Jori Virtanen. When Olivia learns the guy helped rescue passengers on a cruise excursion from kidnappers, she knows this is the story she needs to make her case. The only problem is the hero was injured, and now he’s disappeared.

The more Olivia learns about the man behind the scar, the more intrigued she becomes. But Jori is no girl’s happily ever after. Once she finds him, Olivia has to free his heart and help heal the beast.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | iTUNES | KOBO | GOODREADS

About Donna: Author of the Safe Harbors series and Second Chances 101, Book 5 in the Ripple Effect series. A wife, mother, grandmother, Harry Potter geek, Army veteran, and karate black belt.

Find Donna on:
Blog | Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube | Google+

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Interview with Author Bethany Wiggins

Okay, so I am so excited to have my good friend and amazing author, Bethany Wiggins, on the blog today! I've known Bethany for what feels like forever, and I've read a lot of her work. I loved STUNG, and I'm super-excited that CURED -- the sequel -- will be out tomorrow!

Bethany was awesome enough to answer some questions for me, but first, let's look at CURED. (Isn't that cover Ah-may-zing??! Answer: yes!)

About CURED: Now that Fiona Tarsis and her twin brother, Jonah, are no longer beasts, they set out to find their mother, with the help of Bowen and a former neighbor, Jacqui. Heading for a safe settlement rumored to be in Wyoming, they plan to spread the cure along the way--until they are attacked by raiders.

Luckily, they find a new ally in Kevin, who saves them and leads them to safety in his underground shelter. But the more they get to know Kevin, the more they suspect he has ties to the raiders. He also seems to know too many details about Jacqui and her family — details that could endanger them all. For the raiders will do anything they can to destroy the cure that would bring an end to their way of life.

So let's get to the good stuff!

1. So CURED is the second book. Tell us what we need to remember from STUNG to be ready to read.
Fiona wakes up with four years of her memory erased, her brother a beast, her father dead, and her mother missing. She has been given the bee-flu vaccine but isn't a beast like everyone else who has been vaccinated (remember the previously mentioned brother?). Why? Because a cure has been found, and Fiona is proof of the cure. Now that cure needs to be spread.

2. The idea of the extinction of bees and the repercussions that causes is fascinating to me. How did you come up with this idea? Did you have to do a lot of research?
Believe it or not, STUNG was primarily inspired by a horrible nightmare I had, about waking up in my childhood home and finding everything abandoned, and then being chased out a window by an insane beast who used to be someone I loved. That nightmare is chapter one! (Shut up! What a cool inspiration!)

Other parts of STUNG were inspired by the frenzy in the United States to get the flu vaccine when the swine flu was going around and the bees dying off (colony collapse). I didn't have to do a lot of research since the bee science in my book is mostly fiction (thank goodness), but I did have to do some. I mostly researched things like human behavior in the aftermath of a natural disaster (which is where the Raiders come from) and how things are pollinated.

3. When did you write CURED? What's one scene that you can still remember drafting for the first time?
I started writing CURED two and a half years ago, and finished a year and a half ago. The scene that sticks in my memory is the one where Jacqui and Jonah are being held prisoner by the Raiders, and Jacqui finally understands that true beauty is on the inside. Here's a quote:

He drops his head and laughs a hoarse, whispered laugh, possibly the first laughter that has come out of him in four years. "I know I'm hideously ugly. You don't have to pretend I'm not."

My heart aches at his words. I know how it feels to look at yourself and see nothing beautiful there. And then I think about how Jonah held the beast child for hours while we waited for the cure to start working, and how he spoke so gently to me when the raiders caught me and Bowen was furious. He is good and kind and meek. That is real beauty.

4. Is CURED the end of this series? Tell us all about everything!
As of now, it is the end. I wrapped everything up so that the readers will finish it and have a satisfied, warm, happy, pensive, thoughtful feeling. But I would love to do a book three with these characters in this world sometime in the future. There is always room for more! (I hope there is more to the story!)

5. CURED is your third published book. Give us a glimpse of your writing and publishing journey that led you here.
The only reason I started writing is because my sister thought it would be fun to write a book, and she wanted someone else to write one at the same time. So she dared me to do it. I started writing and was shocked at how much I liked it. I wrote and edited a lot of manuscripts--as in thousands and thousands of pages--before I finally got good enough to get an agent (Marlene Stringer) and a publisher. Cured is the tenth or eleventh book I wrote.

6. When you're looking to decompress by reading, what book do you reach for?
Well, honestly, "The Book of Mormon." At the end of every day I am pretty much too tired to do any major reading, so I always read a page or two of my scriptures before I go to sleep. Decompression=achieved.

7. If you could be a contestant on Survivor, what's the one item you'd take with you?
Water purifier.

8. A guilty pleasure?
Massage! (Oh, I don't get enough of these as I would like either!)

9. Bacon or chocolate?
Chocolate (Boo! Hisssss... *wink*)

About Bethany: BETHANY WIGGINS is the author of Stung and Shifting. She started writing on a dare and dove headfirst into the world of writerly madness. She lives in the desert with her husband, four quirky kids, and two very fluffy cats.

Website | CURED on Amazon | CURED on B&N | CURED on IndieBound

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FRIENDS AND TRAITORS by C.J. Hill

Okay, so I'm here today with C.J. Hill to celebrate the release of her second Slayers book: FRIENDS AND TRAITORS! I've met the real C.J. in real life, and she is awesome!

So let's learn a bit about the book first.

About FRIENDS AND TRAITORS: In C.J. Hill's action-packed sequel to Slayers, the group of teens known as Slayers have been betrayed—but they won’t give up without a fight.

Tori’s got a problem. She thought she’d have one more summer to train as a dragon Slayer, but time has run out. When Tori hears the horrifying sound of dragon eggs hatching, she knows the Slayers are in trouble. In less than a year, the dragons will be fully grown and completely lethal. The Slayers are well-prepared, but their group is still not complete, and Tori is determined to track down Ryker—the mysterious missing Slayer.

What Tori doesn’t bargain for, however, is the surprising truth about her powers. She isn’t just a Slayer, she’s part Dragon Lord, too. How can Tori fight to save her friends when half of her is programmed to protect dragons? And with a possible traitor in their midst, the Slayers will be divided in more ways than they ever imagined.

Sounds amazing, right? It is! I've read it, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes good writing, fun characters, and the supernatural in their books.

And now we get to have some insight into C.J. and how she started writing and of course, whether she prefers bacon or chocolate!!

The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less: Slayers are teens with superpowers to fight dragons. Which is a good thing, because dragons are back and they don't want to be our friends.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Yes, although I also wanted to be a ballerina, an astronaut, and an ice-skater. Thank goodness I became a writer since my astro skating ballerina ambitions didn't pay off. (LOL! It's awesome to dream.)

What made you decide to go that “extra step” and seek publication?
I joined a writers group and a lot of the women were actively sending out their stuff. I realized that if I wanted to be published I couldn't just wait around for an editor to show up at my house and ask to see my stuff. I had to send it out into the cruel, harsh world. It's a hard step--but until publishers send out roving editors--a necessary one. (So true!)

Quick! You’ve been chosen to go on Survivor. What luxury item do you take?
A notebook and pen, of course. What else would I be doing in a remote spot besides writing my next novel? (Great question!)

Bacon or chocolate?
It's a hard choice as these are probably my two favorite foods, but I'm going with chocolate. It is my happy place. (Mine too, though it is hard to beat bacon...)

Find C.J. around the Internet:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Website
• Goodreads

Buy FRIENDS AND TRAITORS:

• Macmillan (read an excerpt here too!)
• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Indiebound

About C.J. Hill: CJ Hill is a pen name for a YA author who is best known for writing romantic comedies. (Slayers will be her 18th published book.) Her writing has shifted away from the romantic comedy genre, so her editor thought a pen name would be a good idea. (New books will include: dangerous dragons, time travel to dystopian worlds, and flesh-eating beetles.) Since the publisher refused to let her have the pseudonym : The Artist Formerly Referred to as Princess, she chose a name to honor her mother. CJ Hill was her mother's pen name, or at least it would have been if her mother had published. Her mother wrote a few children's books and a middle grade novel but was taken by cancer before she had fully learned the craft.

Most writers' first novels aren't publishable. CJ Junior's first novel wasn't, but somehow was published anyway. Now, even though it is out of print, it remains forever available on Amazon, where it taunts her with its badness. This was another good reason to use a pen name.

CJ Hill has five children, three of whom like her on any given day depending on who is in trouble. She has lived in Arizona for the last half of her life, but is still in desert denial and hopes that one day her garden will grow silver bells and cockle shells or maybe just tomatoes.

I hope you pick up SLAYERS if you haven't read it yet. And you can check out all the blog tour stops for FRIENDS AND TRAITORS over at Fire and Ice.

Are You UNTRACEABLE?

Dude, I'm excited to host Shelli Johannes-Wells today! I've known Shelli online for a few years now, and she's a fabulous person. Her novel, UNTRACEABLE, is available now. Let's dive in a learn a little more about the book and about Shelli!

About THE BOOK:
The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less:
Untraceable is a YA wilderness thriller about a missing forest ranger dad, a kickbutt heroine, and of course, two deliciously hot boys.

Why indie-publishing? Why now?
I’ve been so close so many times, I had nothing to lose. I was tired of waiting for others to make something happen. I was exhausted from stressing about what would sell and what wouldn’t sell. I was ready to do something for myself after 8 years of close calls, disappointment, and frustration.

I did not want to give up on this book.

What’s the one thing you learned about publishing this way that you didn’t anticipate?
How much fun it is. I thought it would be stressful and was ready for an uphill battle. But it has been the most wonderful experience of my writing career. People have been supportive when I thought they would turn their backs on me. The process has been so creative. And my book is exactly what I want it to be. I have no regrets. And though it’s been hard, it’s been awesome!

What else are you working on? Secrets? Inside scoops? Give us the juicy stuff!
Well, I am putting out a special edition [of UNTRACEABLE] at the beginning of the year that will have the original ending. Also I am working on Uncontrollable – Grace 2. It will be set in the winter, so very different survival stuff goes on – It does have wolves in it (though they are not werewolves).

Scoop? Let’s see – what can I say without giving anything away. Grace and Skyler are on a project together and have to hang in the woods. (Makes me laugh just thinking about it.) Which is hilarious because they are very different, especially outside.

About THE AUTHOR:
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I have always written – like poems, short stories, and am a copywriter. But no – not until I had my daughter in 2004. When I finally took time off work – it gave me the space to realize it was my passion. I actually wanted to be a singer and a marine biologist.

What made you decide to go that “extra step” and seek publication?
I am better in the underdog role. I was determined to find my own way and take control of my own dreams and destiny. Good or bad.

Quick! You’ve been chosen to be a contestant on Survivor. What luxury item do you take?
Grace would hate this question. ☺ (Good thing I asked Shelli and not Grace!)

I don’t want to say book or computer or pen and pencil because that seems boring. (And Grace is kicking me under the table.)

So I’ll say, solar powered Christmas lights (did you know they have those?!). I love little lights in my garden all year round. They make me happy and they make bad places seem more magical. So maybe they will add some sparkle to the dreary island.

Tell us something about yourself we don’t know.
I’ll tell it all baby! I am petrified of alligators (no really they freak me out so I stay out of rivers and lakes), terrified of great white sharks (my toe won't even go in the surf – did you know they can attack in like 3 feet of water?!), and bumpy planes (I even hold my cell phone when I fly so I can try and text my hubby that I love him if the plane goes down. Hopefully I can get a signal). Yes, I am a freak.

I am also afriad of failing and disappointing people. Mostly, I am very sensitive and completely awkward in social situations.

And the most important of all: bacon or chocolate?
I am so going to say chocolate (specifically dark chocolate with pomegranate). I did see bacon chocolate for sale in Charleston and it looked totally disgusting. I don’t understand it. (I've eaten it and still don't understand it. Don't worry. But brown sugar bacon? Now that's magical!)

Thanks for stopping by, Shelli! You can get UNTRACEABLE for only $0.99 here.

Are you afraid of alligators, like Shelli? Don't hold back now. You know I'm afraid of all animals with more legs than me, and all geese, ducks, and fish. You can admit to a itty bitty fear of gators...

Introducing Romeo! Er, L.L. Muir... Yeah, That's Right

Okay, so I'm thrilled to have an interview with a friend of mine for you today. L.L. Muir is here with a hilarious post for us to highlight her recently released novel, GOING BACK FOR ROMEO. If you've ever smiled, this book is for you.

About THE BOOK:
The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less:
Jillian is conned back to 1495 Scotland to extricate a plaid-clad Romeo and Juliet before tragedy strikes...w/o falling for the bad guy!

Why e-publishing? Why now?
I have a wonderful agent who is shopping around other novels for me, but GOING BACK FOR ROMEO falls into that small time-travel niche. E-pubbing is all about creating a home for niche stories.

Why now? Because the stigma is dissolving. Best-selling authors are e-pubbing left and right. The ratio of gold vs. fool’s gold is improving by the hour, and agents and editors are finding great new authors from among the e-pubbed lists instead of the slush pile. Where is the shame of being on that list? “E” is the new way to break into the business, not a Scarlet Letter. What is a Scarlet Letter is an e-pubbed book that isn’t ready for prime time. You don’t want that brand. It’s more than skin-deep; it’s a tattoo that can’t be removed later.

What’s the one thing you learned about publishing this way that you didn’t anticipate? The Giddy Factor.

Okay, I’d heard friends tell me how wonderful it was. I wasn’t buying it. I wanted the fairy tale.

The surprise? It really is wonderful. And wonderful started the minute I decided to go for it. I feel like I’ve been offered a contract. Crazy but true. I’m the queen of delusions, but this feeling is not some mind trick.

And it burns no bridges. The JK Rowling dream is still alive and well and pushing me to write better, faster, and over the top.

Designing my own cover—with the help of an amazingly talented friend—resulted in the perfect cover for the story. I was giddy for days. I still am.

Watching e-pubbing from the outside was like standing at the train station, on the platform, a few feet away from the trains as they screeched and rumbled by. Train after train stopped for me, but I wouldn’t get on, so they left. When I realized what had changed in the industry, I jumped on the next train leaving the station.

What really pushed me over the edge was learning that I DIDN’T HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO DO IT! I was amazed at how intimidating the process was for me, even though writer-friends assured me it was easy. Then one day I was given the name of a guy who would format for me for under a hundred dollars. I could afford that. It would have cost me a week of labor hours trying to learn that on my own. And there are lots of people out there who are reasonable. Lots of people who will take that stress away.

What else are you working on? Secrets? Inside scoops? Give us the juicy stuff!
First off, the sequel to ROMEO is AVENGING JULIET—another Muir Witch Project. The hero in this one is someone the readers will already love. There’s a sneak peek at the end of ROMEO.

The juicy stuff? I guess that would be my next e-book, an angel love story with an Amish twist called SOMEWHERE OVER THE FREAKING RAINBOW. It’s not Scottish, but I always find a way to squeeze a Scot into every novel. It’s a Young Adult series, but romance fans should dig it, especially if they love a good sob. It has some wrenching black moments, but here’s a lighter line: “You know that song, ‘Somewhere over the rainbow...blue birds fly?’ Yeah. Well. Those aren’t bluebirds.”

About THE AUTHOR:
Have you always wanted to be a writer? I decided to be a writer when I was 11. It made all my other decisions pretty easy—especially on career days.

What made you decide to go that “extra step” and seek publication? I’m a bit ambitious. Being a florist wasn’t enough, I had to open my own shop. This is just opening another kind of shop.

Quick! You’ve been chosen to be a contestant on Survivor. What luxury item do you take? A lovely length of plaid wool. That stuff is as good as an army tent for keeping out the weather...and maybe a bug or a serpent. (Excellent choice! Did you see the finale last night??)

Tell us something about yourself we don’t know. I’m a stand-up comedian. No. Really. I even landed a paying gig. But the nine months I spent worrying about the crowd and coming up with the jokes was NOT worth the lovely check I got. Only three jokes bombed in a 20 minute set, so I think I kicked butt. (Holy brown cows! I've always wanted to be a comedian. Jerry Seinfeld is like, my fave.)

And the most important of all: bacon or chocolate? Thick, nearly burned bacon, served with piping hot chocolate, at Sill’s Cafe in Layton, Utah. (Is that cheating?) ((Yes, yes it is. But I don't care.)) Just holler when you’re up my way. (And now you know why I love her.)

You can get GOING BACK FOR ROMEO for only $2.99 from now until Christmas. Check it out!
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

Be sure to follow L.L's adventures on her blog.

Are you giving books this holiday season? You can gift Kindle and Nook books--just sayin'. Are you hoping for books to be lurking in your stocking? Which ones?

Everything You're Dying to Know

Yeah, as if my life isn't already a pretty open book. I mean, seriously. But today, Beth Revis and I got together for a little interview. And it's pretty awesome. Head over here to check it out!

Also, I'm hoping you're not sick of me yet, because I have a whole new blog tour starting on Monday. There will be a post, a video, a tens list, or something along those lines every day. I'm going to put the link at the top of my page, under my header, so you can check out all the amazingness at your leisure, okay? Okay.

*squee!* Release day is almost here!

Work Hard, Don't Give Up

Dang it. I've done it again. Just when I thought I could give up on this whole writing thing (did you see my post from yesterday?? That was me saying I was throwing in the towel), I was interviewed by a 9-year-old. That's right. A 9-year-old put me in my place.

So these fourth graders come to interview me. They ask me normal stuff like what I do at the school and how long I've been there. What I like most about my job, what I like least, yada yada yada.

Things are going great until one of the cutest 9-year-olds on the planet asks, "What advice do you have for us?"

The answer that came out my mouth: "Work hard. Don't give up."

What I was thinking inside: Oh crap.

So now I have to take my own advice. And it's a bitter pill to swallow, my feathered friends (the kids love it when I call them that *snarf*).

If someone asked you that question, what would you say?

Interview with Literary Agent Anna Webman

Most of you know that I'm an author of the QueryTracker blog. If you haven't checked it out, you totally should. It's a wealth of knowledge and experience (if I do say so myself).

One of my co-authors, Suzette Saxton, posted this interview with Anna Webman. I'm going to repost it here because it's just that awesome. Enjoy!

I first met Anna Webman last August when I had the honor of sharing some of my work with her. She was an absolute delight to correspond with. When the time came for me ask agents for interviews, Ms. Webman was at the top of my list.

From Curtis Brown LTD's website:

Anna Webman began at Curtis Brown working with Elizabeth Harding, and is now an
associate agent. Anna has a small, select list and is interested in all
categories of children's books authors and illustrators. She is always on the
lookout for first-time authors and is particularly interested in stories with
unique voices with something to say. Her ideal book would be one that has both a
driving narrative and beautiful language. Anna graduated from The George
Washington University and lives in Manhattan with her rescue dog Vinny.You may
recognize some of the interview questions; several weeks ago in a shout-out
to our readers you weighed in on what questions you'd like us to pose to
agents.

Without further ado, I give you the interview:

Why agenting? A lifelong dream, or something that happened serendipitously?

I was raised by a literary agent, so I guess you could say it’s in my genes. I think it took me a little while to come to terms with the fact that I actually wanted to work in the same industry as my mother. When I first began working as Elizabeth Harding’s assistant, I thought I might want to eventually move over to the editorial side. After a few months I was hooked—I really love the business side of things: working with creative people, reading, editing, negotiating, matching author’s works with an editor and a house, and figuring out how best to help clients manage their careers.

What would you like to see more of as an agent? As a reader?

As an agent, I would like to see more quality writing and to sell books that I respond to so immediately and thoroughly that I can’t put them down or stop thinking about them. As a reader, I would like exactly the same thing.What's the most common mistake you see authors making in their queries? I think it’s probably not staying on topic. I get so many queries where authors give a lot of superfluous information about themselves. Track record is significant, but other than that, for fiction, the manuscript should speak for itself. Another common mistake I see is authors not addressing their query letter to me (I can’t tell you how often I receive letters addressed Dear “Mr. Curtis Brown”, “Editor” or “Agent”).

What’s the one thing an author can do to catch your eye? How can authors get agents to look beyond the query letter?

A compelling query letter, with no typos is a good place to start. And then to make sure to send the first couple pages of a manuscript along with the query letter.What is projected to be the next big thing in publishing for children and teens? What trend do you see dying? I really don’t think it’s possible to know for sure what the “next big thing” will be. I think perhaps mysteries because they really have been underserved and there seems to be a market for them—Perhaps what will work for this market is mysteries with other elements-like Scholastic’s 39 CLUES series or Harper’s THE AMANDA PROJECT. Another growth area might be novels illustrated in interesting ways- not graphic novels, but other kinds of illustration with narrative. For example, THE DOLL PEOPLE by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin, illustrated by Brian Selznick.

Is it possible to do YA without the "edgy" element? What is too edgy in YA?

Yes! I do absolutely think great YA can be done without being edgy. I shared this with some colleagues and we couldn’t think of anything that is too edgy these days. The canvas is very big and wide open. Perhaps the only caveat is that there should be an element of ultimate triumph/hope rather than despair.

Do you often choose to represent works that only you would personally read and enjoy or do you aim to represent works that you know will sell, even if you don't like them?

It’s a very fine line. I’ve found that I’m most successful in representing authors whose work I either love personally or whose appeal I understand in an intuitive way. However, this is such a subjective business, so I don’t want to limit myself. Fortunately, those also tend to be books that I believe will sell.

With the economic slow down as it is, are you signing fewer new clients and focusing on the ones you already have?

I am still building my list, so I am definitely looking for new clients. Honestly, I don’t know of any agent who would ever say their list is completely full, regardless of the economy. Who wants to be known as the agent who turned down the next big literary phenomenon?

Do you ever get a chance to read for fun? What book do you not represent that you wish you did?

I always to try to be in the process of reading one “for pleasure” adult book (it can take me months to actually complete an entire book). And I’m also constantly reading the current YA, middle-grade and picture books, which is both fun and a great way to stay on top of the market.

If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring authors everywhere, what would it be?

I think it would be to read as many books as possible in the genre you write, and then be able to openly accept criticism and learn from it.

And now, just for fun, I'll hit you with the Fast Five:

Coffee or tea? Coffee
Courier or Times New Roman? Times New Roman
Cruise or Self-Guided Tour? Self-Guided Tour
3 chapters or 50 pages? 3 chapters
Guilty pleasure? Watching Gossip Girl and shopping online

Anna, thank you so much for taking the time to give our readers a glimpse into the uber-secret world of agents. Readers, be sure to mention the QueryTracker Blog when you query Ms. Webman.

For those of you unfamiliar with the QueryTracker.net main site, everything you need to know about querying Ms. Webman is here, including links to Publishers Marketplace, AAR, the Curtis Brown LTD website, and many others. With a free membership, QueryTracker.net helps you find agents and track your queries. To get up to speed on the what, why and who of QueryTracker, read this post.Have a fantastic week!

Thanks for conducting a great interview Suzette!