In 2009, I was struggling with a prompt I’d been given in a writers’ class. I needed to write a scene in which a woman rejected a very persistent man who’d asked her on a date. I began with a guy trying to ask out a coworker. He knows she has a boyfriend, but thinks […]
‘Scarlette’ & ‘Seeing Red’ Now Listed on Authorgraph
Scarlette and Seeing Red are now listed on Authorgraph! Authorgraph is a website dedicated to helping readers get personalized, signed copies of the e-books they love. Great concept and helps solve the dilemma for digital authors wanting to sign books for readers. If you’d like an autographed copy of either or both of my books, […]
‘Seeing Red’ Cover and Synopsis Reveal
Super excited to finally be able to unveil my next project Seeing Red today. The very talented indie designer Scarlett Rugers created this lovely gem of a cover. If that wasn’t good enough, she put together a striking banner to match: Très magnifique! So, now for my last unveiling of the day, here is the synopsis for Seeing Red: […]
Scarlette Wins StoryFinds’ New Adult Cover Contest!
Scarlette won the New Adult Book Cover Contest on StoryFinds.com today! The very gorgeous cover, designed by Melbourne native Scarlett Rugers, took the lead by thirty votes. A big thanks to all who voted and put out the word! I couldn’t have won without you all! http://storyfinds.com/section/cover_poll
Big Weekend at #6 on the Amazon Best Seller Free List
It was a very huge weekend as Scarlette shot to #6 on the Amazon best seller free list and also went to #1 in teen historical fiction! This is the third time the New Adult has been on these lists, and I wanted to thank all those who helped tweet and post to spread the word […]
Free, New Woodcutter Short Story and Scarlette AToMR Blog Tour!
The Scarlette blog tour hosted by AToMR Tours has officially kicked off this week! To follow the tour, click here for the schedule, and a big thanks to the bloggers who are participating! Also, to celebrate the tour, Scarlette is being re-released this weekend and includes a new short story from the woodcutter, Francois’, perspective along with a […]
Happy Holidays: Free Kindle Download of Scarlette
Just some quick news. Scarlette will be offered to download for free on Christmas day and the day after (26th) on Amazon for Kindle. So, click here to download and unleash the creep-fest! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and happy reading!
A New, Dark YA Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood: Snag a *Free* Copy November 4th!
Hello, awesome fans of the beastly kind. My dark YA fairy tale retelling Scarlette officially released today! And as a free gift to awesometastic readers, I’m giving away Scarlette for FREE this weekend on Sunday, November 4th. What’s this YA paranormal book about, you may be wondering? Glad you asked: Scarlette, an 18-year-old peasant, lives […]
Werewolves, France, and Little Red Riding Hood: Interview with Davonna Juroe (D.L. King) on the Beast of Gévaudan Attacks
I was interviewed over at the She-Wolf blog and was able to discuss more in-depth about the 18th century Beast of Gévaudan attacks, and how I blended the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale with the historic monster for my YA “Scarlette.” To read the interview click here.
J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer: Writing in Secret
Writer and blogger Tymothy Longoria featured me on a guest post today on why many writers choose to write in secret. Here is the link to view the post: Rowling and Meyer: Writing in Secret.
A Haunted Boarding School in Oklahoma: Interview with Author Sonia Gensler
Sonia Gensler grew up in a small Tennessee town and spent her early adulthood collecting degrees from various Midwestern universities. A former high school English teacher, she now writes full time in Oklahoma. Over the past couple of weeks, I had the privilege of interviewing Sonia and was transported back in time listening to her […]
Funniest Middle Grade, Young Adult Novels, & Picture Books
Everybody needs a good laugh, and this past weekend I longed for some mad funny bone ticklage. Luckily, a friend recommended and brought over “Dinner for Schmucks” with Steve Carrel, Paul Rudd and a host of other comedic geniuses, and it was just what I needed, reminding me of the importance of comedy. However, I’m […]
Raising Byron, Keats, and Shelley from the Dead: Debut YA Author Interview with Ty Roth on ‘So Shelly’
Ty Roth. Remember that name, folks. Ty is about to go down in history for resurrecting the great Romantic poets in his new YA novel So Shelly (Random/Delacorte). With a Sociology degree from Xavier University and a Masters of English Literature from the University of Toledo, Ty teaches literature and composition at both the high […]
What the Librarian Knows: Trends in YA Literature
What are teens checking out? Do parents check out books with their teens? Do more teen girls use the library than teen boys? Look no further for these answers as fabulous teen librarian Melissa Wheelock is about to reveal all. Now starting her seventh year at her local public library, Melissa has always loved to […]
My Interview with Dorothy Dreyer
Aspiring author Dorothy Dreyer just interviewed me over on her blog We Do Write. In this tell all, I discuss the power of the dark side of “Little Red Riding Hood,” The Beast of Gévaudan, French history, oh, and time machines: Click here to read the interview
Is it Severus Wilde or Oscar Snape?
Couldn’t resist posting this. The resemblance is TOO mind-boggling! Snape has to be related to Wilde somehow, right?
What if Little Red Riding Hood had Really Lived?
That was the question that started it all. Back in January of 2010, I was very ill and knew I was going to be spending some hard time in bed and on the couch. I needed some type of artistic distraction besides writing to keep me sane, so I looked into finding cross-stitch patterns. After […]
Author Interview ~ Kelly Milner Halls: Queen of the Cryptids
In honor of the month of October and Halloween, my interview spotlight shines on the cryptid queen herself, Kelly Milner Halls. What is a cryptid, you ask? According to Wikipedia a cryptid “is a creature whose existence has been suggested but that is unrecognized by a scientific consensus, and whose existence is moreover often regarded […]
Author Interview: Middle Grade Funny Man John Bladek
Debut middle grade author John Bladek has devoted most of his life to pondering the eternal question, “What stinks?” However, constantly holding his nose prevented him from growing up. Despite the nose pinching he managed to earn a PhD in History so he could put Dr. in front of his name and pretend to be […]
Part II — Annette Pollert: It’s a Dirty Job, But You’ve Gotta Do It: Advice for Revising Your Middle-Grade or Teen Manuscript
This post is Part II of the highlights from the SCBWI conference in Spokane, Washington. I had the pleasure of attending the conference this past Saturday and as always I learned a ton. If you missed it, my previous post Part I discussed BookStop Literary agent Kendra Marcus‘ lecture on The Picture Book in 2010 […]
Kendra Marcus: The Picture Book in 2010 — Part One
I had a fabulous time at the SCBWI conference in Spokane, Washington this past Saturday and as always I learned a lot. I also took some short notes on BookStop Literary agent Kendra Marcus‘ and Simon Pulse editor Annette Pollert’s lectures. This will be divided into two posts. The first will discuss some of the […]
SCBWI Conference Spokane, Washington
I’m heading out to the SCBWI conference in Spokane, Washington this weekend where I will have the pleasure of Simon Pulse editor Annette Pollert critiquing my manuscript. Other speakers at the conference include: literary agent Kendra Brooks with Bookstop Literary, author/illustrator Teri Sloat, and picture book author Deb Lund. I will be taking some notes […]
Plot Musings: ‘Speak’ by Laurie Halse Anderson
SPOLIER ALERT! The following post includes spoiler warnings for Laurie Halse Anderson’s book, SPEAK. You have been warned. Once in a while that one book comes around that is exceptional. This is that book. I’ve been hearing about this novel for years but had put off reading it due to its subject matter. (I’m a […]
Breaking In: The Children’s Market
I happened to stumble upon children’s author Pam Calvert’s website and saw a helpful tab in her index called Cracking the Children’s Market Code. There are bunches of bulleted suggestions as to how to break into the market. The first being: “Get published–somewhere! Anywhere!” Culvert professed: “I started by editing a small running club newsletter. […]
Some Words on Word Counts
If you haven’t checked out Chuck Sambuchino’s Guide to Literary Agents Blog, it is definitely worth a gander. Sambuchino is the editor of the Guide to Literary Agents, which has been published for 15 consecutive years by Writers Digest books, and his blog is filled with helpful information for writers. He wrote a great post […]
‘The Sound of Music’ = ‘Jane Eyre?’
Occasionally, I like to think about plot similarities between movies and books. Before I delve in to today’s topic, I’d like to note that this post contains spoiler warnings for both JANE EYRE and the movie THE SOUND OF MUSIC, which I will be referring to as TSOM. You have been warned. I am not […]
Query Letter Help
So, you just finished your 100 million word manuscript and are looking for agents to submit to. You hop on numerous agents’ websites, peruse their submission guidelines, and keep seeing the same dreaded words over and over again: “Agency X does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Please query our agency first.” “Oh God!” you scream, “anything […]
How to Write a Query Letter Using Screenwriting Techniques
Many of you know that you need a superb query letter to snag an agent. However, many writers think the query can be more stressful to write than the novel. How are you supposed to boil down your novel into a one page query? Well, let me show you how many screenwriters do it. “Screenwriters?” […]
Literary Agents Not Requiring Authors/Illustrators Only Picture Book Submissions
It seems that more and more agents are representing author/illustrators only, but, after careful research, I’ve complied a list of agents accepting picture book manuscripts from writers without them having to be an illustrator. However, since publishing is a very fluid business, be sure to double check their submission guidelines and requirements on their websites. […]
Plot Musings: ‘Twilight’ = ‘Phantom of the Opera’
Literary agent Brenda Bowen of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates had a fun post on her blog comparing TWILIGHT and the musical, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Bowen says, “Edward Cullen is to 2008 what The Phantom was to…1988.” She then compares the similar layout and color scheme of the movie and the musical’s posters and how Edward […]
What to do with Leftover Novel Research Facts: Tips from Arthur Slade
Novelist and comics writer Arthur Slade wrote a really interesting article over at the Globe and Mail. He gives some great advice for what to do with all those facts that you couldn’t integrate in your novel after researching. The current YA I am writing, “Scarlette” takes place in France during the mid-18th century Beast […]
