Books – Page 13 – Writing Wrongs

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the 99 cent sale

The YA Spring Fling continues this week, so if you haven’t had a chance to enter, head on over. Lots of books, lots and lots of books.

I’m continuing with both of my classes (I should probably go post my homework), managed a little writing, a little outlining, a little ghost research. Plus I sent a new story out into the world.

Also, if you want to grab Now and Later for 99 cents on Kindle, it’ll be that way for a week.

Writing Work:

Writing work ~ 2,300 words
Description class
Narrative Design class

Submissions:

In a Manner of Speaking

Rejections:

Abandonment Issues

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

None, but the Goodreads giveaway is still going on! Enter to win a print copy of Now and Later.

Or … grab the Kindle version for 99 cents. One week only!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Now and Later

by Charity Tahmaseb

Giveaway ends April 02, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

YA Spring Fling Blog Hop with H.S. Stone

The YA Spring Fling is still going strong and there’s plenty of time to enter the giveaway. Want to know what you might win? Well, keep reading to learn a little more about one of the authors, H.S. Stone.

What’s your favorite thing about spring?

The fact that it’s not winter anymore! Cold weather and I don’t get along very well.

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

I love coming up with new story ideas. I’ve been inspired by dreams, books that I read, or just from taking a walk. Whenever a good idea hits me, I write it down in a notebook. As a result, I can’t wait to finish my current manuscript because there are so many new ideas beckoning me!

What’s the worst thing about being a writer?

For me, the revision process is the most painful part of creating a book. After the first draft, I’ll go over my manuscript several times before sending it to an editor, and by then, I’m usually sick of reading my story.

Tell us more about your books.

I write young adult speculative fiction. About half of my books can be classified as dystopian or post-apocalyptic, while the remaining ones fall in the realm of science fiction or fantasy.

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee, but I also like tea. I like coffee-flavored anything: ice cream, cake, candy, etc.

Plotter or Pantser?

I used to be a plotter, but now I’m somewhere in between. I start out each story by writing an outline, and while I try to follow it when I write the first draft, the characters invariably lead me in a different direction. I then revise the outline to match and continue with the draft, iterating when needed until I’ve completed the story.

Are there any books involved in the YA Spring Fling that you’re secretly lusting after?

Oh yes, there are several! But since I’m secretly lusting after them, I won’t reveal which ones. I think there are lots of great books being offered, and I’m grateful to be part of it.

What are your top tips for surviving a bad review?

Remember that everyone has an opinion, and even the best books aren’t for everyone. Re-read your positive reviews to remind yourself that there are readers who enjoyed what you wrote.

What are your top tips for surviving a zombie apocalypse?

Zombieland provided some very useful tips, so I’ll refer to that list: http://www.zombielandrules.com/.

Remember the double tap.

Where can readers find your books?

You can find a full list of my books from my website with links to the retailers that carry them:

H.S. Stone’s books

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the YA Spring Fling

So, yes, the YA Spring Fling started on Friday. There are lots of books, not just contemporary YA, but fantasy, sci-fi, horror. Have a favorite genre? You can probably find it in this giveaway.

In other news, I started another class this week. Why? Because I’m crazy. Well, yes, I am, but that’s not why. Way back at the start of the year, I signed up for the Description class at the Loft Literary Center. Then the Narrative Design class came along, and I decided to start that as well.

And things are just a little bit crazy, what with Girl Scouts and dance competitions and the like. But I know that:

It won’t stay busy forever.
It’ll be worth it if I hang in there.

Now, a deep breath before I jump into my busy Sunday (cookie booth, here we come).

Writing Work:

Writing work ~ 5,250 words
Description class
Narrative Design class

Submissions:

Straying from the Path (reprint market)

Rejections:

None

Acceptances:

Steps to Goodbye to Vine Leaves Literary Journal, and it will be published in next month’s issue.

Publications:

None, but the Goodreads giveaway is still going on!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Now and Later

by Charity Tahmaseb

Giveaway ends April 02, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

YA Spring Fling! Win books, swag, and more!

It’s here! The YA Spring Fling! Enter to win a whole bunch of books: print, e-books, and audio. There’s swag and other prizes as well.

The giveaway is open between now and April 3rd, so head on over and win some books!

Weekly writing check-in: the one with Fine Art (almost) everywhere

So, I decided to pull The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath from KDP Select. I wanted to try a countdown deal (because I hate running a 99 cent promo and only earning 35% per sale–I want that 70%), and I wanted to see how the borrows might work for this book.

I’m not getting enough borrows to justify leaving it exclusively at Amazon, so here it goes, out into the wild. It’s now available on several sites (see links below).

I started a new short story this week, a complete turnabout from what I just finished writing, so the work was a little bit slower. Plus, I’m taking a class in narrative design.

Not to mention, we’re up to our ears in Girl Scout cookies here. Anybody want to buy a box … or ten?

Writing Work:

Writing ~ 3,200 words
Finished print layout for Now and Later
Narrative Design class

Submissions:

The Life Expectancy of Fireflies

Rejections:

The Life Expectancy of Fireflies

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath is now in many other electronic formats. You can find it for:

Nook, iBooks, Kobo, and even Scribd. Of course, it’s already available on Kindle as well.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the best in category

The Kindle Countdown Deal for The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath is wrapping up. If you want to grab a copy for 99 cents, you have about a day and a half to do so. Also, maybe this just happened:

So. Yeah. That was fun. Otherwise, I had a good writing week of about 1,000 words a day, and a good writing month as well. I’d love to inch that monthly word count up to 40,000. I don’t have that far to go, so we’ll see.

Writing Work:

Writing ~ 7,554 words
Monthly total: 37,377 words

Submissions:

None

Rejections:

None

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

Pick up the Kindle version for only 99 cents. It’s also available in print.

The Maze: Three Tales of the Future is also having a countdown deal for 99 cents. Three tales! Of the Future! But hurry. This one ends in a day and a half too.

Now and Later ebook cover If you’re in a short story sort of mood, you can pick up eight young adult short stories in one volume. Currently, it’s only available in Kindle, but I plan to release the print version soon.

Two countdown deals and a new release

That’s right. Two countdown deals this week and a new release. Why? Because I can? Because I’m crazy? You pick.

You can pick up the Kindle version for only 99 cents this week. It’s also available in print.

And, just for fun, The Maze: Three Tales of the Future is also having a countdown deal for 99 cents. Three tales! Of the Future!

Last, I have a new/old release out. I’ve compiled all my published young adult short stories into one volume. Currently, it’s only available in Kindle, but I plan to release the print version soon.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with yet another novel

I am really psyched about those two submissions this week. I’m hoping to build my list back up to a respectable level. I have some reprints I’d like to submit to audio markets. I would like to write a few more short stories too, although I can’t seem to stop myself from writing novelettes, so we’ll see how that goes.

Speaking of which, I’m doing something a bit different: working on two things at once, a novel and a novelette. So far it seems to be working.

And, of course, The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath is out, and you can read all about it, the Goodreads giveaway, and the countdown deal in yesterday’s post.

Writing Work:

Writing ~ 9,200 words
Graphic Design tutorials

Submissions:

Abandonment Issues
March Madness

Rejections:

None

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath

You can see all the details in yesterday’s post, but yes, she is live and on sale.

Revealed: The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath

So, now it’s here, or rather, now it’s official. It’s in the wild and will do whatever it is that it’s going to do out there.

Currently, it’s available in Kindle and Print (and if you buy the print version, you can get the Kindle one for free).

Secrets–like war–have their own casualties

MacKenna’s mother died when she was a baby, a casualty of the first Gulf War. Now seventeen, MacKenna has spent her life navigating the minefield of her dad’s moods, certain of one thing: she is destined to follow in her mother’s combat boots. But when she pursues an ROTC scholarship, she finds herself at war before even enlisting.

Her father forbids her from joining the military, inexplicable considering he’d raised her to be a “warrior princess.” MacKenna turns to her grandmother–who arms her with an ammo crate containing her mother’s personal effects from the war. Hidden in the crate’s false bottom is a journal, one her mom stashed there hours before her death.

While MacKenna untangles the secrets of her parents’ tragic love story, her own life unravels. Dad’s behavior becomes erratic, her best friend grows distant and even hostile, and a boy from her past returns–with a life-threatening secret of his own.

If ever a girl needed her mother, it’s now.

The pen might be mightier than the sword, but are a mother’s words strong enough to slice through years of hidden pain? Can those words reach through the battlefields of the past to change MacKenna’s future?

Save the date

I’ll be running a Kindle Countdown Deal starting on January 27th, when you can get the Kindle version for 99 cents. In the meantime, you can hop on over to Goodreads and enter the giveaway for a signed paperback copy:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath

by Charity Tahmaseb

Giveaway ends January 28, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Weekly writing check-in: the one at the end of November

More proofing this week, revising, and other whatnot. Even so, I managed to eke out 3,200 words. I mentioned at the start of the month that I wanted to do the equivalent of National Novel Writing Month, or 50,000 words. I ended up with 30,000, which considering I switched gears and did a few other things during this month, isn’t too bad.

Switching gears like … organizing a promotion for The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet (see links below). Between now and December 14th, I’m having a 99 cent sale on the electronic version. Or! If you buy the paperback via Amazon, you can get the Kindle version for free.

So? November? You didn’t turn out too shabby at all. I think I’ll keep you.

Writing Work:

Writing ~ 3,200 words
Revising, editing, proofing, oh my!

Submissions:

None

Rejections:

None

Acceptances:

None

Publications:

None, but! The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet is now on sale! If you buy the print version via Amazon, you can get the Kindle version for free. Just in time for the holidays. Buy early, buy often.

Print, Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo