All Things Young Adult

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan Book Review

2012-01-17T21:35:00.000-06:00

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Paperback, 310 pages
Published July 2009 by Gollancz (first published March 10th 2009)
ISBN0575090855 (ISBN13: 9780575090859)
literary awards: Junior Library Guild selection, TAYSHAS High School Reading List (2010), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Series (2009)

Author's Website: http://www.carrieryan.com

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this one. I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover. I really feel that it deserved a 4.5 stars, but that isn't an option on Goodreads. I was sucked into the story very quickly, and remained that way throughout the book. Ms. Ryan did a good job of world building, but I felt that there were a tad few too many loose ends by the end of the book. I am hoping that more of them are tied up by the end of book number 2. I would definitely recommend this book.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

My Favorite College Meal - Other than Pizza of course!

2011-07-17T19:14:00.001-05:00

It hasn't been that long since I was in college, less than a year actually. I went off and on for longer than I ever wanted to, but that is another story.

Anyway......

The point of this post is that I made a dinner tonight that I cooked a lot while I was in college.

Why????

Because it was cheap, decently healthy, and quick. I thought that I might share it with you.

Ingredients:

1 Chicken Breast $1.50
1 Package of Chicken Flavored Ramon Noodles $0.25
1/2 Bag of Frozen Mixed Veggies $0.50
2 Cups Water
Butter
Pepper

Total Cost = $2.25! For our family of 3, I doubled the amount so I fed all 3 of us for under $5!

Directions:

Saute chicken in butter. When cooked completely, add water, veggies, pepper, noodles, and seasoning from noodles. Cook until noodles and veggies are coked. Eat and enjoy.

So for the cost of a McDouble and small fry, I have a much healthier dinner with chicken and veggies. Now, a word of caution, there is a lot of sodium in the noodle seasoning, so I do not advice adding additional salt. My veggies that were in my soup tonight, actually game out of my garden that I love so much, so I actually just paid for the chicken and noodles!

So no more excuses about having to grab McDonald's during your late night cram sessions. My dinner took all of 10 minutes max and cost the same. If you live in a dorm that doesn't allow hot plates or stoves, don't fret. They make precooked chicken that can be popped in the microwave, but it will cost more.

Enjoy!

No more plain Ramon Noodles.

What's your favorite college meal?

Mandy Nachampassack-Maloney - Author Interview

2011-05-29T09:34:00.000-05:00

I have a special treat for you guys today......

Today I have author Mandy Nachampassack-Maloney here for an interview.

Mandy is the author of the of YA novel - Asha in Time, which will be available for purchase June 1st in e-book format.

She was a normal girl with two normal parents, growing up normally in a small town far away from her fundamentalist adoptive grandparents. The only abnormal thing about Svana was that her parents believed her biological father was a sword wielding would-be murderer, but that’s their little secret not meant to be talked about in polite company.

She was just about to celebrate her thirteenth birthday (in a normal fashion for a normal soon-to-be teenager) when everything went abnormally wrong. Svana, the child who was always encouraged to be average, was about to become something far more than that. She was being called to her destiny, whether or not her mother thought that was appropriate.

For, in ancient Egypt, thirteen was a magical number. At thirteen, a girl was a woman. At thirteen, a girl owned her own body, her own future. At thirteen, a girl should have been thinking of marriages and babies, occupations and household making. At thirteen, a girl was encouraged to tempt fate and future with her own seductive hands. Svana was called to learn these things and learn them quickly, as a far larger plan was being set in motion all around and because of her.

Svana is just one of the many female characters introduced in “Asha in Time,” a YA novel that reawakens one of the most golden ages in Egyptian lore. Svana, the sable haired, exotic pariah of the modern day, found that her thirteenth birthday would bring with it the chance to take her place in history as a queen. Yet, she would have to adopt every extraordinary aspect of Egyptian culture to take up that role she was fated for and, most difficult of all, she would have to lose her heart to one of the most powerful, determined teenage kings to have ever breathed. Only the strongest among women could shoulder that yoke and Svana, after all, was only thirteen.

*******************************************************************************

Asha in Time Book Trailer

*******************************************************************************

Are you ready for more?

Sure you are........

Now on with the interview.

Mandy. Thank you so much for doing an interview. Could you please tell us what inspired your story?

Honestly, the first scenes were inspired by a terrible nightmare I had, one that I just couldn't shake for days. The dream was so vivid, and fixating on it apparently helped me visualize the first scenes of the book and imagine how it would feel if the ancient world abruptly interrupted a very ordinary modern life.

Why ancient Egypt?

Ancient Egypt has always fascinated me, especially her women. When we look through history and see figures such as Kleopatra, Charmion, Hatshepsut, Nefertari, and Ahhotep we must note there is something in the society, whether it be early on or in the later stages after adapting to Greek influence, which allowed these women to be such strong, imposing forces. I think we could learn so much from them, their power, and their inability to be frightened of a man’s world.

Do you have the same personality or traits as Svana or is there something about her that you'd love to have in your personality?

While Svana and I are similar in certain ways (I’ve been a lifelong dancer just like her) she’s mostly her own entity and much more giving and accepting than I could ever be. What I really wish I had of hers is her ability to create music. I’ve never been able to play, even though I think that music, like words, has the power to move people beyond themselves.

Have you always written or was it a more recent career choice?

I’m a habitual writer and reader. While I haven’t always been writing professionally, I’ve always written for pleasure. I wrote short stories as a kid, and while they were mostly dreadful bits of writing it always helped me focus. It’s always been part of me.

Awesome cover by the way. What is your favorite part about it?

My favorite part of the cover is the figure emerging from the water. She’s so ambiguous and so full of light. That could really describe most of the women in Asha in Time. I like that even I don’t know who she really is meant to be.

Do you have a website?

Yes, it can be viewed at www.marrymemandy.com/author.html. Come visit me!

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

Starting June 1^st of 2011 it will be available on Kindle and Nook enabled devices.

Quick-fire questions just for fun :D

chocolate or vanilla? vanilla

early bird or night owl? night owl

dog or cat? dog

ebooks or traditional? both

Thanks again Mandy for stopping by. Good luck with your writing adventures!

What's Coming Next?

2011-03-29T13:26:00.000-05:00

Hey there. This video is a quick update to let you know what will be coming up soon!

Some of the books in my pile to read:

THE VIRTUAL LIFE OF LEXIE DIAMOND by Victoria Foyt

THE IRON WITCH by karen Mahoney

THE CADENCE OF GYPSIES by Barbara Casey

NIGHTSHADE by Andrea Cremer

TEN MILES PAST NORMAL by Frances O'Roark Dowell

I'll be doing give aways, and reviews very soon. Stay tuned and thanks for visiting!

Have you read any of these? Would love to hear your opinions.

140 Character Pitch Contest - EXPIRED!

2011-03-01T06:43:00.001-06:00

I've found another contest that I think that you should enter or at least spread the word about.

Michael Carr of Veritas Literary Agency has offered to hold a 140 character pick contest. He is looking for anything MG, YA, or Adult.

Here's the basics of the contest:

Starts - March 1st, 2011 (whenever she opens it so keep an eye on the site & only 1st 75 are getting through)
Blog about contest
Tweet about contest
Submit your 140 character pitch
Submit first 3 sentences of your manuscript.

Pretty easy huh?
Again full details can be found here.

Organizing the Bookcase

2011-02-24T20:09:00.000-06:00

Definitely watch this video. I was amazed. I wish I had the patience to do something like this. So creative and time consuming!

Check out the awesome giveaway

2011-02-07T14:58:00.000-06:00

From time to time when I come across a great book giveaway I'll post about it. Well, I found one. Check it out

Tons of books and a Nook being given away!

Need an agent? Pay it forward contest

2011-02-04T08:24:00.001-06:00

I'm so excited about todays post. I am entering Shelli's contest at Market My Words Blog, and I think that you should too!

Shelli is holding a contest, in which she will pick a winner and suggest her agent, Alyssa Henkin at Trident Media, read your novel. How awesome is that?

Here's the breakdown (Please see official rules here though):

Contest runs from Jan. 31st @ 9am EST till Feb. 4th at 5pm EST.
(sorry that it ends today, and I'm just now posting about it, but life happens and I just remembered to put the post up. sorry again.)

#1 - write a 4 sentence pitch

Top 5 will be picked

Those top 5 will be asked to send in a full query

Top 2 or 3 will be chosen.

Those top 2 or 3 will get a free query critique and asked to send in Chapters 1 - 3 of their novel.
One winner will be chosen to be recommended to Shelli's agent, Alyssa Henkin at Trident Media.

Part of entering means recognizing a person who has helped me in my writing. Problem is, I can't pick just one. I have to say that is is all of my critique partners at Absolute Write. I don't know where I would be without those guys. I really don't. They have been with me every step of the way, and are always there to lend a virtual shoulder to cry on or have a virtual party to celebrate my accomplishments. Thank you so much for taking me into the open arms of the OPWFT thread!

I've been featured!

2011-01-30T21:11:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited to announce that All Things Young Adult has been featured by Tina Williams, who is an entrepreneur and women's advocate! Her website is full of tips on how to own your own business and uplifting encouragement. Please check it out and leave a comment!

http://www.tinawilliams.biz/Business-of-the-Month.html

Win A Copy - The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins - Book Review too

2011-01-30T10:38:00.010-06:00

Contest is now closed! Winner Announced!!!!!

Winner is SAGE!

You have 48 hours to email me back with your address

or another winner will be drawn.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins - Book Review and Giveaway!

Author: Jeanine Cummins http://jeaninecummins.com/
Publisher: New American Library http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/adult/nal.html
ISBN 13: 978-0-451-22948-9

# Of Pages: 360

Ireland, 1959: Young Christopher Hurley is a tinker, a Pavee Gypsy who roams with his father and extended family from town to town, carrying all their worldly possessions in their wagons. Christy carries with him a burden of guilt as well, haunted by the story of this mother's death in childbirth.

The wandering life is the only one Christy has ever known, but when his grandfather dies, everything changes. His father decides to settle briefly in a town, where Christy and his cousin can receive proper schooling and prepare for their first Communions. But still, always, they are treated as outsiders.

As Christy struggles to find his way amid the more conventional lives of his classmates, he starts to question who he is, and where he belongs. But then the discovery of an old newspaper photograph and a long-buried secret from his moth's mysterious past change his life forever....

I wasn't sure if I would like The Outside Boy to be honest because I'm not usually a literary fiction kind of gal, but I was asked to read it, so I gave it a try. I am so glad that I did. I really enjoyed reading about the gypsy community from the point of view of Christy. It was awesome to see his struggles, his triumphs, his way of life, the pros, and the cons. It was an interesting read in deed.

I did trip up a little on some of the language used in the book. But after some digging around on Jeanine's site, I found a pronunciation guide with definitions. It helped out a ton. Please check it out, if you find yourself having trouble with some of the words that are used.

The main that that made me really like this book was the voice. Christy was such a unique character and it totally shined through and hooked me. I found myself really relating to the voice in this book.

Have you read, The Outside Boy? Please let me know your opinions of it!!!

And....

Also, Jeanine Cummins was awesome and did an interview for me. Check it out here.

And.......

I'm giving away my copy of The Outside Boy. The contest will run until Sunday, February 13th, 2011 at 5pm central standard time. Please feel out this form and leave a comment for your chance to win. Good luck!

Interview with Jeanine Cummins-Author of The Outside Boy

2011-01-30T09:00:00.002-06:00

Thank you again, Jeanine for not only letting me

review your book, The Outside Boy, but also letting me interview you.

Jeanine Cummins has been wonderful to work with. She took the time to do an interview for you guys. Enjoy.

Also, please check out her website: www.jeaninecummins.com there is a ton of cool stuff to see.

I had the pleasure of reading The Outside Boy which was a wonderful piece of literary fiction. It is the first novel that Jeanine Cummins has published, but not her first book. She is also the author of A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath, which was a bestselling memoir of a true crime.

Before I read the book, I asked Jeanine Cummins how she came up with the concept of The Outside Boy. I was very impressed by her response of :

" I was always fascinated by the Irish Travelling Community, and curious about them. When I lived in Ireland, it struck me as odd that a subculture of people within Ireland, who were just as Irish as anybody else, could retain such outsider status. Ireland is such a friendly country, but the relations between the travelling community and the mainstream Irish culture are quite strained. I just wanted to learn more about their culture and their community. I wanted to understand what makes them so "other," and I wanted to explore that "otherness" in a story that would make them more accessible. I feel like Christy is such a loveable character - I hope he's a good ambassador for the travellers."

Reading this, gave me a sense of understanding about the characters in the book.

Now on with some more questions.........

1. Who is your favorite character in The Outside Boy and why?

Oh, I feel like this is such an obvious answer, but it has to be Christy. I love his curiosity, and his sense of determination. I love that he doesn't just take what life hands to him - in the moments when he feels grief or confusion, he always finds a way to improve his situation, just through pure grit and perseverance. I also think he's tremendously brave - the way he remains true to himself, even at times when it would easier for him to pretend to be someone else. Christy never takes the easy path in life - instead, he makes the riskier, and ultimately more rewarding, choices. Oh, and he's sort of funny, too.

2. What is your favorite color?

Green. Green Bay Packers. Ireland. Broccoli. What's not to love?

9. What is your favorite quote?

Everything Mark Twain ever said. Especially this: "We write frankly and fearlessly but then we "modify" before we print.

10. What is your favorite food?

I could never choose just one. I LOVE food. Top five: donuts, navratan korma, salad (I know - weird, right?), cheese, and chocolate

11. What advice to you have for authors who want to have their books published?

Work very hard. Write a rough draft, then re-write, re-write, re-write. Networking is key, too - reach out to other authors! There are so many great resources nowadays - twitter and facebook and blogs. Grow relationships with your fellow writers, and you can help each other on your way.

Well, that is all of the questions that I had for Jeanine Cummins. Big thanks again for participating, Jeanine.

Please feel free to check out my book review of The Outside Boy and enter for your chance to win a copy of the book.

Writer's Resource Video - Intro to blog

2011-01-20T12:00:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited to introduce a new section to my website. It is a Writer's Resource Section. I will be posting videos, resources link, and more there. I will post videos in both the main section and in the Writer's Resources section. I hope that you enjoy.

shadowland - book #3 in the Immortals Series by Alyson Noel Book Review

2011-01-19T14:09:00.001-06:00

shadowland - book #3 in the Immortals Series by Alyson Noel

Author: Alyson Noel http://www.alysonnoel.com/

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin http://www.stmartins.com/

ISBN 13: 978-0-312-59044-4

# Of Pages: 339

Ever and Damen have traveled through countess past lives- and fought off the world's darkest enemies- so they could be together forever. But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen... one that could destroy everything. Now a single touch of their hands or soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death- plunging Damen into the Shadowland. Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick- and gets help from an unexpected source- a surfer named Jude.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past. She's always believed Damen to be her sould mate and one true love- and she still believes it to be true. But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever's connection with Jude grows stronger- and tests her love for Damen like never before...

Just like blue moon, shadowland had me hooked from the beginning. Alyson Noel does an awesome job of making you fall even deeper in love with Ever, Damen, Haven, Miles, and now the hot surfer Jude. I found myself engrossed in the new love triangle that runs throughout the book. I couldn't decide whether to root for Damen or Jude.

I was on the edge of my seat the whole book.

Shadowland, also had many twists and turns that I didn't expect to find. Once again, Alyson Noel did a great job of keeping me guessing what would possibly happen next. She surprised me with the turn of almost every page.

This book has everything that a YA paranormal enthusiast wants: creepy weird identical twins, other worlds, psychics, immortals, mysterious red drinks, auras, mind reading, loss, death, love, races against time, and so much more.

I finished shadowland in three days. It was slightly longer than blue moon, but I had a ton going on while trying to read it so it took longer than usual. I really found it hard to put it down. I ran out the next week and grabbed book #4 in the series.

I highly recommend this series.

Please feel free to check out the Immortals website, it has videos, excerpts, free short story, and much much more. Also, has a gorgeous layout that I am very jealous of!

Have you read, shadowland? Please let me know your opinions of it!!!

New Look

2011-01-16T11:48:00.002-06:00

Hey guys. I am working on several things for my site.

#1 - Did you notice the shiny new domain name? Yep, that's right; I dove in and bought my own personal domain name. It's something that I told myself I would do if I was still writing 1 year after starting. You can type in old address and it will still take you here.

#2 - Did you notice my new layout and design.

Please bare with me while I try to figure out my design and layout. Things may be wonkey around here for a while but once it's finished, it will be awesome :) At least I hope. I think that I have all the bugs worked out but please let me know if something isn't working correctly.

Should Writer's Complain?

2011-01-12T08:49:00.001-06:00

More specifically should published writer's complain?

That was the question of Author Jody Hedlund's blog post today.

Jody is the author of The Preacher's Bride

Here is a snip taken directly from her blog post this morning:

"Should everyone just stop complaining at the risk of offending someone else? Or are there positive ways that we can handle sharing our hardships? Here are just a few of my ideas:

1. Share our difficulties but look for ways to encourage others through our experiences. One of the things people tell me they like about my blog is that I’ve been transparent about the publication process. I’ve tried to share both the good and the bad so that writers everywhere can have a realistic picture of the journey and hopefully find encouragement and insights for themselves. In other words, we can use what we’re learning from our hardships to help others.

2. Make sure we’re positive and willing to empathize with others as much (or more) than we complain about our own circumstances. Every once in a while we need to stop and evaluate how we’re coming across. If our tweets and posts are mostly negative, then perhaps we need to look at ways we can change the tone.

3. Feel the freedom to speak up and be honest about our problems, but also know when to be silent. Social media allows us to put up facades, type smiley faces and use exclamation points, even on those horrible days when we’re wearing a permanent frown. I’m not advocating lying about our bad days and always having a Pollyanna attitude. But sometimes it’s okay to be professionally silent.

4. Share a little with many; share a lot with a few. In other words we should be wise in what we choose to share on our blogs and with the public. I share openly and honestly on my blog, but I don’t divulge everything. I only dump it all on a few closest friends."

Her blog post got me thinking. I knew that I wanted to comment but I wasn't exactly sure what my feelings were. I was pretty mixed about the whole situation. As you know, I'm not published. I want to be desperately but it just hasn't happened yet. It will but just not yet. The unpublished writer in me had certain feelings but the will be published one day writer had other feelings as well. I read her post a 2nd time and really tried to think through my honest feelings.

I began thinking these questions:

What would I do in that situation?
How would I feel if I heard this?
How would I feel if I was having negative feelings but didn't think that I could express them?
How would I view the situation if it was a different profession?
What were my views before I educated myself about the profession?

The more that I thought and though about the situation, the more I realized that my feelings were not as mixed as I thought. Here is what I came up with:

What would I do in that situation?

I don't really know because I'm not in that situation, but I think that I would have both positive and negative feelings about it. I'm optimistic but not unrealistic.

The way I see it is no one ever loves their job 100% of the time. There are days when people call out sick because they just don't want to go in. There is that annoying coworker that drives you crazy. The commute sucks. There is something about it. Even if you love your job 99% of the time, there is still that 1% were you aren't happy and that is ok.

I love to write but there are times when I can't or don't want to and I post about it. I think that it is ok because at some time or another, everyone dislikes their job for some reason or another. How would I feel if I heard this?

How would I feel if I was having negative feelings but didn't think that I could express them?

This one was easy. I would feel trapped. We all need to express our feelings both negative and positive. It is how we become emotionally healthy (see my college education is paying off. I actually am able to use one of those facts that I learned).
I would hope that I would be able to express my feelings no matter what to my writer friends at least, in a professional way.

How would I view the situation if it was a different profession?

This one was easy too because I've already been through this. I have never worked a job were 100% of the people are 100% satisfied with their job. As long as they were not complaining a ton or being completely unprofessional or unrealistic, I did not mind.

What were my views before I educated myself about the profession?

I'm going to be honest before I got into this business I thought that the road to publication was this #1 write a book, which would be easy because you just tell your story, #2 find an agent who loves it right away, because you write such a wonderful and perfect story that it has to happen, #3 get published, which is easy because they will love everything about it, #4 make loads of money, because you will get a big fat advance and sell a million copies and make tons of royalties.

Man oh man, how naive I was.

#1 Write a book - It's not easy. It is hard. It is fun, aggravating, stressful, awesome, painful, painless, and 100 other feelings all jumbled into one. I never thought about the rounds and rounds of edits that have to be done, the plot holes that have to be filled, the characters that you have to kill off to correct the story, and everything else. You spend hours and hours and hours writing and creating your baby, just to have to go through with a red pen and rip it to shreds.
#2 find an agent - Sometimes it's easy but most of the time it's not. You could have the best story in the world but you have to find an agent who loves it as much as you do, has the right contacts, and is willing to work hard to make your story even better. You have a query letter to write, pages to submit, edits to do, learn from rejections, and much much more. Some agents love your concept but hate your voice. Some don't want to put in the time it would take to sell your novel because they are on the fence. It might not be the right time for the book. You name it and it might happen. I know many writer's who have sent out hundreds of query letters on numerous books. I have read much of their stuff and love it, but it just hasn't found the RIGHT agent for the book yet. The key word is RIGHT.
#3 get published- Same as the agent. You have to find the RIGHTeditor. Not everyone will love your book or want to put the money into publishing it. At this stage, it like trying to find an agent all over again. It can take loads of time and energy. Editors might want rewrites before deciding.
#4 make loads of money- I have realized now that this is probably not going to happen any time soon. I have learned that you can't count on royalties at the stage that I'm in so might as well forget that. Eventually it might happen, but odds are not soon.

I now know thanks to all the authors who are awesome and honest that those are the steps but there are tons tons tons more in between (both good and not so good). That scares me but it also lets me know that it is to be expected and if I get 10 rejections or don't get any requests till my 10 novel it is ok. Sucks but ok. It is normal. I personally love to hear both sides of the story. I wish that more authors and people in general were honest with their journey's through life. I'm not happy that it takes authors a long time and many novels to get published. Actually that fact scares the hell out of me because I'm not there yet, and I don't want to suffer long and hard for this. I'm willing to if that is what it takes, but I'm going to wish it upon myself.

I'm not saying that it won't hurt or that I am settling but I know that I should keep on writing if this happens. It is ok. If I keep learning, it will work out.

I'm sure being published is 1000x harder than not. There are many more pressures that I can think of that are put on you from other people and from yourself. When you are unpublished, you want to be published more than anything. I can see how when it happens, things change. There are new rules, new standards, new pressures, new challenges, new avenues to venture down, new deadlines, new book tours to do (both online and off), new interviews to keep up with, new emails.... you get the point. It's just a different aspect of the job.

Wow that was a long post but I had to get all of that out.

What are your thoughts? I'm interested to see what you think. Also, check out her full post and share your thoughts there too.

Here's to 2011

2011-01-07T22:33:00.000-06:00

I have been MIA lately and I'm truely sorry for that. I have had a crazy end of the year.

What the end of 2010 brought me:

I graduated Middle Tennessee State University

*Yes, after 7 years of going off and on I finally did it. In totaly I actually went 5 years so that is still pretty average, but it's been a long time coming.*

Oh and I went with this photo for my invitations. Thanks for all the comments and helping me decide

I survived NaNoWriMo. I didn't win but I am so glad that I participated. I met a ton of great writers and had a blast while doing it. I also realized that I was actually able to write 10K a day if I really pushed myself and had a whole day and night of time for myself. I wrote around 30K during nano and really only wrote about 12 days out of the whole month (life got in the way). Very impressive wordcount for myself. I am usually a 1K a day writer. I will definitely be joining again next year.
My hubby turned another year older and my little baby isn't so little anymore. He just turned 2 and I was much more emotional about it than I thought I would be. I still can't believe I have a two-year-old now.

Have to add a photo of my cutie here. He was really 1 1/2 here but I haven't uploaded photos from my camera in a while.

Add in Christmas and New Years and you can see that things have been super busy.

What I hope 2011 brings:

Time to blog regularly
A finished novel
An agent
A publishing contract
Continued inspiration
Health
A job (student loans will be rolling in soon since I graduated unfortunately)
Lots of time with my family and friends
Great books to read and review
and so much more that I not going to bore you any longer.

I have many things planned for this year and I hope that you stay tuned and enjoy the ride with me.

1/2 Way There

2010-11-17T22:09:00.000-06:00

Hello fellow YA lovers!

So much going on lately. I am in the midst of NaNoWriMo and feel like I am drowning. I am super behind but oddly, I like it that way. I'm enjoying pushing my head back above water. To all of my other NaNo writers, keep at it. We can do it

*raises axe and lets out a battle cry*

It is going to be quiet around here until NaNo is over; just to warn you.

I do have several posts up my sleeve once I come back to the world of the living. I have two interviews set up and reviews of books that I am dying to read. I will have giveaways and much much more. Stay tuned and I will be back before you know it.

Oh, and I took some new graduation/author photos. What do you think? Which is your favorite?

*plunges head back under water and begins typing away*

Do You NaNoWriMo?

2010-10-27T08:51:00.000-05:00

Do you NaNoWriMo?

"I do! I do!" Well, I guess I should put "I will! I will!"

This will be my first year participating in NaNoWriMo and I am beyond excited.

(See I'm so excited that I even took photos of me hanging flyers at Middle Tennessee State University. Please don't laugh at me standing there with messed up hair and no makeup on my face. School days and having a kid now don't mix. I do well to make sure that my shoes are on the right feet somedays)

What is NaNoWriMo?
It is a online collaboration of writers trying to each write a 50,000-word novel from scratch in 30 days! It begins November 1st and ends at midnight on November 30th.

******I know this might sound outlandish to you. It did to me at first too, but the more that I considered the pros and cons of participating, it was a hands down choice to sign on up. I know that you have a billion other things going on in your life right now, but how many times have you ever thought about righting a novel? If you are like a majority of the population, you have thought about it more than once. Today is the day to stop saying "One day, I'd like to write a novel. Today is the day to decide to actually write that novel.******

"Ok I'm interested, what do I win?"

I'm glad that you asked. Here is the information taken directly from the NaNoWriMo website.

The actual winning process works like this: From 12:00:01 AM, local time, November 25 until 11:59:59 PM, local time, on November 30, all participants who have written more than 50,000 words can have their winning word counts verified by our site. Uploading your novel to the Word Count Validator makes your NaNoWriMo victory official, gets you listed on our Winners Page, and routes you to the secret spot where you can collect this year's winner's certificate. It will also turn your word count bar purple.

To become a winner, first make sure that you have written a manuscript that is 50,000 words or longer. Then sign in to the site, click on Edit Profile, then scroll down to the area labeled Word Count Validator. Copy and paste your entire novel into this box. Then hit the "Submit" button, and prepare for your accolades.

We understand that you may be reluctant to upload your novel to a random website, even to one as winsome as ours. If you are using Microsoft Word it is very easy to completely scramble your novel before uploading it in a way that will not affect its word count.

1. Open the file and make a new copy of your novel using 'Save As...'
2. Open the Find and Replace dialog box (Edit -> Replace).
3. Click the "More" button to expand the box.
4. Check the "Use Wildcards" checkbox.
5. In the "Find What" field, put this: [a-zA-Z0-9] (include the square brackets, no spaces before or after)
6. In the "Replace With" field, put this: a
7. Click "Replace All"
8. Select All (Ctrl+A) and Copy & Paste into the validator!

The procedure for Open Office is essentially the same, except that Open Office refers to 'Regular Expressions' instead of 'Wildcards'. (Thanks to Peter Dudley for this advice!)

You can get the same effect in a more cumbersome way by just doing a find-and-replace on every letter in the alphabet, one letter at a time. Open the find-and-replace interface on your word processing program and tell it to replace every "b" in your story with an "a," and every "c" with an "a," then every "d" with an "a." And so on.

We realize that people can cheat and upload something that's not a novel and still "win." But since the only real prize of NaNoWriMo is the self-satisfaction that comes with pulling off such a great, creative feat, we don't really worry too much about people cheating. Those who upload 50,000 words they copied from Wikipedia.org just to see their name on the Winner's page are pitiful indeed, and likely need more help than a downloadable winner's certificate can provide them

.Special Offers

A collection of Wrimo-only offers from righteous companies who donated $5,000 or more to NaNoWriMo in 2010.

Get a free proof copy of your novel! CreateSpace is once again offering all NaNoWriMo winners a free proof copy of your novel in paperback book form. Details will be posted on the CreateSpace siteand on the "Winner's Goodies" page on December 2. CreateSpace also offers a variety of free tools and resources to help you throughout writing and publishing process - find 5 free ways CreateSpace can help you advance your novel now.

20% off Scrivener for Mac for all NaNoWriMo participants Scrivener is an award-winning Mac-only word processor and project management tool that has been enthusiastically adopted by best-selling novelists and novices alike. As a NaNoWriMo 2010 winner, you will be eligible for a 50% discount on Scrivener’s regular licence on either the Mac of NEW Windows platform, available early 2011—see the "Winner's Goodies" page on December 2 for details. And even if you don’t quite make your 50,000 words, you can still get 20% off Scrivener for Mac by entering NANOWRIMO into the coupon code text field in our web store up until December 7th. Special NaNoWriMo trial version now available!

25% off Storyist Storyist is a powerful story development tool for novelist and screenwriters. And it has some great self-publishing features too! Get 25% off Storyist at the Storyist Store through December 12, 2010 using the coupon "NANOWRIMO10". And be sure to download the special NaNoWriMo trial version which allows you to use Storyist for free for the month of November.

Ok, so what now? Hop on over to NaNoWriMo and sign up. You can also find other groups in your area (regions) that are going to have parties, write ins, and support each other. If you want to, you can also look me up and add me to your buddy list erica_henry

So I'll ask again.... Do you NaNoWriMo? Why or why not? If you do please list your user name so I can add you to my buddy list.

Thirst #2 - Book Review

2010-10-10T22:03:00.000-05:00

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Thirst #2 - Book Review

Thirst #2 - Book Review: Includes PHANTOM, EVIL THIRST, & CREATURES OF FOREVER

Author: Christopher Pike

Publisher: Simon Pulse

ISBN 13: 978-1-4169-8309-5

# of Pages: 581

Tears roll over my face, I touch them with my quivering tongue. They are clear and salty, not dark and bloody. Another sign that I am human.

What Alisa has desired for five thousand years has finally come true: She is once again human. But now she is defenseless, vulnerable, and for the first time in centuries, emotional. As she attempts to reconcile her actions as a vampire with her new connection to humanity, she begins to understand the weight of life-and-death decisions. Can Alisa resolve her past and build a new identity, or is she doomed to repeat her fatal mistakes?

After I read, Thirst #1, I went straight out and bought Thirst #2. I scarfed it down as quickly as I could. I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the take on a paranormal romance told through the POV of the vampire. I love how Christopher Pike took a common lore of vampires and changed it to make it his own. I found the fact that he had vampires cry blood and only humans cried tears to be a very need take on the myth. There were also elements in the story that are not normally found in other YA books, but I don't want to go into details about them because I don't want to put any spoilers in here. Christopher Pike really thought outside the box with this story, as well as Thirst #1, and I think that it works.

Christopher Pike does a wonderful job of character development in this one as well. Since I already cared so much for the MC, I couldn't stop turning the page.

I definitely recommend buying this series. It can be found as both a compiled set into two books, like I did, or you can purchase each separate story at some vendors. It will give you hours and hours of reading bliss.

Please make sure to visit Simon Pulse's website & Pulse It website

Have you read the Thirst Series? Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your opinions

2010-10-09T11:19:00.000-05:00

With school starting back, trying to graduate, trying to write, trying to be a mom, trying to be a wife, trying to be a good friend, trying to find time for myself, trying to do homework, and a billion other trying to's, I find myself having a horrible time to find time to be creative, let alone breathe.

I've been thinking a ton about how to better manage my time, because I feel like my blog suffers along with everything else in my life.

There are only so many hours in the day and if this were a book of mine, I'd just cast a spell and add more hours, but this is real life and that will not work.

How do you manage your time? Do you eventually just cut things out of your life? Do you keep a detailed calendar? Do you just wing it?

I need suggestions people :) Please help.

Thirst #1 - Book Review

2010-09-25T09:36:00.000-05:00

Thirst #1 - Book Review: Includes THE LAST VAMPIRE, BLACK BLOOD, & RED DICE

Author: Christopher Pike

Publisher: Simon Pulse

ISBN 13: 978-1-4169-8308-8

# of Pages: 594

As to blood- ah blood, the whole subject fascinates me. I do like that as well, warm and dripping, when I am thirsty. And I am often thirsty...

Alisa has been in control of her urges for the five thousand years she has been a vampire. She feeds but does not kill, and she lives her life on the fringe to maintain her secret. But when her creator returns to hunt her, she must break her own rules in order to survive.

Her quest leads her to Ray. He is the only person who can help her; he also has ever reason to fear her. Alisa must get closer to him to ensure her immortality. But as she begins to fall in love with Ray, suddenly there is more at stake than her own life...

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a pretty thick YA book but kept my attention throughout. I loved the take on a paranormal romance told through the POV of the vampire. It was a really interesting read. There were also elements in the story that are not normally found in other YA books. Christopher Pike really thought outside the box with this story and I think that it works.

Christopher Pike does a wonderful job of character development. I felt like I really got to know the characters and thus cared what was happening to them. At one point, I even found myself feeling sorry for the antagonist.

As soon as I finished reading this book, I went straight out the next day and purchased the other one.

I definitely recommend buying this series. It will give you hours and hours of reading bliss.

Please make sure to visit Simon Pulse's website & Pulse It website

Have you read the Thirst Series? Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your opinions.

Night World #3 - Book Review

2010-09-21T08:31:00.001-05:00

Night World #3 - Book Review: Includes Huntress, Black Dawn, and Witchlight

Author: L.J.Smith

Publisher: Simon Pulse

ISBN 13: 978-1-4169-7450-5

ISBN 10: 1-4169-7450-4

# of Pages: 729

Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters - they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of Night World.

In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World.

Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.

Two witch cousins fight over their highschool crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a pretty thick YA book but kept my attention throughout. My favorite story out of the three was Secret Vampire. I didn't want that story to end.

L.J. Smith does a wonderful job of character development. I felt like I really got to know the characters and thus cared what was happening to them.

The reason that i gave it a 4 out of 5 instead of a full blown 5 was because I personally didn't like the style of the book. I didn't like the 3 separate stories at first but after seeing how they eventually connect in the later books, I understood her reasons for doing that.

As soon as I finished reading this book, I went straight out the next day and purchased the other two.

I definitely recommend buying this series. It will give you hours and hours of reading bliss.

Please make sure to visit L.J. Smith's website and also Simon Pulse's website.

Have you read the Night World Series? Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your opinions.

Night World Series Book #2 - Book Review

2010-08-17T08:00:00.002-05:00

Night World Series Book #2 - Includes: Dark Angel, The Chosen, and Soulmate

by L.J. Smith

Author: L.J.Smith

Publisher: Simon Pulse

ISBN 13: 978-1-4169-7451-2

ISBN 10: 1-4169-7451-2

# of Pages: 662

THE NIGHT WORLD isn't a place. It's all around us. The creatures of Night World are beautiful and deadly and irresistible to humans. Your best friend could be one -- so could your crush.

The laws of Night World are very clear: humans must never learn that Night World exists. And members of Night World must never fall in love with a human. Violate the laws and the consequences are terrifying.

These are the stories about what happens when the rules get broken.

In Dark Angel, Gillian is saved from drowning by her guardian angel. Only visible to Gillian, Angel will fulfill her hearts every desire. But when Angel starts making strange & sinister requests, Gillian must question who he truly is & where he came from.

Armed with a wooden stake, martial arts, and the will to resist a vampire's mind control, Rashel struggles to avenge her mother's death in The Chosen. Then she meets Quinn, her soulmate, who is part of the world she has vowed to destroy.

Hannah receives notes warning her of incredible danger in Soulmate. But if death is her destiny, is the Lord of the Night World's love strong enough to save her?

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a pretty thick YA book but kept my attention throughout. My favorite story out of the three was The Chosen. I didn't want that story to end.

L.J. Smith did a wonderful job of keeping my attention with this series. Even though, this book was about entirely different characters than the first, I still enjoyed it.

The reason that i gave it a 4 out of 5 instead of a full blown 5 was because I personally didn't like the style of the book. I didn't like having 3 separate stories at still but after seeing how they eventually connect in the later books, I understood her reasons for doing that.

As soon as I finished reading this book, I went straight out the next day and purchased the other two.

I definitely recommend buying this series. It will give you hours and hours of reading bliss.

Please make sure to visit L.J. Smith's website and also Simon Pulse's website.

Have you read the Night World Series? I'd love to hear your comments.

Night World Series Book #1 - Book Review

2010-08-16T13:14:00.002-05:00

Night World No. 1 - Includes Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness, and Spellbinder

by L.J. Smith

Author: L.J.Smith

Publisher: Simon Pulse

ISBN 13: 978-1-4169-7450-5

ISBN 10: 1-4169-7450-4

# of Pages: 729

Two witch cousins fight over their highschool crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a pretty thick YA book but kept my attention throughout. My favorite story out of the three was Secret Vampire. I didn't want that story to end.

L.J. Smith does a wonderful job of character development. I felt like I really got to know the characters and thus cared what was happening to them.

The reason that i gave it a 4 out of 5 instead of a full blown 5 was because I personally didn't like the style of the book. I didn't like having 3 separate stories at first but after seeing how they eventually connect in the later books, I understood her reasons for doing that.

As soon as I finished reading this book, I went straight out the next day and purchased the other two.

I definitely recommend buying this series. It will give you hours and hours of reading bliss.

Please make sure to visit L.J. Smith's website and also Simon Pulse's website.

Have you read the Night World Series? Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your opinions.

I'm Still Alive - Quick Catch Up

2010-08-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

Hey guys,
   I am sorry that I haven't had any posts in a while. I have been swamped with other work, unfortunately. I have been working on my novel, doing freelance magazine articles, and beta reading manuscripts for upcoming YA writers.
   I have not forgotten about you guys. I have just not had enough hours in the day to do everything that I need to.
   I will be making some more posts very soon,
   Love,
   Erica Henry

Thirst #1 by Christopher Pike
Thirst #2 by Christopher Pike
Night World No. 1 by L. J. Smith
Night World No. 2 by L. J. Smith
Shadowland by Alyson Noel
and many many more.

Stay Tuned

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel -- book review

2010-07-24T22:04:00.003-05:00

blue moon
Book #2 in the Immortals Series

Title: blue moon

Author: Alyson Noel www.alysonnoel.com

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin www.stmartins.com

ISBN 13: 978-0-312-53276-5

# Of Pages: 284

Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an Immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him. As Ever's powers increase, Damen's begins to fade after he is stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life.

Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland, where she uncovers not only the secrets of Damen's past -- the brutal, tortured history he hoped to keep hidden -- but also an ancient text revealing the workings of time. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family from the accident that claimed them -- or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows weaker by the day...

Just like evermore, blue moon had me hooked from the beginning. Alyson Noel does an awesome job of making you fall even deeper in love with Ever, Damen, Haven, and Miles. I found myself comparing them to 'real' people that I know. I think that the love that Ever and Damen feel for each other is something that we all want one day.

I was on the edge of my seat the whole book. I could feel my stress level go up and up as Ever tries to save Damen.

blue moon, also had many twists and turns that I didn't expect to find. Alyson Noel, did her job by keeping me always guessing what would happen next. She surprised me with the turn of almost every page.

I finished blue moon in one day. I just couldn't put it down. I ran out Friday and grabbed book #3 in the series. I have not started shadowland but will be diving into the world of Ever and Damen very soon.

I highly recommend this series.

Please feel free to check out the Immortals website, it has videos, excerpts, free short story, and much much more. Also, has a gorgeous layout that I am very jealous of!

Have you read, blue moon? Please let me know your opinions of it!!!

Evermore by Alyson Noel - Book Review

2010-07-21T10:43:00.000-05:00

Book #1 in the Immortals Series

Title: evermore

Author: Alyson Noel www.alysonnoel.com

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin www.stmartins.com

ISBN 13: 978-0-312-53275-8

# Of Pages: 301

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste...

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

When I first picked up evermore, I have to admit, it was because of the artwork. Normally, I go for longer books that are part of a series. I guess it's because I tend to read so fast that I want to have a few days worth of pure enjoyment. But I saw the purple washed out girl holding the vibrant red tulips and thought, "Hmm, that looks interesting."

I checked out the back of the book and read the blurb and was hooked. I wanted to know what kind of immortal Damen was. I grabbed the book and headed home.

evermore had me hooked from the beginning. Alyson Noel does an awesome job of making you fall in love with the characters in this series. You feel all the joy, pain, love, and anger that Ever and her friends feel.

This book has everything that a YA paranormal enthusiast wants: psychics, immortals, mysterious red drinks, auras, mind reading, loss, death, love, races against time, and so much more.

I finished evermore in two days and was depressed when it ended. I ran out next paycheck and grabbed book #2 in the series. I highly recommend this series.

Please feel free to check out the Immortals website, it has videos, excerpts, free short story, and much much more. Also, has a gorgeous layout that I am very jealous of!

Have you read, evermore? Please let me know your opinions of it!!!

Quiet Toddler = Chaos

2010-07-14T13:50:00.000-05:00

I was deep into my world of writing when I noticed that things were a bit too quiet in the nursery. Incase you didn't know, quiet toddler usually means that there is no telling what you are going to find them doing. I went to go check it out and found a huge mess.

Apparently notecards and painter's tape are awesome at keeping a toddler's attention so you can write. Who would have thought?

What kinds of things have your little one's gotten into while you were preoccupied?

Novels Take On a Life of Their Own

2010-07-12T21:59:00.000-05:00

I am currently working on my debut Young Adult (YA) novel. This thing is going to make or break me I think.

Here is why:

I was about 4,000 words from draft one being complete when I got stuck. I just couldn't figure out what was wrong or what I wanted to do differently. I just knew that something wasn't right. I just couldn't put my finger on it. I just had that gut feeling that something was off with it.

I took a few days off from writing to let think mull around in my mind because that is normally how things work out for me.

Well, I realized today that I should have done things differently within the story. I should have had different relationships than I do now. I am super excited about the changes that I am about to make BUT I'm not excited that 2/3 of the ms will have to be changed drastically.

I'm not saying that my original story-line wasn't great but I just knew in my gut that it could be better. I'm glad that I have it worked out in my head now. Something told me to hold off on writing and it would click. It did.

My point is, that even though I don't want to tear my dear story to shreds with my red pen, it is something that has to be done. My hand is already trembling at the thought of tattooing my baby with the horrid red ink. I have spent hours upon hours loving my baby and watching it grow but now, it is time to be honest with myself and go with my gut.

I hope that you will love my new story-line and that it will become a cherished book on your bookshelf one day :) If that happens one day then any amount of editing and hours writing will be more than worth it.

New Book Cover

2010-07-12T13:02:00.001-05:00

I played around with Gimp and designed a temporary cover for my current work-in-progress (wip). I find it so inspirational to actually see it. It has made my writing take off (not sure why but I've been writing like a mad woman). I printed it out and stuck it in the front of my notebook to reference my Alexis' (main character's) physical features.

This was the original stock photo that I downloaded

These are the two versions I made. What do you think?

Not to bad if I do say so myself for a first attempt. I am probably going to play around some more using different characters from the story. I think that having a physical representation of my main characters will really help with character development.

I will post more photos when I get them finished.

Also, gimp is a free photo-editing program for both mac and pc users. Think... free photoshop. I bet that caught your attention. Yes it is free! The downside is that the manual is hard to understand. I've had gimp for months and wasn't able to figure out how to do more than lighten and darken a photo using the manual.

Now, in all fairness to the gimp developers, I might just be on the lower end of the learning curve when it comes to photo-editing. I highly recommend checking out some youtube videos and writing down the steps. Please, save yourself a headache and write the steps down. If not, you will find yourself frantically searching for that one video again because you cannot remember what to do next.

Here are some searches that I did on youtube that came up with some pretty awesome tutorials:

gimp tutorials
gimp makeovers
vampire gimp
gimp tutorial (not sure why not having the 's' made a difference but it did)
changing your eyecolor with gimp
changing your haircolor with gimp
photo effects gimp
vampire makeovers gimp

Now get out there and create your next cover (or at least your temporary one until your publisher has one designed for you).

Good & Bad Ways to Write Openings

2010-06-30T09:13:00.003-05:00

I've been doing many hours of studying openings for Young Adult novels and novels in general.

Why?

Because the opening of the story is extremely important! How many times have you walked into a bookstore and picked up a book? How many times have you read a page or two before deciding if you wanted to buy or not? How many times have you put the book down because the first few pages didn't catch your attention? How many times have you purchased the book because you were hooked by chapter 1 and had to know more?

The first page is the most important of your entire story. Chapter 1 will be the most important chapter in the entire novel. That is why I've been studying what makes a good or bad opening.

a way to create a sense of involvement for the reader.

You WANT them to be involved or they will more than likely put your book back on the shelf.

a way to create sympathy for your main character

You WANT them to sympathize for your protagonist. You want the reader to feel your protagonist's pain and want them to win the battle.
You want the story to start with a threatening change to the protagonist's situation.

a place to open a can of worms that creates a catalyst of change for the protagonist and creates an imbalance in his/her world.
a place to give your reader their 1st glimpse of the main character's traits.

These should be consistent throughout the entire story, and linked to the plot.
They should be tested by the events in the story.

a place to foreshadow.
a place to put enough sensory details, setting, and situation to give the reader an understanding of the main character's world.

The key word is ENOUGH. This does not mean bombard your reader with so many details about the setting that their eyes want to pop out of their head. You should give just enough information to give the reader a good understand and connection with the protagonist's world.

This is a compiled list of deal breakers from your potential agent.

Country Roads

A scenic tour without intrigue, tension, or conflict.

DO NOT open with your protagonist driving down a country road or anything similar to that.

Crash Course

Huge amounts of details.

Do not give huge amounts of details about your protagonist or any other character.
You have 20,000+ words to give details throughout the rest of your book.

Prologues that are a Dud

Prologues that make your reader want to fall asleep from boredom.

I'm not saying that your should be anti-prologue.
You should just make sure that it is IMPORTANT to the plot and that it raises questions.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Main character looks into a mirror and describes his/her physical attributes.

Do not have your main character describe their physical traits by looking into a mirror.

Dum-de-dum-de-dum.

Boring, tensionless status quo

I'm not saying be anti-status quo but make sure that there is tension. You need tension to keep your story moving.

Clique beginnings

Enough said about cliques

The only time a clique is ok is if you use a fresh approach and use a good amount of foreshadowing. Still, use cliques sparingly.

Sensationalized/Over-The-Top

Way to explosive

An overly explosive opening will make it hard for the rest of your story to live up to. It will make the rest of the story seem to drag.

Raceway

Way to fast that the reader cannot keep up with the story.

A story, especially Young Adult should be fast paced but it should also have strategically placed slower paced scenes that will give the reader a place to take a breath.

An Ocean of Tears

Way to much melodrama

Melodrama is a good thing when used appropriately. Do not have your main character constantly being melodramatic. This is a major turn off.

A good opening should have all of the following:

Dialogue
Story Question(s)
Suspense
Theme
Setting
Punchy 1st sentence
Main Character Intro/Description
Moment of Change in the Main Character's World
Foreshadowing.

10 Days for 30,000 Words!!!

2010-06-15T10:49:00.000-05:00

I have 10 days left to finish draft #1 of The Not-So-Normal-Life of Alexis Dubois!

Yep that is right, I have a working title now.

What do you think of it? Please feel free to leave your comments on the title.

I still have at least 30,000 more words that I want/think need to be in the word-count.

My poor keyboard is going to be smoking and my brain will be fried but I am going to try my hardest to do it.

I gave myself a goal and am hoping to keep it or get as close as possible. Wish me luck. This is what I will be looking like at all hours of the day and night to get draft #1 finished:

In Wonderland

2010-06-14T11:24:00.000-05:00

I was toddler free yesterday and decided to take some time to myself. I sat around trying to figure out what I should do.

Laundry was piled up, my Work-In-Progress (WIP) was screaming my name, dishes needed to be washed, carpets needed to be vacuumed, and just about every other wife and mommy duty that I could think of.

What to do??????

Then it struck me! Forget the normal chores, I've got tomorrow to do them.

I'll go to the book store!!!!!!!

I hopped into my car and headed for Books-A-Million. I walked through the front doors and entered into Wonderland

I ran around grabbing books off the shelf until my poor arms couldn't hold anymore. I grabbed a seat at the cafe and entered into the worlds in the books.

I wasn't just looking for a good story that day. I was looking from a writer's point of view.

I was looking for:

good titles
not so good titles
interesting cover art
great opening sentences
great opening paragraphs
a great synopsis
why I opened the book or why I didn't
the point at which I decide that I would either want to read the story or not
anything that caught my eye and why

This was the 1st time in a while that I was reading with a purpose other than enjoyment. I feel as though I grew as a writer just by spending a few hours with my BIC (butt in a chair) with a stack of books and a purpose.

If you have a few minutes this week go to a bookstore and enter into your own Wonderland.

So You are Finally Going to Write a Novel?

2010-06-09T09:31:00.001-05:00

When I decided to finally turn my "I want to write a novel" into actually attempting to write one I was thrown into a different world that I had no idea existed.

So instead of running for the hills, I decided to become educated about this new world. I turned to the usual source for finding out information. I turned to my trusted internet. It has never let me down before.

The world of how to write fiction was no exception. I scoured the internet for hours a day through blog after blog, website after website looking for tips, tricks, manuscript format guidelines, etc. After printing about an entire package of paper filled with all these great ideas and instructions, I sat down and read it all again.

I realized that I was still pretty lost in the whole writing process and extremely lost in the publishing process. I had tons of information but no way to organize it or take it all in.

One thing that popped into my mind was that a majority of tips that I read said to join a writer's group. So I hopped back on my iMac and searched for some in my area. I was overjoyed and terrified when I realized one was meeting that day in my town! I dropped my son off at my moms, dressed in business casual (probably not needed but I always feel more confident in those clothes), and headed to the group. I got there early and gathered all of my materials, i.e. notebook and a water bottle. I sat down in the area the writer's group met and waited with open arms. I waited... and waited... and waited. No one came.

That is when I decided to try out an online writer's group.

I found many that I could join for a fee and found several that were free. I browsed around and decided on Absolute Write. I realized that I had found home. I have gotten more information and guidance there than I ever thought possible. Please, if you are a writer check it out. It is free and has forums from everything from 'share your work' to 'old people writing for teens'. I am a proud member of the 'old people writing for teens' board. I love those ladies so much. They are there to lend a virtual shoulder to cry on or an educated source for information.

Point is. Try out an online writer's board. I'm not knocking face to face groups, it just didn't work for me. When you are a member of any group, you feel more accountable for your actions, more confident, and you gain valuable knowledge.

If you do sign up for Absolute Write and you are a YA writer, send me a message. My name on there is erica_henry.

Hope to see you soon.

Want to win a free critique?

2010-06-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

Check out YA Highway's 1 year anniversary contest.

There are agent critiques and writer critiques.

It's very easy to enter.

Hop on over and enter for your chance to win a critique.

Got YA Book Drop

2010-06-05T08:39:00.000-05:00

So to promote more reading in the Young Adult (YA) Genre the blog Got YA is organizing a book drop. It is very easy to participate.

I participated by dropping off

At McDonalds on the corner of Broad St. and Church St. in Murfreesboro, TN

about an hour ago. I don't know if it is still there or not but I thought I'd let you know.

Here's the steps you should take to participate too:

Step 1: Find a book or two that have finished reading and would like to pass on to someone.

Step 2: Print off the label below and paste it into the book.

Step 3: Drop it anywhere throughout town (be respectful of others and business though)

Step 4: email gotyablog@yahoo.com where you have dropped or found a book!

It's that easy.

More information can be found at: YA Book Drop

Free Copy of Deception by Lee Nichols

2010-06-05T07:30:00.000-05:00

Want to win a FREE copy of Deception: A Haunting Emma Novel by Lee Nichols?

Release Date: June 8, 2010 from Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

Synopsis:

When Emma Vaile's parents disappear on a mysterious business trip, her life begins to unravel. The eerie visions she had as a child return, her best friend abandons her, and a new friend notifies social services that she is living alone. Enter Bennett Stern, her older brother's best friend and Emma's knight in J. Crew armor. Bennett whisks Emma away to New England to live in his family's museum-like mansion and attend Thatcher, and old-fashioned private school.

Emma makes friends with the popular legacy crowd quickly and spends her free time crushing on Bennett. But the haunting visions are only getting worse. Emma has memories of Thatcher she can't explain--it's as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Bennett finally confides that he and Emma are ghostkeepers, people who can communicate with ghosts. He's been keeping Emma close to protect her, but now Bennett needs her help tracking an other-worldly murderer.

So now that you are revving to read this novel, how do you go about doing it?

Answer: Easy as Pie. Just go to Carrie's YA Bookshelf and follow her easy directions. Seriously takes less than a minute to enter.

All Things Young Adult

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan Book Review

My Favorite College Meal - Other than Pizza of course!

Mandy Nachampassack-Maloney - Author Interview

What's Coming Next?

140 Character Pitch Contest - EXPIRED!

Organizing the Bookcase

Check out the awesome giveaway

Need an agent? Pay it forward contest

I've been featured!

Win A Copy - The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins - Book Review too

Interview with Jeanine Cummins-Author of The Outside Boy

Writer's Resource Video - Intro to blog

shadowland - book #3 in the Immortals Series by Alyson Noel Book Review

New Look

Should Writer's Complain?

Here's to 2011

1/2 Way There

Do You NaNoWriMo?

.Special Offers

Thirst #2 - Book Review

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Thirst #2 - Book Review

Thirst #1 - Book Review

Night World #3 - Book Review

Night World Series Book #2 - Book Review

Night World Series Book #1 - Book Review

I'm Still Alive - Quick Catch Up

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel -- book review

blue moonBook #2 in the Immortals Series

blue moon

Evermore by Alyson Noel - Book Review

Quiet Toddler = Chaos

Novels Take On a Life of Their Own

New Book Cover

Good & Bad Ways to Write Openings

10 Days for 30,000 Words!!!

In Wonderland

So You are Finally Going to Write a Novel?

Want to win a free critique?

Got YA Book Drop

Free Copy of Deception by Lee Nichols

blue moon
Book #2 in the Immortals Series