Category: Blogfests

SHOW ME THE VOICE Entry…

21 Comments

Today I’m posting my entry for Brenda Drake’s Show Me the Voice blogfest/contest. For more information (rules, prizes, etc…), check out my previous post, or visit Brenda’s site.

Here are the first 250 words from Where Poppies Bloom. I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a moment to critique it honestly in the comments after you read. 🙂 

TITLE: Where Poppies Bloom
GENRE: Contemporary Ghost Story, YA

            I never used to be the type of girl who hotboxes her bathroom.       

            Sitting perched on the countertop next to my sink, I slip a joint between my lips and lose myself in a haze of pungent smoke that distorts the flower patterns dancing across my shower curtain. My bare feet bounce against the cabinet below, drumming out a staccato beat. I zone in, a microscope focused crisp and clear, absorbing the irregular thudding until it permeates through flesh and muscle and organs, vibrating right into my bones.

            Joint to lips. Deep, deep inhale. Hold the smoke until my chest sizzles. Exhale.

             Smoking is a solitary thing for me. Something I started doing six months ago, the first time grief clenched my chest, squeezing air from my lungs the same way one might wring out a wet rag. Trapping blood in the chambers of my heart until I’m certain they’ll explode. Stinging my eyes with hot, salty tears, telltale tracks racing down my cheeks. It’s during these times, when the hurt becomes too much to bear, that I steal a moment to lock myself away in my bathroom. Only then can I truly breathe.

            The irony doesn’t escape me­­—polluting my lungs with illegal herbal smoke shouldn’t comfort me the way, say, a warm hug used to. But the smoke—the simple, methodical act of smoking—kneads otherwise suffocating thoughts from my brain and calms me like nothing else.    

            I’m drifting today—more so than usual. A wisp of cotton caught in an unpredictable summer breeze.
                      

Show Me the Voice!

1 Comment

Brenda Drake is hosting a blogfest/contest, and Natalie Fisher of The Bradford Literary Agency has agreed to judge the finalists. How cool is that?! Here’s how it works:

On March 20 and 21 (tomorrow!), post the first 250 words of your finished manuscript (any genre) on your blog to get critiques from your followers and then hop around to the other participants’ sites and give critiques. Polish those 250 words and email them to brenleedrake@gmail.com with CONTEST in the subject line by (12:00AM EST) on March 22. If your 250 words ends in the middle of a sentence, please go to the end of the sentence. All entries submitted before the cut off time will be considered. The first round will be judged by a chosen panel of your peers (agented and unagented). We’ll pick the best 20 entries and post them on my blog by March 24. The 20 entries we pick will be judged by Natalie. The winners will be announced on or before Monday, March 28.

Bet you’re wondering what prizes Natalie is offering, right? Well, here they are:
1st place – a critique of the first 20 pages
2nd place – a critique of the first 10 pages
3rd place – a query critique

For more information (or to sign up!) please visit: Brenda Drake Writes…  

“My Favorite Picture Book” Blogfest

18 Comments

Hosted by Megan K. Bickel at Write-At-Home-Mom, the “My Favorite Picture Book” blogfest is exactly what it sounds like: In celebration of this unique literary form combining two art forms (writing and illustrating), blog about your favorite picture book.  It can be your favorite as a child or your favorite as a parent, a writer, or a teacher.  What made (or makes) you love it?  Share two sentences or fifteen paragraphs.  Be creative or plain.  Just celebrate picture books! (And big thanks to Kat Owens for letting me know about this fantastic blogfest!)

While this blog focus mostly on young adult literature, I am also a lover of picture books. As a former teacher and current parent (my daughter is three-and-a-half, in case you’re wondering), the picture book collection in my house is extensive.

I considered blogging about a classic like Goodnight Moon or The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but in the end I just couldn’t. While I love those books (I give them as shower gifts anytime a friend has a baby),  there’s another book I kept coming back to, one I bought for my daughter on a whim at the Seattle Aquarium about two years ago: The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

From Goodreads: When a tiny snail meets a humpback whale, the two travel together to far-off lands. It’s a dream come true for the snail, who has never left home before. But when the whale swims too close to shore, will the snail be able to save her new friend?

The verse in The Snail and the Whale is adorable. I’m such a sucker for rhyming picture books, and The Snail and the Whale is done exceptionally. I know nothing about poetry, but the lyrical rhythm of  this book reminds me of Lewis Carroll’s The Walrus and the Carpenter. The form probably has a name, but all I know is that it’s quick and bouncy and perfectly appropriate for the tone of the story.

Speaking of the story, this one makes me smile every time I read it. The snail has an “itchy foot” and wants to leave his rock to see the world. He hitches a ride with humpback whale and the two explore oceans near and far. Then the whale becomes disoriented in a busy harbor and runs into trouble. It’s up to the tiny snail to save his friend, and the tension during the climax of the story is palpable, especially considering we’re dealing with two fictional animals.  You’ll find yourself rooting for the snail and whale as if they’re your greatest friends!

This book has gorgeous illustrations. They held my daughter’s attention even when she was much younger.  Colorful, detailed and unique, they’re a perfect complement to the story. If you haven’t read The Snail and the Whale, I highly recommend you check it out. I think you’ll be glad you did. 🙂 And don’t forget to click HERE to read the other “My Favorite Picture Book” entries!

So, what’s your favorite picture book?

Be Mine

11 Comments

Today I’m participating in the very fun “I Caught the Fever Lovefest” hosted by Sarah Enni, Kristin Halbrook, Tahereh Mafi, and Kate Hart. Here’s the basic idea: Construct a blog post extolling the wonderful virtues of secret your Valentine. Don’t know the person you were assigned? Read their blog, strike up a convo on twitter . . . do whatever it takes to be the best secret admirer you can be! You never know, you just might make a new friend in the process. 🙂 On V-day, publish your blog post and link to your Valentine so s/he can drop in and read it.

Fun, right? In the spirit of community, sharing love and making new friends, I signed up immediately.

My secret Valentine is Cait Peterson, of the Writer’s Wanderings blog. I’ve discovered we have lots in common! Like me, Cait is an aspiring author, an enthusiastic reader, a former teacher and an animal lover (Cait: cats, me: dogs). Unlike me, Cait is incredibly athletic. She’s taught taekwondo, sailing, and kayaking–color me impressed! She also amazes me with her ability to hold down a full-time job (sometimes more than one!) and still somehow finds the time to write. Seriously, I do not know how people do this–when do they sleep? Superheros, in my opinion. And hello… Cait lives on a farm. How cool is that?! Please do take a moment to visit Cait’s blog, and you can find her on Twitter HERE.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Cait!

In other Valentine’s Day news, my husband is out of town (I wish I could say that’s uncommon, but he’s a soldier and it’s actually quite common), so I’ll be celebrating with my daughter. She’s lots of fun, so it’s all good. Her daddy got her one of those cool recordable books so she can listen to him read Guess How Much I Love You, and I got her an adorable Tangled nightgown that looks just like Rapunzel’s purple dress. Can’t wait to spend the day showing her how much I love her.

Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Sunday’s Super Seven

3 Comments

Lately, I’ve needed lists to organize my thoughts. That might be because I’m smack in the middle of an epic WIP rewrite (WIP’s scenes, characters, GCMs and all the other tiny details are sorted into lists, might I add) so my head is sort of jumbled. In that spirit, what better day to post a list of super things than boring old Sunday?

1) Words With Friends – Last weekend, my sister-in-law oh-so-innocently asked, “Hey, Katy, have you bought Words With Friends yet?” To which I replied, “No, I sure haven’t. What is it?” She went on to explain that it’s like Scrabble, only you can play on your phone with real friends who play on their phones, or you can start games with random strangers.

SOLD! Scrabble is my very favorite game, and let’s be honest: I’m all about procrastination tools that suck up huge amounts of time before you ever even realize it. Long story short, I bought the app and now I’m in the midst of about eight different games–some with real friends and some with strangers I’ll never meet. I couldn’t be more joyful.

2) Borders – Speaking of joyful, last week I went to Borders and got four new books! (Elizabeth Scott’s The Unwritten Rule, Sarah Ockler’s Fixing Delilah, Deb Caletti’s Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, and Courtney Summer’s Fall For Anything, in case you’re wondering. I’m on a contemporary kick.) As I was perusing, my husband kept our daughter busy, so tolerant and sweet. Mid-browse, I suddenly  realized something: Borders is my happy place.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I find great delight in my family, friends and (most of my) daily activities. But there’s something about walking into Borders with the goal of buying new books that makes me particularly blissful. Do you know what DOESN’T make me blissful? All this talk of Borders going under. I’m not sure if they make 12-Step programs for obsessive book-buyers like me, but I’ll tell you what–if the Borders in my city closes down, things might get ugly.  *Edited February 17th: While Borders has officially filed for bankruptcy, the store in my town is NOT among those listed as closing. What a relief!

3) Craft Quickies – My talented CP, Heather Howland, has started a new series on her blog: Craft Quickies. They’re short posts covering craft issues (obviously) that can trip some (all?) writers up. So far she’s covered dialogue tag abuse (I went through my manuscript with a fine-tooth comb after reading this one) and the stress-inducing possible sequel. Rumor has it she’ll be tackling verb modifiers soon. I highly recommend you check Craft Quickies out.  

4) The Walking Dead – Have you seen this AMC show? From what I’ve heard, it’s an adaptation of a graphic novel and it is the epitome of ridiculousness. Still, I kind of love it.

Hey, girl with the baseball bat: Good luck to you.

We’ve had all seven Season One episodes sitting in our DVR for months and just recently got around to watching them. (I freely admit that we watched with our three-year-old daughter present. She loved it. “Mommy, why are all those zombies eating that horse?” Our status as Parents of the Year may be in question…) Anyway, I love watching The Walking Dead for the very same reason I love watching Dexter and The Vampire Diaries: Something major happens in every. Single. Episode. There are no lags, no weeks and weeks of I know where they’re going with this and I wish they’d just hurry up and get there. Nope. It’s fast paced and exciting and I can’t wait to find out what happens to those crazy zombie fighters next season.

My daughter pretending to be a zombie. In a Princess shirt.

5) Phrase Frequency Counter – The perfect writing tool for closet OCDers like me. Much like Wordle, you can paste in as much or as little text as you want, choose the number of words-in-phrases you’d like the Frequency Counter to check (two-word phrases, three-word phrases, and so on), and then sit back and let the magic happen. The most common phrases in my WIP were things like “I said” and “he said,” but I also noticed that I used “took a long swallow” and “took a long sip” and “took a long drink” three times each. That’s nine times. Clearly, I’m writing about a couple of lushes.

6) Across the Universe  by Beth Revis – As a rule, I don’t read science fiction. I know, I know… I shouldn’t wall myself off completely from any one genre. The thing is, aliens, space travel, cryogenics, and otherworldly futures just don’t interest me. Then Twitter went abuzz about Across the Universe. I became curious. Rave reviews started pouring in. I became intrigued. Some of my CPs read it and couldn’t stop gushing. I knew I had to check it out. So I bought Across the Universe (See  #2 above… I have a problem.), and I am SO glad I did. It’s sci-fi, but it’s accessible. Relatable. Really cool. I’m somewhere around half-way through and I’m totally into it. But now I’m starting to love it so much that I’m stressing about the ending being a disappointment. Ugh. Please, Beth Revis. Please make the end of your book stand up to the fabulous beginning! 

I love this cover...

7) That’s YAmore – In case you haven’t heard: I’m a participant in Oasis for YA’s “That’s YAmore” blogfest. It has been so much fun reading all of the sweet, romantic, steamy entries. If you’re interested in reading my contribution, you can find it HERE. And please visit the That’s YAmore Blogfest page to check out the other participants. You’ll be glad you did. 🙂

That’s YAmore!

25 Comments

It’s time for Oasis for YA’s Valentine’s Day BlogFest! Here’s how it works, straight from Oasis for YA’s That’s YAmore Blogfest page:

We love blogfests.  And we love good YA romance.  So we decided to combine the two in our first annual That’s YAmore Blogfest.

Starting the Friday before Valentine’s Day, we invite you to post 250 romantic, swoon-worthy words from your YA WIP.  Then check out the entries from some of the other participants.  (Just be sure you have a fan and/or a cold glass of water on hand.)  We know your Valentine will appreciate you getting yourself in a romantic state of mind…

So, my steamy contribution is from the contemporary YA WIP I’m currently revising, LOVING MAX HOLDEN, about a girl who’s in love with her best friend’s brother:

             Our linked hands rested on the seat between us the whole way back to our neighborhood. Max parked in his driveway—still free of Ivy’s car—then walked me across the lawn to the front porch of my house, just way I’d imagined. “Like a real date,” I joked.

            “I still owe you dinner.”

            “Have you been holding on to your Bunco winnings all this time?”

            “I have, actually. I knew that money would come in handy when you realized how bad you want me.” He stepped closer, grinning, and circled his arms around my waist. “So, how about it?”

            “Ivy can’t know about this, Max. Not yet.”

            He rolled his eyes. “Fine. If I keep my mouth shut you’ll let me take you out for real?”

            “Maybe if you kiss me goodnight after.”

            “I can probably manage that, although I kind of wanted to kiss you tonight too.”

            “But there’s no mistletoe,” I said with mock seriousness.

            He leaned in until his nose was barely brushing against mine. “Like I give a shit.”

            And then he kissed me, soft and slow, like he was certain there were a thousand more kisses in our future. I nestled in, absorbing his warmth, dangerously close to collapsing from the sheer bliss of it all. But he held me tight, his arms safe and secure around me. When he ran his tongue along my bottom lip, I shivered with a new kind of want. There was nothing in the world better than kissing Max Holden. 

So, that’s Max and Jill… I kind of love them. 🙂 If you’re curious about the aforementioned mistletoe kiss, you can read that excerpt HERE. Also, please do visit my critique parthers: Heather Howland, AE Rought, and Jus Accardo. They’re participating in That’s YAmore too, and well, they’re fabulous.

Don’t forget to visit That’s YAmore Blogfest to check out all the other steamy entries.

That’s “YAmore” Blogfest

The lovely ladies at Oasis for YA are hosting a blogfest that’s so fabulous I’m thrilled to be a participant.

Here’s the gist, straight from the Oasis for YA That’s YAmore Blogfest page:

We love blogfests.  And we love good YA romance.  So we decided to combine the two in our first annual That’s YAmore Blogfest.

Starting the Friday before Valentine’s Day (that’s February 11th), we invite you to post 250 romantic, swoon-worthy words from your YA WIP.  Then check out the entries from some of the other participants.  (Just be sure you have a fan and/or a cold glass of water on hand.)  We know your Valentine will appreciate you getting yourself in a romantic state of mind…

Can’t wait to hop blogs and read all the steamy posts… If you’re interested, sign up to participate at: That’s YAmore Blogfest