Laugh or Die!

Sometimes we just need something to make us laugh. It's easy to stress when life gets in the way, when obligations and responsibilities trample passions, and all you feel like you did was get through another day. Those days happen...and sometimes they seem too frequent. When you stress it's easy to shut down creatively. I know all too well. What's the best medicine...what has the doctor always prescribed?

Laughter!

I've been feeling too serious lately and needed a good laugh, and here are a few videos that have given me a good dose of the chuckles (should not be taken with alcohol). Enjoy. :)  

YA Book Adaptations I'm Excited About!

There are a lot of young adult books in the pipeline to be converted into the next big blockbusters. I loved The Hunger Games and am looking forward to Catching Fire, with a scheduled release for November. But there are two new YA trilogies coming to the big screen in 2014 that I'm excited about:

The Maze Runner, written by James Dashner

 
The Maze Runner is an exciting dystopian adventure/mystery where a group of teenage boys with no memory of their former lives live on a self-sufficient compound (nicknamed "the Glade"), surrounded by a colossal maze, which houses unspeakable horrors. Then a girl is brought into the compound, which (as to be expected) changes everything... The maze, which used to close at night, now remains open. The Grievers can come into the Glade. Alby and Teresa have a telepathic connection, and a mysterious previous relationship. All the rules of the Glade are changing, and power is shifting. The runners must run for their lives to save the group. The Maze Runner has dynamic characters, its own slang, plenty of action, and an ending that will blow you away. It's a great story and I sure hope Hollywood doesn't screw it up. February, 2014

 
Divergent, written by Veronica Roth

Divergent is another dystopian novel set in post-apocalyptic Chicago, where the society is split into five factions, each representing a different value. Everyone is supposed to fit neatly into one faction, but Beatrice Prior is one of the dreaded anomalies--she is divergent (but of course!). It's not long before she discovers secret plots between factions that are certain to tear her seemingly Utopian society apart, promising to destroy everything and everyone she loves. This trilogy is being hailed as the next Hunger Games, and I believe and hope that it is. I found myself more engrossed in the characters and thought the story was more original than The Hunger Games. What I found even more impressive was Divergent was written by a debut author of 22. I have my fingers crossed that this will be a good adaptation. March, 2014


What movie adaptations are you looking forward to?

Indie Life: SUSY Asylum Blog Tour

Indie Life is hosted by the indie authors of the Indelibles as a 2nd Wednesday of the month feature. It is a great way to discover and reach out to other indie authors--authors working hard and turning their dreams into reality. Share your thoughts and experiences with being an indie author, and speak with like-minded souls by visiting the author links below. Click HERE to sign up for Indie Life.

The blog tour for my second book, SUSY Asylum, is shaping up nicely, and only a short two months away. It may seem a long way off, but the months have been flying by, so I know October 14th will arrive in a flash. I have booked my tour through Candace at CBB Book Promotions, and she's putting together a great list of blogs, a good number of which participated in my first tour. I'm excited that a majority of the bloggers who read and reviewed Provex City enjoyed it enough to want to continue in the series. Click on the banner below if you'd like to visit the SUSY Asylum Blog Tour page.

It's a lot of work getting the guest posts and interviews finished, not to mention mailing all the review copies. The other big thing I NEED to get finished before the start of the tour is setting up my quarterly newsletter and the free gift short story for those who are gracious enough to sign up. The tour will act as a great kick start for newsletter signups to help me develop an email list of readers. So my goal is to have everything related to the newsletter done by October 1st.

What new indie insights are you willing to share? What goals have you set for the next month? As always, thanks for reading!

IWSG Wednesday: SCBWI Summer Conference

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Wednesday. Thank you again to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the creator of the group. The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to this group of supportive writers. If it's something you're not familiar with, then please click on Alex's link above for more information and to sign up!

This past weekend was the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Summer Conference at the beautiful Hyatt Regency on the edge of Beverly Hills. There were about 1300 attendees from (I believe) 46 states and 14 countries. And with all those people swarming the hotel, I found fellow blogger, Morgan Shamy, within ten minutes of arriving! It was great to meet her and discuss all the joys and woes of writing with her and her blogging friend, Ryan Dalton. So for the first time in three years, I didn't have to walk into the ballroom and find a seat alone.

There is always an amazing lineup of keynote speakers, but my favorites this year were Laurie Halse Anderson, Jon Scieszka, and Matt de la Pina. I loved Laurie's speech so much I attended one of her breakout sessions that extended halfway into lunch, though no one seemed to mind. She's also a children's book writer with the voice and potty mouth of a Drill Sergeant--quite entertaining. One big takeaway I got from her was the commitment to write at least 15 minutes every day to build discipline and momentum. There are so many days with huge time constraints and prior commitments, but you can always find 15 minutes (if you're committed). I needed to hear that.

The other new experience I had at this conference was receiving a professional consultation from a literary agent. I had the pleasure of meeting with Jennifer Azantian, from Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. She gave me feedback on the first chapter of my new story, Project Winter. Overall, she seemed to enjoy it and expressed that the story had a unique and marketable concept. I have to admit that I've been procrastinating on this project, anxious of what comments would come from my consultation. It was a great experience and I'm excited to continue writing. Thanks, Jennifer!

And if you read Morgan's recap of the SCBWI conference earlier this week, you may remember her mentioning a "table war" with Arthur A. Levine. Well...it was less of a war and more of an immediate surrender. Sorry, Morgan...haha. We were hungrily searching for a table to eat our lunch at a nearby food court. There were blood-thirsty lunch lurkers everywhere diving for tables at just the hint of someone about to stand up. And then as fate would have it after a fortnight of searching, we found an empty portion of a table. Just as we were about to sit down, Morgan looked over at two men approaching and stepped away from the table saying, "I can't steal a seat from you." [may not be an actual quote...but it's close] The men were hesitant, but eventually graciously took our seats. I was like, what just happened? As we walked away to find another elusively empty table, Morgan told me that one of the men was Arthur A. Levine (the guy who published the American editions of Harry Potter). Oh... Now I understood. We should have gotten autographs--or left a manuscript on the table.

Well, my August is off to a great start. How about yours?

Summer Giveaway Hop 2013!

August 1st to 7th
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer , BookHounds

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my giveaway! I'm so excited for the opportunity to participate in this blog hop and offer one lucky winner a $15 Amazon gift card to go toward the next book on your summer reading list.

Here are the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:

1. You must be a follower of this blog. Just click the Join this Site box below "Followers" on the sidebar.
2. You can gain extra entries by following me on Goodreads, Twitter,"liking" my Facebook fan page, adding my books (Provex City and/or SUSY Asylum) to your Goodreads "Want to Read" list, or leaving a comment below.
3. This is open to international followers.
4. This contest runs from August 1 - 7.
5. The winner will be selected on August 8th via Rafflecopter random selection and announced in this post. You will have 48 hours to respond or I will draw another winner. 

Thanks Again & Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, make sure to check out the other blogs participating in this Giveaway Hop, too!

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Unpublished SUSY Asylum Preface

Below is the original, unpublished preface for my second book, SUSY Asylum. After sending the finished book to my CPs, the feedback was that a new beginning would be more effective. I really liked this beginning, and I already had the song for the playlist that fit this opening of the book perfectly. But after a bit of humming and hawing, I look the advice of my readers and wrote a new beginning, which is more action oriented and what I ended up publishing. I still have a special connection to this opening, so here it is for your reading pleasure.

Original SUSY Asylum Preface

There were still blood stains on the concrete where he had taken his last steps and collapsed. Desiree was powerless to her memory of the gruesome final moments of Kafka Lorne’s life––the end of Oliver’s bogeyman. She was cold and alone on the observation deck of Lorne Tower. She could almost see the body. She could still feel her own body flying through the air, crashing into the railing––the only thing between her and a thousand foot drop onto the unsuspecting citizens of Provex City. This was one place she never imagined she’d return.

There has to be another way.

She shivered, not from the cold, but from remembering that day, sure it would be her last. It had only been a month since she last stood on this roof. She’d been trying to return to her ordinary, everyday routine ever since. But her travels to and from Provex City had opened a door she couldn’t reclose. Her realization that there were two separate worlds in shrouded coexistence brought on a barrage of questions. And it was rumored there were more. TJ helped her find Provex City the first time, and then he disappeared. It was the second time he’d neglected to say goodbye.

Desiree pried her eyes from the nauseating stains and inched toward the railing. She gripped the top bar and peered over the edge. The city was so elegant and beautifully lit. She felt so tiny and insignificant. Down below––far below––was a city functioning in perfect harmony.

There has to be another way.

The wind was drowning out her own thoughts. But the voice, the voice she’d heard every time Oliver and she returned to Provex City, led her here. She never told Oliver and she felt guilty for it now. The first time Oliver had come to Provex City, leaving her behind, she’d been devastated. Desiree didn’t know if Oliver would feel the same about her coming here.

The voice was even louder than the wind screaming in her eardrums. Desiree climbed over the railing and shakily stood on the edge of the building, clutching tightly to the top bar. She couldn’t bear to look down. Her muscles were fully flexed like she was holding up her entire bodyweight and more.

There has to be another way.

Desiree stared back at the blood, balancing just inches from where Oliver had nearly lost his life. She was on the outside looking in. Oliver still dangled in midair from Kafka’s vicious grip. It was only a memory now, but it felt like the violence was unfolding in front of her all over again. She couldn’t get the haunting images out of her mind as the scene replayed sadistically over and over. It was a mistake to come here, she thought. She believed. She knew. But the voice said––

There has to be another way.

––to jump.

TJ had made his choice and she’d made hers.

Desiree closed her eyes and let go of the railing. She felt her weightless body slide back and take flight.

The Sound of Inspiration

I'm constantly on the lookout for new songs that inspire my writing. I love making playlists that whisk me away to another world, into the worlds of my stories where I can be an onlooker--the observer (yes, that's a Fringe reference)--and record the action as it unfolds with the magic of fiction.

Though with the search for something new, I sometimes forget about the familiar and the power it can hold. Finding a familiar song with a new adaptation or arrangement can truly be as amazing as finding a new one. A new take on an old idea can take on a full life of its own.

I found two such songs in this past week, which I've now listened to countless times. One new. One covered. The new song I found was Ellie Goulding's Bittersweet, which is unfortunately only available on the Breaking Dawn, Part 2 soundtrack (album only). I have very little interest in purchasing the entire album for one song, no matter how much I love it, so I've just been listening to it on YouTube.

The covered song I found is an amazingly ethereal rendition of Elliott Smith's Twilight. It's one of my favorite Elliott Smith songs (which I put on my SUSY Asylum playlist), but this harp version gives it new life. 

Maybe these songs will inspire new stories of your own or just provide a few minutes of relaxation and appreciation for what beauty is present all around us. Either way, I hope you enjoy them. Happy listening & happy writing!