2009 Debutantes

I brought it up in chat and then forgot to post about it, but the first Théâtre Illuminata book (new title: EYES LIKE STARS, although it's listed as ACT 1) is now on Amazon.  You can sign up for the e-mail alert when it becomes available for pre-order, or you can add it to your Wish List.

The Wish List thing tickles me greatly, simply because I used to make my own around Christmas-time when the big toy catalogs arrived in the mail... painstaking lists on yellow legal pads with toys listed in order of preference.  ;)

Poll #1227708
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Do you have a "day job" other than writing

(Completely optional) What is your day job?

How would you describe your non-writing job?

When people at parties ask what you do, you say...

Would you quit your day job if you could?

This is soooo hilarious.  And I think we all know what  Libba Bray means.

http://libba-bray.livejournal.com/36896.html

 I'm posting the Topic of the Week a bit early ... which just gives us more time to discuss the topic of humor!

I love reading funny books, but I tend to writer rather darker material--although much of my work is laced with a dry, ironic humor.  I'm always on the lookout for a book that can make me laugh out loud.

I've heard that humor is about revealing truth; that it's about surprise and the unexpected; that it's about deflating pomposity; that it's about play and freedom; that it's about bringing disparate elements together; that it's about exaggeration and ratcheting up the stakes.  I've heard that humor comes from pain.

I've heard that certain words are naturally funny (underpants, kumquat), and that certain consonant sounds are naturally funny (most notably "k").  I've heard that a person slipping on a banana peel is universally funny (but that never makes me laugh).  I've heard the "rule of three:" that a common joke setup is to have a list where the first two items are normal and the third is the crazy, the unexpected, the punchline.

Do you like to read humor?  If so, what are your favorite funny YA and MG books?
Can you write humor?  If so, how do you do it?

So....Carrie Ryan & Cyn Balog  got shout-outs on reviewer X!  

A few nights ago I came home late and my apartment was dark, my room littered with boxes and piles because I am, once again and as usual, moving. This time it is just two miles away and not to another state or continent, but the stress remains. I was looking for comfort, to escape the boxes, so I turned on my computer and I read the last chapter of This Is What I Want to Tell You. Because that was comfort. And suddenly I felt sort of desperately sad. Wait, I thought, what is Noelle doing now? She's not still standing at that window, watching the sun come up. Except that is where I left her. And where she's been for months now. Her loves and friends and tragedies and celebrations are frozen. And I go back sometimes and live the ones that are there over and over.  

But... all this to say. Does this happen to you? How do you break up with a character? Even a whole story? How do you resolve that some of these people in your life will stay frozen in time while you go forward and build new relationships... I do move all the time. And so, leave people behind. But I still stay in touch, or hear word, or know the details that remind me we all move on. Our characters don't give us the same luxury. I'm just curious how the rest of you deal with this... or if it even comes up for you?

We've all heard the question: Where do you get your ideas? Some will say they heard a song that inspired them, or they had a dream. or that they simply love horses/zombies/romance/whatever and had to write one.

But what I want to know is.... In what form does that idea come to you?

 Does it come as a one-sentence pitch-- or is it a character? Is it that first line of a book that you know nothing else about? Or is it the title of a book that has no plot or characters, but simply must be written?

For PRADA & PREJUDICE, all I knew was that I wanted to read a book about a modern girl who ends up in Regency England. That was it: just the premise. It took a long time to figure out what the plot, the title, the characters would be. 

For GETTING CAUGHT, the fic I co-wrote with critique partner

cyn2write, I was hit with a great title: GETTING CAUGHT. That was it. I worked from there: What would a book like that be about? Who is getting caught? Getting caught doing what? It became a story from there. 

So, for the rest of you: What piece of the story came first? The title? The hook? The characters? Share your process!

 

The Shrinking Violets are at it again!  Today's post is an interview with a publicist about the basic promotional things a writer can do: 

http://shrinkingvioletpromotions.blogspot.com/2008/07/interview-with-real-live-publicist.html

When the kids were little, we went to a parents' meeting at their school and I asked the teacher why all her students were geniuses in the second grade? Look at the first grade. Blotches of green and black. Look at the third grade. Camouflage. But the second grade -- your grade. Matisses everyone. You've made my child a Matisse. Let me study with you. Let me into the second grade! What is your secret? And this is what she said: "Secret? I don't have any secret. I just know when to take their drawings away from them."

---from Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare

Writing the first draft of a story is an intense, often exhilarating experience, but I think most writers will agree with me that the real work, the nose-to-the-grind-stone kind of work, comes during the editing and rewriting process. I am constantly honing a story in the editing process, polishing, sharpening, sometimes slash-and-burning, in a way that slowly, painfully brings out the complete shape of the story. Sometimes it's a matter of getting it to look like it did in my head during the initial inspiration, but more often than not, I make discoveries during this process of refinement that change the shape of the entire piece.

Sometimes a writer might pop a story out of the oven and submit it too early, when the insides are still a bit doughy. Obviously, that no good and makes you look like an amateur. Other times, a writer succumbs to the dread "futzing". You know what I'm talking about. When you're messing with a paragraph so long you can't see the forest for the trees. When you're just shuffling punctuation around and rephrasing the same thing in a million variations that are (in all likelihood) all saying the same thing to anyone but you. The danger of futzing too much is that you crush the life out of it, second guessing everything you wrote until it becomes dry and overdone.

So how do you know when to step away? I'm not sure a piece is ever truly done (the statement of a chronic futzer, to be sure!), but at some point you need to submit the damn thing. For me, I know it's time to step away when I start to resent it. When I come to the writing table with a steely eye, a grim set to my mouth, and not a single ounce of passion, it's time to take a break. Because writing is many things, but it should never be joyless. I usually have a couple of stories going at once, so sometimes this means I put it away for a month or two and work on something else. Or, if I think it's nearly there, I might send it off to a friend I trust to read it over. Because ultimately, I'm not sure I can trust myself yet to know when the drawing needs to be taken away.

What about everyone else? How do you know it's time to step away from the keyboard?

Name: Cheryl Renee Herbsman

'09 Book Title:  BREATHING

Publisher: Viking Children's Books

Favorite Books: I'm a sucker for the Harry Potter series. But aside from that I love girl stories and books with a magical or mystical element. I love DANCING ON THE EDGE, THE ALCHEMIST, SCRAMBLED EGGS AT MIDNIGHT, and THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER. I'm also a fan of Laurie Halse Anderson, T.A. Barron,  Marion Zimmer Bradley, Jodi Piccoult, and Alice Hoffman. I've always loved Judy Blume and Roald Dahl.

Favorite Bit of Writing Advice: NEVER GIVE UP!

Random Info About Me:  I have two kids. I met my husband at summer camp when I was 13. I grew up in North Carolina and now live in Northern California. The beach is my favorite place to be. I lived in Hawaii for a year and loved it, but missed the cool, crisp air of the Bay Area. Writing feels like a guilty pleasure and I'm thrilled to have sold my first book!

As a writer and a reader, I'm fascinated with promotion strategies--what works and what doesn't. I've seen a lot over my time, like radio ads, magazine ads, blog tours, contests, and so on.

For me, the number one promotion that entices me to buy a book is word of mouth. If I hear from reliable sources that a book is good, and it sounds like something I'd be interested in, I'll run out and grab it. Excerpts are also tied for #1...if I read the first chunk of pages and am hooked, I'll be desperate to grab the rest.

Another thing that entices me to buy a book is the cover and back blurb--yes, I know these are out of the author's control, but they do work. A compelling cover and back blurb will whet my appetite.

I like seeing authors on blog tours, as well. I can get a good feel for their voice, and they often post excerpts that help me get more familiar with them and their work. The more I see them, the more their name sticks in my mind, and when I'm out shopping at a bookstore, I'll think, "Oh, I wanted to see if that author's book was here."

I love entering contests, but they don't always make me buy a book. Nor do all the little swag, like bookmarks, pens, etc. So as an author, I'm going to keep costs down and not buy a lot of those.

One thing that's a total turnoff are authors who only post places so you'll buy their book. Promo hos don't do it  for me at all, LOL. Also, books that seem overpriced are a turnoff, too (and I know this is out of the author's control, as well). Luckily, YA books seem to be reasonably priced, so I don't typically encounter this problem with YA.

What about you--what entices you to buy a book as a writer and/or a reader? What turns you off?

Debs, I was chatting with Sarah Cross last week about health insurance for self employed, and seeing the "day job" post below reminded me to post this. Not sure if everyone knows about this great resource.

The Freelancers Union offers advocacy, networking, freelance job postings, events, discounts, and perhaps most important - group insurance for self-employed people (health insurance offered in 31 states; dental and other ins. offered nationally).

Membership is free and open to "independent workers — freelancers, consultants, independent contractors, temps, part-timers, contingent employees and the self-employed."

My husband signed up as a freelance web consultant so we could get the insurance. The health insurance rates are the most affordable I could find for self-employed. They are significantly cheaper than the Author's Guild and other self-employed options I researched. They have multiple plan options for both individual and family coverage including health, dental, vision, Rx, and even term life and LTD. Health plans range from basic/catastrophic care to comprehensive coverage. The plan my husband and I chose is significantly better than the plan I had at my last job working for a health insurance company, at $300/month less than COBRA!

You can learn more about the insurance plans here:

http://www.freelancersunion.org/insurance/index.html

And the organization in general here:

http://www.freelancersunion.org

Definitely check it out. Even if you don't need the insurance, it's still a good resource for discounts and networking.

So today on AskMetafilter, some gent was wibbling over whether to quit his job so he could become a writer.

Which made me laugh and laugh and laugh, and now I'm here with an open discussion question:

Authors- what's your day job?

Because I know most of us have them, and I'd love to find out what you all do when you're not brimming with the plentiful goodness that is being a published author.

But for those of us who have been lucky enough to quit the day jobs, how far along were you in your career when you finally quit?

No one realized that there were THREE sure things in life: death, taxes, and that our favorite shiny bit of writing would end up on the editing room floor.

Here's your chance to talk about the darling you murdered (and why it needed to go!)

This last round of revisions, I cut three characters.  Made them disappear like a magic trick. Into Professor Marvel's Shiny Box of DOOM with you!  Poif!

And a new reader--someone who has never read the previous draft--will never be the wiser.  And I guess that's the point.  We sacrifice bits of the story... shiny bits... FABULOUS bits... for the Sake of the Greater Good. And if that new reader is entranced by my *koff* swift-moving plot, great tension and cast of characters, then those three people never needed to be there in the first place.

Name: Megan Frazer

'09 Book Title: Secrets of Truth and Beauty

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Favorite Books: Hmm, like most other writers, I have trouble narrowing this down. Orlando by Virginia Woolf is definitely at the top of any list (the movie is also fabulous, by the way). And I studied Ancient and Medieval literature in college, so I have a thing for stuff like Beowulf and Sir Thomas Mallory. Lately, though, it's been all YA all the time, it seems. My favorite book I've read this past year was The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart. I'd also give five stars to John Green's books, and Sara Zarr's Story of a Girl.

Favorite Bit of Writing Advice: There are a lot of great writers out there. There are also a lot of lazy writers out there. The biggest part of "making it" is just sitting down and writing.

Random Info About Me: Before I moved to Maine, I took weekly flying trapeze lessons. Oh, if only someone would build a flying trapeze school in Maine.

Secrets of Truth and Beauty Synopsis: The story of a former child beauty pageant winner turned overweight teen, who struggles with family secrets and her own sense of self over the course of a transformative summer with her estranged older sister.
 

Name: Kristin Walker

'09 Book Title: A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCOOL

Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)

Favorite Books: LOOKING FOR ALASKA (John Green), RULES (Cynthia Lord), SPEAK, (Laurie Halse Anderson), FAIR WEATHER (or just about anything by Richard Peck), Everything by Lucy Maud Montgomery, BEL CANTO (Ann Patchett), BLESSINGS (Anna Quindlen), Anything by Annie Proulx (I like Annes, Anns, Annas, and Annies. Oh, and Anne Lamott, too), GODLESS (Pete Hautman), THIRTEEN REASONS WHY (Jay Asher), All the HP books, Any Jane Austen...there are a lot more, but I can't think...

Favorite Bit of Writing Advice: Read a ton in the genre in which you write. And embrace the truly terrible first draft.
 
Random Info About Me: I have three young boys and one grown husband-boy, so my toilets all stink, and I'm drowning in laundry.

MARRIAGE ED. Synopsis: When everyone in the senior class gets paired up for a mandatory course in marriage education, Fiona Sheehan has to survive being pseudo-married to Todd Harding, the most popular jerk in school. In the meantime, she needs to figure out how to one: forgive her best friend's betrayal, two: fake being a robot-turkey cheerleader, and three: decide if she's really falling in love with the fat kid. 

 

The Author2Author blog recently carried this interesting news about what 34 teens liked and didn't like about their library books, and what made them choose the book they did.

Here is a Contact List for the 2009 Debs.  Please note that the email addresses have been written out longhand so as to avoid SPAMMING.

R.J. Anderson, KNIFE

Website: www.rj-anderson.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/rj_anderson
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=692932749
Blog/s: http://rj-anderson.livejournal.com/
E-mail: rjawriter @ gmail (dot) com

Pam Bachorz, CANDOR

                Website: www.pambachorz.com
                Myspace:
                Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=682541168
                Blog/s: pambachorz.livejournal.com
                Email: pbachorz @ yahoo (dot) com

Cyn Balog, FAIRY LUST

Website: www.cynbalog.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/cynbalog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=658590790&hiq=balog%2Ccyn
Blog/s: www.livejournal.com/users/cyn2write
Email: bricyn7 @ comcast (dot) net

Lauren Bjorkman, MY INVENTED LIFE

                Website: www.laurenbjorkman.com
                Myspace: www.myspace.com/laurenbjorkman
                Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1219969088
                Blog: www.yacrazy.blogspot,com
                Email: wordbuff (at) hotmail (dot) com

Sarah Rees Brennan, THE DEMON’S LEXICON

Website: www.sarahreesbrennan.com 
myspace: http://www.myspace.com/sarahreesbrennan
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=671601675
blog: www.livejournal.com/users/mistful
email: sarahreesbrennan @ gmail (dot) com
 

Megan Crewe, GIVING UP THE GHOST

Website: megancrewe.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/megancrewe
Facebook: Megan's profile, Megan Crewe Book News group
Blog(s): megancrewe.livejournal.com
E-mail: megan @ megancrewe (dot) com

Sarah Cross, DULL BOY

                Website: www.sarahcross.com
                Myspace: www.myspace.com/savicross
                Facebook:
                Blog/s: http://sarahcross.livejournal.com
                Email: dullboybook @ gmail (dot) com

Erin Dionne, MODELS DON’T EAT COOKIES

Website: http://www.erindionne.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/erindionne (don't judge me, my myspace sucks)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=653714820
Blog/s: http://bostonerin.livejournal.com
Email: erin @ erindionne (dot) com

Deva Fagan, FORTUNE’S FOLLY

Website: www.devafagan.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/devafagan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1190544922
Blog/s: http://devarae.livejournal.com
Email: deva (at) devafagan (dot) com

Megan Frazer, SECRETS OF TRUTH AND BEAUTY
                Website: www.meganfrazer.com
                Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/secretsoftruthandbeauty
                Blog/s: www.meganfrazer.com
                E-mail: megan.frazer (at) gmail (dot) com

Janet Gurtler, WAITING TO SCORE (by J.E. MacLeod)

Website: www.jemacleod.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/writerjanet
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=795203781
Blog: http://jemacleod123.blogspot.com/

Teri Hall, THE LINE

Website:
Myspace:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=769409717
Blog/s: http://terihall.livejournal.com
Email: teri @ terihall (dot) com

Jennifer Hubbard, BLACK MOUNTAIN ROAD

Website: www.jenniferhubbard.com
Myspace:
Facebook:
Blog/s: http://writerjenn.livejournal.com
Email:

Mandy Hubbard, PRADA AND PREJUDICE

                Website: www.mandyhubbard.com
                Myspace: www.myspace.com/amandawriter
                Facebook:
                Blog/s:  http://mandywriter.livejournal.com
                Email: amandayawriter @ yahoo (dot) com

Stacey Jay, YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME

Website: http://staceyjay.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/staceyjaywriter
Facebook:
Blog/s: http://staceyjayya.blogspot.com
Email:

 Danielle Joseph, SHRINKING VIOLET

                Website: www.daniellejoseph.com
                Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/danijoseph
                Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=531354408
                Blog/s:  http://daniellejoseph.livejournal.com/
                Email: daniellejoseph @ notjustwords (dot) com

Heidi R. Kling, SEA (Moved to 2010)

Website: www.seaheidi.com
Myspace: http://myspace.com/seaheidi
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1166026443
Blog/s:  http://seaheidi.livejournal.com
Email: heidi @ seaheidi (dot) com 

 Cynthea Liu, PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE; THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA

Website: http://www.cynthealiu.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/cynth_e_a
Facebook:
Blog: http://cynthea.livejournal.com
Email: cynthea @ cynthealiu (dot) com 

 Sarah MacLean, THE SEASON

                Website: www.macleanspace.com
                Myspace: myspace.com/sarahmaclean
                Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1330050122
                Blog: www.macleanspace.com
                Email: sarah.t.maclean @ gmail (dot) com
                Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarahmaclean; 
                Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/216457

 L.K. Madigan, FLASH BURNOUT

Website: www.lkmadigan.com (no site built yet, just domain name)
MySpace:
Facebook: L.K. Madigan
Blog: http://lkmadigan.livejournal.com/
Email: lkmadigan @ gmail (dot) com

Lisa Mantchev, THE THÉÂTRE ILLUMINATA

Website: www.lisamantchev.com  (launching Théâtre Illuminata site later this year, www.theatre-illuminata.com)
MySpace: www.myspace.com/lismantchev
Blog/s: lisamantchev.livejournal.com
E-mail: lisa @ lisamantchev (dot) com

 Neesha Meminger, SHINE, COCONUT MOON

Website: www.neeshameminger.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/neeshaSmeminger
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=618535284
Blog/s: http://neeshadm.livejournal.com
Email: neesha @ neeshameminger (dot) com 

 Saundra Mitchell, SHADOWED SUMMER

WEBSITE: http://www.saundramitchell.com
MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/saundramitchell
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/people/Saundra_Mitchell/755074381
BLOG/S: http://www.saundramitchell.com/blog/
EMAIL: saundra @ saundramitchell (dot) com

Jenny Moss, WINNIE

Website:
Myspace:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1152418164
Blog/s: http://jenny-moss.livejournal.com/
Email:

 Sarah Ockler, TWENTY BOY SUMMER

Website: http://SarahOckler.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thebims
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1062755462
Blog: http://SarahOckler.com
Email: sarah.ockler @ gmail (dot) com 

 Jackson Pearce, AS YOU WISH

Website: www.jacksonpearce.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jacksonpearce
Facebook: http://profile.to/jacksonpearce/
Blog: www.jacksonpearce.com
Email: jacksonapearce @ gmail (dot) com 

 Olugbemisola Amusashonubi-Perkovich, EIGHTH GRADE SUPERZERO (Moved to 2010)

                Website: http://mrspilkington.typepad.com
                Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/olugbemisola
                Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=675039371
                Blog/s: http://olugbemisola.livejournal.com
                Email: mrspilkingtonknits @ yahoo (dot) com

 Aprilynne Pike, undecided

Website:
Myspace:
Facebook:
Blog/s: 
Email:

 Carrie Ryan, THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH

Website: www.carrieryan.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/carrie_ryan
Facebook:
Blog: http://carrie-ryan.livejournal.com & http://carrie-me.blogspot.com
Email: carrie.ryan @ gmail (dot) com
 

Chris Rylander, THE FOURTH STALL

                Website:
                Myspace:
                Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1353826828
                Blog/s: www.millencake.livejournal.com
                Email: cdrylander @ yahoo (dot) com

Sydney Salter, MY BIG NOSE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS

Website: www.sydneysalter.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/sydneysalter
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=691550885
Blog/s: mybignose.blogspot.com,  http://sydney_salter.livejournal.com
Email: sydneysalter @ mac (dot) com

Jon Skovron, GROPE 4 LUNA

Site/Blog: jonnyskov.com
MySpace: myspace.com/jonnyskov
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1073917708
Last.fm: http://www.last.fm/user/jonnyskov/
Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/jonnyskov/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jonnyskov
Email: jon @ jonnyskov (dot) com

Kristina Springer, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST

Website: www.kristinaspringer.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kristina_springer 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=757217175
Blog/s: kspringer.livejournal.com; http://kristinaspringer.blogspot.com/; http://author2author.blogspot.com/
Email: kristina @ kristinaspringer (dot) com

 Rhonda Stapleton, STUPID CUPID

WEBSITE: http://www.rhondastapleton.com
MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/rhondastapleton
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1151095559
BLOG/S: http://www.rhondastapleton.blogspot.com
EMAIL: rhonda @ rhondastapleton (dot) com

 Heather Duffy Stone, PERMANENT INK

Website:
MySpace:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=798085037
Blog/s: http://heatherduffystone.blogspot.com
E-mail: hduffystone @ yahoo (dot) com

 Michelle Zink, THE PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS

Website:
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/prophecypress
Facebook:
Blog/s:  http://mzink.livejournal.com
Email: zinkpb @ aol (dot) com

( All Posts By )

Recently, carrie_ryan attended a convention, and wrote up her reaction to some of the advice for fledging writers here. If I may quote:

One thing that really stuck out to me: a few people (and some of them well published authors) said that the best was to get an agent was to go to cons. Now, while I agree that you can make some great connections at conventions, if you're *only* going so you can attend a pitch session and stalk some agents at the bar, you're wasting your money. Here's the thing, you can be the most fun person ever, you and the agent you meet can go get manis and pedis, you can spend all night sharing embarassing stories and margaritas, but if your book isn't any good, none of that matters. Sure, knowing the agent might get a little more attention, but you still have to deliver the goods.

So in the interest of getting the voice of lots of experiences out there in the ether, I'd like to ask for topic discussion today:

How did you get your agent? What's your best personal advice for finding an agent?