Navigating Ebook Publishers

As ebooks and ereaders become more and more popular, we're seeing a lot of new ebook publishers pop up. Ebook publishers are generally independent publishers (unconnected with "the Big Six") who deal primarily with ebooks, though some publishers will have a POD option for novels. In this day and age, how is an author to know that an ebook publisher is trustworthy? Try these handy tips if you found a new ebook publisher you're not sure about.

Look at the website
When you find an ebook publisher's website, ask yourself:
-- Is this website professional? If the website looks sloppy and has lots of errors, how will they treat your cover design or your editing?
-- Can I find all the information I need easily, or does it seem like they're hiding some things? Some information should be easily seen, and you shouldn't have to hunt it down.
-- Is this a website I would mind sending friends, family, and fans to? Your publisher should not embarrass you, you should be proud of them!
--This is an important one: Is the ebook publisher's website targeting readers or writers? If they're brand new, they may need to target writers in order to get submissions and build their catalog. But if they have been around for a while and have some books out, they should be marketing those books! A publisher is for readers, not writers. They shouldn't be trying to make money off of writers, for sure. If you're asked to pay anything, run the other way. That's vanity publishing, and if you truly want to follow that route, at least go with an established vanity publisher instead of someone brand new.

Look at the staff
There should be bios for the staff members somewhere on the website. You should know who you will be submitting your work to and who you'd be working with should they choose to publish your book. Check out:
-- Positions: how many editors do they have? What kind? Do they have any publicists or marketing associates? Do they hire a cover artists or do they go freelance?
-- Experience: what kind of experience does the staff have? Experience in publishing? In writing? Are they just authors who thought it would be fun to start a publisher?
-- Google those names if you feel like you don't have enough information about them. See if you can find them on social networks and see how they act in the public sphere. What kinds of books do they read? Are they authors themselves?


Look at the terms
It's rare that the publisher will have a contract online, but they should at least have something on their website about what formats they publish in (print or ebook, for example) and how royalties will be divided (how much the author earns and how much the publisher keeps). If this isn't available on the website, don't hesitate to e-mail someone and ask. I'd also ask why it wasn't available.

If you submit a book and you're offered a contract, comb through that thing with a fine-tooth comb! Here is an extremely condensed list of things to look for:
-- Rights. What rights/license are you granting the publisher and for how long? What is the geographic scope?
-- Copyright. Who will register it and when?
-- Manuscript delivery. When are you expected to deliver the manuscript? What editing do they provide?
-- Payment. Is there an advance? Royalties? How are these royalties calculated? For example, net and gross and cover are all different prices and thus will give you different royalties. How often are you paid royalties? Is the publisher required to send you accounting statements?
-- Publication itself. Look for a duty to publish, advertising/promotion, galleys, method of publication.
-- Termination. What are the terms for reversion of rights?

Ebook publishers should be willing to answer questions you have and possibly negotiate the contract. Do your research and know what you're signing because that is a legally binding document and if doesn't matter if "you didn't know", you signed it and you have to stick to it.

For more information, check out Writer Beware's post on contracts or this checklist written by attorney Lloyd J. Jassin (for publishers).


Look at any existing books in the catalog
Obviously, since there are new publishers all the time, some publishers don't have books released yet. But for those who do, find those books and be ruthlessly brutal and honest in regards to those books.
-- Genre: is the publisher accepting all books (and possibly spreading themselves too thin) or are they targeting a niche where they can be more effective?
-- Cover art: do these covers match up with other books in the genre? Does it look like they were made with paint or have they invested in the marketing package of their books?
-- Blurb and sample: are there errors? Do the blurbs and samples snag you? Have they carefully edited and proofread their work or do they throw books up in the hopes of making some money?
-- Distribution: are the books available on a variety of e-retailers, or only a few? Where will they distribute your book?
-- Reviews: search for reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, blogs. What do readers think of these books? Have any readers read these books?
-- Marketing: A simple Google search with the title and author will tell you how much marketing work the publisher has done. If only a couple of the results are for this book, reconsider what this publisher will be willing to do to publicize your book.

The important thing to remember is not to rush into something. This is your hard work and it should be presented in the best way possible. Take your time with publishers and make sure it's what you want.

Personally, I'm a content editor with a new ebook publisher called Entranced Publishing, and of course I fully endorse them. I believe Entranced is dedicated to producing quality books for readers and that they'll use honesty and professionalism in their dealings. Drop by the website if you want and see if we might be a good fit for your novel. Oh, and a small disclaimer: this post does not represent Entranced view's, only my own.

Here are some places to check up on publishers:
Absolute Write's Bewards, Recommendations & Background Checks
Preditors & Editors
Writer Beware

Summertime and the living's easy

What am I excited for this summer? Well, I'm so glad you asked. . .


1. Shifting Light comes to more retailers
Shifting Light had a small stint Kindle Select, but it will soon be coming to B&N, the iBookstore, and more retailers! And a little birdie tells me it might be free for a while in celebration. . .

2. Camp Nanowrimo 
I'm going camping this summer! My goal is 50,000 words -- some of that will be to wrap up the sequel of Promising Light, and some of it will be for exclusive short stories from The Protectors series. If you're a writer, come join in on the fun: http://campnanowrimo.org/

3. Title and Cover reveal for the sequel to Promising Light
For those of you who have read Promising Light, aren't you just itching to see the cover? Or even hear the title? Well, stay tuned because the title will be announced here soon and there will be quite a few blogs involved in the cover reveal.

4. Burning Light (The Protectors Prequels Omnibus Edition) Paperback
The omnibus edition of the Protectors prequels is available NOW as an ebook on Amazon for $3.49 but I'm excited for the paperback! It's got such a pretty cover, i love the contrast between black and red.

5. Summer Splash Blog Hop
I don't have any links or details yet, but just know this: July 16th-31st there will be a huge giveaway on the blog! Ebooks, paperbacks, maybe some bookmarks and gift cards. There might even be a few copies of the sequel to Promising Light up for grabs, plus exclusive short stories for those who sign up for my newsletter. There will also be dozens of other blogs participating, too, so you will be able to get lots of goodies!

6. Tent City's semi-tour
Well, it's not really a tour, but my husband's band will be playing nearly a dozen shows this summer all over Salem, Portland, and other places in the area. You should definitely check them out! They're on Facebook and Bandcamp. Here's a song of theirs from their album The Valley in Autumn (psst: the second verse is totally about me).



7. Summer Classes
I'm taking a few summer classes and they're pretty neat -- Web Design, Business E-Commerce, and Social Psychology. Plus they're all online so I can make my own schedule. Plus I might have a job! But I don't want to add that to the list in case I jinx it.

8. JoshuaFest
I'm going to this music festival in Sacramento to see Five Iron Frenzy!! Yeah, that's right, they're back! Didn't think I'd ever see them live again. But even better than that, I get to go camping and hang out with my family. My parents and all my sisters are going to be there! If only we could fly my brothers in from Texas and NYC. . .

9. Books!
Particularly Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and Borrowed Ember by Samantha Young. A lot of the books I was eagerly waiting for this year already came out (Hallowed by Cynthia Hand, Insurgent by Veronica Roth, The Calling by Kelley Armstrong, Intangible by J. Meyers).

There are other little things, like the sun and going swimming and getting a new bathing suit and barbecues and camping and going to the Newport Aquarium and the 4th of July. . .but these are the big ones. What are you excited for this summer?

Male Protagonists in YA

I had the chance to read Tempest by Julie Cross after scoring an ARC from Goodreads. Jackson Meyer can jump in time, and after his girlfriend Holly is suddenly shot, he has to save her life by jumping back in time. It's a great read, full of twists and turns, and I'll write a review really soon!

The book got me thinking, and I thought I'd make a post about young adult fiction (and some middle grade) with male protagonists.

The Big Ones
The ones you probably already know about, but they're so good I couldn't leave them out.
1. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
2. Camp Half-Blood series by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson)
3. Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (Eragon)
4. The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer

Paranormal/Horror
1. Beastly by Alex Flinn
2. The Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey
3. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
4. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
5. Malice by Chris Wooding
6. The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd by Heather Brewer
7. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
8. Night Road by A.M. Jenkins
9. The Demon's Lexicon series by Sarah Reess Brennan
10. The New Kid by Temple Matthews
11. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
12. Overflow by Jason Letts
13. A Song After Dark by Grant Palmquist
14. Demon Whisperer by Tawny Stokes
15. Death Whispers by Tamara Rose Blodgett

Science Fiction/Fantasy
(P/D = Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian, SP = Steampunk, EF = Epic Fantasy, CF = Contemporary Fantasy) 
1. Gone series by Michael Grant (P/D) (shifting POV)
2. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (CF)
3. The Dreamwalker's Child by Steve Voake
4. Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (SP) (one of the protagonists is male, one female)
5. Monster Blood Tattoo series by D. M. Cornish (EF)
6. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (SP)
7. The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner (shifting POVs through the series)
8. Matt Cruse series by Kenneth Oppel (SP)
9. Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness (P/D)
10. The Winter Prince by Elizabeth Wein
11. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (P/D)
12. Tempest by Julie Cross (CF)
13. Talent Chronicles by Susan Bischoff (CF) (one male, one female)
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry (P/D)
15. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
16. The Gates by John Connolly
17. The Witch's Boy by Michael Gruber
18. Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble by D. Robert Pease
19. The Soulkeepers Series by G.P. Ching (CF)
20. The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan (EF)
21. The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney
22. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (P/D)
22. Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage
23. The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Johathan Shroud
24. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
25. Pendragon series by D.J. Machale
26. Tales of Otori by Lian Hearn (EF)
27. The Heir Chronicles by Cinda Williams Chima
28. Incarceron by Catherine Fischer (P/D, SP) (shifting POVs)
29. My Sparkling Misfortune by Laura Lond (EF)
30. Rex Rising by Chrystalla Thoma
31. Dioscuri by Chrystalla Thoma
32. LS: The Beginning by Kelvin O'Ralph (shifting POVs)
33. Scourge by David H. Burton (SP)
34. The Legend of Witch Bane by Kevis Hendrickson (EF)
35. Footsteps in Time by Sarah Woodbury (could also classify as Historical)
36. Prince of Time by Sarah Woodbury (could also classify as Historical)
37. Through the Portal by Justin Dennis (EF)
38. The Moreno Brothers series by Elizabeth Reyes

General Fiction
(H = Humor, A = Adventure, M = Mystery)
1. John Green's books: An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and Looking for Alaska. John Green's fiction deals with a variety of subjects, and his voice is great.
2. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
4. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (H)
5. Also Known as Rowan Pohi by Ralph Fletcher
6. Deadly, Unna? by Phillip Gwynne
7. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
8. Wolfe Brothers series by Markus Zusak
9. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
10. Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys by Chris Fuhrman (H)
11. Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick
12. My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
13. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
14. Burger Wuss and Thirsty by M.T. Anderson
15. The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci (M)
16. Skin by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
17. Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner (H)
18. Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz (A)
19. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
20. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
21. Holes by Louis Sachar
22. Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini
23. Slow Burn by Joel Arnold (A)
24. The Farewell Season by Ann Herrick
25. Bailing by Carol Hanrahan

Historical Fiction
1. Montmorency series by Eleanor Updale
2. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
3. The Five Ancestors by Jeff Stone

Undiscovereds
These are brand new reads with male protagonists

This list will be updated. Hopefully with your suggestions in the comments! Who are your favorite male protagonists in YA fiction or otherwise?

Editing After Nanowrimo (or any first draft extravaganza)

So, you wrote a novel in 30 days. Now what? That's the question of the century. . .er, month. You could put it in a drawer and only bring it out to read it and laugh (that's where my 2004 Nano is). Or you could try to bring it to a polished, maybe even publishable, piece or art. How do you revise now that you have a first draft?

Here's what's worked for me for Finding Fiona. Hopefully you can find something helpful out of it.

First, take a break from it. 
Step away for a couple weeks (or longer, if you can bear it!). Get a breather. Don't try to delve in as soon as you've finished it. The story is too fresh on your mind. Write something else. Read something else. Just forget about it for a little while.

A couple weeks later, read through it. 
Take out a weekend and read through your novel. Try not to have too many breaks between it. Enough to keep your eyes from glazing over, yes, but if you wait a couple days, you'll lose the flow. You need to be wrapped up in the story without forcing yourself to read on. Mark stuff up if you want to, but try not to get too in depth yet. Some things will stick out to you right away -- like changed names or spellings -- others will take longer. Don't get caught up in editing, though. Five minutes is your max!

Okay, onto the real list! Keep in mind #1-3 don't necessarily have to be in order.

1. Look at the big picture. 
Make an outline of your entire novel. Maybe scene by scene, maybe chapter by chapter. Look at where the characters start, where they journey, and where they end up. Ask yourself these questions:
-- Have you written a beginning, a middle, and an end?
-- Is there an inciting incident in the first 50 pages?
-- Do you have a sagging middle or is it tight and concise?
-- Is there a climax where everything comes to a head and your characters make that last life-changing decision?
-- And do things wrap up neatly at the end?

What do you think? Can you clearly see scenes you don't need? Can you clearly see scenes you need to implement?

I'm going to be honest here. I cleaned up the text, but I didn't really look at the big picture of Finding Fiona until after #3. 

2. Consider what you want out of this novel. 
When I start revising, I like to have an "end plan." This could be accomplished by asking yourself what you want your readers to feel when they put the novel down. Do you want them to be crying in agony from the main character's death or just catching their breath for the first time since they picked up the book? This can help you because you can consider what a reader might think about how your characters fall in love and kill each other and defeat evil.

You could also find your end plan by asking what you want the characters to be like at the end of the novel. He started off as a poor farm boy, but now he's a wizard embracing his destiny to save the world in the sequel. Or perhaps your MC started the book off as a spoiled brat, but after falling in love with the guy from the wrong side of the tracks, she's reevaluated her way of thinking. How will your character change? Asking this can help you during revision because you'll be thinking: how will this help my MC to her new self?

Another suggestion is to consider your theme: the overall messages of your book. Love conquers all? The love of money is the root of all evil? Books don't have to have a preachy message, but if your characters have morals instead of being morally ambiguous, it's inevitable that their values will come through in their decisions.

I wanted Finding Fiona to be a fast-paced novella with some romance and mystery. I also wanted people to wonder about the question, "What does it mean to be human?" and consider how science can overstep boundaries when trying to create something created by nature (in this case, a human being). 

3. Get a second opinion. 
Sometimes, we're just too close to our work. We can't see its own flaws. Sign up for a critique group (Critique Circle, Scribophile, Critters, ReviewFuse). Don't be rude and shove your completely unedited work on some poor unsuspecting soul. At least learn proper grammar and spelling first. I find it is much easier as a critter to critique someone's big picture issues if I can actually read a sentence of theirs. (And it will probably easier for you to clean up your writing before assessing if Character A's motivations made sense or not!)

Be nice and return the favor. Critiquing other people's works will really help you when revising your own work. You may think you don't have anything to offer. Just read the work like a reader and tell the reader if their story makes sense, if you enjoyed it, if you would read on, and if you answered negatively to any of those things, tell them why not. Worry about writerly terms (POV, setting, dialogue, description) once you feel comfortable with it.

Also keep in mind that it's hard to find critique partners who will read your entire novel in its first draft form. That's usually for a beta reader and they may come later. If you're lucky, then that's great! But don't expect someone to read your 75K unedited first draft unless you're willing to read theirs. In that case, good luck!

I sent Finding Fiona, originally 35K in its early drafts, through Critique Circle. I had about 11 chapters around 3K a submission, so I sent them through the submission queue week by week. I also had a couple beta readers look over it during the CC submission and afterwards.

4. Find out what you need to change.
You have your outline, you have your second opinion (maybe on the first few chapters, maybe on the whole thing). Now look at your draft critically and look at it with the eyes of a cruel editor who wants a best-selling novel under his belt.

POV -- Are you consistent with your POV? Have you chosen the right POV?
Setting -- Do you make it clear to the reader where the story is set? Have you placed the story in the right setting? Is it vivid and a part of the story instead of the backdrop? If I've invented a world, have I thought every logistic in this world through, but only shown the parts that affect my character?
Dialogue -- Is the dialogue realistic? Can I realistically see people saying that dialogue in real life? Do I use dialogue to info dump or to move the plot along? Do I use too many dialogue tags or adverbs? Have I punctuated it correctly?
Character Development -- Are my characters likable? Sympathetic? Three-dimensional? How do I reveal character? Do my characters change or remain the same?
Plot and Pacing -- Do I have an inciting incident early on? Is something at stake? What's the conflict? Are there any parts that drag? Does everything make sense?
Writing Style -- Is there a certain word or phrase I overuse? Maybe a certain sentence structure? Do I show instead of tell?

Not sure what the heck any of this means? Get a writing book and see if you're implementing its techniques. Read articles (I really recommend Writers Digest) on writing and compare their ideas to what's in your book.

Better yet, read lots and lots of fiction in your genre. Ask yourself what works and what doesn't work. What could the author have done better? What did they currently have that was absolutely crucial for the story to work? Then compare it to your own work honestly. Could you see your book on shelves? Or on the top charts of Amazon.com? Do you think readers would rave about your characters and your plot and your writing?

After my crits from CC and my readings, I realized Finding Fiona had a sagging middle. The characters sat around and talked a lot instead of doing things. I also saw that Fiona needed to be more of a proactive character instead of reactive; that the villains needed to be a bit more threatening yet more human at the same time; that I had way too many dialogue tags, sighs, and rolling of the eyes; and that one of my secondary characters needed more fleshing out. There are a lot more little changes, but I'm not going to bore you ;) 

5. Make a list of goals. 
This is a more detailed version of #2. You should have an idea of what you need to change by now. So, make a list of the changes and what the end result should look like after the changes. This works as a physical list, but it could also be mental. As long as you consider how to change the problems.

For Finding Fiona, I said: Okay, there's a sagging middle. I can cut this scene without too much trouble and combine these other two scenes. In order to make Fiona more reactive, Fiona won't ask James to talk to Greg for her; she will plan to go by herself. 

6. Go through chapter by chapter. 
Go through each chapter with your notes, your goals, and your critique partner's/beta reader's notes. Implement the changes.

Easier said than done, I know, but you can do it. If you need your character to be more spirited, then have her argue with her parents when they ground her. If you need your dialogue to be less boring information, then rewrite the conversation with just the essentials. If you need the climax to be more difficult for your characters, then put someone's life at stake. You can do it!

I opened up Finding Fiona in one window and my crits from Critique Circle in another window. Then I went paragraph by paragraph and made the changes. 

7. Get another opinion. 
This may seem repetitive, but you should get another opinion. Preferably from different people. A few of the old ones is fine because you can ask if it's an improvement, but get some fresh eyes.

I found some more beta readers for Finding Fiona and sent what I felt were the roughest chapters through Critique Circle.

8. Make the changes again. 
Pretty self-explanatory, right?

9. Get another opinion. 
Yes, another one.

I asked my husband to read over my "final" draft and and sent my first chapter to my local writing group. I implemented changes and posted again on Absolute Write. 

Your process may vary after this. Some people believe drafts need to be revised and sent to beta readers and revised and sent to beta readers until there isn't one flaw. Others believe that too much revising will cause your story to lose its spark.

I'm somewhere in the middle. I think there is such a thing as too much revision, but it varies from story to story. Some just need enough tweaking to let the characters shine. Others are going to need an overhaul. But I do think it's important not to let yourself lose the original vision of revising. Remember your goals way back before hours of editing, before you had a dozen betas all with different opinions? What did you want out of this novel? Keep that in mind.

If you're going to self-publish, then you really do need to revise and edit until your eyes bleed. You need to get as many opinions as you can and read this story until you are absolutely sick of it. Comb every sentence and every paragraph. You are a businessman/businesswoman, and this is your product. If you are going to ask people to spend money on it, even only a dollar, this needs to be the best product possible. Really, this makes sense for those who are querying or searching for a publisher, as well, but I can't stress this enough for self-publishers. Put your best foot forward. If you can, maybe believe that hiring an editor and/or proofreader is essential to self-publishing.

I think the hardest things for writers during revision is knowing what needs to be changed and then having the perseverance to change it. First, you need to recognize what's flawed in your work. Then, you need to find ways to fix it. It's not that hard once you get down to it, it just takes more work than the first draft for most people. Think of it this way: you found a beautiful gem in a trash dump. Now you need to polish it up so it can shine and everyone can see it's true potential.

Sometimes, you may need more than this. There are a few novels of mine that I know need an entire rewrite because the plot doesn't make sense. It's based on villains that don't make sense and worldbuilding that's nonexistent. I could make all the goals that I want, but I'd need to go back and completely change the structure of the novel. That may be necessary for you, but the important thing that will help you is bring able to ask yourself hard questions and giving yourself honest answers. Or getting honest answers from beta readers and critique partners.

Some more resources:
Natalie Whipple's Stages of Revision
Holly Lisle's One-Pass Revision
Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King (what's super helpful with these is they actually have exercises at the end of each chapter that help you put what you've learned into practice).

Good luck with Nano or other first draft revisions. You can do it! Stick with it. Don't give up. I'm starting to like revision more and more as I do it for more novels. Kind of messed up, I know, but there it is.

Thursday Thirteen - Characters

I read somewhere about "Thursday Thirteen". On Thursdays, you post a list about any 13 things! Well, today, this is a list of 13 characters of mine, old and new.

Now, keep in mind. . .these aren't polished blurbs for the stories. I'm just telling you a bit about the character and what kind of situation they are (or were) in. Some of these stories are retired. Some will be published soon.

Current characters first!

1. Fiona from Finding Fiona

Fiona woke up on the harbor with burns on her arms and stab wounds in her stomach. She remembered little about her life. She was taken in by a real estate agent named Hannah. She likes cheesy science fiction and horror movies, thriller novels, and physics. In Finding Fiona, she tries to figure out what happened to her. The novella will be published next month!

2. Heath from The Second Generation

Heath is a Vara, an offspring of the humans that mutated when the Var plague swept the Earth. He and his friend are traveling to Thatcher, a refugee city for Varum where Heath grew up, when they meet Natalie and Tracey. The girls seem more trouble than help at first. When a group of Varum extremists come to Thatcher to find something that will help them secede from the nation, the four of them have to work together to keep Thatcher and its inhabitants safe. The Second Generation is currently in revisions. When it's finished, I'll send out queries for an agent. It's an awesome story. Just needs some polishing up.

3. Alexa from A Game of Illusions

Alexa wants one thing: to be queen. The tournament their island holds every seven years, however, has been won by the same tyrant king for nearly thirty years. Alexa joins the Council to help dethrone him by placing two contestants into the tournament. It's not going to be easy, though. Not with Alexa's scheming father, her romantic feelings for one of the contestants, and the king seeking out a member of the Council who has magical powers. If all goes according to plan, A Game of Illusions should be published sometime next year.

4. Anna from Aaron and Anna

When Anna was eight years old, she met a boy with whom she had a mental connection to. She could feel Aaron's feelings; she could even feed off of his knowledge--anything he knew, she also knew. They were best friends for years until a falling out involving Anna's ex-boyfriend. She endured a year of relentless bullying from her peers, but she's a resilient girl. She gets top grades, works on the yearbook staff, has a great boyfriend. When Aaron seeks to rekindle their friendship, they find out there's much more to their connection than just what's in their heads. Aaron and Anna is about halfway done, and I love it! Whenever I finish it, I will probably query for an agent.

5. Dar from Promising Light

Dar has a mysterious family and a past he likes to keep quiet. He's romantically involved with Grace until someone warns her that Dar is dangerous. Agreeing, Dar leaves the country. He soon finds out how far his family is willing to go to break the curse set on them by the Protectors. He'll do anything to keep Grace safe, but she seems determined to help his family. Promising Light is a fantasy novel that should be published this winter.

6. Laura from Magnitude

Laura is the older sister, the sensible one. Her father just died, and she and her younger sister Jessica start a road trip. Their first stop: The Grand Canyon, where their dad always wanted to take them. Magnitude was published in Literary House Review. I will probably republish it in a short story collection called Beyond Our Edges.

Inbetweeners:

7. Dakota from The Seeker

Dakota is a helmsman who studied environmental science. She goes to Florida, her childhood home, to join the science team who's investigating the Bermuda Triangle. The team has adversaries also searching for the true meaning of the Triangle, but those problems dissipate when the team is transported to a parallel universe. On this island, the people want to blame Dakota and her team for trouble that's been happening in their world. The Seeker is put on hold for now, but I may bring it out again sometime in the future.

8. Jennifer from Stones of Cilean

Jennifer is a Water. In her world, people have one of six gifts: water, fire, earth, air, life, and death. She and her sister Kellie find out about the mysterious Clarnden Foundation, who seeks to dismantle the Council. They find the Stones of Cilean, which give them powers beyond their comprehension, and they soon have to flee the Clarnden Foundation to stay alive. Stones of Cilean is retired for now, but my husband and sisters really want to see it revived. We'll see!

Retired stories:

9. V from Running

V was the FBI's youngest agent. She was put on a mission to impersonate a girl named Tessa to protect her. Tessa looked exactly like V, and V soon finds out her estranged father who became a serial killed has connections to Tessa and her family. Running was one of the first stories I ever showed people in real life (as opposed to people online). I would bring new chapters to school, and my friends would read them during class. I'm sad because I have no idea where the whole story is now. It's retired mostly because I only have bits and pieces of it. It'd be fun to rewrite it if I knew where the heck it was.

10. Brian from Untitled

Brian and Melissa had a happy relationship until Brian got caught up in underground crime. A year after they've broken up, Brian comes to Melissa for help. He regrets leaving her behind, but he also wanted to keep her safe from the dangerous people he works with. He and Melissa are soon pulled into the world again when Melissa's brother goes missing. This untitled story is definitely retired. If I were to bring it out again, it would need an extensive rewrite since I knew very little about underground crime or long-term relationships when I wrote it.

11. Alex from St. Mary's Boarding School

Alex is the bookworm at the posh St. Mary's Boarding School. He's the kind of guy who takes a book to parties. He's smart, cheeky, and he just barely survives the snobs at his school. He had a crush on the new girl, Samantha, until she gave him the "just a friend" speech. In the sequel, he gradually fell for the school's queen bee, much to his chagrin. St. Mary's Boarding School, which I wrote about five years ago, is also retired. It resembles It Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar just a tad too much.

12. Lily from Altair

Lily was the General's Daughter in my 2004 Nanowrimo. Feisty with short black hair, she was kidnapped by an aide of the king, but I honestly don't remember why. She must have been a threat or something. She was part of a prophecy about four people destined to save the world. Altair is very, VERY retired. It is never seeing the light of day again.

13. Todd from Todd's Videos

Todd was a creative guy obsessed with his video camera. He videotaped everything: his girlfriend Valerie and their relationship, his family's ups and downs, his mission trip to Sudan. He was passionate and loving. When he's killed in Sudan, his girlfriend Valerie pours over his videos for his mom. I started Todd's Videos in 2005, but I don't think I'll ever finish it.

There you have it. Probably way more than you wanted to know about my characters!

My reader pet peeve: Black and Grey Eyes

I'm going to start this off by saying I know I'm being irrational. I can't help it, okay? When I read a character has "black" or "grey/gray" eyes, I cringe.

I've been lucky enough to avoid the REALLY strange eye colors - like amethyst or orange. Some strange eye colors are actually part of the plot, like Shatter by Elizabeth Mock or a paranormal I'm beta reading in which eye colors change when the wolf is close to the surface. But some just get on my nerves.

Like black and grey eyes.

When I read black eyes, I think of demons. You know, when the iris blends with the pupil blends with the white. Like this:



Blech! Now, I know some people have brown eyes that are so dark they look black. A few people have said that about my eyes. But it still doesn't change the fact that they're brown. Not black. Right? Maybe I'm misunderstanding eye pigment or something. I know pictures online look like someone may have black eyes, but I've never thought that in real life.

This doesn't tick me off as much as grey eyes do.

I don't know what it is, but they pop up EVERYWHERE. Is it like a rule if you write a fantasy book, you have to have a character with grey eyes? Why? This color is so uncommon. In fact, it's more likely that the character's eyes are just blue or green, but they want to say grey to feel special.

When I read grey eyes, I think of model Jessica Stam. And you know what? I'm looking at pictures of her, and they're just light blue.



I can't deny these are gorgeous eyes, but it's so rare. I don't know, maybe the problem isn't the extreme overuse of it (BUT IT IS) but the fact that I don't know what grey eyes are.

I could definitely consider Aishwarya Rai (spelled that wrong the first time!) as grey-eyed.



I'm just saying. . .it's so rare, and yet everybody has them.

OMG, there's even a TV Trope about grey eyes, but they're missing the point! Grey eyes don't have a purpose or significance - authors just give them to EVERYONE!

Case in point. . .my list of grey-eyed characters/authors. And yes, I got a lot of my list TV Tropes there because I try to block grey eyes out of my memory.

1. Harry Potter by JK Rowling. JK is just grey-happy:
a. Sirius Black (this is the one I remembered)
b. Luna Lovegood (SILVER!)
c. Draco and Lucius Malfoy
d. Cedric Diggory
e. Mr. Ollivander

2. Annabeth from Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

3. JRR Tolkien. Lots of grey eyes there.

4. Katniss, Gale, and Haymith from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

5. Many of the Stark family in A Song of Fire and Ice by George Martin (I've only read the sample on Kindle, but he mentioned it a dozen times)

6. Anne in Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (What? I always thought they were green! Red hair and green eyes, that's another one overdone)

7. Lolita from Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov

8. Jordan Baker from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'm coming back to this and adding to it every time I catch grey eyes in the books I'm reading.

Sigh. Brown eyes make up the majority of the human population, but you've just got to make everyone GREY. The least common eye color EVER. Because your characters are special snowflakes. I could definitely bring up some kind of race issue, but that might be blowing it out of proportion.

It doesn't annoy me as much as I make it seem like it does. It's just overdone. Especially when it's the first thing you learn about a character's description. I hardly notice eye color when I first meet someone unless they have stunning eyes - like any of the three pictures I posted (I'd really notice demon black eyes).

End rant.

Do you have any reader pet peeves? Things you're sick to death of reading about?

Finding Fiona & Markets for Novellas

In writing Finding Fiona, I've discovered this is not going to be a very long story. Usually, I have a problem with dragging my stories out - I remember two Nanowrimo's where by the time I got to 50K I hadn't even started the meat of the story yet! But this story has been pretty succinct and I'm approaching the climax of the story, and I'm only at 30K words!

So, I've been doing some research about where Finding Fiona could find a home. My understanding is it's pretty hard to get a story longer than 20K published in magazines of journals and next to impossible to get a novella represented by an agent. I already have a handy little spreadsheet, but I figured if anyone else was having the same problem, I could help out.

Finding Fiona is primarily science fiction, but it has a mix of YA, mystery, and action/adventure. This list reflects those genres.

These are some of the options I have so far:
Blue Leaf Publications is a small publishing house that publishes novellas from 35K-65K words in science fiction, fantasy, speculative romance, and other 'spec fics.'
Dark Quest Books is a small publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. They deal with both ebooks and print. The word count isn't specified on their guidelines.
Mundania Press publishes speculative fiction, and at the moment, they're not accepting science fiction or fantasy. They're seeking steampunk, urban fantasy, horror, and a few other genres.
WolfSinger Publications is a small publisher that primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy. Their preferred wordcount is 10K-50K, and anything less than 25K will only be for sale as an ebook.
Silverthought is an independent publisher of speculative fiction. They have both online and print divisions. For online, they will accept up to 50K, but there is only a flat fee of $50. For print, they only say "novella."
Double Dragon Publications is primarily an ebook publisher. The preferred word count is 40K-90K.
AKW Books.
BlueWood Publishing. Print and ebooks, but less than 50K will only be published as an ebook.
Champagne Books. Chiefly ebooks. Novellas should be approximately 25K.
Lillibridge Press. Seems fairly new, but this is the opposite of my "ETA" below - very professional look.
SynergEbooks. Epublishing, trade paperbacks, CD-ROMs. Word count isn't specified.
Untreed Reads Publishing. Seems to be primarily short work. Actively seeking short stories and novellas.
Write Words, Inc.. Paperback and ebooks. Word count not specified.
Writers Exchange E-Publishing. Print and ebooks. Word count not specified.

That's all I have for now. I just found this list on ebookcrossroads.com so I'll probably spend a little while checking that out and then come back and update this!

ETA: Looking at that list. . .maybe I'm a snob, but if your website layout is horrible or if my thirteen-year-old sister could make better ebook covers, I don't want to submit to you. There are so many I just bypassed because they look so unprofessional and I would actually be embarrassed to be published on those websites. I actually want to start my own to show people that it's not that hard.

Happy writing!

Goals for 2011

Happy New Year, everyone! I had a great weekend in Pendleton, where Chris and I used to live before we moved to Salem.

My writing/reading goals for 2011:

1. Read 75 books. This year, I read 49, which you can see on my Goodreads. My goal was 50, but my last week was busy, or I would have finished Great House by Nicole Krauss.

2. Get The Second Generation out to agents. Right now, it's in beta-stage (others are reading it, and I'm waiting on the feedback). I hope to have it out to agents by June.

3. Finish Finding Fiona. I want to finish this novel/novella, polish it up, and then I'll see where I want to go with it. If it ends up being a novella, I may publish it on Smashwords. If it's longer, then I'll seek traditional publication.

4. Figure out what to do with Stones of Cilean. At this point, I'm really not sure where I want to take Stones of Cilean. The major plot line needs some work, and it's hard to find beta readers for any novel. If I decide to pursue publication, I need to write the sequel.

5. Publish more short stories on Smashwords. I don't have a definite number, but I do plan on at least one a month. I think stories over 2,000 words I will sell for 99 cents. I think this'll be a good way to build up my platform. It'll also keep me writing, because if I publish only one a month, I'll be out of short stories by April.

Other goals for 2011:

1. Travel. Chris and I have tentative plans for a trip to Mexico and a trip to Europe. God willing!

2. Develop Ward's Murder Mysteries. Write more mysteries and advertise the business!

3. Set up an istockphoto account with Chris. With original photographs and old scanned photos from antique shops that are out of copyright.

4. Update All Bible everyday. A new blog of mine that goes through the bible chapter by chapter, book by book.

5. Expand my volunteering. I currently volunteer for Odyssey Hospice, but I'd like to volunteer for the Salvation Army shelter in town and the Kroc Center library. I want to do something consistent for all three of these organizations, especially if I'm going to have a lot of free time since I'm unemployed.

Underwhelming Books

There are some books that I cannot put down, but when I've actually finished it, I think, 'Wow. . .that's it?' Or I'm like, 'That was a good book' and a week later, I fail to tell you what it was about. Books that hook you, but don't make a lasting impression on you.

For me, these books fall into that category:
1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

2. Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

3. The Uglies series.
It started out strong. The first of the series (Uglies) is my favorite, but I hardly remember the next two, Pretties and Specials.

4. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

5. The Gossip Girl series.
I didn't finish it, but what was the point of those books??

6. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.
When I was reading the books, I was like, 'Omg, amazing!' Now, I couldn't tell you the basic plot beyond Valentine being evil.

7. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.
500 pages of nothing.

I do have some level of respect for these authors. A lot of them are bestsellers, so some people obviously loved them. They had me turning the pages, desperate to learn more (well, some of them - Gossip Girl, not so much). But I felt kind of cheated at the end. Like, what was the point of that?

Did I learn anything? Let's look at the themes of these books.
Water for Elephants : love.
Lovely Bones: family??
Uglies: now, this theme did stick with me. The people of this world surgically enhance themselves at a certain age, and the establishment even inflicts brain damage to keep people compliant. There was a lot of social commentary in this series, so I appreciate that.
I know A Gate at the Stairs dealt with interracial families a littl bit. The main theme, I think, was growing up.
Gossip Girl: no, don't get me started on the LACK of theme and depth in those books.
The Mortal Instruments series: no idea. Don't fall in love with your brother?
Memoirs of a Geisha: I guess the theme could be "ambition makes people horrible"?

Did I feel anything for the characters beside, 'Ooh, what happens next?' Generally, no. I thought Jacob in Water for Elephants was lifeless, Tally Youngblood could have had a lot more personality, and I don't even remember the main character in Memoirs of a Geisha.

My writing has a tendency to be fast-paced and plot-centered, and the last thing I want is for someone to race through my book, and then say, 'Huh. Okay. Whatever.' I want my characters and themes to stay with the reader.

Influential Books in my life

Inspired by http://youarewhatyouread.scholastic.com/adults/

Books that have changed my life or worldview

(not necessarily in order)

1. The Bible

I feel like this should go without saying. This book has been the foundation of my family and faith, and it is a huge part of my life. I try to model my life after it based on what God has revealed about himself in these words.

2. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

This is the first book I read in the series. I absolutely fell in love with this series. It was a huge instrument in my development of writing. Literally hundreds of fanfictions shaped the way I wrote. I also spent hours obsessing about the movies and roleplaying games.

3. The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

This was one of the most influential books I read during my year at Revolution Hawaii. It really made me think about how my faith related to the way I lived, how I treated people, and the political standpoints I had.

4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Read first at Ridgeview and later at PHS, this book is powerful. It showed me how strongly our society relied on pleasure and how far we had drifted away from morals and absolutes, but it also made me appreciate that we still had a semblance of them.

5. The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis

I read this series throughout my childhood, finishing by the time I was 12, and I would read the books to my sister Grace. I think CS Lewis and his worlds were a huge part in fostering my imagination and my love for books.

6. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

I learned so much about the validity of the New Testament reading this book. It made me feel like I wasn't crazy for believing an old book like the Bible.

7. Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller

There is something about Miller's poetic imagery and thoughtful writing that really speaks to me. I loved Blue Like Jazz, but I loved this book even more, and I can't even describe why.

Books that have affected my writing

(not including books that are about writing, and again not necessarily in order)

1. Harry Potter series

Like I said, mainly because they inspired me to write so much. But I definitely picked up some of JK Rowling's habits.

2. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

I could only DREAM about writing this beautifully, but it really impacted the way I treated war in my stories and the way I viewed story vs. truth vs. reality.

3. The Tomorrow series by James Marsden

Especially recently, I have taken a lot of inspiration from the Tomorrow series and what I feel is a very real representation of teenage characters in war. I feel the characterization of Ellie helped me shape Natalie, Tracey, and, to some extent, Jennifer.

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Again, I have drawn inspiration from the way Suzanne Collins deals with war and its effects, especially psychologically on the protagonist.

There are a smattering of other books, too, especially ones I read in high school that introduced me to great literature: The Odyssey, Pride and Prejudice, 1984. But I feel like these are the most influential.

What about you? What are some books that changed your life?

Using the Internet for Good

The internet can be a source of good! This is a post of awesome websites that support charities, literacy, and other good causes. Use them as much as you can! And comment if you know of a good one I left out.

Better World Books is an online book seller. Their mission:
Better World Books collects and sells books online to fund literacy initiatives worldwide. With more than six million new and used titles in stock, we’re a self-sustaining, triple-bottom-line company that creates social, economic and environmental value for all our stakeholders.
I've found that they are usually the same price, if not cheaper than, Amazon, mainly because they offer free shipping within the US. It can take a little longer for the books to arrive (app. 11 days), but for only 99 cents, your item will arrive in 2-6 business days.

Free Rice is a trivia website, and for each right answer you get, the website donates 10 grains of rice to help end world hunger.

GoodSearch is an online search engine. Once you choose a charity, each search you conduct will donate to said charity. There are almost a hundred thousand charities participating (http://www.goodsearch.com/charitylist.aspx) and you can install toolbars for your browser or make it your default search on Google Chrome. (Here is a list of more charity search engines.) If people used these search engines as much as they used google, they'd change the world!

The Hunger Site is a place - you click, and a cup of food is donated because of your click. According to this website, there are almost 2 billion people hooked up to the internet. If each person clicked on The Hunger Site daily, that would be 2 billion cups of food! On the website, there are lots more links to similar websites.

That's all I have for now, but I'm going to keep looking to find more awesome places to help others through your internet connection!

Book/Movie Comparison: Introduction & List

It's kind of funny I'm doing posts like this, but I kind of get annoyed when people complain about movie adaptations of novels. But these posts aren't going to be about "OMG, I can't believe they left this scene out." The novel and the feature-length film are two very different forms of art. These posts are less comparisons and more analyses. I'm going to talk about how well the movie did in conveying the theme of the book, the growth of the characters, the main conflict, etc. Sometimes, the movies do it better. I'll try to learn lessons from each adaptation, too.

So, here are a few reference lists for myself (not exactly exhaustive). I'll come back, add to the lists, and eventually take some of them to make posts!

Book Read and Movie Seen:
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling Part 1
8. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
9. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
10. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
11. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
12. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
13. The Prestige by Christopher Priest
14. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
15. LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien
16. LOTR: The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien
17. LOTR: Return of the King by JRR Tolkien
18. The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
19. Prince Caspian by CS Lewis
20. Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rich Riordan
21. Children of Men by PJ James
22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
23. Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
24. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
25. Holes by Louis Sachar
26. 1-3 of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
27. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
28. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
29. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (various film adaptations)
30. Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare (various film adaptations)
31. Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
32. The Green Mile by Stephen King

34. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis

35. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Books I've read that have movie adaptations I haven't yet seen or aren't released:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

Movies I've seen adapted from books that I want to read:
1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
2. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
3. The Boy In Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Books I'd like to read that have movie adaptations I'd like to see:
1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Books that should never be adapted for film (in my humble opinion):
And this isn't because they are bad books - on the contrary, these are my favorites - but so much that is beautiful about these books can't be translated to film. Their language and literary style is really what makes these books amazing. If the story went to film without the language, it wouldn't be nearly as powerful.
1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
2. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien