A PitchWars Reflection

This past month, I was lucky enough to take part in PitchWars. For those of you who don't know of it, it's a contest created and facilitated by the amazing Brenda Drake. 

First things first, I got to work with the incomparable Cora Carmack. 

*If I could insert a subliminal message here it would be: READ HER STUFF! IT'S ALL SORTS OF AWESOME.* 

It was so incredibly helpful getting feedback on my story from Cora. I think of all the suggestions she gave me the one I enjoyed most was to write a creation story for my world. I had general societal background already, but I hadn't really thought about how this world originated or what deities these people believed in. If you write fantasy, I highly recommend doing this when you're thinking about world building. 

My origin story ended up being around eight pages. I'd say 85% of what I came up with did not make it into the book itself, but just having the information in the back of mind made such a huge difference in the way certain characters interacted and how particular events unfolded. It also has made the drafting for the sequel exponentially easier.  

In conclusion, do this. It's worth every second. 

Now, back for a second, to Brenda Drake. If you're a writer and not following Ms. Drake on Twitter, you need to rectify this post haste. She is a prime example of everything that is awesome about the writer community. And, as was illustrated by my PitchWars experience, there is a lot awesome about the writer community. 

But one thing really stands out to me - writers care. 

They care about their own work, of course. But they care about the work of others as well. Twitter is an excellent showcase of this. As writers sat at their computers waiting to see agent responses to their pitches and entries - most likely biting their nails and engaging in some maniacal nervous laughter - they did more than just keep hitting refresh on their own pages. They consistently posted or retweeted links to the work of other writers taking part in the contest. When they weren't doing that, there were countless tweets of encouragement or gratitude.

Writing can sometimes feel very isolated. While having the opportunity to get my work in front of agents was definitely amazing, I think what I really took from this contest is that though writers don't necessarily have a shared water cooler or conjoined cubicles, we are definitely still working together. 

And now that PitchWars has come to a close and we're all returning to our querying/revisions/drafting/hobbit holes, it's nice to know that we have a huge cheering section out there. 

Snowed In

Greetings Snow Lads and Lassies!

I don't know if you're snowed in right now, but I can safely say there's enough snow outside to inspire me to hunker down next to the fireplace and do a little drafting. Not to mention I'm wearing fleeced lined leggings (which is basically like being hugged by angels) and have enough Dr. Pepper in the house to float a boat. Why in the world would I give any of that up to venture out into the tundra?

You know, unless someone wanted to have a snowball fight. Then I'm there. And armed. I mean, I have terrible aim, so I'm probably not going to hit you. But I'm extremely enthusiastic in my throwing of misshapen wads of snow in every direction, which is confusing enough that you're probably not going to hit me.

Any takers?

No?

Fire, fleece and Dr. Pepper it is. Along with some writing and frequent checking of today's PitchWars updates. (If you have some free moments, you should definitely check that out as well. Some really amazing stuff going on there. And in the alternate showcases. I'm over here!)

Also, at some point in between all this and my constant humming of the Frozen soundtrack there will be a movie break. After all, every day should have one of those, but snow days must.

In that vein, I offer my five of my top movies for snowy days:


Anastasia

I'm a sucker for cartoon musicals. And who doesn't like to pretend to be trekking through the Russian winter to see if you might be royalty? Or maybe just to hang out with Bartok?


The Shop Around the Corner

A precursor to You've Got Mail. Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullavan and a Budapest winter. Apparently the snow sends my mind on international wanderings. (And yes, that is the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.)


The Mighty Ducks

Been watching this one on snowy days for over two decades now. Can't watch this first meeting without feeling a bit nostalgic for blanket tents and buckets of Legos.


Empire Strikes Back

Because I pretty much always want to watch this. Plus, if I'm inside watching this, it means I'm not freezing outside and in need of slicing open a tauntaun. Watching this movies saves (tauntaun) lives.


The Long Hot Summer

Because sometimes I like a nice contrast.


How about you? Snowed in and watching anything good? And if you say last night's Mindy Project for the second (or maybe third) time, I'll totally understand. We have to wait until April? What the what??

Dispensing Good (but Mostly Non) Fortune

I had a lovely evening recently of researching fortune tellers and eating Chinese food. Once I had fully consumed my fortune cookie (as I was told I must), I was again struck by how much the "fortunes" aren't fortunes. 

1. Order. 2. Order. 3. Observation. 

In reference to #3...stop watching me cookie makers!

I was also very aware that I don't care about that at all. I love these silly things. They're rather like the Dove Miniatures' affirmations, only with slightly fewer references to chocolate.

Long ago, for some reason that I can no longer remember, I decided that I would never throw the fortunes away. However, I have no plans on appearing on Hoarders: Fortune Cookie Edition. Thus was born my containment method.

If I happen upon a "fortune" that I really enjoy, I keep it, but hide it from myself. Stick it in a pocket or a purse or a book - somewhere I'm likely to forget about and find again down the road. And then try to remember why the hell I thought this particular one was worth saving.

Now if the "fortune" doesn't resonate with me, that's when the real fun begins. I neither trash them nor keep them. Instead they become the property of unwitting family, friends, coworker and occasional strangers. No, not any of the people reading this, of course. I would never do that to you. The random fortunes you've found in your belongings came from another Fortune Dispenser. 

Obviously.

Stop looking at me, already.

Okay, you know what, we should really talk about one of your quirks now. Mostly because I need something to distract the person next to me so I can slip this fortune in her pocket.

Top 13 for 2013

13 had always been my favorite number and I can safely say that 2013 did not disappoint. I would like to present my top thirteen favorite things that happened in my life this year:

13. Learned how to make Peanut Butter Pie. (Absolutely delicious and probably will be the death of me.)  

12. Managed to pack up my whole apartment and move it to a storage unit without setting anything on fire in a fit of rage.

11. Got to read just a whole of ton of amazing books.

10. Completed the A to Z Challenge here on the blog!

9. Had the pleasure of hosting 9 fantastic authors in the airing of their Not-So-Guilty Pleasures. (Check out the side menu!)

8. Saw a wombat for the first time. Life changing.

7. Tried a bunch of new things (such as going into Manhattan to audition for the Disney cruise line on a whim. Cause, why not? I had a free Tuesday.)

6. Finished my manuscript!!! (The fact that this is coming in at number 6 is just proof of how awesome this year has been.)

5. Got to work with the lovely and talented Cora Carmack on my manuscript (thanks to Pitch Wars.)

4. Did a lot of travel both internationally and domestically.

3. Got to celebrate a bunch of engagements of friends and family (plus one wedding, so far!)

2. Helped raise a bunch of money for RAINN (final total - $11,610! People just kept donating. It was amazing!)

1. My beautiful nephew decided to grace the world with his presence.

I hope that 2013 was just a wonderful for all of you and I look forward to seeing you here next year. Because I have some high hopes for 2014. 

Happy New Year's Eve!

2013 Reads

I can not believe 2013 is almost over. It’s been a crazy year. So many excellent things happened, but more on that tomorrow.

Today let’s focus on books, because we haven’t done that in far too long. I wanted to share some of favorites of the year. As my WIP is YA Fantasy, I will admit that my list is going to be very YA heavy. I’ve been in the zone.

Here they are (in order of release date):

Shrapnel (Stephanie Lawton)

Always been interested in ghosts and the Civil War so this YA paranormal was right up my alley. It was interesting getting to be in the heads of each of the three teens dealing with their psychic abilities in this haunted house. Every time I’d get annoyed at one, I’d find out what they were going through. Also really liked the idea that these teens were brought together by a reality show about psychics.

Asunder (Jodi Meadows)

Absolutely fantastic follow up to Incarnate. Wasn’t sure I could love these characters more, but apparently I could. Go figure.

Hooked (Liz Fichera)

There was so much about this story I enjoyed. Loved getting two different perspectives on the action and was particularly enamored with Fred’s voice. Also, as I don’t have much of a golfing background, I was very interested in that aspect of the story.

Man in the Empty Suit (Sean Ferrell)

A time-traveling murder mystery in which a man tries to solve his own murder despite the only suspects being himself at other ages? Yes, please.

The Nightmare Affair (Mindee Arnett)

Absolutely fell in love with the idea of nightmares as creatures rather than just bad dreams. Throw in a special school for magic folk and a murder mystery and my attention is pretty much guaranteed.

Jilted (Kelly Jamieson)

Bolted (Megan Benjamin)

Busted (Sydney Somers)

Hitched (Erin Nicholas)

These are the four books of the Promise Harbor Wedding series. What originally drew me to this was the idea of four authors writing books about the same event, each from the perspective of a different couple. It ended up being a ton of fun to read and I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite.

The Best Man (Kristan Higgins)

Fun contemporary romance. It was a great start to a new series. Really liked Faith and Levi and am looking forward to seeing how things for the rest of the quirky Holland family turn out.

OCD Love Story (Corey Ann Haydu) 

So compelling, not to mention beautifully written. It was extremely hard to put this one down, though at times I found I had no choice as I was getting so anxious for the characters. But I could never take too long a break before picking it back up.

Rumor Has It (Jill Shalvis) 

I’ve really loved all of the Animal Magnetism series and Kate and Grif’s story was no exception. Not only were the two of them great, but it’s always nice to catch up with the other characters. Feels like chatting with old friends.

All right, now I want to hear some of yours! Also, what books are you looking forward to in 2014? I'm always looking to add to my TBR list.

Holiday Ho, Ho, Horror

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of made-for-TV Christmas movies (See: this insanity). That being said, even with my blinding love of this genre, I can’t help but notice that if it wasn’t for everyone realizing the true meaning of Christmas by the end of them, some of these movies would be straight up horror flicks.

So, today, I offer you a smattering of synopses and you get to guess whether they belong to one of my beloved holiday movies or to one of my hated horror films. Answers are at the bottom. NO PEEKING.

1. Woman kidnaps man at gunpoint and proceeds to drag him blindfolded to her family’s cabin where they will be completely cut off from any technology. 

2. Man gets in car accident and wakes up in cabin, cut off from the world, with a woman who has no intention of letting him leave.

3. On the way to their holiday destination a man and his family take a short cut and pick up a young woman and her baby, a decision which changes their lives forever.

4. Man tracks woman down through letter that she sent to soldiers for the holidays. He does not tell her of his intentions, but instead slowly ingratiates himself with her family while undermining her romantic relationship.

5. With her husband away for military duty, a mother learns more about her daughter and herself than she ever expected.

6. Older man keeps tabs on younger woman, luring her into an employment opportunity before revealing the startling information he has on her.

7. Single mother and her aging uncle invite a strange man into their home and soon find that he is insinuating himself into every aspect of their lives.

8. A young couple searching for the woman’s sister find themselves at a strange motel with an even stranger proprietor.

So, how are we feeling? Jolly or jumpy?

ANSWERS:

1. Christmas: Holiday in Handcuffs
2. Horror: Misery
3. Horror: Dead End
4. Christmas: The Christmas Card
5. Horror: The Bad Seed
6. Christmas: Crazy for Christmas
7. Christmas: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
8. Horror: Psycho

Not-So-Guilty Pleasures: Megan Just

And the hits just keep on coming! We have another Not-So-Guilty Pleasures!

Today, I'm happy to introduce Megan Just, one of my PitchWars sisters (Go Team Cora!). Here are some of things she unabashedly loves: 


Not-So-Guilty Pleasures

Newspaper

I subscribe my community’s paper newspaper.  The environmentalist in me screams in protest, but there’s just something I love about a good, old-fashioned newspaper.  Besides, trees are a renewable resource, right?  And I bring the newspaper to work to share with my co-workers.

Coffee Shop at Work

My employer operates an amazing on-site coffee shop.  It’s better than Starbucks, but half the price.  And boy do I indulge!  I did a calculation last week and despite it being cheap, I spend 1/50^th of my salary on coffee shop drinks at work.  Yipes!

 

Christmas Cards

Another dilemma for the forest, but in the end, I like snail mail too much to give up on traditional Christmas cards.  A mail box full of photo-cards from friends and family is one of my favorite things about the holidays, and therefore I send them, too.

 

 

Junky Holiday Candy

Fancy truffles, éclairs, gourmet dark chocolate bars…I could take them or leave them.  But put a bag of Halloween candy corn in front of me and you’ll bring me to my knees.  Same goes for chocolate-covered marshmallow santas—or even better, yellow sugar-covered marshmallow chicks.  I feel no guilt while binging on any one of these items. They only come around once a year, after all.

Spoilers

I’m the girl who hides under a blanket during a horror movie incessantly asking, “What’s going on now?”  Thanks to online spoilers, husband can enjoy his scary movies in peace.  It’s not just scary movies, though.  I search Twitter when TV shows air on the east coast first.  I flip ahead in books.  I even read book reviews just to find out what happens next in a series.

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Megan Just recently finished editing her second novel (new adult genre) and is on the hunt for a literary agent.  She lives in California with her husband and toddler.  Twitter: @meganjust

Not-So-Guilty Pleasures: Susanna Ives

Holiday greetings, everyone! I've got a present for you today....the first Not-So-Guilty Pleasures since the spring!

Today's guest, Susanna Ives. Ms. Ives newest book, Wicked Little Secrets, came out just last week and today she's here to spill her own. And it would just be mean to keep you waiting any longer...



Not-So-Guilty Pleasures

Thank you, Kelly, for hosting me on your wonderful blog! What are my not so guilty pleasures? Here are five!

Music. I’m constantly listening to music -- in front of the computer, in the car, cooking dinner, doing dishes, roaming aimlessly around the house.  However, I have lousy taste. It’s not that I like bad music, it’s that I can’t discriminate between what is bad or good. I’m just happy to listen to it all.

Potato chips. If there aren’t potato chips in the house, I get edgy. I’m a pretty wired, easily stressed person. Potato chips are my comfort food.

Starbucks Frappuccino. It could be ten degrees Fahrenheit outside, and I would slip and slide across an ice-crusted parking lot to order that cold, slushy heaven.

Running. I’ve been laid up with an injury these last few weeks. I’m going crazy in a way that no potato chips can cure. Running takes all my tension and releases it, leaving me feeling relaxed and content.

Writing Romances. I read across many genres, but I only desire to write romances. Weird.

Susanna Ives grew up in the rural South, where she spent most of her youth at the local theater, acting in 

productions, working in the lighting booth, and building sets. Eventually she left her small town for the city lights of Atlanta, where she attended college and worked in corporations as a multimedia developer. These days she chases after her two curious, energetic children, designs web pages, and writes.

You can learn more about Susanna Ives’ work at:

 Website/Blog  | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+

RAINN Down Hope

When I first thought about organizing a fundraiser to benefit the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) back in September, I figured it would be a great way to start the holiday season. I hoped to get maybe 60/65 people to attend and I was determined to go door to door to businesses until I'd gotten twenty donations. If things went really well, then maybe I'd do it again next year and aim to make the event a little bigger.

It's safe to say that I underestimated the massive generosity of people.

Saturday night over 140 people came to Molly Malone's to buy raffles for 69 donated baskets and 22 door prizes. By the end of the night, over $7500 was raised. When combined with the online donations, that is a grand total of $10260 (more than twice my original goal!) raised for RAINN.

Throughout this process I've been truly blown away by the response I've gotten. I've always believed that good outweighs bad in the world, but if I ever needed proof, I've got it.

First, the number of local and national businesses, as well as individuals, who made basket donations was staggering. If you're in the midst of holiday shopping and still looking for ideas, I'll be posting a list later this week. These authors, artists and stores all have wonderful products and are certainly worthy of patronage.

Then, there were the auction's attendees. There were a number of different groups, people from all different stages of my life, as well as some who I was meeting for the first time. They came from a variety of distances, from Maine to Pennsylvania to Virginia. I tried to speak with everyone for at least a little while and every single person who I spent time with expressed constant love and support. I was even stopped by members of the waitstaff, for handshakes and words of comfort.

Despite the darkness of the inciting incident that led to this event, Saturday night was all about the light. People cheered when others won auction baskets, regardless of whether or not they knew the winner. There were no cross words, no grievances. I was privileged to watch all these wonderful people give of their time and money, but even more impressively, of themselves.

 Getting ready for ticket sales! (Photo by Ed Johnson)

First table of baskets (Photo by Ed Johnson)

(Photo by Ed Johnson)

Long rows of generosity (Photo by Donna Schramm)

Mingling guests (Photo by Donna Schramm)

Scariest part of the evening for me. Was terrified I was going to throw up, but made

it through public speaking vomit free! (Photo by Donna Schramm)

Lucky raffle winner! (Photo by Donna Schramm)

I'm finding myself desperately searching for something bigger to say than "thank you," but I don't think the phrase exists. (Yet. I'm working on it, stay tuned.) So, again, thank you, thank you, thank you to all donors and attendees of the first RAINN Down Hope dinner and auction.

I have never been more inspired to truly embrace the spirit of the holidays.

And to answer a question I received many times the other night, we'll definitely all be getting together again next year.

Movie Madness

Happy Day After Giving Thanks! Hope you all had a phenomenal holiday and are now safely ensconced somewhere far away from crowded stores. Unless that’s something that you look forward, then I wish you all the greatest deals.

In case you are in any way the same type of crazy as me and have been counting the days until you can appropriately watch holiday themed movies without venturing into that scary “Christmas in July” territory, I’d like to present you with this year’s super nerdy – and borderline frightening – December movie schedule.

Hope you enjoy! But, really, mostly hope that you’ll forgive this display of mild insanity. After all, I did dedicate an evening just to movies staring members of the Saved By the Bell cast. That’s got to count for something, right?