Cover Reveal: GATES

For a special treat, I have for you the cover for Laurie Lyons' next book, GATES! out May 24! Get your hands on this baby for sure! My review of her first book, Feather, will be coming soon, so keep an eye out for that.

A thin strand of ivy stretched on its own and reached down for his hand, entwining itself around his finger. Nathaniel twisted it in his fingers thoughtfully. 

“What am I going to do?” he whispered at the moon.  He looked at Lucy’s sleeping face again and then at the moon. “Save her,” he almost begged, “let it kill me but save her, if you can.” He gazed back at her, a pained smile twisted on his mouth. He leaned his head back against the pillow and let go of the ivy, watching it wind its way back up to the rafters. 

He didn’t sleep. This was not going to end well. 

In the second book of The Feather Trilogy, Lucy and Nathaniel have started their sophomore year at Mulbridge University. Everything seems perfect but a series of strange accidents leave them both wondering if something sinister is lurking. Is it just fate or is something evil after Lucy’s soul? Does Roman, recently returned from the depths of Hell, have anything to do with it? Nathaniel and Lucy struggle to find answers until all is terrifyingly revealed on the Winter Solstice in an ending that will leave you breathless. 

Gates is an exhilarating, exciting read that will keep you guessing until the very last page. 

The Feather Trilogy 

How far are you willing to go to save your true love’s soul? 

GATES will be released May 24 on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and at Chapters in South Calgary Alberta Canada 

 

About the Author 

Laurie Lyons is the author of “Feather”, the first book in The Feather Trilogy with Ring of Fire Publishing and “The Heart Tree” short story with Little Bird Publishing House. 

Laurie wrote her first story at the age of 8 and hasn’t really stopped since. She lives in Calgary Alberta, Canada with her husband Trevor and their two clever children. She loves writing, reading and sharing her love of both with students during author presentations. “Gates” is the second of thousands of novels from her. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/FeatherbyLaurieLyons 

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17796440-gates 

Website: www.featherthenovel.com 

Publisher Website: www.ringoffirebooks.com  

Publisher E-mail: contact@ringoffirebooks.com

Book Review: Lucid

Lucid 

Written By: Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass

Review By: Katie C

2/5 Stars

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different--except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.



Lucid angered me for a variety of reasons. Though the premise was interesting and the writing was smooth enough that I didn't end up putting it down, it never really grabbed my attention enough. The two stories were completely separate for most of the book, and only when the girls' worlds began to overlap did I finally get excited about the story. Unfortunately, it was too little too late.

The characters themselves weren't terrible, but I got the impression that not enough of them  made it onto the page. Sloane was a typical, high school-esque girl with very little defining qualities besides being meek and fawning over the hottest guy in school. Maggie, on the other hand, seemed like a bit of an easier character to sympathize with, although sometimes it felt as if I'd gone from reading a book about a 17-year-old to one about a 30-year-old. This was purposeful and handled pretty well, but it still threw me off in the beginning, when I wondered if Maggie would ever start showing her age.

As for the writing-- simple and easy to read, but unfortunately the writers relied too heavily on telling, rather than showing. Most of the scenes were filtered through the narration. Instead of showing the reader how a character reacts, often the MC will gloss over it and tell the gist of what was said. Due to this, the tension was lacking until the climax, but even then I felt the tension could have been drawn out throughout the entire story, instead of just throwing it all on you at the very end.

As for the overall story, it had its moments. It definitely focused more on the girls' love lives instead of the issue of their dreams. They're definitely passive about their situation, although they both fret over it constantly, neither really takes active steps to try and understand or solve the problem. Also, there was no force that drove the plot. The girls were simply expanding their lives to include boys, and all of a sudden that sends their delicate balance into chaos. It appeared like the writers were purposefully trying to be vague to let the readers draw their own conclusion, but it came across as weak and underdeveloped. The end also reminded me very much of Going Bovine by Libba Bray, only it wasn't handled as well.

All in all, I'd say this book is best for readers looking for a romance story with only a hint of paranormal. Those that enjoyed Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler or The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard might enjoy this. If you want a book that's more on the paranormal side, this one might not be for you.

Cheers,

-Katie

Writer Anxiety

As writers, I think we all share a tendency for anxiety. After all, if you want to be published, there's a lot of waiting you'll have to do. Waiting on beta readers, waiting on agents, waiting on editors, waiting, waiting, waiting. With waiting comes a lot of time to think, and that is where the anxiety comes in.

Anxiety can affect a person in many different ways. At my child services agency, I get a glimpse of how anxiety can play out. Sometimes it's with physical/verbal assault, withdrawing, screaming, pacing, destroying property, lashing out at people-- it's incredible how many reports I get about the kids doing INSANE things, and the only explanation the report offers is "This client suffers from anxiety issues."

Sure, we may not be jumping people in the street (and yet as I write this, I remember, a writer did this recently...) but anxiety does still affect us, and can cause us to act without thought.

For example, anxiety may cause us to:

--> Respond to an unsavory review (Always a bad idea, even if you're trying to be civil.)

--> Prod a agent/editor for a response (Not always a bad plan, but if you're nudging a week after they got your manuscript, they may think you're not as well-versed in the industry as you should be.)

--> Jump to conclusions. (This is a big one. Anxiety can eat away at your thoughts, until you think, "So-and-so MUST think this, because it's been so long/hasn't been long enough/ect" This can cause us to act impulsively, which may reflect badly on our professionalism.)

--> Vent. (Venting is a good thing, but there is a TIME and PLACE for everything. Venting to friends and family? Go for it. Venting about an agent on a public forum? NOT SMART.)

--> Lash out. (Sometimes we get it in our heads that these gatekeepers in our way just want to crush our dreams. NOT TRUE, but thoughts can worm their way in when we least want them to, and this may cause us to send a hurtful email. Also a major career killer. Industry professionals talk, remember that.)

Even good writers make mistakes, and it's never a bad thing to take care of your own well-being. There's no sense in being miserable, so here are some tips to combat those nasty voices in the back of your head:

--> Do something else. Distracting yourself is the best way to get your mind off publishing issues. Write something else, work on your next project, or spend some time away from the writing world. Go for a walk, build a birdhouse-- do something productive. You get nothing done by worrying.

--> Kill those thoughts. Anxious thoughts can leak in at any time. I've found the best way to handle them is to shut them down immediately. Whenever I start to think, "Why hasn't my agent responded yet?" or the like, I immediately sweep them from my mind and tell myself, "This is something I have no control over." And I change my train of thought. I can drive myself mad if I don't change my thought process.

--> Relaxation techniques. Sometimes that tension worms its way into your muscles. Take some time to de-stress. Enjoy a bath, write in your journal, do something you enjoy that will not add any stress or anxiety.  If you're kinder to your mental health, it's easier to get back into that writing flow later.

--> Process through your worries. If you have some fear you cannot shake, start at the beginning and work through logically. Don't try to catastrophize the worst situation. Work it through and reassure yourself that patience is the best option (or perhaps it is time for a nudge-- just make sure you never send an impulse email.)

--> Educate yourself. The more you know about the publishing process, the less stress you'll face. Learn about wait times, etiquette, and the things agents/editors expect from you. That way, when you face a tough situation, you know how to handle it and you'll deal with less stress and anxiety in the long run.

What are your ways of dealing with writer anxiety?

Happy writing!

Peace,

-Katie

Book Review: A Midsummer's Nightmare

Book Review: A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Review by: Katie C 

Whitley is looking forward to spending the summer before college at her dad's condo-- drinking, barbecuing  and some quality time with the father she only sees once a year. But when Whitley arrives, she meets the new fiance and her two perfect children-- one of whom she slept with the night of their graduation party. When she doesn't fit in with her father's new family, Whitley parties, and hard. She escapes through alcohol, but there's only so long she can run before reality catches up with her.

So, as you've probably seen on this blog once or twice, I LOVE Kody Keplinger's books, and this one does not disappoint. As usual, her characters are right on the ball. Whitley's loneliness bleeds through the pages, and every other character has something about them that brings out their humanity. From Bailey's incident at the party and Nathan's history, I come to love each of Keplinger's characters in a way I didn't think possible in a single book.

Speaking of characters, if you're a fan of Keplinger's THE DUFF, you'll notice some crossover characters (Wesley, Bianca and Harrison) as well as some crossover settings, (such as the Nest.) Not only did this make it so much more satisfying as a reader, but they were subtle connections that were not necessary to understand the main story.

The emotions in this book do run strong. There are scenes that include rape scenarios, the consequences of partying, cyber-bullying, rumors, boys-- Keplinger has perfectly summed up that feeling of intense loneliness many teenage girls face. It's hard not to connect with Whitley, because who hasn't felt as though everyone has failed them and the world is against them? The emotions and tension are timed just right in this book, and the subject matter (such as the rape incident and the cyber-bullying) were handled well, without slipping into melodramatic territory. We want reality, not a soap opera!

All in all, this book was spectacular  It was not a book I powered through, but something I put down (with my finger marking the page!) and had to take moments to just think. I love books like that, and its rare that I find one that hits the subject matter so on the head. If you're a fan of contemporary, or are searching out books for girl readers, A Midsummer's Nightmare could not be a better choice.

Overall: 4.5/5 Stars

Peace,

-Katie

So You Want to Write a Novel: Part One -- The Idea

So you want to write a novel: Part 1 – the Idea

I’ve come across dozens of people who, after I tell them I’m a writer, say to me, “I’ve always wanted to write a book.”

Why don’t you?

If you’ve somehow stumbled onto my blog, then you’ve made the conscious decision to start reading up on this marathon that you want to undertake. Because writing a book is a marathon that lasts a few weeks for some, and a few years for others. But how do you get started? I’m about to start writing a new book myself, so I thought I’d catalogue the step-by-step process, from idea to agent, to give some of you a glimpse into how the process works.

Disclaimer: This is my process. It’s different for every person. Do NOT feel pressured to conform to one way of writing. We all have to find our groove, this is only one option.

What do you need when you get that brilliant idea? How do you go from inspiration to chapter one? Honestly, this is the craziest part of the process for me. For several weeks beforehand, I go through a “musings” phase. This is when I absorb as much inspiration as possible, stretch my creative muscles and let my ideas take form in my subconscious. Often I need some time to sit back and think about everything before I even get started.

Once I’ve got all the Thinking done, I move onto writing some of this down in note form. Before I start a novel, there are some things I NEED to know. I’ve learned it’s far easier to plan, plan, plan than to go back and try and fix major plot issues later down the road. Some writers don’t like to do as much notes as I do—often they take an idea and just run with it. I do this too in some ways, but in order for me, personally, to take writing from a hobby to a profession, I need to stop saying to myself, “Ah, I’ll figure it out later” and start with, “Let’s deal with this now.”

Many things change from beginning to end, but before anything happens, I need to know The Bare Bones:

Characters:

 Main Character

è Who are they when they’re alone? Are they quiet? Easily bored? Extroverted? Introverted? Do they prefer a loud party or a quiet walk through the park?

è Who are they with people? How do they act around those they like? Those they hate?

è What motivates them? What do they want more than anything in the world?

è What makes them angry? What gets them depressed? What makes them want to give up?

è What is their biggest dream? Their biggest fear?

Once I’ve answered all these questions, I move on to secondary characters, a love interest, and antagonists. Planning out things like appearance, nationality, sexuality, ect., are just as important, but I find those very easy to plan out, so I try to focus on the things that aren’t always so obvious to me.

Note: Antagonists don’t necessarily have to be characters, but they must be well-thought out. Your antagonist is just as important as your protagonists, and must have wants and desires that are as believable as your MC’s.

Plot:

 Main Plot:

è What is the major problem at hand?

è Who/what stands against the MC? Why?

è How does your MC plan to fight back to achieve his/her goals?

Subplots:

Subplots can be a great thing, so long as they don’t overcrowd your story. I always tend to overdo it, so I try and plan out which subplots will play an active role.

à Decide on what kind of subplot you want. Is it a romance subplot? One of self-discovery? One related to the MC’s family/home life?

è Why is it in your book? Is it really necessary, or is it simply a darling you don’t want to kill?

è What does it add to your story?

Setting:

Your setting is, in a sense, its own character. It should receive just as much attention as the other components of your novel.

Basic:

è Where are you setting your story? Why?

è Does this setting have a connection to your characters/plot?

è How does your atmosphere reflect your story?

Worldbuilding:

è How does your world function? Even if you’re writing a contemporary novel, the town/city you set it in should have its own unique characteristics.

è Where do people get their food/water/medical supplies, ect?

è How does the landscape affect how the people live?

è What is unique to the world you’ve created?

è What beliefs/prejudice/myths are prominent in your culture?

Voice:

è What POV will you use? Is it 3^rd person, 1^st, or 2^nd? Do you have an omniscient narrator? How many narrators will you use? Is this in present or past tense? (Or perhaps future tense?) And of course—WHY?

è What tone will you use? How does your narrator affect your word choice, diction, style, ect?

è How will these decisions affect the story you’re trying to tell?

Research:

è What don’t I know that will better my story in some way or another?

è What things could I incorporate into my story? What is something I’ve been interested in that might work well with what I’ve already chosen to write about?

Anything else?

è Is there anything I want to plan out before I start writing? (Certain deaths, character traits, plot twists, ect?)

 

Once I've answered all these questions, and I feel I have a decent grasp on my idea, the characters and the world, I move onto the opening pages.

 

Oh joy. Those damn opening pages.

 

TBC...

Meet Heather: Literacy and Child Services

Intro

I work in a social services facility. Our agency helps children and their families who have been affected by poverty, mental illnesses, behavioral problems, family conflict, abuse, assault, prostitution, drug abuse, ect, ect. We have many different programs for a variety of issues, some are residential, some are community-based. I work on campus, so most of the kids I see are residential.  I love my job, and hope soon to volunteer in some of the programs to get a better look at how the agency works.

The Library

On Monday, I had the opportunity to tour through the library on campus. It’s within our little school, where most of our residential children go. It was fascinating to sit down and talk to our librarian, Heather, who was kind enough to answer all my questions about literacy within our programs, as well as books and writing.

I wish I could’ve snapped a picture of the library for you guys. It’s beautiful, with art of creatures from Where the Wild Things Are (love that book!), as well as lots of comfy places for kids to sit down with a good book. My first impression was amazement. My high school library looked like crap compared to this one! And it made me really happy, too, because Heather is clearly a dedicated librarian, and is always searching for new ways to get the kids reading.

Literacy in the School

Many of the children who wind up in our school/programs come from homes where there are no books, where their parents do not read, and often times, they have not gone to enough school to properly learn to read. For many students, the library offers a one-to-one literacy program, in which the student sits down with one of the library staff to get some stress-free tutoring for reading. Many children in our programs (though not all!) have a below average reading level. Heather told me the main priority for these kids is to either a) get them up to their reading level, or, if this is not possible (many teenagers who have been out of school for so long simply can’t catch up) b) get them up to a passable reading level (grades 4-5.)

Every day, before lunch, the school has a 20 minute NATURE session. That stands for Need At least Twenty minutes of Uninterrupted Reading Every day. What I especially love about this, is ALL STAFF must be reading as well. It doesn’t matter if it’s a comic book, magazine, novel—so long as the adults are reading. It’s great for the kids, because it gives them a positive reading role model. As Heather put it, “If the kids see a staff they admire reading, they’re more likely to get excited about it.”

Every day after lunch, for 40 minutes, each class participates in a literacy block. This is where, like most classrooms, kids join together for different literacy exercises, depending on their ability level. Some classrooms read through smaller chapter books and answer questions in a booklet. More advanced classes (not necessarily older kids) do things such as novel studies.

For children who do well in NATURE and their literacy block, the school offers them a chance to purchase books for the library. Each year, one student from every class is chosen. They select five books, four of which will be placed in the library with a bookplate in the front cover, stating “so-and-so selected this book for the library.” As well, they are allowed to purchase one book for themselves. I absolutely adore this system. What better way to encourage kids than rewarding them with BOOKS?

Where does Heather find her books?

Most of the library’s funding comes from the Board of Education, but Heather also purchases books through Chapters/Indigo, Amazon, and United Library Services. Her library is filled with new books, which made me happy to see. I spotted the Mortal Instruments series, Divergent (which she mentioned she and the kids loved!) as well as things like Speak, Go Ask Alice, and the House of the Scorpion. Heather is a librarian that does her research. She knows exactly which books she’s ordering. She finds most of her books through reviews, suggestions from students and teachers, as well as what reflects the curriculum.

Hear that, reviewers? Your job is SO IMPORTANT for helping librarians like Heather find books for their students.

Big Hits

The books that struck big, according to Heather, are horror. (Hm, wonder why that is?) Darren Shan books are popular, as well as graphic novels, Amulet (Heather spoke highly of this one), Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Conspiracy 365, and the Simpsons comics. (She rolled her eyes when she told me this. Hee!)

For girls, issue books are a big hit. Anything by Ellen Thompson, books on cutting, books on runaways and the like. The girls (and boys) in our programs can really relate to these books, because at times, it feels like these issues are the only things in their lives that make sense. 

Issue Books and Triggering

Heather’s take on issue books really intrigued me. I’m a writer who loves to tackle the dirty and controversial subjects, and although Heather had a bit of hesitation about them, she is a full supporter of issue books. According to her, these books are very important for making the kids feel as though they’re not alone with the problems they face. (Abuse, poverty, cutting, suicide, ect.) For Heather, the issue books have never been a problem, because YA doesn’t glorify these subjects. Though sometimes they can get graphic, in the end, usually the characters have found a way to solve or deal with their problems, which shows these kids that there is an end to the darkness they face.

Issue books are a bit of a touchy subject with some of the clinicians and counselors, because they can trigger the kids. Books that deal with self-harm can act as triggers, and the last thing anyone wants to do is deal with an escalation. At first, Heather told me that the clinicians asked to have the books removed, but after persuading some of them to read a few, apparently they’ve seen the light. There are still some books that need to be approved through clinicians before the kids can sign them out, but most of the time, it’s not an issue. 

A Happy Ending

One of the last questions I asked Heather was if she’d ever had any issues with kids holding onto books longer than necessary. She laughed and said, “I have many stories like that.” She told me about one boy who was a voracious reader, and had been hoarding library books in his room at his program. They found a stack hidden under his bed. He’d ripped out all the sign-out cards, scratched out the agency’s name and wrote his own in the cover. After the books were returned, Heather sat down with him and talked about how they could arrange for him to get some books of his own. Needless to say, the kid was certainly excited about that idea.

So there you have it! My trip to the school library. I may snap some pictures of it sooner or later, because it is a beautiful library. Heather is the kind of librarian that makes me proud to be a children’s writer.

Would you like to donate a book?

If anyone would like to donate to the school’s library, or to Heather, PLEASE, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email at katiecarson at Hotmail dot com. When I mentioned I might be able to get some people to donate her books, Heather got really excited. Any old books kicking around that you don’t want? I know some kids would really love a chance to read them. 

Thanks for reading!

Peace,

-Katie

Tips for New Writers

Are you a teenager aspiring to be a published author? Or perhaps you're someone who wants to pursue publishing, but don't have much experience in the writing department. I was where you were once, and after five years of actively pursuing publishing, I've learned some tricks of the trade.

Publishing is a big, daunting business, and if you want to become a published author of anything-- fiction, nonfiction, children's books, genre, whatever-- you need to know a) how publishing works and b) your market.

After five years, I'm still learning. Learning is good, and if you really want this, you need to do a LOT of research.

So where do you start?

1) General questions/Query writing. One of the best websites for learning about writing, publishing, and how the business works is www.absolutewrite.com/forums Set up an account, and check it out. It is a massive website filled with writers, both published and aspiring. There are often agents and editors on that forum to answer your questions. They also have a Share Your Work forum which is password protected. There other writers, and sometimes agents, will help you craft your queries. They have step-by-step breakdowns of how to construct queries and synopsis's, as well as examples of those that have succeeded. (Also: Use google to find other writers forums. Find people who know what they're talking about, and ask them questions. Remember: there are no such things as stupid questions.)

2) Research agents. My best advice for researching agents (how to contact them, dos and don'ts, what they like, ect.) is to go to www.agentquery.com You can filter agents based on what they represent. Find agents who sell books similar to what you write, and look for any blogs they might have. Not every agent has a blog, but many do, and they have a lot of seriously valuable information. Reading blog posts will help keep you from making simple (but embarrassing!) mistakes.

3) Bookstores are your friend. Read, read, read books from the market you intend to sell in. Before you start sending out query letters, try to read 50-100 books in the same category you want to write. Get a feel for what others are putting out there, and what editors are buying.

4) How-to books. How-to write books are great. I'd highly suggest On Writing by Stephen King, The Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, and if you're interested in indie publishing, the book How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead by Ariel Gore is WONDERFUL. Unfortunately I gave away my copy, but she has a lot of great ideas about self-promotion, and the voice all the way through is really wonderful.

5) Write, write, write. Constantly teach yourself about the English language. Learn how to properly use things like punctuation, increase your vocabulary (this can be achieved by reading more) and always try to invent new and better ways to phrase your sentences. This may seem like really elementary stuff, but you should always try to improve your basic skills. I've been writing novel-length stories since I was 12-13 years old, and I'm still searching for new ways to describe things, or find words that sound well together and invoke the senses. Words are the building blocks of stories. They are your tools, my author friends, so learn how to use them properly.

If you follow these steps (and be polite to people!) then I assure you, you'll have agents and editors knocking at your door in no time. :)

So get to it!

Peace,

-Katie