Two Book Reviews

In lieu of an actual post (sorry, but I'm utterly exhausted), please check out the two reviews I wrote this week at The Book Book blog.

The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (YA historical fiction)

The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty (contemporary women's fiction)

Have a great weekend!
~Lydia

Say What You Mean Without Really Saying It

In my new WIP, one of the supporting characters is blind. I've never written a blind character before, so this is a challenge, but it's also (ironically) been quite an eye-opener.

Before I go any further, I have to give credit to writer-friend Laurel Montgomery for giving me the idea for this character. Laurel has been allowing me to read her WIP which features a blind MC, the viewpoint character. Just try to imagine that. And I must say, Laurel has portrayed her very well. It inspired me. Although I'll never write anything through my blind character's "eyes" in this novel, I still learned a lot about how to stay away from "blind person" stereotypes by reading her work. Thanks, Laurel. :)

The reader meets Milo, the MC's neighbor and best friend, in chapter two (which I'm currently writing). I had decided he would be blind before I got to the point of writing the actual meeting. Then once I got there, I didn't want to come right out and say--through the MC's narrative--"Milo was born blind." This isn't something she would realistically think at that point, having already known him, intimately, for ten years.

It just is. So how do you convey that without confusing the reader? By using the age old "show don't tell" technique. There are times when telling is okay, and when showing can bog down the pace and risk boring the reader. But in this case, in my opinion, it is more effective to show this particular quality of a character, rather than outright telling it.

In the scene where the reader meets Milo, the MC, Shyla (both of them 17), is going next door to spend the night at his house (not for the reason you might obviously think--they really are just friends). Here are a few snippets from that scene in which I hoped to both hint at his condition and make it perfectly clear, without simply saying he is blind.

 Also, this is a first draft (just wrote it last night, actually). Don't expect perfection. ;)

As I stepped outside, the steamy air felt like someone had tossed a wool blanket over my head.  Someone's dog barked in the distance.  Other than that all I heard was a hum of electricity from the street lights.  I followed the six-foot privacy fence along the driveway between our houses until I reached the gate near Milo's garage.  His back door clicked.  Footsteps shuffled through the grass.

"I'm here," I whispered.  "Be careful."

"I'm always careful," he whispered back.  The latch lifted and the gate swung open.  Milo was a few inches taller than me; he stared right over my head.  "Your master suite awaits, m'lady."

I smiled and walked beside him toward the house.  A faint glow from the street lights shone on his face, highlighting the vacant expression in his sea-green eyes.  He hadn't bothered to put on a shirt or shoes, and his boxers were all rumpled.

"I'm sorry I woke you.  And I'm sorry to make you come out here in the dark, half-dressed and half-awake."

"Light or dark makes no difference," he said with a hint of amusement.  He swiped a sweaty lock of wheat-colored hair across his forehead.  "Either way, I can't see."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Ah, but you made a point of referencing the dark, as if it were something that mattered."  He was using his politician voice.  I so wasn't in the mood for a midnight debate.

"Whatever, you win.  I'm tired."

And then again, later, once they're inside his bedroom.

Milo closed the door behind us.  He deftly made his way to his bed, stepping around me, his dresser, and a rawhide that had one end chewed soggy, without so much as grazing anything with an elbow or a toe.  This was his space.  He knew every detail, even if those details changed slightly from day to day, or from minute to minute.  I'd asked him once how he knew when I would change position if I hadn't made a noise or spoken.  "You never stop breathing," he'd told me.  "It gives you away."

Although Milo makes it abundantly clear that he can't see, even saying so in jest at one point, never once is the reader told this character is blind. Mostly, it is implied through action and observation.

Are there any examples (of ANY character trait presented with subtlety) worth analyzing that you can think of in published fiction, as well as your own? Snippet-sharing is always welcome. :)

~Lydia

Another Short Story Publication!

The cover of this anthology from Pill Hill Press seriously creeps me out. Seriously. But I shouldn't really complain since one of my short stories will be printed within its pages. Yay!

"The Blade of Tears", in its simplest form, is a zombie story. It is also kind of a love story, but not a zombie-love story. Even in my tales of horror I can't seem to get away from adding a romantic element. Haha.

This anthology is also a short story contest. Placements will be announced next week (at the earliest). I'll let you all know as soon as I know, and once I have an exact release date from the publisher I'll post an update.

I have to admit that this is the only zombie story I've ever written. Not that I didn't have fun doing so, but it's not my typical thing for spec fic. Although I do enjoy reading zombie stuff, and Joe has likely seen every zombie movie ever made. Not. Exaggerating.

Out of curiosity, how many of you read and/or write zombie tales?

~Lydia

EDIT: For those of you who didn't get a copy of Shadows & Light because you preferred e-book format, I just received confirmation from the publisher that Flesh & Bone will be available as an e-book approximately one month after release.

Tuesday Tunes - Voyager Funnies

Am I the only one who misses this particular Star Trek series? If nothing else, this video proves that sci-fi at its best includes comedy, and at times, it's even okay to lean toward hokey.

Enjoy!



~Lydia

One Step At a Time

Click here to getImages &
Ballerinas Pictures

I've been on this publishing venture for two years now. For me, the emotion attached to that statement contradicts itself. One, I feel like I should be higher on the ladder of success with all the effort I've put forth in the past 24 months. But at the same time, I still feel greener than Kermit on a lily pad.

I read a short story in my tenth grade English course that I can't for the life of me remember the title or the author, but one sentence in it had a huge impact on me, both at the time I read it and still today.

But for different reasons.

The story was about a teenage girl who wanted to be a ballerina, but she hadn't started training as a little girl, as was the standard, so she was years behind the other girls her same age. Still, she didn't quit, even when they told her "it takes ten years to develop dancer's legs" in an attempt to slap her with reality. Their words stung, but they didn't knock her down.

I read that when I was fifteen, and felt discouraged by it. I felt like I was already too old to start anything new. Ten years seemed like forever to develop something worthwhile. Why even bother? The poor girl would be in her twenties before she would be considered "ready" to audition, and even then it was a gamble.

When I remember that story now, I think, "Ten years is nothing, and someone in their twenties still has a lot of living to do." I was 29 (three months shy of 30 -- the age when real adulthood begins) when I started writing my first novel, and I can say quite honestly that my age never crossed my mind as a possible hindrance. My writing ability? Yeah, that did. So much so that I nearly gave up-- multiple times-- in the past two years.

But I didn't. I reminded myself that everyone has to start somewhere, and at some time. If I'd given up a year ago, I wouldn't be where I am today. If I give up today, I won't be where I will be a year from now. I have goals for the coming year, but if I don't reach all of them in that allotted time, so what?

As long as you keep trying (and improving), you never truly fail.

While doing the trying, though, it is best to take things one step at a time. Sometimes those steps seem insignificant, and sometimes they feel like a leap of faith.

Many of them are a huge first step that leads to continual small steps. Starting a blog and keeping it regular. Sending out your first submission and keeping it on the market until it sells (same goes for agent queries). Finishing a novel, and another, and another, and another...

Your learning never stops as long as you keep putting forth the effort. And it's a good idea to reflect on what you've accomplished in the past year as a way of looking forward to better things ahead.

In the last 12 months, I...

...finished two novels and several works of short fiction.
...got my first short story published in a print anthology.
...started a blog and gained 200+ subscribers (without any cheap "follow me!" tricks).
...provided guest posts for several blogs.
...became a reviewer for a book blog.
...became a regular guest-contributor for a writers' site.
...tried writing in a new genre (YA).
...learned how to write a successful query letter (four manuscript requests inside of the first three weeks).
...started a Twitter account and gained 50+ followers in the first week.
...learned how to apply screenwriting structure to a novel.
...learned that a little pre-plotting can save a lot of headaches.
...learned that social networking and socializing are not the same thing.
...read a lot of good books.
...read a lot of good blogs.
...read a lot of crap, too. But at least I'm able to determine what is crap and what is not.

This list is different from the previous year, and my list a year from now will assuredly be filled with different steps.

What have YOU accomplished in the past 12 months? How many "new" steps did you take? How many "maintenance" steps did you take? It's okay to glance back every so often, as long as you keep moving forward. And before you know it, ten years will have passed. Will you have your "dancer's legs" by then?

~Lydia

Contests and Give-Aways!

August 3 marks the trade paperback release of The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh, which I had named my "Best Read of 2009", and was recently selected as a Target Breakout Book. To celebrate, Therese has put together one of the biggest contest give-aways I've ever seen. It's called "My Sister and Me" (a clear tribute to Maeve and Moira, twin sisters in the novel) and will include book give-aways from a plethora of well-known authors to, not just one, but FORTY winners. Yowza! Check out Therese's facebook page for details.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White will be released on August 31. You can enter to win an ARC at Let the Words Flow

And if just one YA novel isn't enough for you, check out the give-away extravaganza going on now at 21 pages for the following titles:

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (release date August 31)
Firelight by Sophie Jordan (release date September 7)
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (release date August 31)
Delirium by Lauren Oliver (release date February 1, 2011)
The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur (release date August 31)
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (released on July 13; debuted at #1 on the NYT bestseller's list for children's chapter books)

If anyone knows of any other contests/give-aways in progress (novels only), please leave a link in the comments. I will update this post with any more I come across in the coming week.

~Lydia

What Form Rejection Means To Me - An Uncontest Entry/ Essay Thing

Form rejection means that whoever I submitted to had one of the following reactions:

• This totally sucks. I should spare the author's feelings and send a form rejection.
• This is okay. Not great, but not awful either. Can't really pinpoint a specific reason why I'm not jiving with it. I'll take the safe route and send a form rejection.
• This is really good, but not what I'm looking for at the moment. I can say that with a form rejection.

Anything above "really good" in their opinion will garner a more personalized rejection. A form rejection is just one of many types on the rejection totem pole. And quite honestly, form rejections are the most frustrating (because you don't know why you were rejected) but they hurt the least. The almost-but-not-quite rejection is probably the hardest to take, especially if it is from a prospective agent after they read your partial or full manuscript.

With a form rejection, I can say "screw it" and move on. If there is any more to it, my head fills with the maybe's. Maybe if I had done this differently, or that differently, or submitted at a different time, this would have been an acceptance.

That line of thinking is the best way to kill your mojo. With form rejections, I can make up my own reason for it, no matter how ridiculous (i.e. the office dog was just diagnosed with cancer and the editor rejected everything submitted on that day without reading any of it). Most of the time, though, I just allow myself a moment of grumbling and move on to the next sub.

My collection of form rejection means that I'm actively submitting my work, and I believe the majority of writers can't say that. Rejections, no matter what type, are part of being a writer. You don't stop getting rejections once you've been published, or once you have an agent. With every new piece you write, the threat of rejection looms. So when it comes down to it, form rejection means that I'm doing my job.

What does form rejection mean to you? Blog about it and leave a link to your post in the comments of Le R's blog post today. I am also tweeting all the entries and marking them with the #formrejection tag.

Have an awesome weekend!
~Lydia

52 Qualities of the Prosperous Writer: Number Twenty-Nine, Polite

This post is part of a weekly series in association with Christina Katz's ezine, The Prosperous Writer.
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Politeness is something I often struggle with. My Italian temper likes to get the best of me, so there are times when I have to put forth concerted effort to restrain my tongue.

You'd think it would be easier to exude good manners online than it is in person, but no, communication through the internet is likened to a confessional. There's a screen between you and the outside world that gives you a false sense of security, and this has an empowering effect. You don't have to hold anything back.

If you're not careful, an online presence can destroy your reputation.

Being polite doesn't mean you can never speak your mind with honesty. Not at all. The ability to do so is what makes us unique individuals, and what draws certain people to certain other people. In the world of writing, being yourself is what will help you develop a readership, among other things.

But that doesn't mean you have no limits. Just like in the real world, you need to hold your tongue, at times, or word things in a lukewarm way rather than flaming hot or bitterly cold.

A few areas where a level-headed approach is beneficial:

• Twitter (tweets are instantaneous and semi-permanent)
• Blogging (includes post content on your blog and comments made on your own blog and others)
• Writing communities/ Online critiques (this could be a whole article by itself, really)
• Email to professional contacts (includes NOT sending nastygrams to an agent or editor who has rejected your work)

Regarding that final one, personal emails are a good way to vent the frustrations you can't do in public. Just make sure whoever you're sending to is a true friend, especially if they are also in writing circles. And emails are considered official documents, so it's probably not a good idea to get too carried away in your personal rants (i.e. death threats, bombing a publishing house, etc.) Be smart.

~Lydia

Book Review: THE SHIFTER by Janice Hardy

THE SHIFTER, Janice Hardy
The Healing Wars: Book One
Balzer + Bray/ HarperCollins (2009)
Middle Grade, ages 9-12
Fantasy

"Without thinking, I grabbed the night guard's shin and drew, knitting bone and yanking every hurt, every sting from his ankle. His pain ran down my arm, seared my leg, and chewed around my own ankle.

I seized Heclar's leg with my free hand and pushed. The agony the night guard hadn't revealed raced up my other side and poured out my tingling fingers into Heclar. Heclar screamed loud enough to wake the Saints."

~excerpt from chapter one, also quoted on the back cover

Aside from having some of the best cover art I've ever seen, Janice Hardy's "Healing Wars" trilogy is a definite must-read for children and adults alike... and I'm saying that after only reading the first book.

Yeah. It's that good.

THE SHIFTER follows Nya, a young Taker with a rare gift -- she can also Shift. She has the ability to draw pain from someone, hold it (if necessary), and then push it into someone else. Nya's younger sister, Tali, is an apprentice in the Healer's League. They had been orphaned during a previous war, and while Tali spends her days at "school", Nya wanders the streets in search of odd jobs to afford food in their bellies.

Nya's mother had warned her to keep her talents secret, but when life or death necessity forces her to Shift, more and more people -- both good and bad -- learn of her abilities, and she discovers just how much danger she is in. But it's too late. Once the events are set in motion, she cannot turn back. Around every corner, something new thrusts her into making tough decisions... I mean, really tough decisions that even I, as an adult, would not want to be faced with.

Apprentices at the Healer's League are disappearing, and when Tali is among the missing, Nya does what she feels she must to find her, even if it means using her gift to hurt instead of heal. But when she learns of a conspiracy among League authorities and an undercover connection with the nefarious pain merchants, her simple rescue mission turns into an all-out war.

This book has everything I crave in a good spec fic story. World building without boring infodumps or getting lost in lengthy descriptions. A strong-yet-conflicted viewpoint character. A plot that keeps you guessing. High concept and high stakes, and a pace that, at times, literally leaves you breathless. Highly recommended.

Book Two in The Healing Wars Trilogy, BLUE FIRE, is scheduled for release in October 2010. But you can win an ARC this week! Click HERE for details, and if you haven't read THE SHIFTER yet, pick it up today. You won't be disappointed.

~Lydia

About the author:

A longtime fantasy reader, Janice Hardy has always wondered about the darker side of healing. She tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing could be dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst choices. She lives in Georgia with her husband, four cats, and one nervous freshwater eel. Janice is represented by Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agency, and offers helpful writing tips and advice through her blog, The Other Side of the Story.

Road Trip Wednesday - Best Blog Post

Hopping on RTW at YA Highway for the first time here. I liked the topic this week, so here it is:

I believe my best blog post (to date) is How Firm Is Your Handshake?

The first page of a novel is likened to a handshake between the reader and the viewpoint character. Each reader is going to have their own idea of what makes a handshake "strong." In the above post, I highlighted my own preferences, complete with excerpts, and then shared some of the favorite chapter and scene openings in my (at the time, a work in progress) YA novel, SUMMER HOAX.

Enjoy the memories!
~Lydia

Tuesday Tunes - Painting Music

I'm in the discovery phase with my new WIP. Very little of the actual story has been written, but it is developing quickly inside my head. Part of this discovery is not just about the events -- the plot -- but also about the characters and their individual personalities, motivations, backgrounds, relationships, etc.

My new MC is very troubled, as most MCs are. The main way she copes with stress is by painting music. She has converted one whole room of her two-bedroom apartment into an art studio. She'll play a song and then paint how it makes her feel.

I have not written any scenes yet in which she does this, but I can see it clearly in my head. And I can also see how this would have a calming effect, even if she starts out fast and furious. Angry. Paint splattering everywhere. But when she's done, she feels better. It's a release.

I'm totally in love with this aspect of her personality. It excites me, and that's how I know I'm on the right track with this project. While browsing YouTube this morning, I found a really cool vid of a guy painting to music. After watching it, I'm even more excited to write this character's story now.

Here is that video. Enjoy!



~Lydia

Effective Character Description

This week is going to be lean for blogging. I'm on vacation from work (not going anywhere, though) and am using my time to reorganize certain areas of my apartment. I'm also on the brink of insanity from not getting any significant amount of writing done in the past two weeks (read: creative dry spell is officially over!). So, although I'll technically be sitting in front of the laptop for a good chunk of every day, my brain is not in blogging mode, it's in story mode.

Tips this week will be in the form of quick quotes from some of my favorite writing books, instead of full articles that require an actual thought process on my part. Stay tuned to my twitter feed for helpful writers' links. There will also be at least one book review posted before Friday.

Have a productive week, everyone!
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It's easier for the reader to remember an unusual-looking character; for instance, a man with a missing leg. If there is nothing striking about him, it is your job to describe him in a way that makes him striking. If you are perceptive enough, you can find something unusual about almost anyone, even the most common-looking character.

~The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman; excerpt from chapter 13, "Characterization", page 143

Make sure every character has "A Limp and an Eyepatch."

Every character has to have a unique way of speaking, but also something memorable that will stick him in the reader's mind. The reader has to have a visual clue, often a running visual reminder, which makes remembering a character easier.

~Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder; excerpt from chapter 7, "What's Wrong With This Picture?", page 157

What kind of visuals have you used to make your characters memorable?

~Lydia

A Little Bird Told Me...

I am now on Twitter, which I will be using mainly to post links to stuff I like (writing/ reading/ publishing related), and occasionally sharing snippets of my (admittedly boring) day. Most recent tweets appear in the Twitter box in the sidebar.

Have a great weekend!
~Lydia

Win an ARC of BLUE FIRE by Janice Hardy!

Janice Hardy is hosting another give-away, this time for an ARC of the second book in her Healing Wars trilogy, BLUE FIRE.

Click here for details.

Next week I'll post an official review of book one, THE SHIFTER. Stay tuned!

~Lydia

Quieting the Chaos In My Head

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Querying agents has officially drained me. (Rejections don't help, either, especially when you get three inside of two days. And not just from agents.) Every time I sit down to write, nothing but crap comes out. My usual flair is absent. I can't even come up with a decent blog post anymore.

I'm supposed to be working on my YA sci-fi, but haven't touched it in about a week. A new YA romance creeped into my head and refused to be quiet. I squeezed out half a scene last night before I got so frustrated with my crap writing that I had to shut it down and go to bed or else burn it into oblivion. I've also got this YA fantasy I could be working on. Flashes of awesomeness keep the idea of that one alive, but when it comes time to sit down, focus, and produce, the result is the same as the other two. Nothing.

Then I got this crazy notion to take a peek at the vampire novel I'd started plotting a year ago. Oh dear. Did I just admit to having a vampire novel in the works? Yes, unfortunately, I did. It's meant to be more science fiction than paranormal fantasy (or is it urban fantasy? I can't keep the terms straight anymore). I'd originally titled it PORPHYRIA, like the disease. But then I decided the story would have heavy romantic elements (why can't I get away from romance? seriously), so I changed the name to BLEEDING HEART.

Now I'm just calling it TOTAL SUCKAGE. (vampires... suck... even the pun is more lame than a horse with one leg) I think I've got a decent concept, good conflict, and some kick-ass characters, but none of that matters when you can't write worth shit.

So my solution to all of this novel insanity is simple: read. Getting lost in someone else's story is an effective way to quiet the chaos in my head. It gives me something else to focus on besides my current lack of creativity. Erm... don't be surprised if the majority of upcoming blog posts are book reviews. Just saying.

Lucky for me, there are more books out there than I could ever read in a lifetime. I'm hoping it won't take that long before my brain recharges, though. Everyone has their down periods -- I understand that as part of the process -- but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

How do you get through your creative dry spells? I'll try anything once.

~Lydia

Tuesday Tunes - The Power of Insecurity

I don't know about you, but even as an adult I have mega-insecurities. And I think of myself as a pretty confident person in general. While this is something understandably prevalent in young adult fiction, I think adult characters are more realistic when they have that touch of self-doubt. It's an effective way to help me connect with the character despite his/her other strengths or faults.

There seems to be a misconception among writers that for a female MC to be considered "strong" she has to have one-hundred percent confidence in all of her abilities, not care about her appearance or what other people think of her, not want a significant other to provide for her in any way, etc. If the woman/girl shows any sign of insecurity she is considered weak and not worth the reader's time.

I highly disagree. Based on this song, I think it's safe to assume that Pink feels the same way... and I don't think anyone would dare call her weak. That woman frightens me. Just because she is totally hot doesn't blind me to the fact that she could probably crush my skull between her toes. (Not her feet, her toes. Think about it.)



The insecurities of youth are not magically erased when you become an adult. Therefore, even if a character has become good at hiding it, the self-doubt is still there. Find a way to show it at key points in your story and I guarantee you the tension will heighten.

For example:

I still get the jitters if I have to drive through an area I'm not familiar with, to the point of looking for any way possible to get out of doing it... I almost left my own mother alone at the airport once because I couldn't deal with the thought of driving through the maze of airport pick-up lanes. My solution was to make the rest of my family jump through hoops to rearrange their schedules so one of them could pick her up instead, while I sat at home doing nothing.

Insane?

Only to someone who does not understand the fear of getting lost, which for me had been greatly enhanced by getting lost multiple times as a child. And every time, it had scared the living snot out of me. This part of me makes no sense in relation to the rest of my so-called strong personality. But it's there. And I can't deny that it will make me do crazy things when the opportunities arise.

In all honesty, I hate that I'm like this (see the above lyrics of the chorus). But there have been times where I've had to face this fear head on because I had no other choice. Talk about your freak-out moment... there's the tension.

These type of personality traits give your characters additional obstacles to overcome, and a solid reason for the reader to root for him/her. Isn't that what storytelling is all about?

~Lydia

The Connection Between Cover Art and Book Blurbs (and some other stuff)

First, an update on SUMMER HOAX, my YA romance novel. I put this baby on the query-go-round nearly two weeks ago. Scary, yes, but also a relief because now I can work on something else (more on that below). Less than two days after sending out only two queries (no big batches for this one; I'm taking my time trying to find the right agent for me and my work), I received my first request to read the manuscript. It was a partial request, not a full, but it still floored me, especially since it came through on the Friday before a holiday weekend. While waiting to hear from that agent, I sent out two more queries. Yes, only two. I may have a tendency to write "fast and furious", but the agent search requires a different approach for me. This is someone who could potentially be a business partner for years to come. I'm not going to fire a buckshot and then hope I hit the right target. I'm more of a sniper.

As I said, I'm working on something else now, too, although it took me some time to decide which project to dive into next. My choices were a women's fiction, a YA fantasy, a YA sci-fi, and two adult sci-fi novels (all at different stages... some only outlined, others had a chapter or more already written). I ended up going with the YA sci-fi, which is actually a complete rewrite of an adult sci-fi novel I'd finished in 2008 but was never happy enough with (in that form) to pursue publication. As a YA novel, it is working much better, so (yay!) I officially have a new project.

Okay, enough about me. It's link time. Here is some great stuff I read recently that I just *had* to share (in no particular order).

Why You Shouldn't Quit the Day Job (or, Why I Quit the Day Job)

It's Not the Cougar

6 Reasons a Premise Sentence Strengthens Your Story

Jacob and Edward Are, Like, So Two Weeks Ago

Publicity Tactics: Does Old Media Still Matter?

Sometimes It's Not About Your Book

Final topic of the day: I AM A SUCKER FOR AWESOME COVER ART. Yes it influences my reading choice, and no I'm not ashamed to admit it. Usually, the cover art is what gets my initial attention, then I read the blurb. If the story seems good, I'll read it. The two concepts work hand-in-hand to sell me on the story, and I have to see the relevance between them or I won't bother. Here are a few books (not the full list) that I'm excited about reading based on the cover art and the blurb. Some of them are on reserve at my library and some have not been released yet. Patiently waiting in both situations...

 
FIRELIGHT, Sophie Jordan
Young Adult, Harper Collins
Release date: September 7, 2010

With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.






GRACELING, Kristin Cashore
Young Adult, Harcourt (2008)

If you had the power to kill with your bare hands, what would you do with it?
Graceling takes readers inside the world of Katsa, a warrior-girl in her late teens with one blue eye and one green eye. This gives her haunting beauty, but also marks her as a Graceling. Gracelings are beings with special talents—swimming, storytelling, dancing. Katsa's Grace is considered more useful: her ability to fight (and kill, if she wanted to) is unequaled in the seven kingdoms. Forced to act as a henchman for a manipulative king, Katsa channels her guilt by forming a secret council of like-minded citizens who carry out secret missions to promote justice over cruelty and abuses of power.



THE EDUCATION OF BET, Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Young Adult, Houghton Mifflin
Release date: July 12, 2010 (today!)

In 19th-century England, 16-year-old Bet lives with wealthy, elderly Paul Garner, for whom her mother had worked as a servant until her death. Paul’s great-nephew Will, also an orphan, shares the house. Bet yearns to attend school, something Will takes for granted, but her situation, coupled with societal gender restrictions, prevents her. When she learns that Will wants to join the military, the duo devises a plan, and Bet poses as Will at his new boarding school. There she faces unexpected challenges, from concealing her period to dealing with bullies, and hiding her gender becomes more difficult as she develops feelings for her roommate, James.


Happy reading!
 ~Lydia

EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to mention my most favorite Tweet from yesterday (forgive me, please, it was oh-so-late when I posted last night):

From literary agent Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown, Ltd.: "Please open the attachments. You won't be disappointed." is not a query.

If only you all could have seen my face when I read that. Even in my early days when I made so many ignorant/naive mistakes, I would have never....

Movie Review: SURROGATES

Today I'm hanging out at The SF Scrivener talking about the movie SURROGATES. Check it out here. Thanks!

~Lydia

Ponder This

If you had unlimited funds to publicize your debut novel, how would you do it? How much of it would include face-to-face contact with readers? What kind of financial risks would you take?

And how do you think your approach to marketing novel number one will influence the sales of your second novel?

~Lydia, who is extremely curious today

Readers Are Not Stupid; aka, How To Be a Smart Critter

The book I'm currently reading starts out talking about a dog and its influence on certain events. Only for the first page, then the story moves along to the more important aspects of these events, naturally. The dog is not mentioned again--or even hinted at--until page 87. Was I confused? Did I need the author to remind me what dog the MC was referring to?

No. I have a brain. I have memory. I'm not stupid. And I appreciate it when an author validates this for me by assuming I don't need to be spoonfed certain points of the story. Page 1... page 87... no confusion whatsoever.

Think about this the next time you're critting a fellow writer's work and you're tempted to suggest that a certain aspect wasn't previously alluded to enough to be remembered. There is a difference between reading a novel in pieces over a period of weeks or months, and reading a complete novel over a period of days or hours.

~Lydia

The Formula for Story Success

Sometimes we (myself included) get so excited about the concept of a story that we lose sight of the details that will keep our readers engaged. And sometimes we get so into the characters we've created that we forget to make their story memorable. All parts of a story must work together to make it unique. Irresistible. Epic.

high concept + realistic characters + high stakes = story success

Why are we so drawn to stories such as Star Wars?

1. The concept is unique. Concept involves all the cold elements of the story world. Cold meaning unemotional. It's a space opera, therefore, we have space travel and space travel requires spacecraft. The spacecraft is one of the venues for new ideas. Concept is all about the ideas. Other elements in Star Wars that are part of the concept: the political hierarchy, the Jedi (and everything about their role in the story world, their training, their views, their weapons, etc.), the Force, the use of robotics (androids) in both military and civilian settings, the different planets... you get the idea. All of those things are unique to that story world.

Aside:  High concept is not something only seen in speculative fiction. I see it in mainstream/contemporary fiction all the time. But the average reader probably doesn't recognize it as such. We, writers, are not "average readers."  In whatever book you read next, see if you can identify the unique concept. It should be clear within the first few chapters, if not the very first chapter.

2. Human characters the audience can relate to. When Luke's aunt and uncle die, we already know that he was in their care because he was (supposedly) orphaned. Losing them leaves him on his own, and he's clearly not ready to be on his own in the world. He mourns their death and then makes a proactive decision to go with Obi-Wan. We know he has a lot to learn through experience, and we're hoping we get to see that happen in the story. All of these things make him a realistic human being to us, someone we can relate to.

As important as ideas and concept and premise may seem, characters are the real meat of your story. Two words: Han Solo.

3. The stakes are high on a personal level for the main character/s and also on a much broader scale. The best stories have what I call "double duty conflict." You have a character with a problem he must solve, a goal. If he/she does not reach that goal, the consequences must be devastating. For Luke Skywalker, the personal conflict involves his own coming of age, and his acceptance of certain truths regarding his family's past. Combine this personal journey (which is usually more emotional than physical) with a problem/goal that will affect a great deal more people (which is usually more physical than emotional) and you've got the key to an intense climax. The destruction of the Death Star at the end of Episode IV not only answers the question "Can Luke step up and fulfill his duty against all odds?", it also answers the question "Will good conquer evil against all odds? Will the hope of a better political empire for the good of the people remain?" *

Resolving both conflicts at the same point with the same action creates the strongest impact.

Again, this is not something only seen in speculative fiction. Analyze the peak of the climax in the next novel you read and see if it doesn't involve both personal and universal high stakes, both emotional and physical consequences if the goal is not met.

Aside: The only genre I can think of that may not *always* be improved with the "double duty conflict" idea is romance. The main focus is on the personal journey, the emotional. The story question in a romance is always the same. The resolution is always the same. It's all the stuff in between that needs to shine as uniquely different. And because of this, romance, in my opinion, is one of the most difficult genres to write. Especially mainstream/ contemporary romance. You have no "speculative fluff" to fall back on. Your characters and their situation have to be interesting enough on their own, and you must create enough tension to make the reader think that the mandatory HEA ending might not happen this time. It's tough. Much easier to end with a Death Star explosion. Seriously.

So that's it. Simple, right? Just follow the formula. ::sarcasm::  If it were that simple we wouldn't have so much frustration. The best way to figure out where you may be going wrong, though, is to analyze how other authors and screenwriters have gotten it right.

Does anyone else have tips for success that can be applied to any type of story?

~Lydia

*Notice that this story question is clearly relevant to the title, A New Hope. I've talked about the importance of a relevant title before. It's no coincidence that one of the most successful movie sagas of all time has effective titles.

Tuesday Tunes - Beat the Heat

As I find myself facing yet another 90-degree-plus day WITHOUT A/C, I can't help but think:  THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER HAVE OFFICIALLY BEGUN. My brain is mush. My tummy aches because all I've been eating are Popsicles and ice cream sandwiches in an attempt to prevent spontaneous combustion.

Summer. You either love it or hate it. Personally, I am hating it right now. If your heat goes out in the winter time (which I have also experienced more than once), there are options. You can layer and bundle up, build a fire, etc. In the summer, escape is not possible. I could be completely naked right now with my feet in a bucket of ice water and--as enticing as that sounds--it wouldn't help for more than a few minutes. It is just before seven in the morning and already 80 degrees... and I am blessing the (relatively) cool air while I have it.

Sad, really. But such is life. It is no wonder that some of the peppiest songs are about summer. I'd like to think that this is because we can be more active and happy in the summer, but when the authorities are blaring warnings left and right to STAY INDOORS and LIMIT YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, I realize now that these peppy songs are just a way of keeping our brains alert in the sluggish heat.











What are YOUR favorite summer hits?

~Lydia

EDIT: Blogger is apparently having comment issues today, and not just on this blog. I apologize if your comments do not show up.

"Eight Against Reality" Give Away!

Janice Hardy is holding a contest on her blog for a free copy of the newest anthology from Panverse, Eight Against Reality. Once again, the cover art does not disappoint.

Also available from Panverse are "all-novella" anthologies. Novella-length stories are difficult to find anymore, let alone a whole book of them. Personally, I think they are the best of both worlds. They have the quick punch of short stories with the added depth of a novel. Panverse One, was released in October 2009 and is available here. Panverse Two is scheduled for release in September 2010. Click here for a preview.

To read an official review of Eight Against Reality from fellow blogger and SF/F author Jaleh Dragich, click here.

Eight Against Reality is available to purchase here, but for a chance to win a FREE copy, click on over to Janice's blog. And HURRY! She will be selecting the winner tomorrow.

~Lydia

Stuff I Read This Morning; aka, How To Avoid Career Suicide

Apologies for not coming back here yesterday and putting up a real post, as promised. A very good thing happened after I got off work, and then a very bad/stressful thing happened that involved my son, so blogging was the last thing on my mind, on both counts. My son is okay now; no need to worry. He had a full-blown panic attack at the movie theater when we went to see Toy Story 3. We'll just have to wait for the DVD release. No big deal.

I've been doing some online reading this morning. Specifically, agent blogs. And even more specifically, the archives of agent blogs. These can be extremely helpful to authors at any stage of their career, since the most recent blog posts may or may not be relevant to what you currently need.

Pub Rants is one of my favorite agent blogs. I skimmed through the labels this morning and saw "career suicide", which I thought was a bit funny. Funnier still was that there are 11 posts with that tag, not just one or two. My curiosity forced me to click on it.

Most of the errors noted seem to be rooted in something that authors have an abundance of: emotion. We are over-sensitive, over-protective of our work, and for many, this creates an over-sized ego. The result? Career suicide.

Don't become a statistic. Click HERE. Knowledge is power. Common sense is priceless.

Also, since we are officially in a new month now (how/when did that happen?), I'd like to know what you all are reading at the moment. Anything good? I just started Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling, the first of The Change novels. So far, it has passed my "chapter one test" and kept me interested enough to continue reading. What pages are YOU flipping this month?

Happy Reading!
~Lydia