Tag: YA books

Weekly writing check-in: the one with Gretel and Hansel

Well, that story I was working on last week led me down a rabbit hole. I’m 7,500 words in and–dare I say it–I think I might have another series on my hands. We shall see. I plan to complete the draft of this story and, with a little luck, finish off Story a Day in May with another shorter story or two.

In other news, I sold Gretel and Hansel!

I’ll talk more about that later, when I know what issue the story will be in, but I’m very excited about the market (pro-paying) and pleased about this sale. And if you scroll through my weekly entries, you’ll see that I’ve been sending this one out, consistently, for a while.

And the biggest news this week is that the Simply the Best boxed set went on sale. And if you’ve been reading along or follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you already know all about that.

Writing Work:

  • Writing: ~ 7,500 words
  • Craft work (reading, video lectures, etc.)
  • Photoshop tutorials
  • Promo for Simply the Best

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Auld Lang Syne

Acceptances:

  • Gretel and Hansel

Publications:

Simply the best front coverSimply the Best is in the wild! You can read more about the boxed set here and here.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the cover reveal

So while I’m not quite doing A Story a Day in May, I am writing and finishing stories (more or less). This week, I ended up with three short stories, each a bit longer than typical flash fiction. I also have one in progress, which will go into this coming week’s total.

But I’m pleased with the challenge so far. I love reading and writing short stories and this has been a great way to experiment and try new things.

Also? I’m just a little bit distracted by the upcoming release of Simply the Best. Short stories make it far easier to get my regular writing in.

Writing Work:

  • Writing: ~ 5,200 words in three short stories
  • Craft work (reading, video lectures, etc.)
  • Promo for Simply the Best

Submissions:

  • Gretel and Hansel
  • The Bargain
  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

Simply the best front coverNo publications, but one coming very soon!

Keep your eyes open this week for Simply the Best! You can read more about the boxed set here and here.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with Dating on the Dork Side

Yes, I think most everyone knows about the Dating on the Dork Side launch. It … launched. There was a flurry of activity there for a while. Now I think Darcy and I can both sit back and breathe a bit. Sort of.

I am getting Ghosts of Christmas Past ready to go. It would be nice to have that one out before Christmas. Ideally. We’ll see how it goes.

Also, I see that it’s snowing on WordPress. I love it when it snows on WordPress.

Writing Work:

  • Launch activities for Dating on the Dork Side
  • Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode one: revision and listening proof

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

front cover rgb jpgWell, yes, you probably already know about the release for Dating on the Dork Side. And you can still head over to Goodreads and enter the giveaway for an autographed copy.

But … Keeping Time now has a new home over at Luna Station Quarterly in issue #24. You can also pick up the issue in a variety of formats, including Kindle and print.

Now Available: Dating on the Dork Side!

front cover rgb jpg

Today’s the day! Dating on the Dork Side is in the wild! The book is available in print and in Kindle format. Don’t have a Kindle? No worries. Download one of the Kindle apps. (For iOS, Android, PC. I have the Kindle App on my iPhone–it works great.) You can read it that way. Or read it in print. That works too.

Additionally, Dating on the Dork Side is available as a Kindle Matchbook. If you buy the print version, you can get the Kindle version for free. Note: You must buy the print version first and from Amazon for this to work.

Stung by an epic betrayal, Camy Cavanaugh relies on the sure things: her best friend, her job as peer tutor, and her safe spot on the sidelines of life. But when she hacks into a secret, trash-talking website, it ignites a war between the sexes that won’t end until the whole school is turned upside down–and Camy’s world is turned inside out.

Now the hottest girls in school refuse to date the A-List boys. But with the Homecoming dance looming, everyone from the queen bee to the girl “most likely to” pushes Camy to hook them up with guys from the nerd herd.

And then there’s quarterback, A-lister–and former crush–Gavin Madison. He hasn’t spoken to Camy in three years … but he’s talking now, begging her to pair the guys on the football team with girls from the Honor Roll.

It’s a contest of wills and everything is on the line–even Camy’s heart. Will she retreat to the sidelines, or will she find the courage to get back in the game?

Curious? Read a couple of early reviews here and here.

Weekly writing check-in: the one where we’re almost there

Lots of behind-the-scenes work this week for the launch of Dating on the Dork Side. Looking at the e-book on this Kindle, on that Kindle, on my phone. You know, exciting stuff.

I went on a submission frenzy this week. I also made it past the holiday without a rejection, so there’s that as well.

And … I completed The Ghost That Got Away, the second episode in season two of Coffee & Ghosts. It’s 28,000 words, too, which is a healthy size for a novella.

Writing Work:

  • Launch activities for Dating on the Dork Side
  • Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode two: 9,137 words for a total of 28,000 words complete!

Submissions:

  • The God of Bright Red Things
  • Knight in the Royal Arms
  • The Life Expectancy of Fireflies (reprint market)
  • Chicken Fat and Whipped Cream

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

front cover rgb jpgNone, but as you probably know by now, Dating on the Dork Side launches tomorrow.

In the meantime, be sure to hop on over to Goodreads and enter the giveaway for an autographed copy.

Goodreads Giveaway: Dating on the Dork Side!

Hop on over to Goodreads and enter the giveaway for Dating on the Dork Side, an autographed copy from both me and Darcy.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Dating on the Dork Side by Charity Tahmaseb

Dating on the Dork Side

by Charity Tahmaseb

Giveaway ends December 13, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the Dating on the Dork Side cover reveal

front cover rgb jpgSo, if you’ve been following along, you know we had our cover reveal this week for Dating on the Dork Side.

We are pleased and excited and getting ready for the release on November 30th.

I also had a nice surprise this week when my contributor copy of Dragons, Droids and Doom, Year One arrived. Links below. It is full of speculative fiction: 370 pages of it from 49 writers. I’m thinking it would make a pretty awesome holiday gift for anyone who loves short speculative fiction.

And somehow despite the cover reveal flurry, I managed to write +7,000 words this week on The Ghost That Got Away. I’m so close to the end. So. Close. I’m hoping this next week to finish it up.

Writing Work:

  • Dating on the Dork Side cover reveal and blog tour
  • Proof review, e-book final builds for Dating on the Dork Side
  • Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode two: 7,343 words

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • A Measure of Sorrow

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

year-one-cover-webMy story Incriminating Evidence is part of Dragons, Droids and Doom, Year One, the very first anthology from Fantasy Scroll Magazine.

It’s in print and e-book, available in all sorts of formats from all kinds of retailers. Check out Dragons, Droids and Doom for more information.

Cover reveal: Dating on the Dork Side!

Coming November 30, 2015

Come to the dork side … we have cookies.

front cover rgb jpg

Stung by an epic betrayal, Camy Cavanaugh relies on the sure things: her best friend, her job as peer tutor, and her safe spot on the sidelines of life. But when she hacks into a secret, trash-talking website, it ignites a war between the sexes that won’t end until the whole school is turned upside down—and Camy’s world is turned inside out.

Now the hottest girls in school refuse to date the A-List boys. But with the Homecoming dance looming, everyone from the queen bee to the girl “most likely to” pushes Camy to hook them up with guys from the nerd herd.

And then there’s quarterback, A-lister—and former crush—Gavin Madison. He hasn’t spoken to Camy in three years … but he’s talking now, begging her to pair the guys on the football team with girls from the Honor Roll.

It’s a contest of wills and everything is on the line—even Camy’s heart. Will she retreat to the sidelines, or will she find the courage to get back in the game?

Today is cover reveal day! Dating on the Dork Side will launch into the world on November 30th. In the meantime, add it to your shelf on Goodreads. Want an email when it’s available? Sign up for my mail list.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the frozen fairy tales

Darcy and I have been busy with getting everything set for the launch of Dating on the Dork Side. We’re gearing up for a cover reveal on the 19th, along with a variety of other things.

I did manage some Coffee & Ghosts writing, nearly 5,000 words.

And, of course, the publication of the Frozen Fairy Tales anthology, which includes my story Simon the Cold.

Want to get in on the frozen fun? Hop on over to Enchanted Conversations for a chance to win $100. No, really. All you need is no more than 700 words, but no less than 200, depicting some aspect of Sleeping Beauty set in winter. For all the details, see the contest post.

Writing Work:

  • Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode two: 4,750 words
  • Dating on the Dork Side launch activities

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • Knight in the Royal Arms
  • The God of Bright Red Things

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

IMG_0781It’s in the (snowy) wild! You can read more about it in my post here.

You can also hop on over to World Weaver Press for more information on this anthology and a bunch of other really cool speculative fiction.

Weekly writing check-in: the one with the cat on the printer

 

printerA quiet week this week, although I did do a fair amount of writing. Darcy and I did a fair amount of Dork Side launch brainstorming. Final page proofs for an anthology that comes out this week.

I feel like I was much busier than my list below might indicate.

There are weeks when you feel like you’re accomplishing a lot but don’t have much to show for it. The showing comes later.

One bit of news! I found out that The Fine Art of Keeping Quiet placed first in the International Digital Awards contest and The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath placed third–both in the young adult category.

Yeah. I knew something else happened this week.

Writing Work:

  • Outlining and brainstorming episode two
  • Coffee & Ghosts season two, episode two: 6,800 words
  • Dating on the Dork Side launch brainstorming
  • Final page proofs for Frozen Fairy Tales anthology

Submissions:

  • None

Rejections:

  • None

Acceptances:

  • None

Publications:

  • None