Category: Uncategorized

When the Magic Goes Away

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Scene: First day of second grade. Kids running around, showing off new backpacks, new shoes, same uniforms though. 

The teacher clears her throat and announces, “Let’s write a journal entry about what we did over summer vacation.”

Tiny-Carrie, with pigtails and an already messy desk, glances around at her classmates. They’re talking as they write. Disneyworld, Disneyworld, Disneyland, France, a cruise in the Caribbean (with Disney Characters.)

Tiny-Carrie’s summer had been fun, but, not like her classmates. She’d hung out with her Grandmas, learned to make cookies, played  make-believe in her backyard and loved every minute of it. Until her classmates started talking about the Disney princesses they’d met. A bit of fear crept into her brain, whispering that her summer had been stupid, that she was lame and a loser.

But, Carrie never liked being told what to do. Not by a teacher, and definitely not by some dumb, negative voice.

So, Carrie put pencil to paper, and began to write. She might not have traveled, but she had read. A book called THE BOGGART by Susan Cooper had launched an all-summer quest to learn everything about Loch Ness, its mythical monster and the magical-seeming land of Scotland. She’d even worked her way through “grownup” books explaining just how a monster might exist in the loch, and cookbooks about how to make “oatcakes.”

She wrote a story about going to Scotland, and all the things she’d experienced there. And as she wrote, it felt real to her. It felt just as fun, as exciting as her classmates “true” stories about Disneyland. Tiny-Carrie may not have traveled, but she had read. Now, in writing what she read, it was like real magic, making something out of thin air.

That’s what writing has always been to me. Over the years, I wrote my way out of countless bad feelings, out of fear about a surgery, or heartbreak over a person who didn’t like me back. My stories, although they were fictional and full of fantastic events, were woven with real truths, and real emotions.  Re-reading them is re-reading a diary, even if it’s set in a magical land, and the main character is a red-headed warrior-princess sneaking into royal balls, instead of an awkward fourteen-year-old Carrie dreaming about attending prom.

Nothing I write is autobiographical, but it’s all true to my heart. Be cause of that, perhaps, I’d been reluctant to share my words with others. These stories were part of my very DNA. I couldn’t let random people examine them for flaws any more then I could appear naked on a subway stop and shout “JUDGE MY BODY!”

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Not a Clone, Not Alone

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I have a friend who got into a special program at a major company right after college. She, along with ten others, had the exact same job description, and the exact same salary. They were all the exact same age, and lived in the same company-owned housing area. They even had the same company cars. In many ways, they were clones, trained to perform the exact same role with little variability,

I bring this up because… the writing world is NOTHING like this.

Some writers work full-time at a day job, and have extra cash, but no extra time. Some write full-time, but budget carefully.

Some are parents. Some live with their parents.

Some are older, some are younger.

Some have sold ten books. Some haven’t finished their first.

Some are city-folk. Some are small-town people.

All of us are writers. We all dream wonderful dreams and spin incredible stories. We have more in common than we do differences, if we dig down deep enough.

This beautifully multi-faceted community is part of what makes our literature so unique and interesting. If we were all clones, we’d all write the same books, over and over again. Instead, we each write from our own personal truths, sharing and growing along the way.

However, sometimes, in the stew of peoples making up the writing community, it can feel like you’re the only one who’s different. The only carrot among potatoes. Maybe you’re the youngest one in your writing group, or the only one without a significant other. Maybe you had a kid and you’re suddenly in a different time in your life than you’ve been, and it seems like every other writer has plenty of freedom. Maybe you feel lonely, because you live hundreds of miles from any other writer.

Maybe it just seems like there’s a “popular club” and you’re not part of it. It’s not true. You belong here. You’re as much a writer, as much part of the community as anyone else.

Social media can be cruel. We all share the best parts of our lives, buffing and photo-shopping away countless imperfections. We humble-brag and white-lie our way to perceived happiness, all the while battling self-doubt and insecurity.

The independent writer might secretly be as lonely as the remote one.

The writer with an adorable-on-paper significant other might be contemplating a divorce.

We compare our worst days to other’s bests, and we beat ourselves up because of it. We judge and critique others who are not like ourselves, instead of seeing each person as a main character in their own story.

 

Let’s stop. Let’s be kind to each other. When you feel excluded or alone, please know, you are never alone. Someone out there cares about you, even if you’ve never met them. Together, let’s write a new story. Of belonging and acceptance, of building each other up and respecting our differences.

Let’s bond over what we have in common. Our story-telling talents.

I’m going to try harder to do this in the new year, and I invite you all to do the same.

Book & a Bomb: UNDER THE LIGHTS Giveaway!

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It’s time for another book and a bath-bomb giveaway!

This time I’ll be giving away a BRAND NEW PAPERBACK of UNDER THE LIGHTS by Dahlia Adler, and a PHOENIX RISING bath bomb

BLURB FROM BARNES & NOBLE: Young actor Josh Chester has never been sure that acting is for him–he’s mostly interested in the parties and the hot Hollywood girls that come with the job. But he ends up taking a job on the hit TV series Daylight Falls, opposite Vanessa Park, a girl who is immune to his charms and also his polar opposite. Vanessa loves her job, despite her parents’ disapproval. She’s pretty certain about everything in her life, until she meets her new career handler, a gorgeous girl named Bri. Then things start to get a little confusing. Under the Lights features an adorable romance between two young women, all set against the backdrop of Hollywood. As Vanessa confronts her emerging feelings for her handler, Bri, her co-star Josh confronts his realization that the Hollywood scene might not really be his cup of tea. Under the Lights is a story of self-discovery: learning that the person you always thought you were might not actually be the case anymore.

My thoughts:

This is one of my favorite books this year! It’s thoughtful, funny and just the right mix of Hollywood drama blended with real-life situations. Dahlia nails the characters’ voices, and the glitz of Hollywood.  If you don’t follow Dahlia Adler on Twitter, fix that now! She’s friendly, informative, and a true “reccing ball” for any book suggestions you want, especially YA.  Her next YA novel is called JUST VISITING, and it’s an awesome friendship story. You can preorder it here (LINK)

 

What better bath bomb to go with a tale of budding love among Hollywood’s lights than PHOENIX RISING?

FROM THE LUSH SITE: All the myth and magic of a Phoenix pressed into one bath time experience, which lets you arise at the end feeling refreshed and ready for the next 500 years. One of Lush’s patented double layer bath bombs, your Phoenix will sink to the bottom then rise in triumph, its’ mythical sparkling purple and green plumage unfurling through your bath water. It will release gentle shea butter, cocoa butter and jojoba oil to leave your skin feather soft, and exotic essential oils of fruit and spices, which take your mind on a flight of fancy to distant shores where you are lying on a beach drinking spiced rum

My thoughts: It’s glittery, it’s magical, and it smells like fruit and spices! What a perfect bath bomb for a romantic YA read that had it’s own dashes of spice and glittery fancy parties!

Not an international giveaway, but I will ship to Canada/Mexico!

Enter the giveaway here: Rafflecopter Link

Six Ways You’re Annoying on Twitter (and how to stop)

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Twitter can be really fun. However, it can also feel like walking into a rowdy Wild West bar… that’s on fire. People shouting, hashtags flying about, auto-dms punching you in the face…

Here are my biggest pet peeves in the wild world of Twitter and some way to avoid them.

 1. Auto-DMs

These, for me, are one of the most annoying things out there. It’s like waving to someone across the street and having them chase you down, throwing buisness cards like ninja stars at you. Not fun.

Quick-fix: Turn off the auto-dm and focus on making real connections.

 

2. Humblebragging

“My hubby bought me a latte and a donut, AND people think he looks like James Franco. #blessed”

“I never work out but somehow always fit in a size 0. #luckyme”

“Ugh, having a ten bedroom mansion makes it SO HARD to find a missing sock. Thank goodness for the maid. #crisisadverted”

“Only spent 813 bucks at Whole Foods! That’s what I call pennypinching. #success”

#shutupplease #nobodycares

Quick fix: It’s one thing to share good news. It’s another to constantly mention things that a lot of people don’t have. Ask yourself if you’re sharing a good thing or if you’re bragging to make yourself feel better.

 

3. All Output

Read my book! Read my blog post! Read my joke! Read my mind! LOOK AT MY PHOTOS! LOOK AT MEEEEEEEEEE

(As an extrovert, I’m guilty of this one.)

Quick fix: Try to respond to your friend’s tweets too, or retweet their interesting blog posts. You don’t want your feed to be all you tweeting. Interact.

 

4. Shouting at Celebrities

Just. Don’t.

J.K. Rowling will not blurb your book. Jennifer Lawerence will not marry you. Robert Carlyle will not give you Once Upon A Time spoilers.

Quick fix: First, ask if your tweet is polite enough you’d send it to a coworker. Then, make sure you’re not the 357th person responding to the celeb’s post.

4. Too many hashtags

I #wrote a #book. It’s #fun #magical #YA #Checkitout #amreading #amwriting #amhashtaging

It’s hard to read tweets like this. I catch myself scrolling past them because they look like spam. Also, if you use more than four hashtags, Twitter will actually flag the tweet as spam and not show it in searches, etc. Use minimal, powerful hashtags. (For example, don’t hashtag common words like “book”, instead use tags like #amreading)

Also, respect hashtags created by others. If you see people tweeting thoughts with a hashtag on the end, perhaps like #yesallwomen or #mswl, don’t just assume you can use the hashtag for whatever you want. Some are part of a converstation started by specific people, about specific topics. Some are only used by certain people. For example, #askagent is only for when agents are going to answer questions. Don’t put it on your tweet about a book.

5. Putting other books down/linking authors to negative reviews

*please note, this doesn’t mean “thou shalt not negatively review books”

What this means is A. derailing a book conversation.

Person A: I loved Harry Potter! Best book series ever

Person B: Me too. I wish Draco had a better arc

Perscon C: Fav books ever!

Person D:* tags everyone else in the convo* HARRY POTTER IS STUPID AND YOU’RE ALL STUPID FOR LIKING IT.

Yeah. Just don’t. If the person isn’t asking for opinions on the book, you don’t have to tell them yours. Likewise, be careful about tagging authors in your tweets. If someone is asking for book recommendations, and you tag the author, you’re bringing that author into a conversation where people could end up stating why they don’t like that author’s book

For example

Person A: I need a book with beagle puppies as main characters

Person B: Wishbone series!

Person A: Cool, but I’m looking for books.

Person C: I love BEAGLE MYSTERY MURDERS by @PUPPYAUTHOR

Person B: Yeah but @Puppyauthor writes the STUPIDEST BOOKS EVER.

@puppyauthor goes and cries in a corner.

Quick Fix: Be polite

6. Not Giving Credit to Artists

Twitter person: HEY LOOK AT THIS GREAT ART!

NO IDEA WHO PAINTED THIS BUT IT’S REAL PRETTY, RIGHT?????

Quick tip. If you want to retweet some cool fan art, FIND THE ARTIST. You can use google image search to do so. Not doing so is really unfair to the artist who has done so much work.

So, there’s my biggest pet peeves on Twitter. What are yours?

You Are More Than Your Book

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When I was younger, I could never finish writing a book. Even after I typed “the end”, I’d find a sequel to write, or a spin-off series. In fact, the first seven manuscripts (mind you I started these when I was in 6th grade, so manuscript might be too kind a word) were all directly connected to each other,  featuring the same characters and settings. I simply couldn’t let them go. Their world had become my own.

As my writing journey progressed, that emotional bond to my writing amplified. In fact, some days it seemed my self-esteem was entirely tied to how well my edits went on my book. I’ve noticed this occurring to other writers too, on many different parts of the publishing path. Some might measure their self worth in that request/rejection query pie-chart. Others, in how sizable an advance they receive or how many twitter followers they have. If one is self-published, it’s easy to obsessively watch sales, and let each one impact one’s mood.

But that’s not healthy.

We writers are more than the sum of our manuscript words, or our query stats or our books sales. We are members of families, artists, career-people, athletes and artists.  We’ve achieved so much in our non-writing lives. We’ve bought houses, landed promotions, learned dance moves, taught our dogs to fetch…

We are more than our writing.

So, right now, wherever you are in the writing journey, pause for a moment. Make a list. On paper or on the computer. Include ALL the wonderful things you are, and ALL the things you’ve achieved. Then, keep that list close. Whenever you’re having a bad day editing, or don’t have any book sales, or get a query rejection, review that list.

My list is pinned above my desk. One item on it is “I am a knitter.” And sure enough, I’ve found, on days when the writing is crappity-crap crap, I should pick up my knitting needles to create something new. Something awesome. Something unrelated to my words.

You can do that too. You created amazing words, yes. But you are also an amazing human being, made of so many more parts than just your writing.

 

Falling Back in Love With a Draft

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Writing a novel is a long, slow process. Although the story might start out as a brilliant spark, one that you’re willing to dedicate hours upon hours to, the magic may not last.

If it withers quickly, say, after twenty pages, or half an outline, perhaps that story wasn’t ready to be written yet. Let it go. It may come back stronger later.  However, at least for me, the “I’m in love with this story” feeling lasts for months. Then, one day, BAM. It’ s gone. Perhaps it was a plothole I couldn’t fix, or a bit of a feedback that hit too raw a place for me. Perhaps I just get sick of revising and start dreaming about the good old days of first drafting. No matter what caused it, I’m suddenly in a pit of despair where I can no longer find words or energy to edit.

I’ve committed to the story, I don’t want to give up. So, what do I do?

I don’t recommend whining to your friends, although I’m certainly guilty of this. If they’re not creative, they won’t get the need burning inside you to finish the story. If they are creative they may not be sympathetic to your own struggles, because they’re fighting their own doubt-monsters of writing.

 

A healthy thing to do is to get fresh air. Go for a run. A walk. Dance all night at a concert. Lose yourself in the real world, not the fictional one for a little bit. Or. Just be a cat. Cats know where it’s at.

 

Some people recommend reading published books, but when I’m in my pit of despair, that usually makes me roll around like a dying fish full of self-loathing. “I will never write such wonderful words as these” etc.

Likewise, be cautious around social media. All it might take is is one tweet about another writer’s success for you to feel more like a failure. Likewise, openly proclaiming aaaall your struggles with your draft might make you sort of annoying.

My favorite tip for falling back in love with your work is to return to your creative works. Maybe you don’t want to write in your manuscript, but you want to write short side stories (oh hey! mine are here. Exclusive Short Stories) or create pretty photo sets of your characters on Tumblr (like these! Gif post! With kissing! Non-gif but all the adorable )

If you’re artistic, try drawing scenes from your book. Or if you’re not, maybe consider commissioning an artist (easily found on Tumblr or Deviantart) for a drawing of your characters! This one is a huge one for me. Having an actual picture of the characters that previously were only words on a page re-energized me to tell the story.  My sketches are by the brillant Giles, found here.)


carrie-02a (1)

But if nothing else works, and it’s been weeks, and the feeling still isn’t going away, it is okay to shelve the story for a little bit. Let it rest. Begin a new story. You’ll come back to the old one with fresh eyes soon, and re-write it into a beautiful masterpiece.

 

Either way, soon, you’ll emerge on the other side of the pit of despair. You’ll go back to writing, the words flying fast and furious. Plus, you’ll be a stronger writer for having preserved through this hard time. Now, the next time the doubt-monsters kick in, you’ll know you’ve vanquished them once before. Have you ever felt like giving up on a story? How did you work through it?

Health and the Creative Life

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Creative people aren’t known for being paragons of wellness. There will never be an article called, “Workouts to get a writer’s body.” We tend to seek comfort as we create, so that all our energy goes towards the art we’re intent on making. We scarf down comfort food, guzzle caffeine, and hunch our shoulders low as we curl around the glowing screen of our computers until the wee hours.

But, that kind of life isn’t sustainable. The junk food may lead to stomachaches, the caffeine to headaches. We writers need to take care of our bodies.

Actual photo of a writer after a revising marathon.

 

Here are some of my favorite healthy things.

Green Smoothies.

You can make these as intense as you want. Kale has a peppery taste, but spinach is surprisingly sweet.  Add a handful of frozen berries, a handful of greens, a cup of yogurt, ice cubes, and milk (almond, soy, or regular) into the blender, and give it a whirl.

Running/walking/hiking

When I’m really stuck on a plot point, I know it’s time for fresh air.

Homemade granola bars

Recipe here– so easy to make, healthy, and a great snack when you’re in the middle of writing!

Yoga

Nothing uncoils the knots in my back like a good time on the yoga mat. I recommend Yoga with Adriene on youtube. Her workouts are free, and the ones for the back (both upper and lower) are lifesavers for a writer who hunches over the keyboard. Here’s the link

Herbal tea

Yes. This is me. Yes, you know me as queen of coffee. But I also enjoy peppermint tea for unblocking my brain, and sleepytime tea for relaxing. Rooibos are great for when my heart wants coffee but my head says no more caffeine. It has a similar, nutty taste.

Now, get up, stretch, go for a walk! Then come back and tell me your favorite healthy routine.

Yinz Gonna Read a Book N’at? (Pittsburghese. Translation below)

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*translation “Are you going to read a book?”

** Yinz is the Pittsburgh version of  “Y’all”

*** no one really knows what “N’at” means.

I’d always dreamed of living in a city. As a kid, of course, I usually dreamed about NYC, or Chicago or even London.
I felt at home among skyscrapers, happy in the midst of crowds, alive when all the lights and noise surrounded me. However, I ended up in Pittsburgh, PA, and I couldn’t be happier.

Pittsburgh

 

I’ve got my skyscrapers and my city living full of coffeeshops and live music, but I also get a small town friendliness and community I’ve come to love.  In fact, one of the best things  about Pittsburgh is the vibrant writing community. We have excellent MFA programs at Chatham and Seton Hill, a lovely library system thanks to Andrew Carnegie (just remember in these parts, it’s pronounced “car-NEGGH-gee” rather than New York’s fancy “Carn-e-gee”) and even a really cool program for exiled writers, The City of Asylum.

We have an Andy Warhol museum, a great Children’s museum, incredible theater shows, and amazing parks. Oh, yeah and sports. We have those too. We put french fries in our sandwiches and everyone eats pierogies (we even make vegan ones).

We’ve got films set or partially set here, (Dark Knight!) , video games, (The Last of Us), and plenty of books. The most memorable, for many people is Perks of Being a Wallflower,

Perks Scene

That’s a beautiful shot of a very real part of my city. Likewise, the hit Me, and Earl and the Dying Girl, captures real-life Pittsburghese.

In addition to these Pittsburgh authors, there’s also Joshua David Bellin (aka the YA Guy) author of Survival Colony Nine,Jonathan Auxier , author of The Night Gardener, Laura Lee Anderson, author of Song of Summer, and many others.

Plus we have really cool events. This fall, Rainbow Rowell will be speaking at the library, and this coming weekend, Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman will be speaking at Carnegie Mellon University for FREE! Details below.

So, that’s why I love my odd little big city that thinks it’s a small town. Why do you love your hometown?

 

Details for the event.

Lecture Speakers: Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
Date: Saturday, August 1, 2015
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Location: Doherty Hall, Room 2315, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. The book signing will follow the lecture in the same room.
Registration/Fee: There is no charge to attend the lecture and registration is not required for this portion of the program.

If you’re from Pittsburgh, let me know!

SONG OF SUMMER: Book Review

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This week, I’ll be discussing the YA contemporary novel, SONG OF SUMMER, by Laura Lee Anderson. (Purchase on amazon here.)

It’s a really sweet novel, told in alternating POV of the couple, Robin and Carter. In doing so, the author is able to let the reader into the minds of both parts of a developing summer romance. We feel their instant attraction, their hesitation at trusting each other, and the moments when they’re totally heads over heels.

In other words, it’s adorable. The book is also a fascinating look into how people communicate with each other. Teens, especially, are full of secret beliefs and carefully constructed lies that they refuse to tell anyone, even someone they’re dating. Song of Summer’s main couple, in fact, risks their relationship with the number of things left unsaid.

Robin is a small town musician and a waitress during the summer. Music flows in her veins. It’s everything to her. Carter is a big city cool kid (with a motorcycle!) on vacation at the fancy Chautauqua Institute, a mile away from Robin’s home. He’s also deaf.

Despite their differences, they find something that they’re sure is true love. However, like all summer romances, there are things that may tear them apart. I flew through the second half of the book, wondering how it ended.

So, that’s the plot in a nutshell. But I also wanted to discuss another aspect of the book that I LOVED.

THE COVER!

The cover was done by Jenny Zemanek.

It’s adorable, and so perfectly on-point for a beach read. The font is quirky,and it’s a fun, unique color set , too. As much as I love pink, it’s really nice seeing YA contemporary get covers that don’t look like Hallmark Valentines Day cards.

And here’s the cutest thing about the cover. As I mentioned, the book features a love story between Carter, a deaf teen, and Robin, a musical one.

Look at the bird at the top of the book. bird

He’s inside the headphones. He’s not singing. In fact, one might say, he can’t hear.

And the other bird?

bird 2She’s facing him, outside of the headphones, and singing! Isn’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? I’m really hoping this trend of illustrated covers continues, because they’re beyond adorable.

If you’d like to win your own copy of this book, along with an awesome LUSH bash bomb, check out my giveaway! 

Brooding YA Hero’s Tips to Become a Main Character

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This is a guest post by  Broody McHottiepants, aka @broodingYAhero on twitter.

So. Summer’s half over, right? And you’re stressing because you’re not sure if you’re a main character? Don’t worry. I’m here for you. (Literately. I’m always around when you need me. Except in Chapter 23. I had to skip that one.)

Anyways, here’s a list of the top seven ways you can achieve main character status before school starts up again. Not in school because your dystopian society has forced to you duel love interests to the death instead? Or maybe you’re an immortal assassin who’s too busy uncovering conspiracies about love interests to go to school? That’s okay, these tips still can help.

Broody, himself

BROODY’S 7 TIPS TO BECOME A MAIN CHARACTER BY THE END OF SUMMER

1.  Move. To England. Or a remote small town in America.  Or Canada. Or New York City. Or out of your room. Preferably somewhere you won’t have to waste time learning a new language. That gives you more time to reinvent yourself.

2. Get a hobby. The quirkier the better. Goat racing! Plastic bag knitting! Celery painting! This unique skill will certainly lead you towards other quirky characters, and a plot will form around you.

3. Get a destiny/curse/prophecy. These are a little harder to find nowadays, but a good destiny bestowed upon you by a well-meaning magical old lady (or a ominous prophecy from a vengeful Greek god) will grant you main character status every time.

4. Find a place to volunteer. This will let you learn an important lesson about that one character flaw you seem to have, and you’ll emerge at the end of the summer a better person. Also has a high chance of granting you a love interest, should you desire one.

5. Find a magical portal. Check in decrepit buildings, all mirrors, behind ornately carved bookshelves. Inspect all old jewelry, from stuff acquired at a garage sale all the way up to family heirlooms. Maybe do some dusting in the process. You’ll stumble into a gateway to a magical land before long.

6. Roadtrip! Need I say more?

7. Fall in love. This is a risky one. Summer romances don’t always grant you permanent main character status. Better to cross paths with a mysterious stranger, who will just happen to be enrolling in your school that fall. Proceed with caution, least you stumble into a Grease remake.

Alright then. You’ve got the advice. Now, excuse me, I have an old car I have to go work on, while blasting classic rock, and brooding about how no one will ever understand me. Very time consuming. Best of luck. You’ll find me in the halls of school this fall, ignoring you and skipping class.

Want more Brooding YA Hero? He’s on Twitter here and Tumblr here, and all his appearances on other sites are kept here.

Want to interview him or feature him on your site? Contact him at broodingyahero@gmail.com