It's been a busy summer! I finally finished the draft of my newest WIP, and now have to catch up with the rest of the world. LOL.
I'm looking forward to WriteOnCon this week, though! I'm not sure how much I'll be able to be around for the live stuff, since I'll also be setting up my classroom and going to meetings and such.
I'm also considering posting my query in the forums. I'll update with a link if I do, but I'd love to check yours out! So, in the comments, give me a link to your stuff in the forums, and I will try to stop by and comment. And tell me what you're looking forward to the most!
If you want to friend me on there, here's my forum profile: http://writeoncon.com/forum/member.php?4552-Larissa
See you there!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Cover Reveal: BROKEN by A.E. Rought
I am incredibly excited to be part of the cover reveal for my friend and Oasis sister A.E. Rought!
BROKEN releases in ebook and paper formats in January 2013 from Strange Chemistry in all English-speaking territories.
Here is the blurb:
Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.
A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry’s boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetary and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog.
When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she’s intrigued despite herself. He’s an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely…familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel’s. The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there’s something very wrong with Alex Franks.
BROKEN releases in ebook and paper formats in January 2013 from Strange Chemistry in all English-speaking territories.
Here is the blurb:
Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.
A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry’s boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetary and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog.
When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she’s intrigued despite herself. He’s an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely…familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel’s. The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there’s something very wrong with Alex Franks.
And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying
menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks’
estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries,
she knows.
Sounds, awesome, right? Wait till you see the cover!
Gorgeous! And, as a special treat, you can read the full first chapter of BROKEN! They are posted in snippets across the blogs participating in the cover reveal. This blog is the last snippet (of 11), so make sure to go back to the first blog to start from the beginning. (Previous snippet at http://lmpreston.blogspot.com/)
Final snippet from Chapter One of BROKEN by A.E. Rought:
Instead
of settling in the living room and watching Mom read while I ignore the TV, I
sit in my normal seat at the dining room table. It’s quieter here, and the
faint smell of fresh cut wood from Dad’s latest project drifts up the basement
stairs. A wide, dark window gapes across the table from me, a nighttime scene
of the side yard and the skeletal trees reaching skyward. The branches jerk
back and forth in a sharp wind, a limb cracking and plummeting to the ground—a
macabre combination with the scent of wood death curling in my nose.
My cell
comes to life, the vibrate setting making the pink thing look like it has legs.
It jitters across the table, the screen flashing green. I don’t need to look at
the display to know it’s Bree calling again. Shoveling in a forkful of potatoes
and gravy, I let the call go to voice mail.
Hopefully
I’ll dodge her Zombie Twins bullet tomorrow morning. Homework is on my dance
card for tonight, then shower and sleep.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Post Conference Wrap Up Day Two and WINNER
I had hoped to get this posted sooner, but it has been CRAZY around here!
Anyway, thanks to all who entered my giveaway. Rafflecopter chose the winner, and she is listed at the end of the post.
The second day of the SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop was fantastic. My friend Tara recently posted a conference wrap up, and talked about her Agent Crush on Josh Adams (and, yes, he's totally Agent Crush-worthy). I, however, developed an Editor Crush on Noa Wheeler (Henry Holt BFYR).
Anyone who gets to work with her is amazingly lucky. She is absolutely wonderful.
To keep myself from gushing ridiculously, I'll just pass along some tidbits from the YA Track presentations. The first thing Noa did was have us come up with 100 questions for our main character. O.O I know. Luckily, they were in sets of ten, so it wasn't overwhelming. The sets that caught me by surprise were 10 questions your character would ask, and 10 what if questions. It was really neat to end up with 100 questions that were unique to my character and even just coming up with them helped me get to know her better.
After lunch, Noa had us write flap copy for our manuscripts, and then Nancy Werlin took us through a recent revision she had to tackle. What stood out to me from this presentation was that even after numerous novels, and awards, Nancy still thought she was done when she wasn't. She still had to interpret what three different beta readers meant when they all pointed out different things. It certainly made me feel better about my own revisions. LOL.
We ended with first page critiques and some Q&A. On this day, my only note during the first page critiques was "Telling REALLY stands out." Honestly, I think the biggest thing I've learned from all of the first page critique sessions I've sat through is that reading aloud really is your best revision tool. Especially for that beginning. Because telling, awkwardness, info dumps, and inauthentic dialogue all REALLY stand out when read aloud. It's amazing.
Anyway, I hope you were able to pick up a tidbit or two from the wrap ups. My friend and critique partner, Christina Farley also interviewed me at the conference. Apparently I like to talk with my hands. LOL.
And, here's the winner! Chris, please email me at lchardesty at yahoo dot com with your snail mail addy.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks everyone! Hope you had a great Independence Day if you're from the US!
Anyway, thanks to all who entered my giveaway. Rafflecopter chose the winner, and she is listed at the end of the post.
The second day of the SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop was fantastic. My friend Tara recently posted a conference wrap up, and talked about her Agent Crush on Josh Adams (and, yes, he's totally Agent Crush-worthy). I, however, developed an Editor Crush on Noa Wheeler (Henry Holt BFYR).
Anyone who gets to work with her is amazingly lucky. She is absolutely wonderful.
To keep myself from gushing ridiculously, I'll just pass along some tidbits from the YA Track presentations. The first thing Noa did was have us come up with 100 questions for our main character. O.O I know. Luckily, they were in sets of ten, so it wasn't overwhelming. The sets that caught me by surprise were 10 questions your character would ask, and 10 what if questions. It was really neat to end up with 100 questions that were unique to my character and even just coming up with them helped me get to know her better.
After lunch, Noa had us write flap copy for our manuscripts, and then Nancy Werlin took us through a recent revision she had to tackle. What stood out to me from this presentation was that even after numerous novels, and awards, Nancy still thought she was done when she wasn't. She still had to interpret what three different beta readers meant when they all pointed out different things. It certainly made me feel better about my own revisions. LOL.
We ended with first page critiques and some Q&A. On this day, my only note during the first page critiques was "Telling REALLY stands out." Honestly, I think the biggest thing I've learned from all of the first page critique sessions I've sat through is that reading aloud really is your best revision tool. Especially for that beginning. Because telling, awkwardness, info dumps, and inauthentic dialogue all REALLY stand out when read aloud. It's amazing.
Anyway, I hope you were able to pick up a tidbit or two from the wrap ups. My friend and critique partner, Christina Farley also interviewed me at the conference. Apparently I like to talk with my hands. LOL.
And, here's the winner! Chris, please email me at lchardesty at yahoo dot com with your snail mail addy.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks everyone! Hope you had a great Independence Day if you're from the US!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Post Conference Wrap Up--Day One
The first day of the SCBWI Florida Mid-Year Workshop is the intensives. These are an extra expense, and limited in attendance, so I find they can be better craft-wise than the regular workshop days.
This year, I attended the Novel Intensive, which was presented by Gaby Triana, Nancy Werlin, and Josh Adams.
Some great takeaways from the Intensive:
Gaby Triana did a presentation on Writing With Character, using the Storysaurus. I had actually heard of the Storysaurus before from Jamie Harrington (link). However, Gaby uses the Storysaurus to plot her character arc, in the same way. She had us mark our manuscripts with our character arc, and it was very enlightening.
Then we listened to First Page Critiques, which is when the panel reads first pages out loud and critiques them. Some things that stood out to me in the critiques were: inauthentic dialog, too much description, and not having the protagonist on the first page. The panelists also noted that a good title can be an attention-grabber.
Next Nancy took us through Storyboard plotting, a technique she adapted from Carolyn Coman's WRITING STORIES. A storyboard is a map to your story and ensures that you have action driving your plot. We storyboarded our novels, and it was fun and interesting. I suggest you check out Ms. Coman's book and try it yourself!
Then Josh talked about today's YA market. This was a fascinating presentation. He talked about trends and the market, and about what his agency looks for. I loved his enthusiasm and obvious love for books in general, and the books he represents, specifically.
Nancy and Gaby then presented on The Art of Time Management (or in other words, how do you find time to write?). Nancy suggested scheduling appointments for yourself, but the bottom line seemed to be--make it a priority. And stop wasting time on the internet--lol.
Overall, I had a wonderful day at the Novel Intensive. Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a signed copy of Nancy's book IMPOSSIBLE and some RENEGADE swag.
You get extra points for commenting on today's post. :)
Come back on Tuesday for my Conference Wrap Up of Day Two--The YA Track.
This year, I attended the Novel Intensive, which was presented by Gaby Triana, Nancy Werlin, and Josh Adams.
Some great takeaways from the Intensive:
Gaby Triana did a presentation on Writing With Character, using the Storysaurus. I had actually heard of the Storysaurus before from Jamie Harrington (link). However, Gaby uses the Storysaurus to plot her character arc, in the same way. She had us mark our manuscripts with our character arc, and it was very enlightening.
Then we listened to First Page Critiques, which is when the panel reads first pages out loud and critiques them. Some things that stood out to me in the critiques were: inauthentic dialog, too much description, and not having the protagonist on the first page. The panelists also noted that a good title can be an attention-grabber.
Next Nancy took us through Storyboard plotting, a technique she adapted from Carolyn Coman's WRITING STORIES. A storyboard is a map to your story and ensures that you have action driving your plot. We storyboarded our novels, and it was fun and interesting. I suggest you check out Ms. Coman's book and try it yourself!
Then Josh talked about today's YA market. This was a fascinating presentation. He talked about trends and the market, and about what his agency looks for. I loved his enthusiasm and obvious love for books in general, and the books he represents, specifically.
Nancy and Gaby then presented on The Art of Time Management (or in other words, how do you find time to write?). Nancy suggested scheduling appointments for yourself, but the bottom line seemed to be--make it a priority. And stop wasting time on the internet--lol.
Overall, I had a wonderful day at the Novel Intensive. Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a signed copy of Nancy's book IMPOSSIBLE and some RENEGADE swag.
You get extra points for commenting on today's post. :)
Come back on Tuesday for my Conference Wrap Up of Day Two--The YA Track.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Post-Conference Giveaway!
Hi there!
I know this post is, like a week and a half overdue. I am so sorry about that.
I have been trying to complete a draft of my WIP to send to betas while I'm out of town (and will probably get NO writing time *sigh*). And then, TRAGEDY STRUCK.
I had one of my BEST WRITING DAYS EVER and wrote 3,000 words. And when I saved, something went wrong. When I tried to open the file the next day, it WOULDN'T OPEN.
*shakes head* *cries* At least I have most of the manuscript, but those 3,000 words are gone. *moment of silence for lost words*
ANYWAY, I am finally done mourning and ready to work some more, and ready to post this GIVEAWAY!
I have a signed copy of Nancy Werlin's IMPOSSIBLE
PLUS, some awesome sekrit RENEGADE swag.
(RENEGADE is a SUPER AWESOME book coming out in November from Tor Teen--you want this swag, I promise.)
Enter via the Rafflecopter below. Extra points for commenting on my TWO upcoming blog posts with Conference tidbits. ;)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Keep being awesome!
I know this post is, like a week and a half overdue. I am so sorry about that.
I have been trying to complete a draft of my WIP to send to betas while I'm out of town (and will probably get NO writing time *sigh*). And then, TRAGEDY STRUCK.
I had one of my BEST WRITING DAYS EVER and wrote 3,000 words. And when I saved, something went wrong. When I tried to open the file the next day, it WOULDN'T OPEN.
*shakes head* *cries* At least I have most of the manuscript, but those 3,000 words are gone. *moment of silence for lost words*
ANYWAY, I am finally done mourning and ready to work some more, and ready to post this GIVEAWAY!
I have a signed copy of Nancy Werlin's IMPOSSIBLE
PLUS, some awesome sekrit RENEGADE swag.
(RENEGADE is a SUPER AWESOME book coming out in November from Tor Teen--you want this swag, I promise.)
Enter via the Rafflecopter below. Extra points for commenting on my TWO upcoming blog posts with Conference tidbits. ;)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Keep being awesome!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Winner, signings, hot models, and a conference! (Oh my!)
Almost a week later, (sorry!) I have chosen a winner! (Actually, Random.org chose her, but you know what I mean).
Medeia Sharif!
Congrats, Medeia! Email me your physical addy at lchardesty at yahoo dot com and I'll send you THE DOWNSIDE OF BEING CHARLIE. YAY!
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of going to the #daemoninvasion signing for Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series. The cool part was that she brought her cover models with her.
After the signing, I went to dinner with everyone, and then I got to see my great friend and critique partner, J.A. Souders, open her very first box of ARCs. I think I was *almost* as excited as she was.
This weekend, I'm heading to the SCBWI Florida Mid-Year Workshops, and as usual, I'll be back next week with tips from the conference, and at least one signed book from a presenter!
See you next week!
Medeia Sharif!
Congrats, Medeia! Email me your physical addy at lchardesty at yahoo dot com and I'll send you THE DOWNSIDE OF BEING CHARLIE. YAY!
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of going to the #daemoninvasion signing for Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series. The cool part was that she brought her cover models with her.
After the signing, I went to dinner with everyone, and then I got to see my great friend and critique partner, J.A. Souders, open her very first box of ARCs. I think I was *almost* as excited as she was.
This weekend, I'm heading to the SCBWI Florida Mid-Year Workshops, and as usual, I'll be back next week with tips from the conference, and at least one signed book from a presenter!
See you next week!
Monday, June 4, 2012
GIVEAWAY: The Downside of Being Charlie
A couple of weeks ago, I attended the book launch for The Downside of Being Charlie, a contemporary YA debut from Jenny Torres Sanchez.
Here's the blurb from Goodreads:
Charlie is handed a crappy senior year. Despite losing thirty pounds over the summer, he still gets called “Chunks” Grisner. What’s worse, he has to share a locker with the biggest Lord of the Rings freak his school has ever seen. He also can’t figure out whether Charlotte VanderKleaton, the beautiful strawberry lip-glossed new girl, likes him the way he likes her. Oh, and then there’s his mom. She’s disappeared—again—and his dad won’t talk about it.
Somewhere between the madness, Charlie can at least find comfort in his one and only talent that just might get him out of this life-sucking place. But will he be able to hold his head above water in the meantime?
Though the signing was local, it was still about 45 minutes to an hour to get there, and we missed her speech. *sadface* But I was so happy to see that Jenny had QUITE the line going for the signing.
I went with Jessica Souders and Christina Farley (from whom Istole borrowed all of these images--Christy is the BEST at getting lots of great pictures). Here we all are with Jenny!
And guess what?
Okay, so it's really not a surprise since I titled the blogpost "GIVEAWAY", but I bought a copy for you, too! And even nabbed you some swag!
Just comment with your email address to enter, and you can get an extra entry for anywhere you spread the word (twitter, blog, facebook, tumblr, etc.). Just leave a link.
Contest closes Friday, June 8 at 6pm EST.
Here's the blurb from Goodreads:
Charlie is handed a crappy senior year. Despite losing thirty pounds over the summer, he still gets called “Chunks” Grisner. What’s worse, he has to share a locker with the biggest Lord of the Rings freak his school has ever seen. He also can’t figure out whether Charlotte VanderKleaton, the beautiful strawberry lip-glossed new girl, likes him the way he likes her. Oh, and then there’s his mom. She’s disappeared—again—and his dad won’t talk about it.
Somewhere between the madness, Charlie can at least find comfort in his one and only talent that just might get him out of this life-sucking place. But will he be able to hold his head above water in the meantime?
Though the signing was local, it was still about 45 minutes to an hour to get there, and we missed her speech. *sadface* But I was so happy to see that Jenny had QUITE the line going for the signing.
I went with Jessica Souders and Christina Farley (from whom I
And guess what?
Okay, so it's really not a surprise since I titled the blogpost "GIVEAWAY", but I bought a copy for you, too! And even nabbed you some swag!
Just comment with your email address to enter, and you can get an extra entry for anywhere you spread the word (twitter, blog, facebook, tumblr, etc.). Just leave a link.
Contest closes Friday, June 8 at 6pm EST.
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