Win all 5 books from the Breathless Reads Tour!

This is exciting for me on a personal level, because I loved being able to see all these lovely authors on tour, and as a teen librarian, because if I won a signed copy of a book, I'd most definitely give it to an eager teen reader, because I love to make them smile over a good book. So, if YOU want to win, enter at Beth Revis' blog!

Breathless Reads Book Tour

Wow, it's been so long since I've posted...maybe that's because I've been too busy writing! I am pleased to announce that my YA sci-fi novel has reached 42K words!!!! It's almost done! Maybe now I can be a good blogger again.

Last night I attended the Breathless Reads book tour at the Highlands Ranch Tattered Cover to see debut YA authors Ally Condie, Andrea Cremer, Kirsten Miller, Beth Revis, and Brenna Yovanoff! These ladies were wonderful, and the turnout was great. They all spoke about how many books they wrote before achieving publication, and all the hard work that goes into writing. They inspired me to hurry up and finish my own work in progress! My current WIP is actually the third book I've written, but the first I've actually come close to finishing. I hope this is it!

Good luck to anyone else out there working on WIPs! Let me know how your progress is coming!

When you know your story is working--or not

Nathan Bransford recently posted about when you know a story idea is going to work or not. Is it after you've written the first chapter? The first ten chapters? I think each writer needs to find that out for him or herself.

I started a new project at the beginning of 2010 that I'm slowly but surely working on. Yesterday I reached the ten thousand word mark and I think this one is going to work. I feel it in the writing and in the characters, who keep giving me new ideas and turns for the story. The biggest reason I know this story is working though is because I'm still PASSIONATE about it. Most story ideas grow stale after a few chapters and I end up coming to a dead end or I stop caring what happens. If I stop caring I know the reader will too and I know it's time to ditch that story and start fresh.

My goal for this book (a middle grade novel) is to have the manuscript complete and ready to submit to agents by the end of summer. That's four months from now. I guess I better get busy and go write!

Writing without a computer

    My computer decided to retire without telling me, so for the next few weeks I fear I will be without one at home.  This means I'll have to find time at work during lunch hour or breaks to squeeze in some writing.  As a writer of the modern age, I've always typed out my stories.  I wrote a few stories by hand when I was a kid, but mostly all my writing has been done on a computer.  You can imagine how difficult it is to write without access to one.  I'm hoping this doesn't put me too far behind the game, as I was hoping to have a finished rough draft by the end of May.  I guess I better go computer shopping! 
    It's also hard to keep up on all my online activities, such as following blogs and participating in sites such as Facebook and Twitter without a computer.  Luckily, just before my computer retired I read the e-mail newsletter I recieve monthly from the Nelson Literary Agency, which projected dystopian and futuristic fiction as the new, hot YA trends that should be hitting shelves in about 4-6 months.  I was pretty excited to hear that the book I'm working on  hits the trend right on the head and should be ready to submit by the time the trend really takes off.  And now, the search for a new computer begins!

Kindle Vs. Book

With all the recent uproar in the publishing world concerning the change from physical books to e-books, it's enough to scare a writer and librarian, which I am both. This major change threatens both of my passions. However, after watching a little series on Youtube known as "The Book Vs. the Kindle" I feel slightly better that physical books will never completely go away. For example, childrens' picture books can't really translate to the Kindle with all the colorful illustrations and large words. With a Kindle you can't swap books with your friends or get a copy from the library. You also can't find those hidden treasures in a used book store with a Kindle. And forget about taking the Kindle on vacation; if you're going anywhere with a beach you'll have to be extremely careful not to get water on your Kindle or leave it in the sun too long...something you don't have to worry about with cheap paperbacks that are meant to go on vacations. You also can't get those precious author signed copies of your favorite books with a Kindle. The Kindle is a good idea in theory, but will it last or is it merely a trend?

The changing face of publication

Almost every day I read news of the changing face of publication via literary agents' blogs and newspapers and it scares me and excites me. On one hand, it may be easier for new voices to break into the market with the surge towards electronic books. On the other hand it might be harder; with more people trying to find an easy way to publish their writing how will you get noticed? If e-books are cheaper to produce, will there be more of them out there and therefore more writers in the way of you finding readers? I don't know, and nobody else seems to know yet either, not even the big wigs of the publishing world. The publishing world as we know it is on the brink of change and it's all happening so fast. I just hope there's room for me when I finally have my manuscript finished. Here are just a few of the changes that have taken place in the past year:

• E-book sales are on the rise as sales of Kindles and other electronic reading devices increase
• The bad economy effects the publishing world with a decrease in overall books sold, therefore a decrease in books published, which means publishers are tightening their belts and taking less chances on first time authors
• Some publishers are no longer offering ARC's (advanced reading copies) to authors, a powerful tool in gaining positive books reviews before publication to boost reader awareness of their book
• Several magazines and newspapers have ceased publication 

It's a scary time for authors right now, especially new ones like me who haven't even gotten a foot in the door yet. It all makes me wonder if I will still get my chance. But when it comes down to it, I love writing with all my heart, and I will keep writing no matter what. So what if there's more competition, there's always been competition. The world will always need literary agents and publishers to be the gatekeepers and help people find the cream of the crop to read, even if everyone can self publish an e-book. I am determined to be a childrens' author and no amount of competition or change is going to bring me down.