Everything But the Kitchen Sink + Giveaway

Well, hello there! 2013 was a crazy year, and I've sort of fallen off the blogging train. Sorry about that!

Consequently, I've missed posting about a few things! Including a bunch of signed books I have to give away!

First, let me share a couple of amazing book events I went to. In early November, I attended launches for Jessica Souders's book REVELATIONS, which is the sequel to her amazing debut RENEGADE.

And I made Jessica a present for her release:

My phone didn't take a great photo of them, but they are canvases with Jessica's favorite scenes from each book mod podged on them, and then the cover printed on vellum over the top. RENEGADE's is surrounded with blue sea glass, and REVELATIONS's is surrounded with rope and sea shells. :)

Keep reading for a GIVEAWAY of a signed copy of REVELATIONS and some swag!

Then, the very next day, I went to Vivi Barnes's launch for her debut OLIVIA TWISTED, a retelling of Oliver Twist with hackers! I got to read an ARC of OLIVIA TWISTED, and I LOVED it!

 Here she is, signing Jessica's copy of OLIVIA TWISTED.

And here she is reading from a chapter!

I gave Vivi a present, too, but I didn't get a picture of it. I made her a scrabble tile necklace with her cover on it. :)

Keep going to get to a giveaway of a signed paperback of OLIVIA TWISTED and swag!

I have two more books to give away, as well. You know how I always get signed books to give away after I attend a conference? Well, I got two books signed for you guys at the SCBWI FL Orlando Workshop in June. Annnnd they've been sitting on my nightstand ever since. #FAIL So I have a paperback of WITH OR WITHOUT YOU by Brian Farrey and a signed paperback of BEWITCHING by Alex Flinn to giveaway, as well.

So, at the end of this post is a Rafflecopter form for you. To make things easier for myself, I'm doing one Rafflecopter, but I want you to win the book you want most, so make sure to list the books in order of MOST WANT to LEAST WANT. I'll choose four winners and try to give everyone their fave if I can. <3

I was going to do a 2013 wrap up and wishes for 2014 post, but this post is long enough, no? I'm going to another conference this week, so hopefully I'll be more ON IT, and do another giveaway when I get back!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy 2014, everyone!

Burning questions for SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop

I'm SO EXCITED!

This weekend is the SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop. I happen to ADORE attending conferences, and this one is particularly fun because it's local to me, so I get to help out a bit by picking up people at the airport and stuff like that. PLUS, it's held at Disney World, so, FUN TIMES! And my family gets a little staycation at the resort while I have my writer-time. YAY!

As usual, I will be getting a couple of books signed by presenters to give away here on my blog after the conference, so stay tuned for that.

However, I thought it might be cool to see if anyone has any burning questions for any of the faculty at this conference. Have you always wondered something about Flux books? Because Brian Farrey-Latz will be there. Do you want to know how Alex Flinn comes up with her fairy tale twists, or how she went from edgy isue books to fairytale reimaginings? Because Alex Flinn will be there.

So, check out the faculty list, and post a question in the comments! I will do my best to collect all the answers, and post them next week along with my conference wrap-up and the giveaway. Anyone who posts a question here (before Friday, June 7) will get an extra entry into the giveaway.

Post-Conference Giveaway Time!

This is a couple of weeks late, since the SCBWI Florida Mid-Year Workshop was June 24 and 25, but I'm hoping you'll forgive me due to my Internet-Impaired status. (Yes, still.  Don't ask.)

Anyway, as usual, I purchased a couple of books by the presenters to give away here on my blog.

The Prizes:

A signed paperback of the amazing Kathleen Duey's Skin Hunger:

A signed hardcover of the brilliant Marjetta Geerling's Fancy White Trash:

The Rules:

1. Comment on this post:


-Current Followers (following before this is posted): 3 entries
-New Followers: 2 entries
-Non-Followers: 1 entry
2. Blog, tweet, or Facebook this contest: 2 entries per announcement (please leave links or @ me (@lchardesty) on twitter)
3. Add up your entries: 1 extra entry
4. Comment on my SCBWI Mid-Year Workshop post (posting Friday, July 8) for an extra entry per comment (I will count these, so you don't need to add them to your total on this post).
5. This contest will end at noon EST on Tuesday, July 12, 2011. I will announce winners on Friday, July 15.

Good luck, and thanks for reading! Be sure to come back this week Friday to read all about the amazing SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop!!!


Larissa :)

Random Thoughts on a Thursday

1. Oh, wow.  It has been over a month since I blogged.  :(  I do have an excuse though, and it is

2. I still don't have internet at home.  It has been over eight months.  NO LIE. O.o  There's really nothing else to say about that.

3. I would like for some scientists to do a study on Morning People compared to Night Owls.  I'm particularly interested in whether either following or not following your natural bio-rhythms has an effect on health or life expectancy.  (Seriously, guys.  Getting up at 7am physically hurts me.  Why hasn't someone jumped on my Night Owl Town idea?  WHY?)

4. While I'm on the topic of weird-impossible-ideas-that-will-never-happen, I would like to have anonymous telepathy.  Meaning, I would like to be able to talk inside other people's heads without them knowing it's me. No particular reason...

5. I am once again going to the SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop at Disney!  There's still time to register if you want to come!  As usual, I will get a couple of the presenters to sign books and give them away right here after the conference, and I will make posts about all of the awesomeness I learn.  Okey-doke?

In the Comments: Tell me what you would do with Anonymous Telepathy.  Also, if you have any preferences for the books I giveaway, check out the faculty list for the conference and let me know.

SCBWI FL Conference Part 3 and one day left for the GIVEAWAY!

I hope I can do this post justice, as I'm running out of computer time...

I left off right before the Editor Panel about Fantasy (Fantasy Isn't Just For Wizards).  The editors (Kate Jacobs, Krista Marino, and Arianne Lewin) talked about what fantasy is (worlds not bound by our laws, fiction of the impossible) and about how there is a spectrum with realistic and fantasy on opposite ends.  They handed out a list of different fantasy genres and examples of each.  If you are curious about their examples for any category, let me know.  The panel also emphasized how much personal taste comes into publishing.  For example, Krista said she is pretty much over dystopian, but Arianne said she loves it. :)

The last presentation on Saturday was Robin Wasserman.  Her talk was called Two Truths and a Lie, and it was about using reality/truth to make your story believable.  She said all good fiction is realistic, and that the stories we love are ones we believe in.  She said when writing, bring in two truths: factual/concrete truth (can be from research) and emotional truth.  Then when you add the made up stuff, it feels real.  She also gave two resources to Google: "Slanguage: Teen Voices and Teen Vernaculars" by Scott Westerfeld and "Patricia Wrede Worldbuilding" (an exhaustive list of worldbuilding questions to ask yourself).

After that, it was time for critiques and then the Dragonslayers Ball!  Here are a few pictures from the Dragonslayers Ball.

This is me (as Toothless the dragon from How To Train Your Dragon), Christy Farley, and Jessica Souders

Karen Strong rocking the Viking look.

Christy taking a picture of me taking a picture--lol.  But look!  It's Harley May! :)

So, in other words, the Dragonslayers Ball was great fun. 

On Sunday, we had small workshops before the end of the conference.  My first workshop was with Arianne Lewin (Executive Editor at Putnam).  It was about self-revising, and it was fantastic!  First, she talked about how she revises with authors:
-She usually does at least three revisions before the book goes to copy-editing.
-She thinks pretty extensively about revisions before acquiring the novel.
-She said don't do revisions for someone, do them for the book.
-Her average editorial letter is 6-7 pages.
-And she said not to work on the book if you are waiting on an editorial letter.
Then she had us go through some of our own writing looking for things like exposition, non-said dialogue tags, etc.  She was using the book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers for examples and such, and highly recommended it.  Since I have had others recommend it to me, I actually stopped on the way home and bought it.  LOL.

Overall, it was an amazing conference.  I obviously can't share everything with you, but I hope you picked up a helpful nugget or two, and I hope I've encouraged you to consider attending a local conference of your own!

Don't forget, my giveaway ends tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon EST, so make sure you've entered!

Larissa :)

SCBWI FL Conference Day 2

Saturday at the conference opened with an amazing presentation by Bruce Hale. It was called: Writer's Mind, Warrior's Mind - Toughing it out and getting published, and it was fantastic.

Here are a few takeaways from his talk:
-Writing is a game of head and heart.
-Writing is not for sissies.
-Art is war.
-Steps to take to get there:
1. Start a good habit habit: Look at things that are keeping you from writing and try to cut the time you spend on them.
2. Write like your hair was on fire: Write with passion.
3. Think it through, take the big view: Think strategically.
4. Teamwork makes the dream work: Cultivate support for your writing (family, friends, critique groups, etc.).
5. Face the iron tiger (fear): Fear is just resistance. Work on a small thing you're afraid of, and build up.
6. Beat resistance with persistance: Most people give up when they're just about to achieve success.

He finished by singing "You Gotta Be" and it was awesome! The conference was off to an amazing start!

Next, Rubin Pfeffer talked about the digital revolution. What I loved about this talk was how positive it was. Rather than the normal doom and gloom "books are dying" stuff that often accompanies discussions of digital publishing, he said "it's not instead of, it's in addition to." It was a great talk.

Then we had an agent panel with Erin Murphy, Michael Bourret, and Sarah Davies. Great takeaways from this panel were:
-There's no one measuring unit for measuring success.
-Be happy with your writing and keep growing.
-You are your own best advocate.
-Publishing is both bigger and smaller than you think. (This was where they mentioned Verla Kay's Blueboards multiple times. They said they go there, and they see what people say about them and about themselves.)
-Often, rewriting can be better than revising.
-Titles can be very important to what happens to your book.
-Take everything one step at a time.

Next was a First Pages Panel. The only thing I wrote down from this was "Make sure your descriptions are clear--especially in fantasy or non-contemporary."

The next presenter was Cinda Williams Chima. She was fantastic, and I must have been so captivated that I didn't write anything down. However, she has lots of great resources for writers on her website, so you should check it out: http://www.cindachima.com/.

Okay, I'm going to stop here, because I have three-four more presentations to talk about, plus the Dragonslayer's Ball pictures! I will try to post the rest tomorrow. Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Larissa :)

SCBWI FL Regional Conference Day 1: Novel Intensive

This was my fourth SCBWI FL conference, and I swear they get better every time.  I absolutely ADORE the Florida SCBWI chapter, and our Regional Advisor, Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld, gets AMAZING speakers.

The first day of the conference, I attended the Novel Intensive, lead by Joyce Sweeney, Erin Murphy, and Krista Marino (here is a link to everyone's bios). 

The day started with Erin Murphy talking about obstacles.  She had us imagine our ideal writing life, and then think about what obstacles keep us from that writing life.  Some of those obstacles are unavoidable, but some can be altered or adjusted.  She also had us write down resources we have to support our writing, both within ourselves (strengths/talents), and outside of ourselves (support systems).  Erin told us about a blog her clients are doing called Emu's Debuts, where some of her debut clients are going to blog about their experience from being agented to holding a published book in their hands.  Check it out!

Next, Joyce Sweeney tackled the scene.  She gave a fantastic example of the importance of staying in scene and avoiding narrative, as well as how every scene should have a full arc, just like the entire novel: orient the reader, inciting event, rising tension, turning point, raising the stakes, climax, & resolution and promise.  It was very eye-opening, and something I will be using to pick my WIP apart. :)

Then Krista Marino talked about voice.  She gave a list of elements that contribute to voice: diction, perspective, characterization, and dialogue.  She emphasized that a great story needs voice and plot, and that an authentic teen voice/perspective is key.  She gave the example of two movies which demonstrate the difference between teen and adult perspectives: 17 Again, and Big.  She said, "When you're young, everything feels like the end of the world."  And, "Your goal [as a writer] needs to be to erase your worldliness."  Finally, Krista emphasized the importance of inner monologue.  She said many of her editorial notes focus on this.  She wants to always know what the protagonist's thoughts and reactions are to what is happening to him/her.

At the end of the session, Erin Murphy talked about revision.  She emphasized getting distance and objectivity before starting a revision, and she gave some tricks some of her clients use to see big pictures in their manuscripts: shrunken manuscript (print four or more pages per sheet and lay them out on the floor), color coding for different story elements, using a spreadsheet to keep track of different elements and/or character arcs.  She also recommended making an outline after you write (if you're a pantser), changing the font and layout when you revise, read it out loud, keep a Dead Babies file for things you may need to cut but love too much to delete fully, and make or find checklists that work for you.

And that was the Novel Intensive!  They also read everyone's first page and critiqued them.  If you ever have an opportunity to listen to a first pages session, you should.  It's very eye-opening to hear agents' and editors' first reactions to a first page.

What did you think? Did you read anything here you hadn't heard before?  Don't forget to enter my Book Giveaway, and comment here to get an extra entry.  I'll be blogging about the second day of the conference tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Larissa :)

I'm back! And that means...

It's time for the GIVEAWAY!!!

You are super lucky, too, because not only did I purchase two books to give away (and I had them signed!), but I got TWO ARCS at the conference, and I'm giving them away, too!

Here are the books you can win:

Signed copy of A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

Signed copy of Skinned by Robin Wasserman

ARC of Shine by Lauren Myracle

ARC of The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

I know, right?

Alrighty. Here's how to enter:

1. Comment on this post:
-Current Followers (following before this is posted): 3 entries
-New Followers: 2 entries
-Non-Followers: 1 entry

2. Blog, tweet, or Facebook this contest: 2 entries per announcement (please leave links)

3. Add up your entries: 1 extra entry

4. Comment on my SCBWI Conference Round-up posts for an extra entry per comment (I will count these, so you don't need to add them to your total on this post).

5. This contest will end at noon EST on Tuesday, January 25, 2011. I will announce winners on Thursday, January 27.

Good luck, and thanks for reading! Be sure to come back this week (most likely Thursday and Friday) to read all about the amazing SCBWI FL Regional Conference. It was AMAZING!!!

Larissa :)

Getting Ready!

Hello my lovelies!

I am getting ready for the conference this weekend. Sooooo excited! I've polished my first pages until they shine. :) I've purchased my books for myself and for YOU! Yay!

And just so I stay grounded, some pipes at my house are clogged, so we have no toilets or other water (dishes and laundry - not that I do them like I should, but, uh, running out of clean clothes over here), and my youngest dd has bronchitis and won't take her meds. Woohoo!

I also would like to point you to the fun new badge I added at the top right. This is a new blog by some fabulous authors, and they are starting off with a GIVEAWAY! Check it out by clicking the badge.

So, while I get ready to have a fabulous time (and deal with awesome real life), I thought I'd leave you with this fantastic video by Jackson Pearce. Enjoy!



I'll be back with notes from the conference, and signed BOOKS FOR YOU! Stay tuned!

WINNERS! And PICTURES!

Winners are posted below, and I just have to say, you are in for a TREAT! I loved all three of these books, so I really hope you enjoy them.

Of course, I promised some pictures from the conference, so I'll post those first (insert evil laugh here). I also left off a really great comment Kathleen Duey made.

First, the comment. Kathleen was describing how to plot, and specifically how to handle the beginning and the ending. Besides the genius picking-up-a-puppy analogy, she spoke of plot like a roller coaster. She warned not to start with your biggest thrill at the beginning. You build, fall, careen around, and toward the end hit that highest thrill. Then coast gently to a stop. Don't jerk to a halt, and don't coast for miles. She even described this with movement and sound effects - which was AWESOME. Anyway, I'm not sure if I described it right, but it was a great analogy.

Okay, pics.

Kathleen Duey, Richard Peck, and Kadir Nelson at Books and Books:


Me and Jackie Dolamore:

Me and Kathleen Duey:


Me and Michael Grant:



I don't think those lined up the way I wanted them, but oh well. I am still getting used to blogger.

WINNERS!

With the help of Random.org, here are the winners:

Winner of a signed copy of Kathleen Duey's SKIN HUNGER:

LAURA RENEGAR!!!

Winner of a signed copy of Michael Grant's GONE:

MIKE JUNG (AKA Captain Stupendous)!!!

Winner of a signed copy of Jaclyn Dolamore's MAGIC UNDER GLASS:

TERRYLYNNJOHNSON!!!

I will be emailing you for your addresses! Congrats to the winners!

Larissa :)

SCBWI FL Conference Wrap Up!

Before I start, if you haven't attended a writing conference, find a way to do it. It is such an amazing experience, and you learn so much. It's worth the registration fee just to be around other serious writers and to be able to talk about writing with people who get it. If you're in FL or would like to come here :) the summer workshop is scheduled for June 4 & 5 at Disney.

Thursday night, there was a pre-conference book signing, which was when I got the books for my giveaway signed. If you haven't entered, GO ENTER!

I was going to go through day by day, but I think that will take too long. LOL. I'm just going to list the takeaway quotes (paraphrased) that stuck with me enough that I wrote them down. There is just no way to capture the spirit of a writing conference in words (haha). It's like inspiration and encouragement float in the air, and you breathe them in every moment. Anyway, here are the important notes I wrote down.

Richard Peck: I never wrote a word of fiction before I was 37 years old.

Kathleen Duey: Those amazing debut books (S. Meyer, J.K. Rowling) are a fluke. Deciding to do that is like deciding to be struck by lightning and working toward that.

Kathleen Duey: Don't ask what should happen next in your story. Ask yourself what your protagonist would do next.

Richard Peck (via Kathleen Duey): Take yourself out of your manuscript.

Kathleen Duey: Raise the climax by making more subtle what precedes it.

Kathleen Duey: Give yourself cues for your work: workspace, music, food/drink, smells, and change them if you are working on two projects to help move between projects.

Kathleen Duey: Anyone can be a great critiquer if you have them use the BCD method - mark in the ms where they are Bored, Confused, or Don't believe it.

Kathleen Duey: The only rule is there are no rules.

Kathleen Duey: You don't have to start with a bang. You have to start with a reason to turn the page.

Kathleen Duey: Talk to strangers. (when and where it is safe to do so)

Kathleen Duey: When you're having trouble with your character, sit down and type an interview. Not a set of questions, but a conversation, like you're talking to a child (your mc) you haven't met.

Kathleen Duey: When you have a great writing day, figure out why and do that again.

Kathleen Duey: Gag your inner parent.

Kathleen Duey: Don't let your characters choose between something easy and something hard (that's boring - give them a difficult choice).

Richard Peck: Humor is anger that went to finishing school.

Richard Peck: There never was a writer who was not a reader.

Jill Santapolo: Inject emotion organically with: actions, word choice and syntax, objective correlative (put emotion to an object - winter tree looks dead to someone facing hardship, etc. [explanation and example are mine]), and dialogue.

Alexandra Flinn: Write what you're on fire about.

Kathleen Duey: To write a good synopsis, don't name anyone but the MC. It's too easy to go on a tangent if you focus on anyone else.

Kathleen Duey: On where to start your story: It's like picking up a puppy. In front of the middle, but not too far.

Kathleen Duey: On revision: Before revising, sit down and recall your reason for writing the story - the spark. Write it down and post it somewhere. Revise to enhance that.

You may notice that most of those are from Kathleen Duey. Yes. She is absolutely amazing. I have never been more inspired by a person in my life. If you ever have a chance to hear her speak, DO IT. (Oh, and she's coming back to FL in June...just sayin').

So, those are the takeaways I wrote down. If I can figure out a way to coherently write down more of the experience, I will. I will also point you to some other blogs with wrap-ups, since different people may have honed in on different points. Here's one: Mindy Alyse Weiss.

I will try to post pictures this weekend, and I am expecting my turn with the ARC of Timekeeper's Moon by Joni Sensel, so look for my review of that.

Larissa :)

It's Time - My First Book Giveaway!

WOW.

I just got back from the SCBWI FL Conference, and all I can say is WOW.

What an amazing experience!

I will blog all about it, including some takeaways and pictures (!!!) later this week. For now, let's get started with the GIVEAWAY!

So, I bought three books to give away:
Jaclyn Dolamore's MAGIC UNDER GLASS
Michael Grant's GONE
and Kathleen Duey's SKIN HUNGER.

They have all three been signed just for you! Yay!

Here are the rules:
1. You must comment here to be entered in the drawing (1 point).
2. Current followers (following before I post this) get two additional entries.
3. New followers get one additional entry.
4. Tweeting/facebooking/blogging this giveaway earns you 2 additional entries for each instance (please include link in your comment, and if tweeting, use @lchardesty).
5. Include your email in your comment.
6. Please add up your entries in your comment.

Contest will close Monday, January 25, and I will post the winners (one for each book) on Tuesday, January 26.

I'm so excited! These are FANTASTIC books, and I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing their authors are.

Stay tuned for the following: My SCBWI FL wrap up, and my TIMEKEEPER'S MOON review (I was chosen as the next Farwalker's Apprentice, detailed here).

Good luck, and thanks for reading!

Larissa :)

Getting Ready for a Conference

Hi Everyone!

I'm getting SUPER DUPER excited to go to the SCBWI FL conference in Miami in about a week and a half. Yay! Plus, I'm driving down and rooming with debut YA novelist Jaclyn Dolamore (MAGIC UNDER GLASS - Go buy it)! I'm so lucky!

Anyway, I am doing the usual preparations: going over my ms one more time, printing my first pages, getting my notebooks and tote bag all ready, ordering my Blueboarder pin.

Then, someone on the Blueboard posted a question that reminded me of some comics Debbie Ohi created in preparation for her first trip to the SCBWI National Summer Conference. I just reread them, and they're hilarious! I thought I would share them with you:

http://www.inkygirl.com/writers-conference-newbie-comics/

So, besides NOT bringing my 642,000 word epic vampire wizard fantasy, anyone have any other advice for me? (Yes, I do plan to blog about the conference, so stay tuned for that!)