Books are Bared Souls

Sharing your art with the world is an act of bravery. It’s not the same as standing on the front lines or saving people from burning buildings. But I do believe that great art saves lives in that it has the power to change us, to make us better, to give us hope. As a writer, I know just how terrifying it is to pour yourself into a creation and then let it go out into the world on its own. With no protection. With no way of calling it back once it’s gone. For Whovians, it’s very much like the Ood, who hold their brains in their hands, vulnerable and unprotected. But heavens the beauty of that song to those who are willing to listen.

As a reader, I want to thank those authors who offer themselves and their art to the rest of us. They are willing to face ridicule and heartbreak in order to share their wonderful worlds. I have been changed by books. I have laughed, cried, and trembled in both joy and fear as I read words written and shaped by authors who were brave enough to get hurt.

I don’t love all of the books I read. But I’m grateful to those authors anyway, because even if that book didn’t speak to me, it probably spoke to someone else. Sometimes a book doesn’t sing to me until years later. Because while we are changed by books, books are changed by us as well. We read them differently as we grow different, as we change and learn. That’s the great thing about stories. They are ever changing.

Thank you to the story-makers, to the yarn-spinners and the tale-weavers. Thank you for facing the world with your soul bared. You spoke to mine when you did.

RECLAIMED has a Cover!

The characters in Reclaimed started talking to me in 2010. Coming from anyone else this might be cause for alarm, but writers are overjoyed when their characters start talking to them. It means it's time to start writing their story.

I love this story and these characters so much, and I can't wait to finally be able to share them with the world. I'll start today with the cover. I actually gasped out loud when I first saw it because I couldn't believe that my cover designer had managed to somehow see inside my head and find my Jenna. I am so grateful for the designer Jenn Rush, my editor Danielle Ellison, and everyone else at Spencer Hill Contemporary for giving Reclaimed such gorgeous wrapping.

Jenna Oliver doesn’t have time to get involved with one boy, let alone two. 
All Jenna wants is to escape her evaporating small town and her alcoholic mother. She's determined she'll go to college and find a life that is wholly hers—one that isn't tainted by her family's past. But when the McAlister twins move to town and Jenna gets involved with both of them, she learns the life she planned may not be the one she gets.

 

Ian McAlister doesn't want to start over; he wants to remember.

Ian can’t recall a single thing from the last three months—and he seems to be losing more memories every day. His family knows the truth, but no one will tell him what really happened before he lost his memory. When he meets Jenna, Ian believes that he can be normal again because she makes not remembering something he can handle.

 

The secret Ian can’t remember is the one Luke McAlister can’t forget.

Luke has always lived in the shadow of his twin brother until Jenna stumbles into his life. She sees past who he’s supposed to be, and her kiss brings back the spark that life stole. Even though Luke feels like his brother deserves her more, Luke can’t resist Jenna—which is the trigger that makes Ian's memory return.

 

Jenna, Ian, & Luke are about to learn there are only so many secrets you can keep before the truth comes to reclaim you.

Title: Reclaimed

Author: Sarah Guillory

Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary (www.spencerhillcontemporary.com)

Release Date: October 15, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-937053-88-8

Formats: paper, e-book

Find it on Goodreads HERE!

Please Step Away from the Manuscript

I have to be pretty disciplined, as everything I do requires it. I have a poster in my classroom that reads “You can’t built a reputation on what you’re going to do.” That is sort of a philosophy I live by. I always tell my students I made good grades in college not because I was all that smart, but because I worked hard. The same goes for running. I finish marathons because I’m disciplined. Anyone who wants to complete 26.2 miles has to be, but especially me, since I’m not talented, only stubborn. I once ran twenty miles in the pouring rain. That isn’t a brag. Most people aren’t impressed. I always get very strange looks from people when I’m running in the rain. They think I’m crazy, and maybe I am. But if I had skipped that twenty miler, then I wouldn’t have been ready for the race. Of course, if you don’t take rest days, you become over-trained and never make it to the race in the first place. It's a delicate balance.

I’m fairly disciplined in my writing as well. When I’m working on a WIP, I write at least 1,000 words a day. When I start revisions, I work at least an hour after work. If it’s in the summer and I’m off work, I spend more time. Since I’ve been working on revisions under a deadline, it’s been more like four hours a day. So after teaching school all day, I’ve been coming home and editing until bedtime with only a break for dinner. That’s like a twelve-hour work day.

These are not brags, because these things are not always good.

This weekend I was nearing the end of my edits. There were a few things I still wanted to tweak, and even though I knew what and where I needed to do it, I couldn’t figure out how. The words weren’t coming. So I sat and tried to force them. I worked on four pages for over an hour, only adding a few sentences here and there. When I finally had it where I could live with it, I allowed myself to go to the movies. It was absolutely the right thing to do. I should have done it sooner.

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Dumbledore, as always, has a memorable quote. “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” Being a writer has been a dream of mine for a very long time. But somewhere in the middle of edits, I forgot to live. I became a robot: get up, run, teach school, edit, eat dinner, edit, sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Sometimes you have to step away and live life. How else can you write it? I knew this intellectually, but when it came down to putting it into practice, I failed. Getting out and going to the movies was the best thing I could have done, both for myself and for my writing. Stepping away gave me perspective, as well as the few sentences I still needed.

I have a tendency to get very focused, whether it’s when I’m writing, reading, or running. That’s why my word for the year is BALANCE. I have to learn how to balance life with work, so that I can live life and put truth in my words. Wearing sweats and slaving away in my writing cave is wonderful, and I love pretty much every single minute of it. But sometimes, you just have to put on pants and see the world.

Books, BEA, and RECLAIMED, oh my: Why 2013 is Going to be Amazing

1. Books: The great thing about a new year is all the new books I’ll get a chance to read. While I love re-reading my favorites (I’m planning on re-reading The Hounds of the Morrigan, my absolute favorite book from elementary school, which I haven’t read in years), diving into a new book is like stepping into a whole other universe. It’s exhilarating and a little terrifying because you have no idea who you’ll be by the time you finish reading it. The great books change us in both large and small ways, and I just want to say thanks in advance to all the authors out there who are going to alter my world just a little this year. I’ve already blogged about some books I’m looking forward to in 2013 here, but here are just a few that have attracted my interest since then.

Altered, by Jenn Rush

Archived, by Victoria Schwab

Camp Boyfriend, by JK Rock

The Dollhouse Asylum, Mary Gray

 

2. BEA: I’ve never been to NYC before. I’m a little intimidated and a whole lot excited. I get to be there promoting Reclaimed, which is even better. I’m going to get to hang out with my editor Danielle Ellison and fellow SHP writer Erica Cameron, as well as various members of the SHP family. We are going to have shenanigans. I may even get to meet Dahl and other Twitter friends who decide if I’m that far north they must come play. So I’ll be in New York City, at BEA, as an author, meeting lots of amazing people. I may need to bring my smelling salts.

 

3. Reclaimed: Guys, I love this book so much. I guess I should, since I wrote it, but my fellow writers know that isn’t always the case. I adore these characters, flaws and all, and I can’t wait to share Jenna, Ian, and Luke with all of you. I’m also terrified. Because this is the year that I let my words out into the world. I’ve nurtured them and swore at them, and now they are ready to be out on their own. I’m so scared. And elated. But most of all, ready.

 

My focus word for the year is BALANCE. I have to do a better job balancing all areas of my life – friends, family, teaching, writing. But I also need to make sure that I take care of myself too. I’m not going to feel guilty when I need to take a day or two off to recharge. This is not a race, and I don’t have to speed through my days by trying to cram too much into each hour. I’m going to read, write, run, dance, laugh, cry, and learn to let myself off the hook. I’m going to succeed and fail this year, in one way or another.  And I’m going to enjoy every damn minute of the ride.

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.