2012: A Year in Review

2012 has been an amazing year. I may have learned more about writing, patience, frustration, and joy than any year before. I’ve made awesome new friends through Twitter, who have encouraged and supported me while making me giggle. I also found my critique partners this year, and I probably haven’t said it enough, but having them help me to become a better writer has been incredible. They’ve pushed me past my comfort zone and cheered for me every step of the way. If you’re a writer and don’t have critique partners, you need some. Get connected with your local writing group or find them online. (I found mine through Maggie Steifvater’s love connection, but there is an awesome new website out there for finding critique partners. Check it out at cpseek.com.)

The biggest thing that happened to me this year was that I sold my YA debut novel Reclaimed to Spencer Hill Contemporary. Go here for the story. I just want to say that working with my editor Danielle (and everyone else at SHP) on edits has been such an awesome experience. I can’t wait to finally share this book with the world!

While my writing life had a great year (I also finished the first draft of another novel I’m really excited about), my reading life was great as well. I got to go to Harry Potter world in Universal this summer! The Harry Potter books mean a lot to me and are one of the the reasons I read and write young-adult. I mostly read adult classics in high school, and as an English major in college, I was kind of a literature snob. I was pretty put out when I had to take a children’s literature class, but that was when I fell in love with the genre. I read the first three Harry Potter books (the fourth hadn’t been released yet) as well as The Giver, The Westing Game, and The Chronicles of Narnia, just to name a few.

I didn’t read as many books this year as I normally do, but I think that is because I also read several manuscripts (2012 was the first year that I read other people's manuscripts, and I have learned so much from this) and wrote a lot. Here’s my reading recap of 2012:

Books Read – 62

Those that were re-reads – 8

I re-read Divergent and the Harry Potter series this year. I gave Divergent a second read because I’d assigned it to my English II students and because Insurgent was coming out. (They loved it, by the way. Not sure I’ve ever had that many kids actually read the assigned novel.) I allowed myself to re-read the HP series (I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve read it) since I was going to Harry Potter world. I also finally talked my husband into reading the series. I always feel a little guilty re-reading books when there are so many great new ones I should get to, but getting lost in a re-read is a little like going home.

Adult – 12

If I had to pick a favorite, I’d say Language of Flowers. This book is so beautifully written it made me ache. The story is sad but hopeful, but it was the writing that really did it for me.

Honorable Mention: Shadow of Night  This book did get a bit tedious at times, but I’m a huge fan of the series. I read the first book, A Discovery of Witches, right after it came out, and it was so good I read it twice in the same week. If you haven’t read this series yet, check it out. It has vampires, witches, and a whole lot of history.

Nonfiction – 3

Favorite: Reading Lolita in Tehran

I don’t read many nonfiction titles, so it’s easy to make my best list. But I love this book so much. It was heartbreaking and well-written.

YA – 47

Obviously I can’t pick my favorite YA’s because there are too many, but here’s a list of the ones I really enjoyed:

Shadow and Bone

The Fault in our Stars

A Million Suns

Code Name Verity

Insurgent

Raven Boys

 

Merry Christmas from my house to yours

 

 

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

 

 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

 

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

 

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

 

 

 

I sprang to my edits, to the words gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

 

 

 

But I wanted to say, ‘ere I dove out of sight,

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

 

Revising Isn't for Wimps

As I’ve said before, this writing thing is hard work.  I must be doing it wrong.

Most people have this idea that writing is nothing more than sitting down and transcribing scenes that are going on in your head.  Then, once you type “The End” (which I’ve never actually done), you just have to read over it to find all the typos and then you send it out and it gets published.  Those people are wrong.

Sometimes revisions involve digging through the
dirt and sniffing out the parts worth saving. See what
I did there?

I don’t know about you, but my first draft really isn’t even a first draft.  It’s more like a .5 draft.  Or a 300 page outline.  Because once I’m done revising – and by revising, I mean ripping the guts out of the story and completely re-writing it – it barely resembles the story it started out as.  And it’s exhausting.  No, it’s not as exhausting as mining coal or teaching teenagers, but some days when I'm sculpting my sentences it feels like I am trying to scrape them out of the rock with bare hands.  Seriously.  Again, I may be doing it wrong.

But revisions are what I like best. I love taking a manuscript and tuning it and molding it into the story I’d always intended it to be. The story that caused my heart to beat fast, the characters who had conversations so loud I couldn’t fall asleep until I’d written them down. With revisions I’m able to move things around and examine them from all angles because they're on the page to begin with. When it’s just a blank page, I have to fill it. But when those words are there, I’m more able to see what I did, what I wanted to do, and the chasm inbetween.

But revising isn’t for wimps. You have to come face to face with your prose and admit that not all parts are pretty. In fact, some parts are actually so humiliatingly hideous that you are terrified their shouts of “fraud” actually echo across the publishing world.

Revisions demand fortitude because you have to keep going after reading the junk. You have to have the guts to admit even the pretty parts aren’t perfect, and that scene you love so much serves no real purpose after all and has to go. You have to endure the doubt and self-loathing that mixes with pride and will keep you from making this story what it can be, what it should be, and what you intended all along.

But if you can do that, your story will be that much stronger, and you will be that much better. Write on.

Holiday Cheer

When I sold RECLAIMED to Spencer Hill Press back in September, I felt like Santa had come early. Working with my editor Danielle Ellison and the entire family at Spencer Hill Press has continued to feel like a dream, and I'm so thrilled to be able to celebrate the holiday season by participating in a giveaway. The Spencer Hill family put together a little something to help get everyone in the Christmas spirit. So visit the participating blogs and enter to win!

GRAND PRIZE Holiday Cheer Away Holiday Giveaway Bag

 

Books:

TOUCH OF DEATH
One Spencer Hill Press book (winner's choice--can include soon to be release selections)

 Jewelery:

Bracelet
TOUCH OF DEATH Handcrafted Pendant- www.stainedglasscreationsandbeyond.com
Handcrafted Necklace and Earrings
So Many Books, So Little Time Necklace

Giftcards:
$20 Amazon or Barnes and Nobel (Winner's Choice)
$15 Starbucks
Two $10 Amazon

Critiques:
First Chapter Critique-Mary Gray
First Chapter Critique-Rhys A Jones
Query Letter Critique-Trisha Wolfe

Cool Stuff:
GUARDIAN T-shirt
BETRAYED Fridge Magnet
Flashlight
Ornaments
Holiday Towel and Potholder
Candy- nom nom nom

Swag:

BREAKING GLASS Handcrafted Bookmark
FINN FINNEGAN Handcrafted Charmed Bookmark- www.stainedglasscreationsandbeyond.com
PERFECTION
TOUCH OF DEATH
FINN FINNEGAN
BETRAYED
ANGELINA'S SECRET
COPPER GIRL
OTHER TREE
PODs

 

SECOND Prize Holiday Cheer Away Holiday Giveaway Bag

Books:

ANGELINA'S SECRET - 1st edition signed copy

Jewelery:

Bracelet
TOUCH OF DEATH Handcrafted Pendant- www.stainedglasscreationsandbeyond.com
Earrings
 

Giftcards:

$10 Amazon or Barnes and Nobel (Winner's Choice)
$15 Starbucks
$10 Amazon

Critiques:

First Chapter Critique-Trisha Wolfe
First Chapter Critique (2500 Words Max)-Elizabeth Langston
Query Letter Critique-Kimberly Ann Miller

Cool Stuff:

BETRAYED Fridge Magnet
Flashlight
Ornaments
Holiday Towel and Potholder
Candy- NOM NOM NOM

Swag:

FINN FINNEGAN Handcrafted Charmed Bookmark- www.stainedglasscreationsandbeyond.com
PERFECTION
TOUCH OF DEATH
FINN FINNEGAN
BETRAYED
ANGELINA'S SECRET
COPPER GIRL
OTHER TREE
PODs

 

 

THIRD PRIZE Holiday Cheer Away Holiday Giveaway

Critiques:

First five pages--Sarah Guillory
First 250 word-DK Mok
Either query or first 250 word critique (your choice)--Michelle Pickett

Contest is opened to entries from Dec. 3rd to Dec. 16th

Contest is open to all ages from 13 to any adult age.
Contest is opened to US and Canada residents only. Sorry :(

Click the link below and enter! 

<a id="rc-08b1516" class="rafl" href=http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/08b1516/
rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving! Hope your holiday is filled with loved ones and relaxation.




Thanksgiving Post #4: Writing Websites

I am so thankful for the writing community. Anyone who says agents and editors are trying to keep people from getting published aren't listening to the right people. There are so many awesome industry professionals who work hard to educate and help new writers. If you want to get published, you must do your research. There is an abundance of information on the Internet, and honestly, I have no idea how people learned what they needed to before we had this amazing place to share and gather information. So here are just a few places where I learned more than I ever knew I needed to.

There are so many wonderful agents out there, all offering advice and willing to help new authors, even though they are already busy enough with helping their clients and finding new ones. So thanks to all those agents who are willing to share their advice. Here are three I've found helpful.

Mary Kole  http://kidlit.com/

Janet Reid  http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/

Rachelle Gardner  http://www.rachellegardner.com/

 

The following sites have great information, from finding agents to polishing your query to honing your craft.

Absolute Write  http://absolutewrite.com/forums/index.php

Literary Rambles  http://www.literaryrambles.com/

Query Tracker  http://querytracker.net/

WriteonCon  http://writeoncon.com/

 

I know there are so many I’m leaving out. These are just a few that I’ve been following for a while that I want to thank for helping me to learn and grow and improve. List your favorite writing websites in the comments.

Thanksgiving Post #3: Thankful Thursday

I’m thankful for the simple things in life, like food, fun, and freedom. I'm often happiest when I'm sitting outside watching the sun set over the cane field or reading a good book. Today, I'm just grateful it’s Thursday. Here are my top three reasons:

Reason #1: Today is Thanksgiving Dinner in the school cafeteria, and I’ve been looking forward to it all week. Maybe that seems silly to you, but this is Louisiana, and our school cafeteria makes the best Thanksgiving dinner, complete with rice dressing and sweet potatoes, which are some of my favorite things.

Reason #2: Thursday means Vampire Diaries. I don’t watch much tv, and I never would have fallen in love with this show if not for my friend Leslie. She practically bullied me into watching it a couple of summers ago by inviting me over and cooking me yummy food, which guarantees I will stay a while. She had DVR’d them, and we watched all the episodes. I was hooked. So I’m grateful for Leslie too, for introducing me to Damon. (And aren't you grateful I posted that pic?)

Reason #3: Thursday means I only have one more day until I'm off for an entire week for Thanksgiving vacation. And I need a vacation. I love my job, not only because I get to teach great kids, but because it ensures I will truly appreciate holidays and days off.

Sometimes it’s the little things.

Thanksgiving Post #2: My Support System

In my last post, I wrote about those people in my life who push me and make me better. Today I'd like to say thank you for those who see me at my worst and love me anyway. I'm so thankful for the amazing support system I have - family, friends, students, and Twitter pals. Writing was such a solitary effort for so long, and to now have so many people cheering for me and helping me is something that I hope for each and every one of you.

Aren't my parents adorable?

My parents have always been extremely supportive of me. I talked about Reclaimed with my parents while I was writing it, and when my dad had a dream about it, he called to tell me all about it in case I wanted to use his ideas. And they were pretty good. So I'm grateful for my parents, who always believed I could do absolutely anything.

I'm the one in the dance costume.
My sister is the cool one.

My sister is a pretty amazing person. We are only twenty-two months apart, so we have always been close. She has been one of my greatest cheerleaders. I bounce story ideas off her and she always reads my manuscripts first. I don't know if I could have kept writing if it weren't for her encouragement and honest belief that I would one day be published. We are both teachers as well (as are our mother and grandmother), and I can also call her to vent. We send each other hilarious text messages and giggle like children often. She's my best friend.

Seriously adorable, isn't he?

I met my husband on the beach when I was seventeen years old, and as corny and cheesy as it sounds, I fell in love with him almost immediately. We are very different, but that works for us. He has always been so supportive of me. When he built the bookshelves for my office, and I commented that they made me feel like a real writer, he told me I'd always been a real writer. And he believed it. He never doubted for a minute that I would be published. When I signed my contract with Spencer Hill Press, he told everyone, including his clients. (He's a builder.) He really does believe I will do whatever I say I will, and he does whatever he can so that I will have the opportunity. I am so grateful for him.

Me with my crew at their senior prom

I teach high school English, and I have the best students in the world. Everytime I talked about writing, they asked if any of my books had been published. When I said no, they told me I should get on that. I don't know if it ever crossed their minds that my writing might not be ready for that yet. When I told them the synopsis of my book, they got so excited! So I just want to thank my students, past and present, for begging to read my books and believing they would one day be in a bookstore. And a special shout-out to former student and current friend Emily Tucker, who reads my manuscripts in their early stages and gives great feedback, and Cameron Sarradet, who read the first book I ever wrote and didn't tell me it was horrible. You guys are one of the reasons I kept at it.


And there are so many others out there - my Mama Gayle, my friend Leslie, countless Twitter pals. Thanks, y'all!

Thankful: A blog hop post

Today I’m thankful for people who make me better. I hope all of you have someone, or several someones, in your life who push you to be the very best at whatever you do. I am many things (teacher, runner, daughter, sister, wife, friend), but today I want to thank those people who push me to be a better writer.

1.  My critique partners: I met my two awesome critique partners through the love connection on Maggie Steifvater’s blog. I cannot stress enough how much writers need critique partners. I was very nervous exchanging my work with strangers, but I couldn’t be luckier to have met Kate and Abigail, who took my manuscript and improved it. They told me where it was slow, where it was weak, where I could do better. Yes, they told me the parts that worked as well, but they didn’t only tell me how much they loved the story because that wouldn’t have helped at all. They said things that I knew were true but had been afraid to admit. They helped mold my story into the one I was trying to tell, and they kept me from giving up when things got hard. There was a point when I was pretty sure I was going to have to trunk this novel, but with their encouragement and help, I sold it instead. I am so thankful I listened to them.

2. My editor: I know I lucked out when I landed Danielle Ellison as my editor. She answers my emails almost immediately, Skypes with me whenever I need, and pushes me to make my manuscript what she knows it can be. She loves my stories and characters almost as much as I do, which is such a relief, but she doesn’t allow me to be lazy or sloppy, which is an even bigger relief. But she isn’t just making this book better. She’s making me better, so that the next book and the next and the next will reflect her influence and her drive to make me the artist she knows I can be. It means so much that she believes in me enough to ask me to do hard things. She believes I can do them, so I can. I'm so grateful for that.

So stick around this month to see all the things I'm thankful for, and participate in the Thanksgiving Blog Hop at Brenda Drake's blog.

 

Are You a Writer?

I always find it interesting when two of my worlds collide, which often happens with my running and writing life. I have seen the need for names or labels divide both runners and writers, and I wanted to address this. In the running world, there is a debate about the right to be called a runner verses a jogger. Some runners feel that you only earn the right to call yourself a runner if you run a certain mile split. Others feel it has to do with the amount of races you do. Me? I believe you earn the title of runner, and likewise writer, through consistency and commitment.

 

I am a runner.  Six days a week, I lace up my running shoes and hit the road.  Sometimes I run twenty-two miles; sometimes I run only four.  I run in the humidity, in the dark, in the rain.  Sometimes I can’t wait to get out there and fly over the ground, and sometimes I slog through the run, looking forward to the shower at the end.  There are even some days when I sleep in and miss the run completely, though that doesn’t happen that often.  I’ve never won a race.  I've placed in my age-group.  I’ve seen my marathon times get better and better, I’ve seen my mile splits get smaller, and I’ve set goals and crashed through them.  But I’ve never won a race, and I probably never will.  I’m okay with that.  I’m a solid mid-packer.  I am close to Boston qualifying, which I am quite proud of, but I've never broken through that tape.  But I am still a runner.

I don’t know why that lesson was so hard for me to learn when it came to writing.  At first, I never told anyone that I wrote.  It was a hobby that was just mine, an indulgence that was too sacred to share.  Then, when I finally got the courage, I told people that I liked to write.  I wrote almost every day, most often meeting and exceeding my goal of 1,000 words, but I could not call myself a writer.  I liked to write.  Because in my mind, until I was published, and published more than once, I was not a writer.

How silly.  I run every day, therefore I am a runner.  I write every day, therefore I’m a writer.  It should be that simple, but it’s not.  It took me a while to see it that way, mainly because I let other people’s perceptions color my own.  But then where is that line?  Are you only a writer if you are published?  Or are you only a writer if you can make your living that way?  Or are you only a writer if you have been validated by someone you deem worthy?

I am not a person who believes everyone deserves a trophy for participating. But I do think there are many ways to be a writer, and only some of them involve being published.  If you love words enough to craft them into sentence and story, then you are a writer. If you write consistently and hone your craft, you are a writer. To me the line between someone who writes and a writer is passion and drive. A writer works at her art and pushes herself to be better. But you don’t have to cross that finish line first to cross that finish line – you just have to meet whatever goal you set for yourself and find joy in the act of doing.  That is running. And that is writing.

Enjoy This Moment

Gus enjoys moments with food or flowers.

When the universe was handing out patience, I must have been in the bathroom. Because I got hardly any of that stuff. But I do have an overabundance of anxiety and nerves and restless energy, which just means they were handing those out with doughnuts, and of course I went back for seconds. But if you are a writer, you will have to learn patience.

As the wise old sage that I am, I always tell my students to stop looking forward to things in their future and learn to enjoy the present. The present is the only thing we have, and if we are always wanting our days to speed by to get to the next thing, those days will oblige us, and before we know it, too many days have passed and few are lying ahead. So as a teacher, I am full of advice.

Which I hardly ever take. Because as a writer, I’m ready to get finished with the first draft, be done with edits, get it on the shelves, write another one. And my husband recently threw my own advice back in my face. He told me to stop looking forward to my book release and enjoy this moment. (Oh wise hubby! Where did you learn that? ) Since I have many more books in me, he reminded me that if I’m always looking forward to the release, I will be always looking forward – and never enjoying where I am.

Some of you are in query hell. Some of you have subs out with editors. Some of you are working on your very first draft of your very first novel and wanting to be done already. I understand your impatience. I feel it every single day.

But I am making a conscious effort to enjoy where I am. I will enjoy these revisions because they are the first I am doing with an editor. I will enjoy this afternoon because it is October and I only get one of these months a year. I will enjoy my birthday later this week, because even though I’m getting older, the alternative is much worse. And I will enjoy family who drive me crazy and students who frustrate me because I am lucky to have both in my life.

So I will enjoy this moment, wherever I may be. Who’s with me?

Teen Perspective: Review of PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

It's time for another Teen Perspective Book Review. I've been wanting to read Perks of Being a Wallflower long before the movie was made, but like so many others in by TBR pile, it kept being pushed to the bottom as new ones were added to the top. When I saw they were making a movie out of it, I moved the book back up to the top. But then Angelle, my teen reviewer, pretty much hounded me until I put everything else aside and read it.

One of the great things about teaching teens is their passion. It is also why I write for teens. Angelle and some of my other students were so passionate about this book, were such advocates, that I just had to see why they loved it so much. And I appreciate their courage in recommending it to me. If they are anything like me, then they have a hard time recommending books that mean that much to them. If someone doesn't like a book that you feel speaks to you in such a way that you are changed when you come out the other side, then it feels like they have betrayed you. If they say ugly things about a book that is your heart, they are saying ugly things about you. (I feel like way about Fahrenheit 451. That books means so much to me, and when people criticize it, I feel criticized and my soul is sore.) Some books seem to be a letter written only to us.

I enjoyed Perks. It felt very much like Catcher in the Rye, and I adored Charlie. You have to. The character development was extremely well done, and the innocent yet stark way Charlie viewed life was great. But I'm going to keep my review short so that Angelle can talk about it. After all, this is her Fahrenheit 451.

October 15, 2012

Dear friend,

I’ve never reviewed a book formally before and I’m especially nervous because this book is so important to me, but I’ll do my best to do it justice. Ok here it goes. Let’s start with the basics. I was just a wee little sophomore when my friend and past reviewer, Emily, gave me Perks of Being a Wallflower, saying it was one of her favorite books.  I was so excited because Emily reads about 5 million books a week (seriously, this girl is Matilda) so I knew that it was something special. I had never read a book like this before. As most 15 year olds, I was reading lots of young adult books with mild subject matters, dreamy boys with cool names like Ashton or Jace, and most importantly, happy endings.  Perks of Being a Wallflower is the opposite of all of that nonsense and that is why it is so great. This book is raw and real, so be prepared for disappointment if you’re expecting a bubbly teenybopper novel.

The whole book is written in letters from Charlie to “friend”, who is never revealed. The book starts with Charlie the day before he starts his first day of high school. Charlie is a really introverted dude with serious social problems. He has no friends after the recent suicide of his best friend Michael. He has a hard time connecting with other kids his age and would rather get lost in a book then deal with the things going on around him. It wasn’t until Charlie went to a football game trying to “participate” in high school life that he met Patrick, (possibly the best character EVER) who he knew as “Nothing” from shop class, and of course the one and only Sam. They took him under their wings, appreciating his quirky and shy behavior. Later on in the book they took him to his first high school party, where he met Mary Elizabeth, Alice, and Bob. It was at that party which Patrick finally coined Charlie’s wallflower status. “You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.”

I absolutely love this book because it has REAL characters who I can really relate myself and people I know to. Charlie and his friends are those kids who wear “weird” clothes, listen to music they don’t play on the radio, and have their own ideas about how things should be. They don’t care what people think and I absolutely, positively, 100% love that. I guess I loved these characters so much because I see myself and my friends in them, which makes it so much more real to me.  Charlie is so pure because he’s crazy, really he is, but he doesn’t know it. Charlie has a right to be very sad but he isn’t; like everyone else, Charlie is just trying to get through life the best he can, despite his circumstances. You would think Charlie is a depressing character from hearing him described, but he really isn’t and I think that is why he’s such an interesting person. He’s hopelessly in love with Sam, who I like. Usually the main girl character annoys me because she is usually perfect and just kind of deals with the choice of which boy she should choose or something dumb like that. Sam is a real girl with real problems. Her past is a broken one, which made me really like her. She’s a very round character who has her own problems to deal with. Sam is not a damsel in distress begging to be rescued; she is a broken girl struggling against the current of life just trying to keep her head above water. Charlie finds Sam beautiful and I think part of her beauty is in her sadness. Patrick is Sam’s brother and my favorite person ever born, written, thought up, whatever you want to say. He is cooler than any of us will ever be and that is just the truth. I’ll let you take that in for a moment…. Ok and we’re back. Patrick. I LOVE HIM.  Let’s talk about it. First of all I want to thank Stephen Chbosky for making him a real person. Patrick as you may or may not know is gay (sorry to tell you ladies), but thankfully is not portrayed as a sassy best friend: purely there to give fashion advice, drink coffee, and make catty comments like most gay characters in books are. Don’t get me wrong, he’s hilarious, but he’s much more dynamic than the occasionally sassy comeback. I think my favorite part about Patrick is how unapologetic he is for being himself and I just love that so much! I enjoyed Mary Elizabeth for her spunk and stubbornness, which I can relate to.  I like Bob a lot too because he’s that simple pot head type who’s just nice to everybody. Over all I think Chbosky did a really good job making these characters intriguing. I say intriguing because it’s their faults that make them more interesting. I think we can all see aspects of our own lives in theirs.

I could write a whole novel just talking about how much I enjoyed this book and how important it is to me. It deals with issues like abortion, abuse, and self love, which are real issues teens deal with. I would DEFINITELY suggest this book to anyone, but especially teens. I’ve heard a lot of people say this book is too depressing which I STRONGLY disagree with. Anyone who has actually taken the time to read and UNDERSTAND this book for what it really is knows that this book is something beautiful, and just like Sam, there is a certain beauty in sadness. The best thing about this book is that it’s not obnoxiously sad. It doesn’t shove depressing situations in your face and force you to cry yours eyes out. I think Charlie’s social “wallflower-ness” helps to blatantly express what’s happening and he can honestly express his feelings almost matter of factly. I never felt like the book was supposed to make me cry. It was always the things Charlie said that I just connected with so much that I couldn’t help but to get emotional. This book doesn’t make you cry because you feel bad for Charlie, it makes you cry because you see yourself in Charlie and feel the pain with him. You feel the emotions of all the characters. They are all broken in some way and are just trying to find the missing pieces like everyone is. That’s why it bothers me when people say this book is sad because it’s not. This book is life. Life has some sad moments, some happy ones, but most importantly, infinite ones!

                                                                                                            Love always,

                                                                                                            Angelle

Writing is Hard

I use the idea of pushing through pain a lot when I’m teaching.  Maybe it’s because so many of my students claim to experience physical pain while taking my class.  Their brain hurts when they read Julius Caesar.  Their hands hurt when they’re writing their essays.  They claim the research papers deaden their souls, which sounds pretty painful to me. But my response is always the same.  Difficult things hurt but are the most rewarding when accomplished.

I’ve run six marathons. They hurt every single time. The first time I ran twenty miles was the most painful experience I’d ever had – even more so than my knee surgery. I remember the last couple of miles feeling like there were needles embedded in my quads. I’m really not exaggerating. It was the lactic acid building up, but I didn’t care what the hell was actually causing it. I just wanted it to stop.

But I didn’t stop. So when I stepped up to the starting line of that first marathon, I was ready. Of course, I was only beginning to learn about pain. 26.2 miles is somehow infinitely more painful than 20.  It wasn’t pretty.  It hurt.  I made rookie mistakes that made it hurt worse.  At around mile twenty-three or so, I totally understood why people curled up in the snow and died. I was that tired.  I wanted to collapse on the side of the rode and sleep. But I didn’t.

I cursed myself and the distance and even the sunshine the last few miles. I vowed to never, ever run a marathon again. I made deals with God.  And I cried.  I cried even harder when I crossed the finish line.  I couldn’t walk very well and my husband was there to make sure I didn’t fall over (it was actually highly probable at that point) but once I’d wiped the tears away, before I’d even made it very far from the finish line, I was ready to sign up for another one. Because the exhilaration and pride that comes with finishing a marathon is like nothing else.  So I’ve done several more, and they’ve hurt less, but not much. And it’s worth it every single time.

Writing is painful. Maybe that’s just me. Maybe you sit down and your Muse is a unicorn who whinnies softly in your ear while the words flow like a swift stream. Not me.  If I have a Muse, she’s more the type to beat the hell out of me and leave me in some back alley, bleeding and cursing the day I was born. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I love writing more than anything.  I love taking words and creating something where there once was nothing.  I love revising too.  I love cutting and pruning until the story is what I'd envisioned.  But along the way there is doubt.  There is fear that I can’t do this story justice.  There is certainty that I’m not good enough to do this.  Sometimes it hurts like hell and I wonder why I ever thought I could do it.

So writing is like running a marathon. It hurts. Sometimes you want to quit. But if you’re lucky, there are people there to keep you from falling. And when you cross that finish line, it’s worth every painful moment. And I’m not talking about the finish line of being published. My book won’t be on shelves for another year. I’m talking about that sense of accomplishment when your own words make your heart race, when someone else loves those words and lets you know just how much, when someone else completely gets your characters.

Writing is hard. Writing is painful. But it’s so worth it.



After the finish of the 2011 RocknRoll New Orleans Marathon.
I look as rough as I felt.

Cover Reveal for THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM

So I can finally share the cover of The Dollhouse Asylum with you.  Isn't it amazing?  The book was written by my Spencer Hill Press sister Mary Gray, and I can't wait to get my hands on it. 

The Dollhouse Asylum

A virus that had once been contained has returned, and soon no place will be left untouched by its destruction. But when seventeen-year-old Cheyenne wakes up in Elysian Fields--a subdivision cut off from the world and its monster-creating virus--she is thrilled to have a chance at survival.

At first, Elysian Fields,with its beautiful houses and manicured lawns, is perfect. Teo Richardson, the older man who stole Cheyenne's heart, built it so they could be together. But when Teo tells Cheyenne there are tests that she and seven other couples must pass to be worthy of salvation, Cheyenne begins to question the perfection of his world.

The people they were before are gone. Cheyenne is now "Persephone," and each couple has been re-named to reflect the most tragic romances ever told. Everyone is fighting to pass the test, to remain in Elysian Fields. Teo dresses them up, tells them when to move and how to act, and in order to pass the test, they must play along.

If they play it right, then they'll be safe.

But if they play it wrong, they'll die.

 

Title: The Dollhouse Asylum
Author: Mary Gray
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.spencerhillpress.com) Please feel free to use any images, text, links, etc. from our website.
ISBN: 978-1-937053-64-2
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Formats: Paper, e-book

Add it to your Goodreads shelf here.

Review of THE CASUAL VACANCY

I can’t believe I’m writing a review of The Casual Vacancy.  Those of you who read this blog know that I only review books that I love, books that I would recommend to others, and The Casual Vacancy doesn’t really fall into either category.  It is a harsh book, and I often put it aside because the characters were difficult and made me very uncomfortable.  But this seems to be what Rowling was going for, so I have to commend her on pulling that bit off spectacularly.

Books are personal for me.  Whether or not I like a book has everything to do with me and nothing to do with the writer. Thus, I hate books that are well done and may love some books which could have been improved with a little more editing.  But I do believe one of the best tests of a great book is whether or not the author has accomplished what he or she set out to do.  As a writer, I know how difficult this is.  Sometimes I have a wonderful idea that I am so afraid of screwing up.  I fear taking this idea and not being able to do it justice, to write it the way I see it all played out in my head.  I read a book once, which shall remain nameless, that I hated.  The premise was cool, but the author did not make good on her promise.  The plot was shoddy and the characters were two-dimensional.  There was no motivation for anything they did, and I did not buy into their story.  Rowling, however, has taken a difficult story and accomplished what she set out to do, and I believe that is the mark of a great author.

The Casual Vacancy is a challenging book.  While the writing is good, the language is harsh and the characters are hateful.  I disliked most of the characters (and truly hated some of them), but that was because they were so real and honest.  They got right in your face and shouted their flaws.  They were not easy for the reader to love or root for.  This is also difficult when you are a writer.  You are told that, even if your character is unlovable, the reader must sympathize with them in some way.  This was not the case for me with the characters is The Casual Vacancy, but yet, for some reason, I couldn’t give up on their story.

This book is about a town and its inhabitants.  It begins with the death of Barry Fairbrother, who is on the parish council.  But it’s not a mystery as many have assumed.  It is a character study.  The book starts a little slow, as there is a bit of info dump at the beginning, and since it is told in third person omniscient, it was extremely difficult to keep up with all the characters. But once I got well into the book, I was amazed at the intricate workings of each person’s story and how it connected them to the other characters.  I won’t give away the ending, but how everything finally comes together in the climax is incredible.

This is not a book I would recommend for everyone.  It is not entertaining, nor is it an escape from reality.  It is reality – it is gritty and in your face.  It made me uncomfortable, which I believe was its intention.  But it stayed with me.  It was a hard book to get through, not because the writing was bad or the characters were flat, but because they weren’t.  The characters were so real they made me cringe.  And somehow Rowling made me feel for the characters at the end of the story, even if I didn’t like them.

So maybe I don’t love this book, but I respect it, both for what it is and what it isn’t.  There isn’t any magic, but there is brokenness and the possibility of redemption, no matter how remote or unlikely.  And realistically, that’s what life is – the possibility of recovering from our mistakes or allowing them to destroy us completely.