Winner and Happy New Year!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered and participated in the Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop, particularly I Am a Reader, Not a Writer, and my group blog Oasis for YA!  The hop is officially over now, so if you entered multiple giveaways, make sure to hop back around and see if you won anything! Also, if you enjoyed this hop, I Am a Reader, Not a Writer has TONS of them. So check them out, and maybe participate in a few!

Before I announce the winner (if you haven't already scrolled down), I wanted to say thank you to everyone who entered.  The thank you and Happy Holidays messages in the comments truly brightened my day each time.  You are all awesome! 

Okay, according to Rafflecopter and Random.org, the winner of my giveaway is


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nurmawati Djuhawan!!!!

I have emailed Nurmawati for her info and book choices. This is why I LOVE The Book Depository.  I can easily have an international giveaway, and the fact that my winner lives in Indonesia and I live in Florida doesn't matter. :)

So, New Year's Eve is upon us, and that means lots of goals and resolutions posts.  Do you have any New Year's goals you want to share? I'd love to hear them in the comments! Or, if you posted about them on your blog, leave me a link so I can stop by!

For me, I think some words to focus on are going to be the most helpful to me this coming year. I know some people choose one, but I don't think that's enough for me. If you check the About Me above, it should be clear that I like having A LOT going on. LOL.

I'm thinking about turning it into a craft project and painting the words on small canvases or something. 

So far, I have:

Dream

Relax

Inspire


Hope


Peace


Any ideas for more? Or better ones?


Anyway, have a wonderful New Year's, everyone! Thanks for being awesome!


P.S. I just rejoined Pinterest. If you're on there, look me up.  My username is lchardesty77.

Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop!

Hey there! I am so excited to participate in the Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and the group blog I participate in, Oasis For YA.

This is super fun, because all you do is hop from blog to blog and enter to win free books! Can it get any better?!

Enter my giveaway via the Rafflecopter below, and then check the linky at the bottom of the post to hop around to the other participating blogs!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Hopping!!!

Renegade Winner + another opportunity to win!

Hi everyone! So according to the lovely Rafflecopter widget, the winner of the signed copy of RENEGADE and swag is

CLAIRE!!!

I have emailed Claire and will be sending her the book as soon as I can.  But don't despair! My wonderful friend and critique partner, Tara Gallina, is also giving away a signed copy of RENEGADE with some swag, AND A $30 B&N GIFTCARD!  Yes, she's super generous.  And awesome. You should definitely go enter and tell her I sent you.

On a completely different note, how is everyone's holiday season going? If you celebrate, are you ready? If not, what's your favorite thing about this time of year?

Coming up, I will have a Mid-Winter Giveaway Hop, and then the SCBWI FL Conference in Miami, which means MORE signed giveaway books, and tidbits from the conference! :)

RENEGADE Book Launch and GIVEAWAY!

Two weeks ago, I had the experience every great crit partner dreams about: I got to attend the launch for a book I critiqued!

RENEGADE by J.A. Souders!!!

I headed to the launch with my friends and crit partners Tara, Christy, and Liz.  Jessica held the launch at an industrial office space that was the inspiration for one of the settings in the book.

From L-R: Me, Liz, Christy, and Tara

Jessica had yummy RENEGADE cupcakes:

 And she read part of the first chapter of RENEGADE:

Jessica and me!

Final group shot:

From L-R: Me, Tara, Jessica, and Christy

It has been so amazing to watch this book develop from first chapter to agent edits to edit letter to final copy.  I am so so happy for Jessica!!!

This is a book you DEFINITELY want to read, and, lucky for you, I got an extra copy to give away! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below!

And, in case you missed it, don't forget to check out my video interview with Jessica!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goodreads Blurb:

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. Her memories have been altered. Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

AUTHOR BIO:

J.A. Souders lives in Florida with her husband and their two children and is an active member of RWA, DFRW, YARWA, SCBWI, and SFWA. RENEGADE is her first novel.

RENEGADE Blog Tour--Video Interview!

I am so super excited to be a part of the blog tour for the release of J.A. Souders's debut novel RENEGADE! Jessica is a friend and critique partner, and I have watched this amazing novel grow from conception to it's release NEXT WEEK!

When asked what kind of post I wanted to do, I thought it would be fun to do a video interview, since Jessica lives near me. After you watch, don't forget to scroll down and enter the rafflecopter giveaway for swag and preorders! (US only)




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goodreads Blurb:

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie. Her memories have been altered. Her mind and body aren’t under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

AUTHOR BIO:

J.A. Souders lives in Florida with her husband and their two children and is an active member of RWA, DFRW, YARWA, SCBWI, and SFWA. RENEGADE is her first novel.

LINKS:

http://jasouders.com/ (Website)

http://jasouders.com/blog/ (Blog)

https://www.facebook.com/JASouders (Facebook)

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4880398.J_A_Souders (Goodreads)

http://twitter.com/jasouders (Twitter)

BUY:

http://www.amazon.com/Renegade-Elysium-Chronicles-J-A-Souders/dp/0765332450/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350339958&sr=8-1&keywords=renegade+j+a+souders (Amazon)

http://www.bookdepository.com/Renegade-JA-Souders/9780765332455 (the Book Depository)

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

The lovely and talented Liz tagged me in this fun meme, so here we go!


What is the working title of your book?

Meditation



Where did the idea come from for the book?

I got the idea in yoga class. LOL. I had gotten a rejection and was trying to use the practice to let go of my negative thoughts and stay positive, and I thought "What if a character was using yoga to get through something truly traumatic?"


What genre does your book fall under?

YA Contemporary Thriller

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I posted about this in another bloghop, but I think Miranda Cosgrove would make a great Bree, and Jake T. Austin would make a great Brian.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Seventeen-year-old Bree Miller never expected her passion for yoga would save her life, but when she's kidnapped by a man in a mask who talks about obedience and punishment, her training is the only thing keeping her sane.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I would love for it to be represented by an agency. *crosses fingers*

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It took me about three months-ish.

I know it's sort of cheating, but I skipped a few questions, and I'm not tagging anyone specifically. If this meme sounds fun to you, please post on your blog and leave me a link.  (Check Liz's blog via the link at the top of this post for the questions I skipped.) I'd love to read about your WIP! 

And be sure to come back on Sunday for a super fun post in J.A. Souders's blog tour for RENEGADE!!!

Pitch On Workshop Critique: SN

Welcome to the Pitch On Workshop! When you have time before October 14, please take the time to go to the participating blogs (list here) and critique the pitches.  All critiques will be entered to win either a 10 page critique or a query critique. (Details here).  If you are interested in having your pitch workshopped, it's not too late to sign up!

Here's Stacey's Pitch:

Title: FORGET-ME-NOT
Genre: Light Science Fiction
Word-count: 76,000
Pitch:
Seventeen year old Anamae accidently activates secret technology, which causes her to blink into and out visibility. Its use attracts an attacker, who she learns is an agent of a secret society. They suppress the knowledge of technology so advanced it could be straight from a science fiction movie. Now that she knows the secret, she’s at the top of their hit list. She must fight to keep herself and her family alive.

My Critique:

This sounds so intriguing! But it reads a little stilted to me.  I have some fixes below, but I'd love more about who Anamae is and more of her voice throughout. More details about Anamae will help me connect to her and to your story.

Seventeen-year-old Anamae accidently accidentally activates secret technology, which causes her to blink into and out of visibility. Its use attracts an attacker, who she learns is --an agent of a secret society. They created to suppress the knowledge of technology so advanced it could be straight from a science fiction movie. Now that she knows the secret, she’s at the top of their hit list. She must fight to keep herself and her family alive. This last sentence is too vague for me.
 


What do you think? Leave your critiques in the comments!  I'm sure Stacey appreciates your help!

Pitch On Workshop Critique: CS

Welcome to the Pitch On Workshop! When you have time within the next two weeks, please take the time to go to the participating blogs (list here) and critique the pitches.  All critiques will be entered to win either a 10 page critique or a query critique. (Details here).  If you are interested in having your pitch workshopped, it's not too late to sign up!

Here's Catherine's Pitch:

Jennifer Strange never wanted her parents to go missing, a ghost to haunt her, or a Ghost Hunter named Marcus to tell her she is a Medium. Fifteen-year-old Jennifer believes in measurable facts, not in the occult. When a ghost tears apart her Chemistry class, Jennifer must not only face that ghosts exist but that she is the most powerful Medium to ever live. Not only can Jennifer see spirits, she can touch them. Now, Jennifer and Marcus must save the ghost before a dark wraith eating his soul threatens to devour them all.   

My Critique: 

Jennifer Strange never wanted her parents to go missing, a ghost to haunt her, or a Ghost Hunter named Marcus to tell her she is a Medium. Fifteen-year-old Jennifer believes in measurable facts, not in the occult. When a ghost tears apart her Chemistry class, Jennifer must not only face that ghosts exist but that she is the most powerful Medium to ever live. Not only can (Introduce Marcus here) Jennifer can see spirits, but she can also touch them. Now, Jennifer and Marcus must save the ghost before a dark wraith eating his soul threatens to devour them all.   I think you can make this last sentence more powerful by making it more relevant to Jennifer (maybe a little more specific?).  And I think I’d like just a smidge more about who Jennifer is at the beginning, as well.

 

Post your critique in the comments!  I'm sure Catherine appreciates your help!

Get Your Pitch On Workshop submissions are OPEN!

Workshops for Get Your Pitch On will start on October 1, but you can send your pitches through now to secure your spot with a host blog.

There is no date deadline for the workshops. Each blog has allocated a set number of pitches that they can host and once those spots are full then no more submissions will be taken.

Important Rule: If you want to participate in a workshop, you must be prepared to comment on at least one other pitch.

How to submit: Email your draft pitch to pitchonws@gmail.com and include PitchOnWS and the title of the manuscript in the subject line. Pitches must follow the formatting as specified for the Get Your Pitch On contest. If you missed if before check out this post here and you can see the list of blogs participating here.

ADDITIONALLY, there is an opportunity for you to win a ten page critique from some of the blog hosts: "Make sure to check out all of the workshop host blogs to critique more pitches. For each critique you leave in the comments, you get an entry into the drawing to win one of eight 10-page critiques from our contest host Sharon Johnston and workshop hosts Larissa Hardesty, Stephanie Diaz, Catherine Scully, Jodie Andrefski, Paula Sangare, Talynn Lynn and Kaitlin Adams. Please use the exact same name for all of your critiques. The opportunity ends 10/14/2012."

Draft pitches will be evenly distributed between host blogs.

And interview with Commissioning and Managing Editor of Hardie Grant Egmont, Marisa Pintado, will be coming up soon on Down Under Wonderings blog so that you have an idea what she's looking for before she takes your pitches both on Down Under Wonderings and on the group blog YAtopia on October 15th. The exact contest opening times will be included in that post.

Have fun honing your pitches!

GET YOUR PITCH ON Announcement!!!

I am SO EXCITED to be part of this fabulous opportunity!  Read on to find out more about GET YOUR PITCH ON and how you can workshop your pitch right here starting October 1.  More details to come, so stay tuned!

Commissioning and Managing Editor of Hardie Grant Egmont, Marisa Pintado, will be poised and ready to take your pitches both on Down Under Wonderings and on the fabulous group blog YAtopia on October 15th.

Marisa is looking for YA in any genre and is accepting submissions from any where in the world. It's your chance to skip the slush pile and put your pitch right under the nose of a fantastic editor. There's even better news - there is no limit on how many requests Marisa will make from the contest.
The rules:

• Your manuscript must be complete, polished and ready to query - this means no first drafts or almost finished manuscripts.
• It must be YA.
• When the contest goes live on October 15th, post your entry details in the comments section of either YAtopia or Down Under Wonderings - each blog is accepting 100 entries only.
• Your entry detail needs to include a 50 - 70 word pitch.
• You can enter more than once if you have more than one complete, polished, ready to query manuscript.

Your contest details should be formatted like this:

Name: Sharon Johnston
Email: smjohnston [ @ ] live.com.au
Country of residence: Australia
Title: SLEEPER
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Word-count: 58,000
Pitch: Seventeen-year-old Mishca Richardson is a sleeper soldier with a weak heart. She has no idea that a life saving heart transplant has accidentally triggered her programming. In the search for answers, she discovers the truth and that her creator, Wirth, has classified her remaining "sisters" from her experiment group as defective, scheduling them for termination. Mishca sets out to save them before they're eliminated.

Just as it's important to get someone else to look over your manuscript before you query, it's a good idea to get feedback on your pitch before you post. There are about twenty blogs who are ready to help you hone your pitch, including this blog. These workshops start on October 1 and you can find the list of blogs participating here.

So get ready to Get Your Pitch On!

Networked Blogs: Tell me about it

Image by SaraFFujimara via WANA Commons

I have a lot of friends who use Networked Blogs, so I figured it's probably time for me to look into it.  But, honestly, the frame that pops up when you open a Networked Blogs link has always bugged me (and when my BlackBerry was my main way of checking the internet, it made visiting blogs with NB difficult.)

So, I'm looking for opinions on NB.  Do you use Networked Blogs?  Why? If you don't, why not?

When you visit a blog via Networked Blogs, does the frame bother you?

Any other thoughts?

Thanks everyone! 

GUTGAA Meet and Greet

Hi, everyone! I'm super excited about GUTGAA, but I'm out of town for the holiday weekend.  I'll have my answers posted and start visiting the other participants Tuesday afternoon.  See you then!

Find out more about GUTGAA here.

ETA: I never did my mini-bio! :)  I am a 34-year-old mother of three (9 yo boy, 7 yo girl, and 5 yo girl).  I teach pre-k and Sunday School, and direct the Handbell Choirs at my church.  So ... yeah.  I generally have a To-Do List a mile long.  I write YA.

-Where do you write?

Usually sitting in my bed.  I have a laptop, and my bedroom is usually the quietest place in the house (three kids!).

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

My coffee cup.  I have a flowered Tervis tumbler that is my constant companion. LOL.

-Favorite time to write?

I'm not sure I have a favorite time.  Anytime I can find time is my favorite.  (I have three part time jobs and three children, so time is hard to come by!)

-Drink of choice while writing?

COFFEE!  Or, after 6pm, water.

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

I listen to music.  I have a playlist for each manuscript.  For some reason, I have to listen to it with earbuds, though.  If I just have it playing through the computer, it bothers me. (Weird, I know.)

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

The idea for my latest manuscript came to me while I was doing yoga, and trying to let go of a painful rejection, which brought up the question, "What if I had to use yoga to get past something more traumatic than a rejection?"  And my story MEDITATION was born. LOL

-What's your most valuable writing tip?

It's not "what happens next?", it's "what would my character do next?" 

 Thanks for stopping by!  I will be around to visit the other participating blogs throughout the week. 

 

Sprechen sie Deutsch?

YOU GUYS!

My amazing friend and critique partner J.A. Souders is having her FIRST BOOK BIRTHDAY!

Her fabulous novel RENEGADE doesn't release in the US until November 13, but it comes out in Germany TODAY!!!

Click here to check it out.

She won the cover lottery twice with this book, too.  Both covers are gorgeous and represent the novel in different ways. 

Anyway, head over to Jessica's Twitter and congratulate her on her release!  And, if you live in Germany, or know someone who does, I know she'd be forever grateful for a pic of it "in the wild."

Guest Post: C. Lee McKenzie and ALLIGATORS OVERHEAD

Larissa,

Thank you so much for helping me out with the launch of my first middle grade book. I really appreciate your support and it's great to be here on your blog today.

Alligators Overhead

Blurb:

Alligators, witches and a spooky mansion aren't your average neighbors unless you live at the edge of the Ornofree swamp in the backwater town of Hadleyville. The town's bad boy, Pete Riley, may only be twelve, but he's up to his eyeballs in big trouble, and this time he isn't the cause. This time the trouble arrives when a legendary hundred-year-old mansion materializes next door and the Ornofree alligators declare war to save their swamp from bulldozers. Things only get worse when Pete's guardian aunt and several of her close friends vanish while trying to restore order using outdated witchcraft. Now Pete must find the witches and stop the war. He might stand a chance if his one friend, Weasel, sticks with him, but even then, they may not have what it takes.

About the author:

A native Californian, C. Lee McKenzie lives on the edge of a redwood forest with her husband and assorted cats. When she's not writing or blogging she's hiking or practicing yoga. She usually writes young adult fiction that deals with contemporary, realistic issues. In Sliding on the Edge (2009) she dealt with cutting, and in The Princess of Las Pulgas (2010) she wrote about a family that loses almost everything and has to rebuild their lives together. Alligators Overhead is her first Middle Grade novel. Lee blogs at  http://writegame.blogspot.com and her website is   http://cleemckenziebooks.com

Check out the awesome trailer!

LINK

http://youtu.be/YP9I401gWNQ

WEBSITE: http://cleemckenziebooks.com

BLOG: http://writegame.blogspot.com

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/cleemckenziebooks

TWITTER : @cleemckenzie

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0042M1KYW 

GOODREADS

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2809083.C_Lee_McKenzie

Congratulations, Lee!  Thanks for stopping by!  I can't wait to read Alligators Overhead.