Links, In Case You Missed It Edition 3-18-13

Recent happenings in my online sphere:

My review for STUNG by Bethany Wiggins is up on Afterglow Book Reviews this morning!

Amazon bestseller lists: AMAROK wins three spots!

March Mystery Agent reveal!

Pens for Paws: Operation Awesome's item went for $170! Thanks to all who bid at this charity auction benefiting Fat Kitty City in California.

PITY ISN'T AN OPTION by Jessica Brooks has a new cover and the cover designer, Icey Books, is holding a giveaway for 9 more days! Go enter!

Books I'm reading right now:

SPELLBINDING by Maya Gold: I'm enjoying the delicious magic in this one.
THE LIVES OF TAO by Wesley Chu: well-paced and deep at the same time, not to mention very funny. I'm a quarter of the way through this one, reading slowly because I'm reading it with my husband who works all day. If I were reading it alone, I'd be done already, no doubt, because it's so intriguing and action-packed! But I'm being patient because I LOVE sharing a story with my hubz. We courted over the Harry Potter books. (Goodreads Giveaway going on now!!)
GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell: I'd really like to be done with this one already, but I'm only at 45%. It's for book club this Friday. Anybody think I can make it in time? (Hint: it's got over 1000 pages.)

My writing update:

Amazon Daily Deal: AMAROK!!! (and Operation Awesome charity auction item)

Housekeeping: yesterday was a huge day for YA fiction fans (who to a person adore Veronica Mars), so we have to forgive each other for completely missing out on most everything else going on yesterday. I forgive you. Do you forgive me? Okay, good. So here are the links to yesterday's blog posts:

First I shared cover love for Angie Smibert's upcoming release, THE MEME PLAGUE (August 2013), book 3 in the MEMENTO NORA series. It is fabulous, by the way. If you haven't read it, go get Memento Nora and join the revolution.

Then my husband (yes, he is awesome) posted news of the Veronica Mars Movie kickstarter page and so I went all fangirl and blogged about it.

K, flashback over.

Today, special treat from Amazon: Amarok is in the Kindle Daily Deals zone! Woot, woot! Go Angela! (That's the incredible, sweet, and talented author of Amarok.)

Here's the cover, buy link, and blurb:

On Goodreads

AMAZON DAILY DEAL: AMAROK by Angela J. Townsend $1.99 today only

Emma's life has been hell since she moved from sunny California to a remote Alaskan town. Abandoned by her father and living with the guilt of causing her mother's death, she makes a desperate dash for freedom from her abusive stepfather. But when her car skids off the icy road, her planned escape leads to further captivity in a world beyond her imagining. Dragged across the tundra by an evil mountain man and his enormous black wolf, she learns that love can be found in the most unexpected places. Amarok, as she's nicknamed the wolf, is a young man from the gold-rush era enslaved by an ancient shaman. Emma's gentle touch and kind heart win his love and devotion. When a vicious madman--trapped in bear form by the same Shaman--attacks the travelers and injures Amarok, Emma must find the strength to face her fears and free the wolf she's come to love. But that means she must face down the evil shaman, a Siberian mammoth hunter from the ice age, and he has no intention of giving up his power to her.

If you'd like to get a feel for how this wolf shapeshifting story is unique, this trailer will take you there:


As someone who's read a lot of Angela's work, I can tell you her prose is delicious, her settings vivid like sweeping masterpieces. You will feel rooted in her world for the duration of the story. You will not be able to put it down between chapters because of her expert use of suspense. And your heart will break for the ordeals of her beloved characters. If you've never read Angela Townsend's work before, I urge you to take advantage of this deal and try her out. You may discover a new favorite author. :)

Currently reading:
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (for book club)
The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu (with my husband)

What are you reading?

UPDATE: Doh! Totally slipped my mind, but OPERATION AWESOME's Multi-Pack of Awesome is up for auction at charity auction Pens for Paws today (until tomorrow)! So if you'd like to win a 20-page critique from Yours Truly, along with a handful of critiques from other OA members and signed books/swag, too, get over and bid now! (Other items for bidding include agent critiques!)

Here's a screen shot of the Operation Awesome prize:

So much goodness, it didn't all fit in one screen cap! Go check out the rest: http://pensforpaws.blogspot.com/2013/03/awesome-multi-prize-package-from.html

Author Interview: Angela J. Townsend of FROZEN FURY

Kidnapped by a band of deranged mountain men in the Alaskan wilderness, Amber Hatchet is driven by one harrowing thought: these monsters might have her eleven-year-old son. But her attempts to escape lead to the unearthing of deadly secrets, ones better left buried. Amber's only hope lies with her husband, Jack Hatchet, confident Manhattan attorney and swindler extraordinaire. Problem is, Jack cares more about protecting his shady backroom deals than the life of his wife. In fact, he'd prefer her dead, rather than alive.

Introducing Angela J. Townsend, author of FROZEN FURY!

Katrina: What was it about FROZEN FURY’s story that made you just have to write it?

Angela: I love fast paced seat-of-your pants type of action. I’ve been accused of being episodic but really it is just my writing style.

Katrina: The rawness with which you write about the frozen wild suggests real life experience to me. Are you a wild mountain woman? How did you write so realistically about such an inhabitable place?

Angela: Living and growing up in the mountains my entire life made writing Frozen Fury effortless. I am more at home in the woods than in any city. There is something mysterious about a forest. Something magical draws me to them. Even though they can be quite spooky, I feel very much at home in their protective folds.

Katrina: How many books have you written? 

Angela: I’ve written over twenty novels total. My friend Angela Ackerman of The Bookshelf Muse said, “Angie, you are such a prolific writer.” I had to laugh because suddenly I realized that I really was. I mean it never occurred to me that someone else wouldn't have that many completed novels. Two of my manuscripts are in submission with my agent.

Katrina: What’s your advice to writers who are just starting out?

Angela: Don’t give up. Remember writing is a subjective art. But try to listen. I mean really listen to criticism you are receiving. My agent, Jill Corcoran, gave me the best advice of my career. When I was adamant about not revising a certain part of my story. She said, “Kill your baby Angie.” As terrible as it sounds, sometimes you have to “kill your baby” in order to move forward. My story was much stronger afterwards. I never hesitate to make changes now.

Katrina: What’s the one thing you simply can’t write without? Pen? Laptop? Juju beans?

Angela: I write in distraction. By that I mean I love noise, crowded restaurants. I cannot write without my Celtic music blaring away in my headphones and a candle burning on my desk.

Katrina: What motivates you to write on days you just don’t feel like writing?

Angela: I never really have days I don’t want to write. To me writing is a gift I don’t take for granted. With the economy being in such sad shape, most of us have full time jobs or other things that pull us away. Writing is like breathing to me—I have to do it.

Katrina: Favorite movie or TV show of all time?

Angela: I love movies, especially with popcorn--my favorite food ;) I love Out of Africa, Braveheart, Titanic, Michael Collins, Harry Potter, Riverdance, Lord of the dance and anything Bruce Lee. I can’t name just one!

Katrina: Goodreads shows FROZEN FURY was previously published by a small press. What’s different in the new incarnation? What made you decide to reincarnate it?

Angela: As with anyone who is steady in their craft, my writing improves with each novel. I wanted to polish my old version to make it stronger and publish it again.

Katrina: Who did the spectacular cover art for FROZEN FURY?

Angela: LFD Designs--affordable and awesome. 

Ooh, thank you for the recommendation!

Katrina: Make up your own question here. What do you wish someone would ask you?

Angela: On getting an agent. You have to do the work it takes before you can agent shop. I have so many authors who send me samples of their work wanting to know why they were rejected. I often tell people, you have to have a polished project. Don’t rush it. Because I’m a country girl, I will relate it to horses. When trading horses it’s much harder to sell an unbroke horse than one that’s had lots of time under the saddle. You wrote the book now take the time to polish before submitting it. Don’t try to sell something that is half-finished.            

Thank you so much, Angie! I love your advice to new writers and your analogy about selling an unbroken horse. I'm still a newbie when it comes to queries and have definitely jumped the gun in the past. Thanks for sharing your wisdom! 

Everybody who hasn't yet, check out FROZEN FURY on Amazon Kindle.

Kidnapped by a band of deranged mountain men in the Alaskan wilderness, Amber Hatchet is driven by one harrowing thought: these monsters might have her eleven-year-old son. But her attempts to escape lead to the unearthing of deadly secrets, ones better left buried. Amber's only hope lies with her husband, Jack Hatchet, confident Manhattan attorney and swindler extraordinaire. Problem is, Jack cares more about protecting his shady backroom deals than the life of his wife. In fact, he'd prefer her dead, rather than alive.

Find Angela Online at: 
Her writing website
Her art website
Operation Awesome

Find FROZEN FURY on:
Goodreads
Smashwords
Amazon Kindle
Facebook

Help! Shiny New Idea Invasion

Pic borrowed from the awesome Nicole Zoltack

It came without warning. They always do, those SHINY new ideas. They think they're so special just because they're shiny. And new.

Well, here's the deal. I already have a work-in-progress! I don't have time for you, Shiny New Idea.

Darn it. I can't say no to you, either.

Looks like I'll be taking a brief break to write a middle grade book about dragons. I know. Ridiculous, right? Well, I need a break from my WIP, anyway, because she's been running hot-and-cold lately, not giving me the inspiration I need, which is incredibly ironic if you only knew the subject matter. :)

Here we go, Irish dragons. Let's get this over with.

Anybody else having trouble focusing on just one project?

P.S. I'm on Afterglow today, reviewing FROZEN FURY by Angela J. Townsend. Love her work! Good thing, too, because she's one of my CPs and I get to read her work all the time. Jealous? Well, now you can read it, too.

The Importance of Being Detailed

Details make a story BLOOM

Through my querying history, I've learned a few things about writing from friendly agents who really do want to see new writers improve, and who took the time to offer suggestions and explanations for what they really wanted to see.

Most of the tips I've received relate to detail.

• I'm not feeling a connection to the main character.
• The setting isn't unique or vivid enough.
• It's too much like something else I've read or seen.

Though these seem like vastly different complaints about the same book, and might lead aspiring authors to throw up their hands and give up, I was lucky enough to have awesome critique partners who saw the connecting thread:

DETAIL.

I can hear you sighing from all the way over here, because you know that an amateur mistake most writers make in the beginning is adding too much useless detail, flowery prose, and tidbits that don't further the all-important story. But there's another side of the coin, too. In an effort to further the plot and avoid over-writing, I'd gotten into the habit of under-writing (and not in that legal, get paid for it definition).

I'd become stingy with the details. It turns out that this is a fabulous way to write a first draft, because the story just plows onward through conflict and climax and resolution without getting hung up on unimportant details like the color of somebody's hair or eyes, or the way the wind caressed somebody's face with her falling locks. In the first draft, you may not need to know that the flying buttresses reminded your MC of Cogsworth's tour in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and that she expected at any moment to come upon a ransacked West Wing where a caged rose wilted eternally.

But those are just the sort of details that can imply hidden emotion, conflict, and desires that help a reader connect to the main character. They're just the sort of details that establish a setting unique from other [insert saturated genre here] novels. They're just the sort of details that make the story yours and no one else's.

Details matter.

So while you're working so hard to avoid over-writing during a first draft, don't forget to reread with all five senses wide open to the world you see/hear/smell/taste/touch in your imagination. Because even if you're seeing it vividly, your readers might be missing out on something important--a connection.

Thank you to Angela and Lindsay, my CPs who so often make me open my senses to my own fictional world.

Revisiting the scene of pain (or The Devil in the Details)

Has anybody ever ACTUALLY slipped on one of these?

Remember when I lost that fight with the sidewalk and then waxed philosophical about how living life makes us better writers?

Today, after revisiting the brutal sandy sidewalk which taught me that lesson, I had another epiphany:

Details matter.

You see, from a distance, the sidewalk next to the sand pit (it really can't be called a sand box when it's surrounded by concrete that dips a foot or more down) is, well, sandy.

But when you look closely, you'll see that some spots are more well-endowed than others. (Get your mind out of the gutter. I mean there are spots with more sand.)

Had I been watching for details, I would have seen the mini-puddle of sand that tripped me up.

Or that tiny plot hole that even my beta readers missed.

The devil's in the details. Paying attention is crucial.

My critique group, Operation Awesome, has really helped me come to this epiphany. Special thanks to Angela Townsend, whose delightfully detailed writing is always a pleasure to read, for taking the time to explain the importance of details.

Dust on his boots. Twirling her chronically straight hair. The faint smell of honeysuckle on his fingers. Her errant curiosity about his toilet paper preferences.

These are what make character and setting (both things in my manuscript that need fleshing out). When I first wrote Now Untitled Because Nobody Understood the Title, I just wanted to get the story out in the most authentic, quirky voice my main character could muster. I purposely went light on the details so I wouldn't fall into my old trap of telling too much. I believe rambling is what killed my third novel (the literary scifi fantasy in first person). But in my haste and earnest desire to keep it simple, I deprived readers of the experience. 

I read for the experience. I want to taste and feel and see the world my fictional friends must navigate. I want to see a new person at school through their eyes. I want to understand what they're feeling by the twitches and shrugs and, yes, even the sighs.

So today I'm going through the manuscript again and adding. (I can do this because I skimped on the several drafts, and cut words, too.) I'm adding physical responses, mental interiority, setting descriptions, and side-character quirks to make what I still believe to be a great story into a visual, four-dimensional delight.     

Someday, I hope to share it with you. Until then, have fun writing!