Month: January 2011

Tales from the Trenches 2.0

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And the querying continues…

I don’t think I talk about querying and agents and writing and publishing all that much. Mostly, I reserve those topics for my blog, or for conversations with my CPs and writing friends, who are all in varying states of the querying/submission process. They appreciate and embrace the crazy, because like me, they’re all neck deep in it. Occasionally I’ll bounce ideas off my husband, or vent if something isn’t going well, and occasionally my parents or in-laws will ask how things are going and I’ll give them as brief an update as possible. But really, I don’t talk about querying and agents and writing and publishing all that much.

Or so I thought…

First, a little background: Junie B. Jones is a hero in my home. If you aren’t familiar, Junie B. is the star of the very popular chapter book series written by Barbara Park.

Junie B. is precocious, clueless, funny and manages to get herself in to all kinds of mischeif. My husband and I read a chapter or two from a Junie B. Jones book to our daughter every night before she goes to bed. Now, my daughter is only three, but she LOVES her Junie B. Like, laughs-out-loud, constantly-quotes (“Hello. How are you today?”), asks-for-a-new-book-every-time-we-go-to-Target kind of love. Still, imagine my surprise when the other day she looked at me and asked, “Mommy, can your agent get me some Junie B. books?”

Yeah. Clearly she doesn’t *quite* get the role of a literary agent (or the fact that her mommy doesn’t have one yet!), but she knows that agents deal in books, that they’re able to do super nice things and that they might just be capable of making magic happen. And that’s probably a deep enough knowledge base for her for now. 🙂

Echoes and Imprints

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I recently read two fabulous books: The Body Finder (out now) and Desires of the Dead (out February 15th), both by Kimberly Derting.


From Goodreads: Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

From Goodreads:  The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found. Violet can sense the echoes of those who’ve been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life. As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she’d turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike’s tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

First let me say, I’ve seen Kimberly Derting’s books referred to as both fantasy and paranormal romance. Personally, I’d classify them as magical realism: fiction set firmly in reality, but with a fantastical element. In this case, Violet’s “talent.”   

I’ve been familiar with The Body Finder for many months now, but all I knew was the basic premise: Girl has weird ability to locate murdered bodies. While it sounded interesting, I didn’t feel a strong urge to pick it up because, frankly, I like a little (better yet–a lot!) of romance in my books. WELL… good news! Both The Body Finder and  Desires of the Dead are intensely romantic! In fact, Violet and Jay’s relationship is  one of my new favorites. It’s natural, sweet, and steamy. Jay is exactly the kind of guy I wanted to date when I was in high school (in fact, his personality is a lot like my husband’s). He’s protective, funny, apparently hot and, best of all, a really good friend to Violet. And Violet herself is a very likeable protagonist. She’s no damsel in distress and she’s honest, for better or worse. 

I have to admit that before reading, I was skeptical about the serial killer terrorizing a small town bit in The Body Finder. It seemed very likely that in a YA novel a serial killer plot could come off as cheesy or… I don’t know… too fluffy? Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Kimberly Derting handles the crimes in both books realistically, yet with restraint. She very courageously delves into the mind of a serial killer (The Body Finder) and a stalker (Desires of the Dead), even devoting short chapters to their (disturbing) points of view. Seriously, I read these book over a few nights before bed and was totally creeped out when I turned off my light. The mysteries in both plots are equally riveting. I imagine Violet’s gift for seeing the echoes of the dead and their imprints left on killers made it difficult to drop a lot of red herrings into these stories. Violet can very clearly see who has killed and who hasn’t, and yet some pretty crazy plot twists kept me guessing throughout both novels.

I love Kimberly Derting’s writing style. That’s saying a lot since I rarely fall for books done in third-person. It’s lyrical, but not overdone to the point of distracting. And I was totally in Violet’s head. I could clearly picture everything described, from Jay’s dorky, crooked smile to the strange oil-on-water echo left behind by a murdered body.  

One more plus for these books, at least for me: they take place in Buckley, Washington, a small town that’s located just a few miles from MY small town. It was fun to read books set nearby. I’ve seen White River High School. I take my daughter swimming at Lake Tapps. I look out my window at Mount Rainier every morning. And I shop at the same Nordstrom as Violet and her friends. So cool to see how an author views places that are a part of my every day life. I definitely recommend you check out The Body Finder if you haven’t already. Its follow-up, Desires of the Dead, is out February 15th.

Big thank you to The Body Finder Novels and Kimberly Derting for the signed ARC. 🙂

RTW: A New Universe

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This week’s topic: If you could live within the universe of any book, which would you choose?

I’m a military wife, so packing up and moving to a new place does not hold that “the possibilities are wide open” kind of promise for me. More like, “Oh my God, I can’t believe I have to do this all over again!” In almost eight years of marriage, I’ve lived in three states and SEVEN different houses. So, yeah. Over it. Still, it is sort of fun to think about all of the different worlds I’ve immersed myself in while reading and imagine myself a part of them. I scrolled through my Goodreads list and noted all of the books with settings that appealed to me. Two themes quickly emerged:

BEACH/LAKESIDE – The Boys Next Door, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Twenty Boy Summer, and The Summer of Skinny Dipping

BOARDING SCHOOLS – Harry Potter, Anna and the French Kiss, The Mockingbirds, Prep, and Looking For Alaska

I can draw only one conclusion about the above: Someone needs to write a book set at a boarding school ON the beach so I can live in that universe. 🙂

There are many books I’ve read and loved that are set in universes I definitely would NOT want to set foot in. Here are a few… A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Hunger Games, The Giver, Matched, Dirty Little Secrets, The Chosen One, Stolen, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Pillars of the Earth, and The Replacement
  
Which fictional universe would you like to be a part of? And don’t forget to stop by YA Highway to see how everyone else answered today’s prompt.

Tales from the Trenches

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Okay, so, I’m querying. And I’m going crazy. Every time I see a new email in my inbox I get a sick feeling in my stomach, something between excitement, nervousness, dread and hopefulness. I’m constantly hopping between optimism and preparing myself for the worst. My husband and other family members are continuously telling me, “Chill out. It will happen!” Yeah, that’s easier said than done when you’re so deep into this process of putting your work out there for others to judge and, in many cases, turn down. Crazy-inducing as it is, rejection is a big part of the querying and eventual publication process.  

I share the following story because hopefully I’m not the only person whose subconscious tortures them while they’re trying to sleep. The other night I had a querying nightmare. In this nightmare, I got an email from an agent who’d read my manuscript. Her note wasn’t exactly a rejection, but it definitely wasn’t an offer of representation either. It was merely a list of typos she’d found in the manuscript. Tons of them. My misspelling on the left, and her corrections on the right. How humiliating! I woke up with my stomach turning somersaults. The first thing I did was check my email to make sure the dream wasn’t some weird glimpse of the future, then I spent the rest of the day second-guessing all of the requested material I’ve sent in. Let me say, my manuscript is NOT riddled with typos. And I’ve never gotten an email from an agent that wasn’t gracious and complimentary. But still.

When I told one of my CPs about my dream, she laughed and said, “Oh, you are so in the trenches.”

Yes. Yes, I am.

Anyone else in the trenches? Crazy behavior? How do you deal?

RTW: Bring Your Blurb

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival, where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This week’s topic: Blurb it! Write a blurb for your favorite book or your own work.

This is way hard! Maybe because I feel like I’m totally tooting my own horn. But if I can’t say wonderful things about my story, then why would anyone else bother? Right? So, I’m opting to share the blurb from the story I’m currently querying, Where Poppies Bloom. I came up with a one-line pitch before ever I began to write the story, which turned out to be quite helpful in keeping myself on track while writing, and while crafting my blurb. Here’s the original one-line pitch:

 A guilt-ridden girl chooses between life with the golden boy who dulls her pain, or eternal escape with the ghost who holds secrets of his own.

From there, I expanded to a three-line pitch, which I’m also going to use as my blurb. My CPs helped a lot here. I tend to err on the wordy side, and so many aspects of the story felt important enough to include. It was difficult to condense, but eventually we came up with this:

Drowning in guilt that stems from her younger sister’s tragic death, seventeen-year-old Callie Ryan travels to the Oregon coast to spend the summer with her aunt. Cheerful yard boy, Tucker Morgan, manages to resurrect a glimmer of the girl Callie used to be, but she also finds unlikely companionship in mysterious Nathan Stewart, the dark and ethereal ghost bound to her aunt’s house. When Callie discovers a chilling, decades-old connection between Tucker and Nathan, she must choose between life with the golden boy who dulls her pain, and eternal escape with the ghost who may harbor sinister motivations.

I spent forever working on my full query blurb. My CPs were extremely helpful with this phase as well, and I revised those two little paragraphs more times than I care to recall. I’ve had some decent success with my query, and I’m currently waiting to hear back on several requests. If you’re curious about my query blurb, you can find it in the sidebar.

As far as a cover blurb? One word:

“Unput-downable!”

Don’t forget to stop by YA Highway to check out all the other fabulous blurbs.

Tuesday Tunes: Give In To Me

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Okay. New favorite song alert!

Give In To Me is from the movie Country Strong (which I have STILL not seen… boo!) and is sung by Faith Hill on the soundtrack. While her version is lovely, I like the movie version so much more. It’s a perfect duet. Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester sing it with so much heart and emotion.  And really, I’m gonna start a fire/You’re gonna feel the heat/I’m gonna burn for you/You’re gonna melt for me ? Yeah. Love.

Here’s the Country Strong clip, with lyrics below:

I’m gonna wear you down
I’m gonna make you see
I’m gonna get to you
You’re gonna
Give in to me

I’m gonna start a fire
You’re gonna feel the heat
I’m gonna burn for you
You’re gonna melt for me

Come on, Come on in to my arms
Come on, Come on
Give in to me

You’re gonna take my hand
Whisper the sweetest words
And if you’re ever sad
I’ll make you laugh
I’ll chase the hurt

My heart is set on you
I don’t want no one else
And if you don’t want me
I guess I’ll be all by myself

Come on, Come on, into my arms
Come on, Come on
Give in to me

I’ll use my eyes to draw you in
Until I’m under your skin
I’ll use my lips
I”ll use my arms
Come on, Come on
Give in to me

Give in to me

*Lyrics by: Billy Falcon, Rose Falcon and Elisha Hoffman

Off the Shelf

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I’ve finally found a reading challenge that seems to be tailored specifically for people like me: Obsessive Book Buyers. Officially, it’s the Off the Shelf Challenge hosted by BA Reading Challenges. The parameters for the challenge are simple. Read books you already own, the ones that have been sitting in your To-Read pile for weeks or months (or, in my case, YEARS!). Reviews are optional.

I’ve got fifteen books total, which puts me in the TRYING category. Here’s my To-Read list:

1. Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynne Truss
2. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
3. Transgression by James W. Nichol
4. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
5. The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer
6. Teach Me by R.A. Nelson
7. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
8. The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond
9. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
10. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
11. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
12. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
13. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
14. Waiting for You by Susan Colasanti
15. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Stacked all pretty on my nightstand. 🙂

What about you? Participating in any reading challenges this year? What’s on your T0-Read list?

RTW: Favorite Lines

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Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival,” where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This week’s topic:  What is your favorite line from your WIP (or from a book you read recently)?

Oh, how to choose? I have lots of favorite lines from the WIP I’m currently querying, Where Poppies Bloom. Wait–is that egotistical? I mean, I have to love the lines in my WIP, otherwise I’d delete them and try again (and again and again), right?

First, here’s a little summary: Drowning in guilt that stems from her younger sister’s tragic death, seventeen-year-old Callie Ryan travels to the Oregon coast to spend the summer with her aunt. Cheerful yard boy, Tucker Morgan, manages to resurrect a glimmer of the girl Callie used to be, but she also finds unlikely companionship in mysterious Nathan Stewart, the dark and ethereal ghost bound to her aunt’s house. When Callie discovers a chilling, decades-old connection between Tucker and Nathan, she must choose between life with the golden boy who dulls her pain, and eternal escape with the ghost who may harbor sinister motivations.

And here are a few of my favorite lines:

            “You’re beautiful,” he says without a hint of embarrassment. “And you seem… sad.”

            Mystified, I choose to ignore both of his assessments. “How come I couldn’t see you those other times?”

            “Because I didn’t want you to. It’s the difference between a whisper and a shout. Just as you won’t hear me if I don’t want you to, you won’t see me unless I let you.”

            “But I can feel you.”

*****

             There is one thing I’m sure of, and it’s dreadfully selfish: I want Tucker to kiss me. The spark of life I normally feel in his presence was multiplied by a thousand with his innocent kiss on the beach earlier. I can’t stop wondering what it would feel like if we really kissed. If I’d spontaneously combust with the emotional high of it all.

*****

            He presses his lips to mine. “This is good, Callie,” he says, serious now. “You and me? We’re good together.”

            There’s no denying that. I nod, reveling in the sensation of his finger tracing the lines of my face. The slope of my nose, the bow of my upper lip, the curve of my cheek. I watch his eyes as they follow the path of his finger, his expression adoring.

            “Tell me you feel it too,” he whispers.

*****

            It’s something like sinking, being sucked into a black hole of misery and guilt, only I’m not alone. I have a companion in Nathan. When his dark, sad eyes meet mine, it’s as if we’re inexplicably linked. Nobody can break that bond. Nobody but Tucker, who is Nathan’s direct opposite. If Nathan is a black hole, Tucker is the brightest of stars, twinkling incessantly, leading me home. 

What about you? Any favorite lines from your WIP? Your favorite books?

Friday Five: What’s Up This Week

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1) Queries – I’ve sent out several. Two (at least) every day this week. It’s tedious business, but exciting too. I found a great database of middle grade and young adult publishers and agents over at Jay Eckert’s Sharpened Pen blog. Definitely worth checking out if you’re in the querying trenches like me. I found some agents on his list that, while they don’t have a huge web presence (Twitter, blog, etc.), seem to be pretty amazing. Here’s to some positive responses in the coming weeks!

2) Six Feet Under – Best. Show. Ever. (With the only exception being, possibly, Dexter.) My husband and I started watching Six Feet Under sometime around July. We started with Season One (thank you, NetFlix!) and have been plowing through the series ever since. I LOVE IT. Fully realized, terribly flawed characters. Completely unpredictable. It’s heartbreaking and funny and pushes all sorts of envelopes. Plus, it’s got Michael C. Hall, who is nothing short of fabulous. You know what cemented my Six Feet Under love, though? The series finale. The strongest of any series I’ve ever watched. Total and complete closure, which I appreciate because I’m the kind of crazy that wonders what happens to characters I love in the future. Seriously. I can’t sing the praises of this show enough. 

3) Authors vs. Writers – I read a lot about this debate… What makes you an author? What makes you a writer? When do you get to call yourself either? I’ve always gone with this: You’re an author when you manage to get a book traditionally published. You’re a writer until then. In other words, writers are the people who haven’t quite made it yet. Well, today I read literary agent Sarah LaPolla’s wise blog post, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off, and completely changed my tune. Here’s what Sarah said: To me, a writer is a person who is serious about his or her craft and has the drive, knowledge, and skill to someday get published. An author is someone who has been published. See? I like her take so much better, and therefore I am officially adopting it. You should check out the rest of her post as well.

4) Living Dead Girl, by Elizabeth Scott – I finished this book the other day and I’m still thinking about it, though I struggle with words to describe it. Horrifying, definitely. Beautifully written, yes. Also courageous, heartbreaking, graphic and important. And the ending… Though it was a quick read, this book kept me up most of the night because I could not get “Alice” and her story out of my head. Do I recommend it? Yes… but perhaps not if you are easily disturbed.

  
5) Tangled – Rapunzel’s story might be my new favorite Disney movie (and I’m a Disney fanatic!). It is amazingly well done. My three-year-old daughter has seen it twice and is completely obsessed. The other day we bought the soundtrack and have been listening to it CONSTANTLY in the car. And you know… I don’t even mind. In fact, I’d venture to say that I enjoy the songs just as much as my Munchkin does. They are that cute. That clever. If you haven’t seen Tangled, you should. Even if you don’t have little ones. 🙂 

RTW: Best of 2010

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Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival,” where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: 5 Best Books of 2010 and/or Sum Up Your 2010 in a Book Title

My 2010 book title is easy: A Long and Winding Road (To Nowhere). 2010 was very much a transitional year, both personally and with my writing. Though I’ve yet to reach my final goal  of publication, I do feel like I’ve made some great strides and hope that in 2011 I’ll continue to move closer to achieving that goal.

I posted my Five Best Books of 2010 on New Year’s Eve. You can find it HERE, or you can scroll down a few posts to check it out. I imagine my favorite titles might overlap with some of yours. 🙂