Book Giveaway: DEADWOOD By Kell Andrews!!

So. There's a book coming out today. Well, there's more than one book coming out today, BUT I'm focusing on one of them. Because it's awesome and you should read it.

Which book, you ask?

There’s something evil in Deadwood Park.

Martin Cruz hates his rotten new town. Then he gets a message from a tree telling him it’s cursed — and so is he. It’s not just any tree. It’s the Spirit Tree, the ancient beech the high school football team carves to commemorate the home opener. And every year they lose.

But the curse is no game, and it gets worse. Businesses fail. Trees topple like dominos. Sinkholes open up in the streets, swallowing cars and buildings. Even people begin to fade, drained of life.

Martin teams up with know-it-all soccer star Hannah Vaughan. Together they must heal the tree, or be stuck in Deadwood Park at the mercy of the psycho who cursed it.

And since I think you should read it, I'm giving away a copy on le blog!!! All you have to do is comment to enter the giveaway. That's it. If you want to blog/Tweet/Facebook/Tumbl/whatever about the giveaway, that's great! It won't get you any points, but it will get you my infinite gratitude. :D The deadline is next Tuesday, July 1st. So go forth and comment! 

Best of luck to all who enter!

Writing Blog Hop! Or, In Which I Talk About My WIP(s)

So. My friend Kell Andrews tagged me for this writing blog hop that's been going around. Thank you, Kell!!

Now. Here's a little about her:

We first met as members of the Operation Awesome critique group. Later on, we became CPs and co-bloggers! Kell writes nonfiction for adults and fiction for children. A little bit of "magic" helps with both. DEADWOOD, her middle-grade contemporary fantasy comes out from Spencer Hill Middle Grade in June 2014! (YOU SHOULD READ IT!).

Growing up, she spent a lot of time reading, writing, drawing, and looking for treasure in the woods and on the beach. She still does. Kell holds a humanities degree from Johns Hopkins University and a master of liberal arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania. A lifelong Philadelphian, she lives with her husband and two daughters in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, right next to a park a lot like the one in Deadwood. Kell is represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

You can find Kell  at kellandrews.com, on Twitter, Tumblr, and the Operation Awesome blog.

Okay. Let's answer some questions!!

*cracks knuckles*

1.  What am I working on?

Two things. I'm currently trying to write a synopsis for my WIP, which is a YA high fantasy I've previously written about. To sum it up, the story follows a seventeen-year-old girl who rebels against a magic-wielding tyrant bent on conquering her homeland. You know. Happy-go-lucky stuff. :) Synopses are not my friends, let me tell you. BUT I do love my manuscript and my main character and everything else, so I'm keeping the faith. I think.

The other thing I'm "working on" (as in, brainstorming a lot) is my next WIP, which is yet another fantasy, but set in contemporary times. It involves a girl and a boy and the magic keeping them apart. That's all I can share for now. :) I've been having WAY too much fun brainstorming this one. It must be a keeper. *crosses fingers*

2.  How does my work differ from others of this genre?

My main character is a POC, which doesn't usually take center stage in YA high fantasy. The manuscript features a large cast of mostly female characters with different hopes and dreams and they get along. Sometimes. :) Also, my manuscript deals with identity through gender, race, politics, religion, blood ties, and romantic love in ways that I *hope* are complex and layered. Of course other novels do this in better ways, but I think my little story has something to add in those departments.

3.  Why do I write what I do?

I write two kinds of books: books of my heart and books of my dreams. The former are stories that resonate with me because they're about a personal truth. The latter are stories that resonate with me because they're about someone else's personal truth that I wish to see on bookshelves. They're stories I'm dying to read, but haven't been written yet. So I write them. I have no power over when and where and how these stories come to me, though. They just do.

4.  How does my writing process work?

Depends on the book. Sometimes I can sit down and write and write and write. This is super rare, though. Most of the time? I sit down to write, listen to music, then write a page or less. I get up, away from the computer for about an hour or two, then come back to write some more. Rinse and repeat throughout the day.  

That's it from me, folks! A huge thank you to Kell for tagging me! :) Now. Let me keep this chain going by tagging two more writers:

Natasha Heck is one of the Iron Keys, which is my critique group! I'm tagging her because she writes beautiful stories that make me want to punch myself for not being as talented/evocative/lyrical/imaginative as she is. *sigh* Natasha is  a native North Dakotan. She attended Minnesota State University Moorhead and graduated with a degree in English emphasis Creative Writing. She has touched Stonehenge, climbed the Glastonbury Tor, walked the Philosopher's Path, and kissed her true love on the Eiffel Tower. She's a fangirl, Jedi Knight, and Gryffindor whose love of unicorns led her to live in the land of geekdom and sunshine (San Diego, California) with her programmer husband Joey and their two kitties, Topher and Sophie.

Natasha is a member of two writing fabulous groups, Stone Circle and The Iron Keys. She writes a bi-weekly column for YA Interrobang. She attends various science fiction and fantasy conventions and served as a con chair for Fargo's Core Con for three years. She is currently working on her dream of writing when she's not wrangling cats.

You can find Natasha on her website, The Heroine's Domain, and on Twitter! 

Kaye M. is another member of the Iron Keys!! I bet you're sensing a pattern here. :) Anyway, I'm tagging Kaye because I also hate myself for not being as talented/evocative/lyrical/imaginative as she is. AND she loves dragons. Kaye is a self-professed twenty-something Muslim girl who reads a lot of books, drinks a lot of tea, and wears a lot of (figurative) hats.

Currently, those hats include student aiming for a future MLS, YA and MG book blogger, staff writer for online YA magazine YA Interrobang, and fantabulous intern for Pooja Menon of Kimberly Cameron and Associates.

She's also the Once and Future Queen of the Iron Keys, which gives her life-long tiara rights.

When she's not reading, Kaye writes about dark worlds, high stakes and tough, wounded girls who carve out their own happily ever afters. 

You can find Kaye at her blog and on Twitter!


Stay tuned for what Natasha and Kaye have to say next Monday, June 2nd!

Happy weekend! :D

That Time My Father Loved The Divergent Movie

So. After a week of the film hitting theaters, I finally saw Divergent. As a fan of the book series, I was expecting to enjoy it. I did. A lot.

My family went with me to the theater. 

Including my dad.

And he loved it.

Dad: "The movie was awesome. I loved it."

Me: 

Dad: "No, really. I loved it."

Me:

Dad: "For real."

Me:

 

 

Dad: *asks me questions about the plot* *seems genuinely interested in my answers*

Me:

 

So now you know. 

BRB Crying. Or, How ALLEGIANT By Veronica Roth Destroyed Me In The Best Way.

Some of you may know that this book has been the source of CONTROVERSY and FEELS. Not only is it the ending of a (hugely successful) trilogy, it's the ending's ending that got tongues wagging.

I managed to avoid spoilers before sitting down to read ALLEGIANT. 

I'm so thrilled I did. 

I was genuinely surprised by the ending.

I cried while reading it.

I cried after I finished the book.

And I feel a strong need to thank Veronica Roth for destroying me. 

I think this ending is going to haunt me forever, not just as a reader, but as a writer. Especially as a writer. Stories that resonate and linger and cling to my bones often have authors who do the unthinkable. In ALLEGIANT, a character tells another the following two words: "Be brave." It's a story for the story's sake, not its fans' sake. I wouldn't have it any other way. Veronica Roth's bravery, as well as that of the countless authors I admire, has taught me that I should never conform with whatever I can conjure. No. It's not enough to write. 

It's enough to write bravely.

Even if it destroys you. Even if it destroys those who trust you to pick them up and give them the happy ending they envisioned. Fiction isn't one thing. It doesn't provide the same answer over and over. Sometimes, it doesn't provide answers at all. I'm at peace with that. I think I always have been.

I'm going to try and write as bravely as I can. I hope you do the same.

In Which I Vow To Read More Books

So. Last year, I set a reading goal of 30 books.

I read 25.

Not only did I not meet my goal, I also didn't want to set that particular goal in the first place. I like to read more than 50 books a year. Unfortunately, I couldn't juggle my reading schedule with WIP revisions and thesis writing and work, so I settled for 30. I didn't even read that amount.

This year, things are going to be different.

Yes, I did set a specific amount of books to read: 35.

No, I won't limit myself to 35 if I find it possible to surpass it. Other authors fuel me to get better. Their stories dazzle me with their genius. I need that kind of magic in my life. I crave that kind of magic in my life.

So here's to 2014 and goals and books and magic. 

Oh, and Nutella. Can't forget about the Nutella. 

 

In Which I Celebrate Sherlock Day

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEARRRRRRRRR!!!! 

Second of all, SHERLOCK SEASON 3 BEGINS TODAAAAAAAAAAY.

In the U.K.

*sobs*

BUT fear not. I'm still celebrating. Because Sherlock.

So. Even though I have to wait a while to see the first episode AND I must avoid Tumblr like the plague, I've chosen to keep an upbeat attitude about this whole thing and just rewatch the super sadsies final episode of Season 2. Because Moriarty. 

#Moriartyismyeverything

So. If you don't watch Sherlock, we can still be friends, but you should really get on that. Like, right now. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I must go pretend Tumblr doesn't exist and get reacquainted with some of my favorite Brit peeps. :)

NaNoWriMo: Are You Doing It?

NaNoWriMo is upon us, folks. This means some of you will spend the month of November writing about 2k words a day. 

*bows down to you* 

I wish I could participate this year, especially since I've never plunged into the NaNo waters, but I won't be able to. I'll be switching between revising my current WIP and brainstorming/plotting my next one (which I'm totes excited about). 

Someday I'll NaNo. Maybe I'll even have a quick change of heart and NaNo this year! You never know. I could end up with a finished draft of a book I was hoping to write next year. Or I could just... not write it until next year.

Oh, the possibilities...

So I'm curious: are you doing NaNo this year? Have you ever done it? If you're participating, do you have any tips/traditions you swear by? What are you going to work on?