* DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS!!!! THE MORE COMMENTS YOU LEAVE THIS WEEK, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING.
Tip of the Day: Just Your Average Princess hits stands today! Make sure to check it out.
To celebrate Tina's new book, we are talking about rivalries this week. Growing up I was closer in age to my brother than sister, so most of my rivalries involved him. So needless to say they weren't of the "which one can wear this shirt better" or "you stole my Barbies" variety. Ours usually involved competing for the biggest and baddest snow fort or seeing who can jump off the roof of our house from the highest location.
When it came to Snow Fort Wars, we usually involved my neighbors. Two of my neighbors (both girls) and I would work as one team and my brother was often a team of one. We'd compete to see who had the most elaborate fort. Including the most rooms, the better tunnels in between the rooms, the comfiest snow chairs, and so on. No one ever really judged, it was just an honorary title. Each of us thinking ours was the best (unless the other one did something so cool, we couldn't help but admit how awesome it was--like a snow cubby that kept you warm and required two people to get you in and out of).
In the Jumping off the Roof Contests, these started off simple enough. Growing up in the country, we had a barn that had a low roof. So it pretty much started as a dare: my brother betting me that I wouldn't jump. And when I did, then he thought we should go even higher with the house roof (is it any wonder that I'm slightly afraid of heights now?). The loser was pretty much the one too chicken to jump that day (which I admit was often me--but not every time).
When I think back now, these are probably some of my fondest memories of growing up. You got to love sibling rivalry.
It's probably why I also like to write girl characters that are often tough on the outside, but not so tough on the inside. Because I never wanted my brother to think of me as anything but tough and strong.
And it's why I also love to read books like Tina's Just Your Average Princess where I can pretend I had a girly childhood and experience a different way of life!
Enjoy!
--Emily
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Just Your Average Liar
Tip of the Day: JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS releases tomorrow! Read on to win your autographed copy, and Happy Book Baby Tina!
It's my favorite kind of week here: we're celebrating a new book release. Tina's JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS, out in stores tomorrow, is a novel about Jamie in constant competition with her cousin Milan. Milan moves to town and takes over Jamie's life, from getting Jamie's family's attention, to trying to steal the guy she has a crush on and even entering the Pumpkin Princess competition that Jamie has planned on competing in since she was a little girl. So we Author2Author authors asked each other: which family member did you compete with as a teen?
It's my favorite kind of week here: we're celebrating a new book release. Tina's JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS, out in stores tomorrow, is a novel about Jamie in constant competition with her cousin Milan. Milan moves to town and takes over Jamie's life, from getting Jamie's family's attention, to trying to steal the guy she has a crush on and even entering the Pumpkin Princess competition that Jamie has planned on competing in since she was a little girl. So we Author2Author authors asked each other: which family member did you compete with as a teen?
Well, I didn't have any sisters or cousins close in age. That was a real bummer in my small Catholic town. EVERYONE I went to school with had brothers and sisters and cousins to watch their backs. Everyone but me. Why, my best friend had cousins in every grade in high school. My other best friend had so many siblings, we could walk to almost any town hot spot and find someone to give us a ride home. So I did what any other reasonable person would do: I lied about having cousins.
It started with my mother's best friend's niece. Mom's best friend had been my day care growing up, so I knew all the family gossip and had attended the parties. I started calling Michelle my cousin when I saw her in the hallways. "Hey, we are like cousins!" she said. There was only one problem with my plan. Michelle actually DID have cousins in our high school. (Remember, everyone but me.) Before I knew it, though, they were calling me cousin. It turned out everyone was just as competitive about having the biggest posse as I was.
My adopted cousins and I took it seriously enough that they only dated my friends and never me. When one of them moved to another town, he drove back for my high school graduation. Thanks, "cousins"! It was an honor just to be allowed to compete in the cousin contest. Only, you know, most people knew they weren't really my cousins, so that part was kind of pathetic. But I made some great cousin-friends along the way.
You probably didn't compete FOR fake family members. But did you compete WITH family members, like Jamie and Milan? All you have to do to win an autographed copy of JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS is leave a comment today through Thursday! We'll pick the winner on Friday. So tell us about your competitive side and maybe you'll win!
-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
JYAP Release Around the Corner!
Tip of the Day: The Espressologist is bargain priced at $3.60 right now! Check it out! Also, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours was just nominated for a 2012 YALSA Quick Pick! Whoo hoo!
Jamie Edwards has loved everything about growing up on a pumpkin patch, but ever since her cousin Milan Woods arrived, things have really stunk. Jamie can’t imagine it was easy for Milan to leave her life back in Los Angeles and move to Average, Illinois, population one thousand. But it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for her since (a) Milan’s drop-dead gorgeous; (b) she’s the daughter of two of Hollywood’s hottest film stars; (c) she’s captured the attention of everyone in town, including Danny, Jamie’s crush since forever; and (d) she’s about to steal the title of Pumpkin Princess right out from underneath Jamie!
It's a crazy week for me as I'm getting ready to leave for a writing retreat (YAY!) and trying to fill out a million interviews in preparation for the release of JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS on Tuesday! So excited! So today I'll just post a summary of the book and I hope that you'll check it out-- it's a perfect read for the fall!
Jamie Edwards has loved everything about growing up on a pumpkin patch, but ever since her cousin Milan Woods arrived, things have really stunk. Jamie can’t imagine it was easy for Milan to leave her life back in Los Angeles and move to Average, Illinois, population one thousand. But it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for her since (a) Milan’s drop-dead gorgeous; (b) she’s the daughter of two of Hollywood’s hottest film stars; (c) she’s captured the attention of everyone in town, including Danny, Jamie’s crush since forever; and (d) she’s about to steal the title of Pumpkin Princess right out from underneath Jamie!Wednesday, October 5, 2011
My First E-Book Experience (or What the AUDIENCE Wants)
Tip of the Day: If you are in the Rochester, NY area during Teen Read Week (Oct. 16-22), stop by one of Linda Sue Park's presentations. She's our library system's Greater Rochester Teen Read feature author with her amazing book, A LONG WALK TO WATER.
My husband purchased a used iPad before our trip to Europe. While it ended up having many handy uses while overseas, one of his primary reasons for wanting it was so he could download George R. R. Martin's A DANCE WITH DRAGONS and read it on the Kindle Ap since lugging the 1020 page hardcover version he'd started seemed very impractical. Intrigued by the option of reading an ebook on the plane, I downloaded two self-pubbed YA ebooks before we left.
Since I'd already committed to reading a library book I'd brought with me, it wasn't until the flight home that I broke into the ebooks. And I was so disappointed! The series were very popular on Amazon, had great reader reviews, gorgeous cover art, intriguing premises, and tons of sales -- but the writing was very unpolished to the point of distraction for me.
Let me clarify: the books were NOT bad; they just felt like they needed another revision and polish before they were ready to be read by the masses. For example, one book had very stilted and unrealistic dialog in order to fill the reader in on things that were obvious to the characters; and the other (written in 1st person) had the main character constantly asking herself questions to make sure the reader understood that something strange was going on in the fantasy world instead of showing the reader that it was not the norm (I caught this one because I am also guilty of it). I didn't finish reading either book because I found myself editing them as I read instead of enjoying them.
BUT -- does it matter what I think? Obviously I am not the target audience. Teens are.
Or am I as a YA Librarian and YA writer?
The books are selling well, and it helps when some of them are offered free for a limited time, or for under $3 per book. But if the teen readers who post glowing reviews are really enjoying the books and keep buying them, who cares what I think, right?
I think for self-pubbed ebooks to get the same shots at professional reviews and library collections as traditionally published novels, self-pubbers should hire professional editors and/or copy editors. They need to make sure their books shine for every one who picks them up, not just teens or kids who may not be spoiled like I am, surrounded by well-crafted and edited novels at my day job.
Or am I wrong? Is speed in getting a YA e-series out more important than editing them to beauty?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
My husband purchased a used iPad before our trip to Europe. While it ended up having many handy uses while overseas, one of his primary reasons for wanting it was so he could download George R. R. Martin's A DANCE WITH DRAGONS and read it on the Kindle Ap since lugging the 1020 page hardcover version he'd started seemed very impractical. Intrigued by the option of reading an ebook on the plane, I downloaded two self-pubbed YA ebooks before we left.
Since I'd already committed to reading a library book I'd brought with me, it wasn't until the flight home that I broke into the ebooks. And I was so disappointed! The series were very popular on Amazon, had great reader reviews, gorgeous cover art, intriguing premises, and tons of sales -- but the writing was very unpolished to the point of distraction for me.
Let me clarify: the books were NOT bad; they just felt like they needed another revision and polish before they were ready to be read by the masses. For example, one book had very stilted and unrealistic dialog in order to fill the reader in on things that were obvious to the characters; and the other (written in 1st person) had the main character constantly asking herself questions to make sure the reader understood that something strange was going on in the fantasy world instead of showing the reader that it was not the norm (I caught this one because I am also guilty of it). I didn't finish reading either book because I found myself editing them as I read instead of enjoying them.
BUT -- does it matter what I think? Obviously I am not the target audience. Teens are.
Or am I as a YA Librarian and YA writer?
The books are selling well, and it helps when some of them are offered free for a limited time, or for under $3 per book. But if the teen readers who post glowing reviews are really enjoying the books and keep buying them, who cares what I think, right?
I think for self-pubbed ebooks to get the same shots at professional reviews and library collections as traditionally published novels, self-pubbers should hire professional editors and/or copy editors. They need to make sure their books shine for every one who picks them up, not just teens or kids who may not be spoiled like I am, surrounded by well-crafted and edited novels at my day job.
Or am I wrong? Is speed in getting a YA e-series out more important than editing them to beauty?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Celebrate good times, come on!
Tip of the Day: never apologize for celebrating or taking time for yourself!
Doing a little happy dance for finishing something this morning that I’ve been working on for awhile!
To celebrate, I’m taking a break for a few days and getting a treat (preferably a chocolate one) for dessert this evening.
With all the rejection in this business, I think celebrating the small victories are one of the most important things you can do to keep your sanity.
Because writing a book is hard!
Very hard.
Not to mention going back and spending months and months revising it.
And for accomplishing that alone we should be celebrating with champagne and trips around the world.
So kudos to all you writers out there!
How do you celebrate? A day off? A treat? A massage? Or maybe a night out by yourself?
Doing a little happy dance for finishing something this morning that I’ve been working on for awhile!
To celebrate, I’m taking a break for a few days and getting a treat (preferably a chocolate one) for dessert this evening.With all the rejection in this business, I think celebrating the small victories are one of the most important things you can do to keep your sanity.
Because writing a book is hard!
Very hard.
Not to mention going back and spending months and months revising it.
And for accomplishing that alone we should be celebrating with champagne and trips around the world.
So kudos to all you writers out there!
How do you celebrate? A day off? A treat? A massage? Or maybe a night out by yourself?
Monday, October 3, 2011
Chapter Counter
Tip of the Day: Do you know about growth disorders? Read this MigWriters post for Growth Disorder Awareness Day and win free books--plus $1 for every comment will be donated until October 7.
When do you know how many chapters are going to be in your novel?
Some people outline each chapter before they start writing. Some people don't know how many chapters they'll have until they type "The End." I'm somewhere in between. Usually after I pass the halfway point of the first draft, I can map out how many more scenes I need and guess how long each scene will be. It's not 100% foolproof, and I've certainly had to go back while revising to insert "Chapter 3A". But after I'm half done with the first draft, I can make an educated guess as to chapter count (and a less educated, but somewhat accurate word count).
So today it's time for a poll. When do you estimate how many chapters will be in your book?
-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages
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