The Writing Process

Guess I'm coming back a little early!
Today, I have some lovely Celebrations - join in the accolades with Vikki's weekly blog hop!

• My new friend, Randi Lee, who I met through the A to Z blog hop, did me the honor of highlighting me in her Sunday special, Meet a Blogger !
• I submitted a super fun ZOMBIE short story called THE COMEBACK to my publisher (Curiosity Quills) annual anthology, which will include a piece by Piers Anthony - will be a dream come true if I get published with one of my all time fave authors!!
• Also super excited about writing my anti-princess story - I've even used Ashley Chappell-Peeples (just got married) advice and written three songs for it with Noteflight! It's my fluffy unicorn!!
• Plans are coming along nicely for my BROKEN BRANCH FALLS blog tour. I've written most of the posts, I just need to type them up. Starts JUNE 1!!
• And my IRL Release Party!! Having it at an ice cream shop and so much green gobliny goodness I can't stand it! (June 26 in Cincinnati)
• Lastly - I get to participate in the Writing Process tour...

My long-time blogging friend, Elizabeth Arroyo, invited me to join in the Writing Process tour. We get to talk about our writing process and then pass it on to another... Thanks Elizabeth!

Here are the questions posed and my answers:
a) What are you working on? A short story called JOLINDA about a snarky teenage maiden in medieval times who finds she is stronger than she thought; and editing SIMULATION, the next book in the Cooper Chronicles after POP TRAVEL.
b) How does your work differ from others of its genre? I combine elements from several genres... sci fi, fantasy, thriller, humor, and a bit of romance - doesn't real life have all the elements? But, that also made it hard to find an agent who wanted to pinpoint me.
c) Why do you write what you do? I write adventure and action because that's what I like to read, no matter the genre, and I want to offer people who don't think they have time to read, something they can't put down - I want to capture more readers!
d) How does your writing process work? I start with an idea, writers are great at "What if...?" Then I flesh it out. If I can get an outline with enough beats and twists and sub plots, I know I can make a novel out of it. I write a rough draft in a notebook, then, I start typing, and get it to my CP, and edit, edit, edit. I have many notebooks waiting and new ideas hit me all the time - some more persistent than others! (Jolinda wants to be an animated feature so bad!)

What are you working on? What's your writing process?
Feel free to join in the tour - just link back and pass it on!

And now, I pass the torch on to another Elizabeth - Elizabeth Seckman! I'm so happy I got to meet her in person - a true treasure! She'll be posting next week. Here's a little preview...

Elizabeth is a wife, a mom, and a writer. She has four wonderful boys, one dusty house, and three published books to her credit. Feel free to check them out and buy them HERE! Erm, the books, not the kids or the house...though all things in life are negotiable ;)

Here are her links: Blog // Facebook // Twitter

And the blogging break begins... now!

Here is some elevator music (the theme song for BBF) and my blog tour schedule. I'll be writing posts and hopefully editing my next MS. And bugging my busy publisher for ARCs for my volunteer reviewers! Give me an update if you stop by - I'd love to know what you're up to! (Topics subject to change - any requests?)

Date	Blog Host	Topic
6/1	Melinda Pontruff	character/case study - clicks
6/3	Katie Teller	story inspirations
6/7	Lexi (Book Bliss)	what makes a solid review
6/13	Medeia Sharif	YA vs MG - what's the dif?
6/18	Livia Peterson	writing & publishing
6/27	Heather M. Gardner	books into movies
6/30	Tammy Theriault	interview
7/2	Elizabeth Seckman	creating covers
7/2	Bruce Gargoyle	interview
7/4	Sheena K Graham	interview
7/9	M. J. Fifield	hardships of being a writer
7/10	A. K. Morgen	You know you live in Arkansas when…
7/14	Elsie Elmore	interview
7/16	Rae Quigley	apocalyptic fantasy
7/18	Tyrean	interview
7/21	Julie Flanders	reverse interview
7/23	Kim Van Sickler	MG Fantasy today
7/25	C Lee McKenzie	interview
7/28	Rena	interview
7/30	M Pax	fantasy & cool research
8/4	Dana	fitting writing into a busy schedule
8/6	Alex J. Cavanaugh	scifi/fantasy - why smashed together?
8/11	Robin	songs/soundtracks for books
8/13	Crystal Collier	interview
8/18	Christine Rains	sequels - pros and cons
8/25	Beverly Fox	world-building

What to Expect from a Book Event

Happy Monday!
I had an incredible time at the Ohioana Book Festival! I got to meet Julie Flanders in person - so cool! She's a sweetheart! I also got to meet some other fantastic authors and industry professionals from Ohio...

Jillian Kuhlmann   * * *   Anne Marie Lutz   * * *   Terri-Lynne Smiles

Terry Ervin II   * * *   Brian Klems

Julie Flanders!

Julie & Me =)

my little spot

the Library Mouse

New Connection - Andrea from the SCBWI - Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators!

After going to a few book events, I have learned some things. Yes, always learning! So I thought I would share. And for those who have also been to events, please add your thoughts!

1. Be prepared - bring swag to give to attendees so they will remember you, display info about your books, put out a stack of your author cards, have signing pens and a notepad. I also bring my own table cloth and some decorations, like my crime scene tape. And candy or a treat that goes with your book is always a big hit! I have mints with Pop Travel on them, and for the BBF release, I ordered some custom-wrapped lollipops!
2. Be flexible - if you've never been before, you don't know what kind of space you're getting or who you'll be sitting next to. Don't have high hopes and you won't be disappointed. And the other writers are usually great people with info and insight to share.
3. Be approachable - I found that not everyone wants to have the author tell them about the book. Some want to look at the cover and read about it in silence, give them that chance. Others have lots of questions, the main one being: What's it about? Have a quick answer for them to hook them into wanting to know more!
4. Be available - if the host of the event asks you to do an author panel - DO IT! They are so awesome! And you get that much more exposure. You don't have to sell yourself so much as just talk about your book to an eager audience. Then you can answer questions as you see fit. I got to do two! It was the best experience I've had so far!
5. Be Smart
• hydrate! you'll be talking all day so make sure to take a break and get a drink once in a while. It's okay to leave your spot for a few minutes here and there, tho we all think that's when someone will come by to buy a book.
• learn from those around you - go look at their displays and swag and tables, so many great ideas!
• take a hint if someone isn't interested, let it go, thanks for stopping by
6. Be gracious - even if you didn't sell a ton of books (and don't expect to) you should be thankful for the experience and the opportunity. It's more about exposure and connections. The bigger, more well-known authors sell the most books. And the more you write, the more you have to sell.

If you sign up for a book festival or conference near you, let me know! I just might join you!

And now a word from our sponsor

It's time to announce the BROKEN BRANCH FALLS Cover Reveal Giveaway Winners!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nicki won the ARC and graciously offered to do a review for BBF
(It's just about ready for me to send to all my ARC review volunteers - I know you're probably wondering when you'd get it... Hopefully this week!)
Lucky Christine won the $10 GC =)
And Nick came up as winner number 3, but I decided to give him another $10 gift card since sending the goodie bag would've cost me more!
And that means C Lee McKenzie got to be the lucky goblin goodie winner! Yay!

Thanks to everyone who participated - it was a smashing success - I got so many awesome responses and bonus tweets!

Lastly, I wanted to tell you a little more about my blog friend, Carrie-Anne. If you've visited her blog, you'll know she and I are very different - I'm sci fi/fantasy and she's historical - opposite ends of the genre spectrum! I'm sure I met her through the A to Z challenge a few years ago as one of my alphabetic stops and she commented back and we've been chatting ever since. I have always enjoyed reading about the stories behind her stories, her travels, her many languages, her vast knowledge of history. If you like historical novels, you should really check her out! I leave you with Carrie-Anne's alluring new cover and release.

AND JAKOB FLEW THE FIEND AWAY
Author:  Ursula Hartlein
Title:  And Jakob Flew the Fiend Away
Genre:  Historical fiction, Bildungsroman
Release date:  9 May 2014

Jakob DeJonghe can think of nothing but revenge when the Nazis coerce his father into suicide and his little sister mysteriously disappears the day before Yom Kippur.  As conditions in Amsterdam worsen, Jakob is determined to fight back and be the master of his own destiny, just as his heroes the Maccabees did in ancient times.

While en route from Westerbork, Jakob seizes an opportunity to jump from a death train, breaking his foot as he lands.  As he limps for his life toward a forest, he’s found by four young resistance fighters and taken to a safe house.  Even though Jakob has been left with a permanent limp, he’s still determined to defend his country and track down the men who killed his father. 

His dream comes true when he joins his new friends’ resistance group, but after a chance meeting with a spirited young woman on one of his missions, he’s jolted by emotions he thought he’d buried.  And when he’s recruited into the Princess Irene Brigade and made a real soldier, Jakob realizes his battle is only half-won.  If he ever wants to survive a world that will never be ordinary again, love and not hate will have to carry him through.  And if he finds his dream girl again, this painful readjustment just might be easier.

Get it here on Amazon
Carrie-Anne's Main Blog  ~~~  Carrie-Anne's Name Blog 

Have a great week, you guys!