You need a deer*. That is all.
*Another in our collection of backyard wildlife.
Monthly Archives: May 2014
Published: The Trouble with Prom + a sneak peek
Sometimes the slipper just doesn’t fit
Two contemporary young adult short stories
Glass Slipper: What do you do when the boy you’ve known forever dumps you the day before prom with everyone in a packed cafeteria looking on? Stalk him in your pajamas, of course. For Mira, this is only the start of a not-so-Cinderella prom.
Breaking Plans: Constance has plans, ones that include leaving her small town immediately after graduation. Prom isn’t part of her agenda. Constance is proficient at breaking rules. But breaking plans? Never. Except that might be the one thing she needs to do.
Bonus Content: Get a sneak peek of The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet
Buy now:
Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks, Smashwords
There you go: Two stories plus a sneak peek at The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet (the first four chapters), all for less than a cup of coffee at most places.
Weekly writing check-in: the one with the cover reveal
So, yesterday, if you noticed, was the cover reveal for The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet. But I’ll add it in here, just in case you missed it.
The scheduled release date is June 24, 2014, so stay tuned. It will be available in e-format and print, and so far it’s been a grand adventure pulling this all together.
In other news I got another new story submitted, which made up for the three that were rejected. I also pulled a story from a market that had it for a very, very long time. It was, in theory, short-listed. But since this particular market has had long stretches of silence, I thought it better to pull it and do something else with it.
Plus, the editor at Fantasy Scroll Magazine asked me to do an author interview that will run in the issue with the story I sold them last week.
Writing Work:
- Lots of proofing, lots of typo catching, lots of “What on earth is wrong with my spine?” (the book’s spine that is, not my own)
Submissions:
- A (K)night in the Royal Arms (new story!)
Rejections:
- Five to Freedom
- What Little Remains
- The Perfect Canvas
Acceptances:
- None, but the editor at Fantasy Scroll Magazine asked for an author interview, so that will be fun.
Publications:
- None
Filed under Weekly Writing Check In, Writing, YA
Cover reveal: The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet
Coming June 2014
Sometimes staying silent is the biggest lie of all.
Sophomore Jolia does the one thing no one expects from the girl who has perfected the art of keeping quiet.
She joins the speech team.
Jolia can’t confess the real reason–not to her best friend, her new teammates, or even to crush-worthy rival Sam who offers to coach her in secret.
Keeping quiet might be the easy way out, but when what Jolia doesn’t say starts to hurt those around her, it might just cost her a best friend, her spot on the team, and even Sam.
But she isn’t the only one with a secret. It’s going to take words–her words–to make things right.
If only Jolia can find them.
Today is the cover reveal for The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet, publication date June 24, 2014. Want an email when it’s released? Sign up for my email newsletter.
Or just keep your eye on various online stores. The book will be available in print and electronic format.
Filed under Books, Promo, Reading & Writing, Writing, YA
Weekly writing check-in: the one with the novel breakdown
No, my novel did not have a breakdown. Also, I did not have a breakdown while finishing my novel, amazingly enough. But! Finish it, I did!
The Time After came in at 94,070 words. This looks like a lot of words, and I suppose it is if you write them all at once. Here’s the week-by-week breakdown of that:
Week 1: 5,069
Week 2: 5,388
Week 3: 6,827
Week 4: 5,291
Week 5: 7,774
Week 6: 8,081
Week 7: 8,637
Week 8: 5,833
Week 9: 5,004
Week 10: 7,214
Week 11: 6,113
Week 12: 5,226
Week 13: 5,707
Week 14: 5,531
Week 15: 6,283
But let’s break it down further. I worked on this novel for 101 days. If you look at it like that, I wrote, on average, 931 words per day. That’s not a blistering pace. It’s doable. It’s about the amount that can fit into Anne Lamott’s one-inch picture frame.
For me, the best way to stack up words is to stack them up a little bit at a time on a regular basis.
In other news, on the day I finished the novel, I also sold a short story. That’s not something that happens every day. But it did on Thursday.
Writing Work:
- The Time After ~6,283 words
- Incriminating Evidence ~ edits
- The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet ~ copy edits
Submissions:
- Abandonment Issues
Rejections:
- Doreen’s Muse
Acceptances:
- Incriminating Evidence to Fantasy Scroll Magazine
Publications:
- None
Filed under Weekly Writing Check In, Writing
Weekly writing check-in: the one with Mother’s Day
It was another busy week, but we’re not quite as tired today. I managed to make four submissions (!), including a brand new one out the door. I think I have one more week left of writing on The Time After. It’s creeping up to 90,000 words and I’ll probably top that in the coming week. Well, fingers crossed and all that.
I also have a bunch of submissions in orange (meaning they’ve been out for a while) in my submission tracker. I’m preparing to be pelted with rejections like so much hail from a Minnesota thunderstorm in the coming week(s) as well.
And now I’m off to enjoy this somewhat cloudy Mother’s Day.
Writing Work:
- The Time After ~5,631 words
Submissions:
- The Perfect Canvas
- Breaking Plans
- A Measure of Sorrow (audio/reprint market)
- Where Are Your Men (new submission!)
Rejections:
- Abandonment Issues
Acceptances:
- None
Publications:
- None
Filed under Weekly Writing Check In, Writing
Sucker Literary Blog Hop: the hop continues!
As promised last week, Shelli Cornelison is continuing the blog hop for Sucker Literary Magazine.
So hop on over and read all about her writing process.
Also, you can read a review of Volume 3 over at Wendi Kay’s blog.
Weekly writing check-in: the one with a busy weekend
Another short update today, since I’m in recovery mode from even more Scout-related activities this weekend. The short version: We. Are. Tired.
Got my writing in, and I’m up and over the 80,000-word mark in The Time After. I’m not really sure how that happened (other than the obvious: open a word processing document and start typing). One rejected this week, and one story short-listed (fingers-crossed on that one).
And you know what, guys? That’s all I got for the week.
Writing Work:
- The Time After ~5,707 words
Submissions:
- None
Rejections:
- Breaking Plans
Acceptances:
- None
Publications:
- None
Filed under Promo, Weekly Writing Check In, Writing
Writing Wrongs 