UV, W, X, Y, and Z -- Mysteries of Science Explained by Electricity

UV, W, X, Y, and Z, the last days of the A to Z April Challenge.

Yes, obviously, I failed a little at the challenge, but at least I failed with flare! This last installment includes fascinating links from around the web! Since I'm a huge fan of speculative fiction, specifically science fiction, I thought I'd share some of my research links with y'all. These articles/videos are a great way to kickstart your imagination if it's been dormant (like while line-editing) for a while.

From the sun to water vapor to ancient artifacts to futuristic bandaids, electricity rules the world

Electric Currents Create Magnetic Fields in the Sun 
(okay, this doesn't start with u or v, but UV rays... from the sun... get it? 



Let it Rain - how electricity governs our Weather


Robot finds mysterious spheres in ancient temple in MeXico < See what I did there? (This discovery is beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, which is connected with electric plasma theory/unified theory of myth/ancient cosmology)


ElectricitY Can Help Heal Wounds (Dnews video) 


The Mysterious NaZca Lines video (More photos here) These are also possibly lightning-related



Hope you enjoyed the science and archaeology tour! Be sure to head over to Operation Awesome tomorrow morning bright and early for our Mystery Agent one-sentence pitch contest.

Blog Tours, Book Reviews, and a Mystery Agent Contest!

The STUNG blog tour is now underway!

Follow the blog tour stops

Especially tune in for my interview with Bethany Wiggins on the 28th! That'll be at Operation Awesome.

The SIDEKICK tour is ongoing!

Follow the stops

Read my Afterglow Book Reviews of PITY ISN'T AN OPTION by Jessica Brooks and SPELLBINDING by Maya Gold.

 
Last but not least, be sure to prep your pitch for April's Mystery Agent contest! Deets here.

Currently reading:
LIVES OF TAO by Wesley Chu (with my husband)
GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell (for book club)
A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle (with my sons)
UNDERSTOOD BETSY by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (with my sons)
An unpublished book by Jen McConnel (check out her other novels) (for Month9Books)

Currently writing:
COULD BE WORSE, a NA contemp romance, 41% done

Bookish Fantasmic Across the Blogosphere Today

• First I wanted to blog about Angela Ackerman's fabulous Valentine's Day gift to writers:

Emotion Amplifiers, a free pdf download, and companion to

The Emotion Thesaurus

• But then I saw Kristal Shaff's COVER REVEAL of The Emissary and wanted to share that, too!

Add it on goodreads

So, as a result of my finding way too much awesome across the writerly blogosphere, you're getting a Bookish Fantasmic Across the Blogosphere Today post.

• BOOK LAUNCH of Straight Jacket by Meredith Towbin:

• ARC giveaway and COVER REVEAL of Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Add it on goodreads

• Matthew MacNish is talking about a real-life event in Russia today: Meteor hits populated area, injures 1,000 (video)

• Cole Gibsen blogs How I Can Afford to Stay Home and Write

Enjoy the Bookish Awesome!!!

New Year's Revisions Conference Day 1 Linkies

It's been a hell of a day. I'm happy. I got to read advice from an amazing assortment of publishing experts, and tweet all about it. 
And I got new shoes:

Aside from the fact that I got only a few hours of sleep last night (taking care of my 3-year-old with croup), I'm energized. I'm aaaaalmost ready to tackle revisions. 

But I can wait until tomorrow.



**All Times are listed as Central Time Zone**

January 3rd, 2013:

• 9:00 A.M.  Critique Partner Connection 

                        

January 4th, 2013:

• 9:00 A.M.  Natalie Lakosil: Taking The Time To Get It Right
• 10:00 A.M.  Amanda Bonilla: Revision Strategies
• 11:00 A.M.  Kate Hart: The Query Letter: Revising With Feedback
• 12:00 P.M.   Lisa Amowitz: Polishing The Beginning
• 1:00 P.M.   Bethany Wiggins: Creating Unique Characters
• 2:00 P.M.   Agent Q&A: Part I

Victoria Marini 

Kathleen Rushall

Natalie Lakosil 

Josh Getzler

Laura Bradford

Erin Harris

• 4:00 P.M.  Shelley Moore Thomas: Picture Book Revisions
• 5:00 P.M.  Jennifer Nielsen: The Magic In Middle Grade: Remembering Your Audience During Revisions
• 6:00 P.M.   Taylor Martindale: Owning the Process: Revising for or with an Agent
• 7:00 P.M.   NYRC Day 1 Wrap-Up

Tomorrow has its own slate of awesomeness:

January 5th, 2013:

• 9:00 A.M.   Christine Fonseca: Devil in the Details: Editing for Content
• 10:00 A.M.  Phoebe North: Goal, Motivation, And Conflict
• 11:00 A.M.  Cole Gibsen: Writing And Revising A Different Culture
• 12:00 P.M.   Elana Johnson: Character Consistency: How To Keep Your Characters True To Themselves
• 1:00 P.M.   Agent Q&A: Part II

Victoria Marini 

Kathleen Rushall

Natalie Lakosil 

Josh Getzler

Laura Bradford

Erin Harris

• 2:00 P.M.   Georgia McBride: Secondary Characters Who Sizzle
• 3:00 P.M.   E. J. Patten: Believable Monsters: Cthulhu Ate My Mother, Or the Rise and Fall of Human-Flavored Nougat.
• 4:00 P.M.   Erin Molta: Revisions From An Editor’s POV

Join us for the rest of the conference. Apparently there are prizes and things. *feigns shock but doesn't have to feign delight* Check it out in Kristal's great NYRC Day 1 Wrap-Up post. See you lovely people tomorrow. (I'm hopeful I may get some sleep tonight.)

My WriteOnCon Favorites So Far...

Such a great week with WriteOnCon! The chats have been phenomenal. The feedback in the forums has been priceless. But what I really want to talk about are the author presentations.

Mindbendingly brilliant.

Like this vlog about FAILURE by author Beth Revis of Across the Universe.

Or this post on RESPECTING your readers and the craft by author Kiersten White of the Paranormalcy trilogy.

Author Tara Hudson of Hereafter wrote brilliantly on PACING and how to keep readers reading.

Tom Leveen, author of Party, offers a fabulous list of reasons YOUR NOVEL ISN'T SUBMISSION READY.

Basically, www.writeoncon.com is one giant WINfest.

There's more going on today, and I'm sure the forums will stay up tomorrow and for a while, so if you'd like to post your query or critique someone else's, head over there and register.

While you're there, check out my:

query for MUSED, young adult contemp fantasy
query for LOVE ME OR LET ME DIE, young adult paranormal romance
first 250 words LOVE ME OR LET ME DIE
five pages of LOVE ME OR LET ME DIE

You do need to register (FREE) to participate in the forums, and agents will be lurking throughout the day at random times. :)  (I have friends who have gotten requests, so it's totally worth a look!)

Good luck and have fun on this the last day of WriteOnCon 2011.

p.s. I've joined a Blog Chain of epicness and will be taking my turn tomorrow. You can read the other posts by Sandra, Matt, and Kate if you'd like a sneak peak of our current topic. :)


Here's the list of Blog Chain bloggers:
New members:

Amparo

Tere

PK Hrezo

Jon

Matt


Veterans: 

Christine

Sarah

Michelle M.

Shaun

Cole

Kate

Sandra

Eric

Margie

Michelle H.

Abby

Writing Conference THIS WEEKEND!!

My first writing conference (well, in-person writing conference; August's WriteOnCon was my first) is this weekend! I'll be driving an insane number of miles and spending an exorbitant amount of money (to me). But I'm SOOO excited! I'll have the chance to meet (this is not a comprehensive list) Elana Johnson, Sara Megibow, Sara Crowe, and Larry Brooks!! And I'm going to live pitch an editor for the first time ever. So lots to be excited about!

There are plenty of things going on across the web if you're looking for some excitement this lovely Monday! I'll post several for your browsing enjoyment:

May's Mystery Agent contest (as of this moment) has 1 spot left, if you've got a completed novel ready to pitch in 25 words or fewer! Hurry! It'll go fast. But don't assume we're full. When we are, we'll close comments. Update: All 50 spots have been filled! Great work, guys! Thanks to all who entered!!

Nathan Bransford's got a very insightful How I Write post today that covers everything from frequency of writing to how he goes from high concept idea to full manuscript. As a former hotshot agent and current hotshot author, his take on this is invaluable!

Looking for an adorable picture book about imagination and magic? A Magic World is now available, ebook and print editions. I've ordered mine in print and can't wait to read it with my little guys.

Afterglow Book Reviews contributor Christine Fonesca is on blog tour for her new book 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids! I've read a preview and it's amazing! Your gifted child will so benefit.

Speaking of Afterglow Book Reviews, Anne Riley posted her raving afterglow review of DIE FOR ME by Amy Plum. While there, be sure to follow because we're going to have an ARC giveaway in the next few weeks that you won't want to miss. And if you're feeling the heartbreak, head over to Anne's blog to show your support after tornadoes hit everywhere around her home.

My love and prayers for all of you whose lives have been touched by recent catastrophes all over the globe.

Wow, a lot going on today... (linkage)

pic from this site

Stuff is happening today!

So, the President of the United States offered his long form birth certificate to the public today. Seems like a weird time for a test of citizenship two and a half years after the winning election, but I guess the press gets what the press screams and shouts for if they do it long enough. 

In more exciting news, author Michelle McLean is diving into the picture book world! Michelle is a friend and an incredible writer, whether it's how-to, regency fiction (goosebumps just thinking about her romantic scenes), or short copy (like pitches and marketing). I'm very excited to see what she's done with the picture book format. And word is the book, A Magical World, will be released in the next few weeks under pen name Michelle Raynor! Look for it.

You may have heard the buzz about The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab, but today we have a review up on Afterglow Book Reviews written by our newest contributor, Jen Daiker! Stop by, read about this spooktacular novel, and give Jen a warm welcome. 

And last but definitely not least, Kiersten White is giving away an ARC of the sequel to her NY Times Bestselling debut novel, Paranormalcy!! The second book in the trilogy is called Supernaturally and the cover is just as epic as the first. Can't wait to find out what happens to Evie, Reth, Lend, and Raquel in the this second installment!! p.s. Did you know the movie version now has both a producer and director attached?


Twitter has a new tweeter: Following @AfterglowBooks will give you a heads up when we're reading and/or posting reviews of amazing books. And if you'd like to follow the men and women writing the reviews, that list is here. 


That about covers what I've been wow-ing about all day.
What has you excited today?
(Links welcome [except dirty links. No dirty links, please.])  :)

Linky Thursday: Writerly Links for Today

A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. -Thomas Mann


That quote comforts me. Oddly. I wrote 3k words last night and a good bit of the climax. Still a long way to go, but it feels good to make progress on a story that's been twisting me in knots since its inception.

What are you working on?

*dramatic movie guy voice* Now for the Linky Thursday links:

Michelle McLean just wrapped up a very successful blog tour for Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers


There's a grand prize winner announcement on her blog today.


On the Query Tracker blog, she's written about the similarities between fiction and non-fiction and how each must have a point with evidence to back it up.

Also, she's leading a discussion on Operation Awesome about Likable and Unlikable Characters.





Amparo Ortiz is throwing a blogfest on February 15th! Sign up at her linky and join The Fake Boyfriend/Girlfriend Blogfest!

Literary agent Weronika Janczuk posted earlier this week about a web site being published as a book in the near future! Check out WHEN PARENTS TEXT and laugh till you cry.

Hankering to win a true writing contest? Here's a list of poetry and short story contests from freelancewriting.com.

There's still time to enter to win the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. They've created forums for writers to commiserate, I mean to chat. Check it out.

In the mood to write some flash fiction about MONSTERS? Me, too! Webook.com always has a writing challenge going on where writers post and give each other feedback. It's a great community. Can you describe a compelling monster in 400 words?

Enjoy the links, my friends! Thursday is a beacon of hope in a long week. It means Friday is just around the corner!

Christmas links, the You'd Better Not Pout edition

Squee! Three days to Christmas!!!

My second-born's first encounter with Santa.
He gets that bottom lip from his dad.

Here are a few must-see posts for your Wednesday enjoyment:

Top Ten Blogs for Writers is up, after much voting. Check it out.

Be Creative. Make Mistakes. Lindsay is on Operation Awesome today comparing writing to art and the process of making mistakes that sometimes turn out unexpectedly beautiful.

Christmas is like writing, another of Lindsay's famous writing metaphors, definitely worth a read.

Authoress Anon has a major announcement, if you haven't heard yet. It's so squee-worthy!

The Be Jolly By Golly Blogfest turned out phenomenal! If you missed it, there's lots of Christmas merriment to go around and plenty of sugarful recipes if you're looking for those! (link goes to my post, but you can see the master list if you click the Linky List in blue)

New Year's Revisions Blog Party is slowly gaining ground. Help us out by blogging, tweeting, or facebooking about it. The more, of course, the merrier. January seems to be the official blogfest month! Kick it off with this one and make your 2011 writing goals known.


Most of all, enjoy these excitement-filled days before Christmas. In no time at all, you'll be putting the decorations away and taking the tree down. Savor every moment. Merry Christmas!

Happy Monday! (The Masochistic Joy of Taming that Story)

So happy this morning! Why? Well, there are lots of reasons.

First, I woke up this morning to find these awesome links in my blog reader (okay, a few are oldie goodies):

• Creating Compelling Characters by Amparo Ortiz
• Safe and Somewhere in Between by Kiersten White (about sex in YA)
• Sleep Brain by Lindsay Scott (aka Isabella Morgan) (about plot and characters keeping you awake)
• Across the Universe Epic Contest of Epic by Beth Revis (you still have a week to enter this awesome Christmas contest!)
• 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge by Michelle McLean (summing up the past year of reading like a mad woman)
• December's Mystery Agent contest winners were announced, in case you were absent that day. :)
• The Token Geek and Grabthar's Hammer on The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog by Yours Truly (Yes, I am specially qualified to write about geek characters, thank you for asking.)
• Ooh, this just in: CRITTER IS UP FOR AUCTION! If you don't know yet about Critter, check out my interview with his current owner, Christy Evers.

And the other reason I'm so happy this morning is that my Work-In-Progress is finally going someplace again!

Yay!

This is my top secret, high concept, epic urban fantasy story that's been kicking my butt since I started thinking about writing it. I've started it eight total times (seriously, eight drafts of first chapters in my folder). Each time, it felt off. A few times, I thought I'd finally found the MC's voice, or decided whose POV to narrate from, but something always happened that made me feel wrong about it (like an agent tweeting that dual POV was hard to do and newbie writers shouldn't attempt it, which led me to wonder if I'm still a newbie writer if I don't have an MFA). Or sometimes I'd get a wake up call from a CP or family member who'd tell me the voice changed drastically from chapter 1 to chapter 2, or that the MC wasn't likable. 

Doh!

After several false starts, I decided to tackle this one for Nanowrimo. (ahem. That didn't quite work out.) I made important progress, but eventually resigned myself to the fact that this story isn't the writes-itself kind.

It's not even the write-in-a-month kind. (I love that kind and have written two such books, so I can feel the difference.) This book is the labor-until-you-bleed kind, the hold-my-calls-and-call-a-babysitter-because-this-is-going-to-take-a-while kind. You get the idea.

Even though it would be easier to dump this story and pick up one of my other ideas that just might be a writes-itself story, I can't let this one go. There's something SO satisfying about taming a difficult story. Each conquered plot twist and revealed character quirk or strength is cause for celebration. 

So today I'm celebrating! Because I'm 91 pages into it after months of struggle, and even though it is still far from perfect (or complete), it's getting there! 

Yep. I'm taming this story, one heart-wrenching scene at a time. 

Have you ever tamed a story? Or do you find yourself gravitating toward the stories that tell themselves? Any advice for me?

Don't forget to join us for a New Year's Revisions Blog Party on January 1st. Sign up today. :)

Things that made my day

First, it's my day on Operation Awesome and I got to interview an amazing person, a teen philanthropist who also happens to write YA fantasy! Check out Riley Carney over there. She'll inspire you!

To make Thanksgiving easier on my three-year-old son, I asked him what he loves instead of what he's thankful for, as thankful for is kind of a mouthful for someone with such little lips.

He listed off:

Jamesy, Lukey, oranges, grapes, ice cream, and oranges.

I thought that was fitting for Thanksgiving. When you ask me what I love, or what I'm thankful for, the list comes down to people and food. What else is there, really?

So here are the things that made me smile upon my return to Blog World today:

This post from Amparo about what she's thankful for (you are so on my list, Amparo!)

The master of plays on words, Lindsay, sharing Thanksgiving love all the way from Britain! (I love you, too!)

Michelle celebrating her birthday! (Woo hoo! Happy belated!) and her book coming out SO SOON!

Kristal's fortune cookie wisdom (very inspiring, as usual)

and the happy emoticon smiling faces of Kelly and Angie on our group forum. 

These ladies get me through the dungeons of writer's block, and squee with me every time I break free of its chains. They call me on my crap when I get a character's voice or age all wrong, or when I'm stalling too much before the good stuff in a story. They commiserate with me over rejections, maybes, and the general slowness of the publishing industry. They put up with my (ahem) artistic temperament, and I don't know what I'd do without them. 

Thanks, ladies!! You are Operation Awesome. 

p.s. MYSTERY AGENT ALERT: December will have a M.A. judging one-line pitches. First fifty will make it in on the first of the month. Genres: all YA and adult subgenres except for Christian fiction, erotica, MG, and picture books. Polish 'em up! I hope you win!