Looking forward to 2014

After a pretty difficult 2012, I have to say 2013 might have been my favorite year yet. Why, you ask? Well, because of all I got to do. I wrote two books, got engaged, went on a small book tour (which included signing at BEA!), attended my first writer's conference, visited somewhere I'd never been before, and met some truly incredible people.

How does one top a year of all that awesome?

Answer: you can try.

And that's my main goal for 2014. To try.

Source

*cue Yoda: Do or do not, there is no try*

Okay, while Yoda may feel that way, I'm a big fan of trying. I say, if you're not sure you can do something, just go for it. If you fail, at least you tried--and probably learned something in the process. And if you succeed, then WOOHOO! Am I right? You never know what you're really capable of unless you throw yourself off that high, scary ledge and jump. And this year, I'm prepared to reach for the stars.

While I haven't had time to actually sit down and make a yearly plan/goal thingie, I do know of a few things I would love to accomplish.

To keep myself accountable, I'll list them here for everyone to see (please, feel free to hound me about these anytime this year).

My 2014 To-Do List

• Revise a secret book (which I'm working on right now--about 1/3 of the way done)
• Finish writing "Code name W", a super cool YA sci-fi I've been playing with for a while now.
• Edit AB (a YA Contemporary Fantasy that needs the beginning rewritten then a very light edit) 
• Edit "Code name W" (you guys, I'm so excited about this book!)
• Write that YA Contemporary (standalone) that's been floating around in my head.
• Edit GD (a book I need to add a little something to before I decide what to do with it)
• Read (a ton)!

 
So there they are. The things I will try to do this year. For the most part this is the order I intend to work on them in. I think. But who knows once the muse gets a hold of them.

Obviously I'll be working on other things besides these. Wedding planning, edits, more wedding planning, blogging with the lovely people at both Indie Ignites and Darkly Delicious YA, some more life stuff I'm sure will creep in there somewhere (like actually getting married), copy edits, and line edits.

Whew!

All in all it's going to be a busy year and I'm looking forward to trying some great new things, tackling some challenging projects, and maybe even visiting somewhere new again.

Now, I've gone on and on about my goals for 2014. I'd love to hear some of yours.

For The Love of...

Today is about the usual, writing, editing, and the love of it all.

Yes, I'm a writer because I love it. Every part of the process (except maybe writing the synopsis). Seriously though, I have even learned to love the hard stuff. In the beginning, the first draft was it for me. I still find this as my favorite part of the process, the most creative, but through the years and the manuscripts, I've even learned to adore the plotting and editing processes. Yes, it takes longer (way longer for me), but nothing makes the story brighter, better, ballsier, than a thorough edit. And nothing makes a first draft easier to write than plotting before hand.

I'm looking back today because I've finally finished edits on GD. This is an exciting day. Scary too, don't get me wrong. But I'm less nervous than I thought I'd be at this point. So I'm taking the necessary steps and getting a little nostalgic.

Instead of doing the waiting-and-refreshing-my-inbox-every-two-seconds, I'm taking the day off today (if I can stand it) and tomorrow I'm going to figure out what's next. I have a few things on the back burner to choose from, but I think I know which will take priority. And no, I can't say yet.

Thanks for stopping by! If you'd care to share, I'd love to know, what is everyone out there working on? Are you writing, editing, working, reading, fiddling with a project that has nothing to do with books?

The Dreaded Query Letter

You heard me right. It's that time again. QUERY LETTER TIME! *cue echoed voice and Halloween track music with scary noises and screams*. Damn. I should have wrote this post three days ago.

Yes, it's going to be THAT kind of post :)

Anywho...

All silliness aside (well, most silliness), the query letter is a huge deal for a writer. In this one page (that's right, 250 words or less, preferably less) you have to introduce  yourself, your story, and your voice to an agent (or editor or publisher). One page to describe all the blood, sweat, and tears you worked so hard on. That means it has to be good. No, not good, great. Really, it has to be your best.

Today I am working on a query letter for "GD". The manuscript is very close to being ready. Very, very close. So I'm taking the initiative and thought you might enjoy some helpful links to help you guys write your own queries.

Now, before we go into the super serious stuff, can we just enjoy some sexy half-naked Dean action?

*swoon*

Okay, serious face on. Here are some articles that are helping me out today.

Agent, Jill Corcoran has a list of great articles here.
Including, Formula For A Query Letter.
Queries and Synopis: How to Get an Agent Salivating to Read Your Manuscript.
And Query Letter Suicide (featuring a list of things NOT to write in a query letter). 

Now, a page with a few more links: here.
Including this not-be-missed three part series from author Jackie Kessler of the Deadline Dames.

And some of the best advice I've ever heard for query letters: Revise, revise, revise. Your query letter should go through extensive revisions the same way your manuscript does. 

Like this --->


I hope these links help you as much as they helped me. Now it's time to hear from you. Anyone else currently working on a query letter now? Have I missed any of your favorite articles or advice?

Wish me luck, guys!

News, Books, and the Latest

While I haven't been around blogger lately, I have been keeping busy. After a long and thorough set of edits, GD, my YA Paranormal (one I'm so in love with), is finally off to the world's most amazing crit partners. YAY! And now instead of twiddling my thumbs I just have to decide what to work on while I wait for more revisions to roll in. So I haven't exactly decided yet, but I have several options. I'm leaning toward firing up my mostly-plotted YA sci-fi (codename: W) and writing until my fingers bleed.

Also, I've finally finished my A-Z reading challenge. What a whirlwind. And now that I've read all my required reading, I'm enjoying some great reads I've been looking forward to. Shift (Shade #2) by Jeri Smith-Ready. I'm almost halfway through it. This is how you write an emotional read, people. Uh-mazing! And, by the way, The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade was also a great read. Fun and surprisingly deep. Now all I need is the sequel, Queen of the Dead.

Now I'm sure I don't have to tell you so many great books have come out over the summer and release soon. While my book addiction is...uh, let's call it problematic, there are so many books on my wishlist right now. Seriously. In case you're interested, I've got a wishlist tab on my goodreads.

An amazing bit of news that I almost forgot to mention, my critique partner just signed a contract with Entangled Publishing for her Sci-Fi Romance, Queen of Swords. I'm beyond thrilled for her. And trust me, you will want to get your hands on this one when it releases.

Great news all around! And I'll be seeing you all around a lot more lately.

I LOVE this project!

I'm heading to the Giants game tonight, so this is going to be a quick post.

A post on what, you ask?

As I'm coming close to finishing a round of edits on GRACEFUL DEATH, a YA project I'm excited to talk about but not yet comfortable doing so, I'm getting that feeling again. You know, that feeling you get when the writing is done, and the story isn't perfect yet, but you're still SO excited about it. The idea is fresh. The voice is unique. And I may be tooting my own horn here, but I love this one. Each book I write, I'm honing my skill, getting closer to where I want to be. And I love it all!

There's a lot of work left to do, but I just had to share my excitement. I love every bit of the writing process and editing (even when I know so much more work is needed) is a huge part of that process.

And...GO GIANTS!