Pinterest Board for you Novel

Today I thought I would talk about Pinterest and creating a board for your book.

But before I do that, I promised I would share a little about my up and coming book The Last Stored, which will be published through Anaiah Press  January 2015. Currently I am knee deep in edits, woozier, am I enjoying myself, trying to soak it all in, learn, and apply.  I can already tell a vast improvement, and I can't wait to share it with you all!  So what is my book about?

Blurb:

On the night eighteen-year-old Amber discovers a spoken letter from her dead parents, she also didn’t expect a boy to fly through her kitchen window. Her small-town life is forever altered as Cree explains he’s a Windrider, charged as her protector and tasked to bring her home to a different world.  

Amber was one of three children stored on Earth by The Light because they held the power to control the book of secrets. They were kept safe from the evils of Lorthis, who cursed their land and turned the people into his mindless slaves. The other two children were murdered as they returned home. Cree can’t let this happen to Amber, the last Stored. Only she has the power to close the book sealing Lorthis’s fate, but to do so Amber must come face to face with his wickedness. His touch might corrupt her soul forever. If they fail, Lorthis won’t stop with the destruction of their home, his depraved disease will bleed to Earth as well. 

Okay, now let's talk about Pinterest! 

I have been using their site for a while and I love it.  I keep a board up for each of my books I am working on, keeping it secret until I am ready to share. If I see a picture that applies to my writing, I pin it.  What do I pin?

1. Book covers that I like which might work for my book.  
2. Characters - I had one character in particular who I couldn't for the life of me picture.  I scoured the web until I found just the right image and after that he leapt off the page for me.  He quickly became one of my favorite characters. 
3. Places - This is great for world building. Seldom do I find a picture which meets all my ideas, but I usually pick and choose what I like. 
4. Textures - for example, just seeing a picture of leather can cause my mind to think about how it feels, smells, or the way it looks.

So why don't you give it a try, you will be surprised how much you enjoy it and how much it really grows your writing.  If you want to check out by board you can do so here: 

The Last Stored Board

Everyone take care and Happy Writing!

Cover Reveal for In The Rearview

Maria Ann Green has been such a writing gold mine for me. We met on social media and boy I am glad we did. She has helped me out immensely and I am so excited to share her cover reveal with you today: 

Blurb: When Meagan’s secret is found out, and she realizes there is no way to outrun her habit of cutting, she tries to work through it, and her depression, before she cuts too deep, making a mistake that can never be undone.

Meagan's problems aren't like every other adolescent's no matter how much she wishes they could be. Hers are worse. They've pulled her down into the depths of a depression that is anything but normal. She begins her pattern of self-harm as her depression threatens to drown her. She starts with one cut that leads to the next, and the next. After starting, it's apparent that there's no stopping, and Meagan spirals into a dark and cruel world she doesn't understand. Meagan cuts to feel better, but that comfort doesn't last long enough, and soon life is worse than it ever was before.

While learning to quit cutting Meagan faces life-altering obstacles and grows up in the process. IN THE REARVIEW is a story of pain, loss, confusion, and hope told through Meagan’s poems, journal entries, and a splash of narrative.

Release date: August 19th, 2014 

Maria Green currently lives in Minnesota, despite its bitter winters, with her husband. She graduated with a degree in Psychology and a minor in English. When she isn’t writing, Maria loves to read with a cup of strong coffee or a glass of sweet wine, craft, and spend time with her family. This is her first published novel. 

You can find her here: www.mariaanngreen.com

Or here: www.mariaanngreen.com/blog

Way to go Maria!  I can't wait to read it!

Jiminy Crickets-- I'm about to be PUBLISHED!

SOOOOOOOOooooo  Okay! Seriously, my book THE LAST STORED will be available through Anaiah Press! So stoked about this.

I would do a backflip but my spine probably wouldn't survive. Someone, other than my family and friends, read my work and actually liked it. My characters, Amber and Cree, will live in the minds of others not just in my own bizarre brain. That alone is pretty incredible.

When might you ask will my young adult fantasy novel be available?  So glad you asked, 

January 2015!

But there is still so much to do. I am blessed beyond measure to be working with the talented people of Anaiah Press. They are walking me through each step of the process, from edits, book covers, to blog tours. My little book is in good hands, even though it is hard to let go of my baby.


Currently I am knee deep in edits. I've turned in my first round of developmental edits. Woohoo! Next content edits. So many man hours and people to get a book ready for 'print'. I am both overwhelmed and excited. Who would have thought when I first started my journey that I would make it this far.

Next week a little taste of what my book is about until then here is a nibble:

The Light stored three children on Earth to save their dying land.  Only one child survived, Amber. She alone holds the power to save this world. Now with the help of Cree, her protector, they must destroy the evil Lorthis before his wickedness bleeds to Earth.

Wanderlust -- getting lost in my forest

I will admit it, since the age of six when I decided to run away from home, I have been bitten by the little bug called Wanderlust.  It seeped into my bones and to this day lives, constantly whispering in my ear, 'see what's over the horizon.'

My husband puts up with my constant dreaming, encouraging it in fact.  He always tries to make me happy, (for that I am truly blessed), but I am sure he gets tired of it. If I had my way we would become vagabonds traveling in a gypsy caravan, but alas, he is a realist, not to mention that we have teens, needless to say they wouldn't enjoy it.

I ran away at the age of six, we had just moved into the deep woods of Kentucky. Even then Wanderlust had me! I set out  on a glorious day taking the gravel road in front of my home. It twisted and turned through the forest as I crossed cattle guards, splashed through creeks until I became utterly lost. Then it wasn't so much fun any more.

The sun clouded over, the wind blew against my face disorienting me all the more.  This trip did not go at all how I had planned. I wandered for for what I thought was hours, then my name echoed in the distance. A familiar voice calling to me.  It was my mom.  She appeared over the rise, head tied up in her usual black scarf, yelling my name.  I raced to her, landing softly in her warm embrace.  She never once scolded me or made fun. She simply took my hand and led me home.

After that day, I took it upon myself to learn my forest, every fallen log plotted and memorized, every tree became a lasting memory until I couldn't get lost if I tried. That is when the forest became my home, and to this day I can recreate it with such clarity that I merely have to close my eyes and I am there.

Writing is the same for me. Wanderlust still calls to me, but now, I merely go inside my mind, traveling to distant lands, experiencing imaginary worlds, getting lost in my own thoughts.  I thank God for my parents allowing me to dream, and get lost in the woods.

 

Sound Track to your life

I go through music phases with my writing. Take for instance my work in progress, a speculative fiction about a hanging tree.  Dark, brooding, with an underlying sense of hope. You might think that I would listen to some sort of classical music, such as Mozart Requiem, Inception. They all worked fine, but then quite by accident, I turned on my shuffle on my Pandora channel, and wouldn't you know the B-52's Rock Lobster came on. Seriously!

Suddenly my writing took on a beat all on its own. Who would have thunk it?!?! 80's music? Well, for me it worked. Now, constantly I'm mixing it up. Coldplay, Avett Brothers, Hans Zimmer, The Choir (who wrote one of the best songs ever called Circle Slide), Gungor, with a dash of Murray Head singing One night in Bangkok.
 
Music triggers so much emotion that I find it a natural addition to my writing process, pushing me along, driving me forward.

What do you listen to, to help your writing?

Will my manuscript ever be finished?

Will my manuscript ever be finished?  I have labored over it, tweaked it, edited it (myself), cried because it stinks, and embraced it because it is wonderful.

A few weeks ago I sent it off to have it edited, and it made a world of difference. My editor (Tara Creel) made mechanical changes, and flushed out plot holes, and really challenged me to tighten up my writing.  Apparently, fresh eyes were what I needed. It took me a while to get the edits going, but  I dove in head first fixing, moving, cutting, and adding. New life was pumped into my book, and I enjoyed splashing around in all of her suggestions.  I learned from it, and that is exactly what I wanted.

For if you don't know your mistakes, how will you know what to fix.

There must be a limit to the mistakes one person can make, and when I get to the end of them, then I'll be through with them. That's a very comforting thought. ~L. M. Montgomery

I have come to the realization that I don't think my manuscript will ever really be done and that's okay just striving is what's important.

Will I ever let another book out the doors without editing? NO! Will I continue to make blunders and mistakes? A resounding YES! But that is part of life and since I am older I embrace my mistakes, warts and all!

Oh, and by the way, if you are in need of an excellent editor check out mine. She totally rocks! For The Love of All Things Wordy

Pitch Madness

The Excitements of Pitch Madness

I took a chance and participated in my first 'real' writing/pitch contest.  WOW, what fun, I am thoroughly caught up in the excitement of it all. Other's on twitter have put their pitches up, I thought I would do the same. Would I change something, probably my pitch, but I am constantly tweaking things. Well, here it is, my pitch and first 250 words:

THE LAST STORED

YA Fantasy

93,000

Amber was stored on our world to save another, but death changed the plans. Cree was sent to bring her home. Together they must find out if their love is stronger than one man’s hate.

Amber-

Unwilling tears stream down my face and I want nothing but to say goodbye to them. I am forever destined to be isolated and alone. Death bares one's soul to the elements and it has left me starved. If only my parents would have shared the secret they hid behind their every word, behind their every smile, their every touch. If only I would have asked.

A mere six months ago I didn’t pay attention to the riddles, but they existed nonetheless. Today, those haunting whispers gnaw at my bones, clouding my mind. Why didn’t they let me in on the mysteries? Why did they keep everything from me? But now it is too late to ask.

Everywhere I look I see them and today is no different. The vinyl kitchen chair squeaks under my weight as I sit down to sip my cup of sweet tea; a habit my father and I used to share. Dust floats on the June morning rays, casting what should be a rosy glow about the room. The yellow two-bedroom bungalow is warm, but quiet. It is always quiet now. My hand stretches across my parent’s red table, and I lower my head into the crook of my elbow, staring out the window at my mom’s flower garden; daydreaming. Remembering.

 “Hold your breath and make a wish when you see the dust float by Amber,” father had said the morning they died.

So that's it. March 18th can't come soon enough, my twitter account can't take all the Madness. Also, THANK YOU to all those involved with this Pitch Madness. You Rock!!

Brenda Drake - making connections