alright ladies and gents...it's time. i've made my decision...
i'm self-publishing!
what! yes! and i'm so excited! can you tell?
A LOT goes in to self-publishing. copy edits, making your own cover, formatting, yada...yada...yada... i'm sure you all care so much, so i won't go into too much detail...
right now my book is in the hands of a very qualified editor/grammar nazi(or so i'm told..she's the friend of a family member) to nit-pick and tear the book to shreds(so to speak) so it can be at its best before publication. hopefully, she enjoys reading it and doesn't tell me, you suck. never write again. that would delay the process quite a bit.
sometime at the end of this month we'll be doing a little book cover photo-shoot. thanks to some very awesome friends! Abbey Benson will be taking the photos and my fabulous friend JJ offered to dye her hair and traipse about in the forest so we can get some good shots..haha..it should be GREAT fun. i can hardly wait!
now for those of you curious enough to purchase a copy, i will only be doing e-books for now. i want to see how it does before doing paperbacks. if it does well then SWEET. paperbacks will be provided. but that may not happen for awhile. gotta get my name out there first!
so now that you know you can start following my "official" writer's blog: www.mindyhayes.blogspot.com. where i will be updating all things to do with my writing and books and all things literary related.
in all honesty i probably won't be writing on this blog anymore. so venture on over to my NEW blog for more from me:)
wish me luck friends! yay!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Dear Friends,
If you have a copy of any draft of any of my books...will you please delete it/get rid of it/whatever you need to do to erase what draft you have? I plan on taking the next step in publishing my book and don't want any copies out in oblivion without a secure copyright.
Please and thank you!
Please and thank you!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
matched.
well i held off on reading it when i didn't hear tons of praise after it came out so i only recently picked up my cheap paperback copy from sam's. and i have to say i'm glad i waited.
cassia lives in a time where everything is decided by "the society". where you live, where you work, who you marry(are matched with), when you die. so when she is matched with her best friend xander, she's grateful it wasn't some complete stranger from a different providence. but when she goes home with her microcard that has all of xander's info on it and a different face pops up on the screen she's torn. who's her real match?
i was completely intrigued by the beginning of the story it pulled me in from the get-go. and then it just sort of came to a plateau. there were elements and relationships in the story that i loved and felt connected to but it wasn't the one between cassia and her love triangle boys. though i loved ky, i didn't like how their relationship came to be. it felt like it was merely an intriguing idea planted rather than an actual desire to pursue. does that make sense? the next book crossed came out in november and i'll probably read it just to see where the story is going, but i won't be spending full price just to get my hands on it.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
shall i say, check?
so you know how i had this goal for 2011 to finish my book. yeah...the first one. the one i've been working on for years. the one that never ever felt complete. and that didn't end up panning out but then i started writing a book in may about faeries? weird turn of events for me, but the words kept coming so i went with it. and guess what i think i finished it! it's in final editing stages, but yup. pretty sure we can call it good! so you know what that means? agents. i've got to query agents. i have to research them and find the ones i want to query and research some more to get to know them and who they represent and see if they are a good match for me. honestly the hard part will be them deciding if i'm a good match for them! this is going to be a long rough wild ride but i think i'm ready for it! i started the sequel and it's coming along superbly. better than anticipated. 2012 is going to be a good year. i just feel it!
Monday, January 2, 2012
favorite books of 2011
i made a goal to read 75 books for 2011. with a full time job, that wasn't an easy task, but of course it was accomplished. add 5 more to the list because i over did it. yup. 80 books. call me an over achiever. because i read A LOT i wanted to share my top ten for those who are always asking me if i've read anything good recently. because yes. yes i have. granted i don't always read the most compelling, life changing novels, but you can definitely count on me for a good YA.
10. On the Island - Tracey Garvis Graves
technically i don't think this is a YA. but the story immediately pulls you in with the first paragraph.
"I was thirty years old when the seaplane T.J. Callahan and I were traveling on crash-landed into the Indian Ocean. T.J was sixteen, and three months into remission for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The pilot's name was Mick, but he died before we hit the water."
there wasn't a dull moment in the book and the romance that is slowly created isn't as strange as you would imagine it to be. i finished it a couple weeks ago and i'm still thinking about it.
9. Unearthly - Cynthia Hand
this story takes place in idaho, which was fun for me. it pulled me back to jackson hole and the palisades, but that was not why i loved the story.
clara is part angel and has a reoccurring vision of an alluring stranger in a forest fire. there's a love triangle and just when you think you have it figured out and you've picked your side it throws you and then leaves you with a little cliffhanger at the end.
the sequel, hallowed, comes out this month and i'm dying to read it.
8. Between the Lines Series - Tammara Weber
if you have a kindle or nook or some sort of e-reader you need to pick up this contemporary romance series.
emma just got her first big break in the next hollywood teen hit movie where she costars with a heartthrob and falls for another. it's a fun light chick-lit. i can't tell you what it reminds me of because then it will completely give away the sweetest part of the novel.
the third book just came out and i haven't gotten the chance to read it yet, but i know i won't be disappointed. i mean, how can you for $2.99?
7. Flat-out Love - Jessica Park
with my e-reader i've become more of a fan of self-published authors. they don't get nearly the credit they deserve. their books might be cheap and unknown, but totally worth the read.
when julie's off-campus housing turns out to be a scam, she moves in with her mom's old friend's family for the semester. but something seriously off about the family and she's determined to figure out why. it's quirky, witty and not what i had expected from the description of the book. you fall in love with all of the characters and their flaws and social awkwardness. i finished the book in a day. i simply couldn't put it down.
6. Finnickin of the Rock - Melina Marchetta
the description of this book didn't initially pull me in, but after raving review after raving review of every different book blog i keep up with and then the fact that i got it on sale...i had to know what everyone was talking about and i only wish i had read it sooner.
a curse binds Finnickin's kingdom after the royal family was brutally murdered and seized by an imposter. those inside are held captive and those on the outside can't penetrate the barrier.
there's romance and action and bravery and loyalty and all those uplifting elements you find in stories of fantasy.
5. Illusions - Aprilynne Pike
if you know me you know my new found weakness for a good faery book. illusions is the third book in the wings series. i love aprilynne's take on faeries. they aren't evil malicious destruction craving faeries. their wings are actually flowers and they live with rainbows and butterflies. haha. yes. this novel isn't dark and that's one of my favorite things about it. the first book wasn't even my favorite, but with every novel you fall more in love with tamani and that's what keeps pulling me back. yes his name is tamani. what kind of name is that? yeah. i thought the same thing, but don't you worry. his name will grow on you too. the fourth and final comes out in may and yup you best be believin' i can't wait for that one either!
4. Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins
stephanie is one of my new favorite authors. the characters of anna and the french kiss are relate-able and so charming. the story takes place in paris and makes you feel as though your right there living it up with anna. its filled with romanitcalness(yup. google it.) and etienne, though everyone but anna calls him st. claire. anna calls him by his first name and i would too will a french name like etienne(eti-yen). mmm. this book makes me giddy. pick it up. i promise you'll love it too.
3. Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi
i don't even know where to start on this one. deep breath. okay.
juliette has a touch that is lethal. it's been 264 days since she's touched anyone. the last time she did she was locked up for murder. and now the reestablishment has decided to give her a cellmate. to punish her? to punish him?
so many questions! i had them all.
i love juliette. she's fiesty and quite frankly a little crazy. i mean wouldn't you be too if you could never touch anyone and everyone was disgusted by you and never showed you any love? she's so different from any YA heroine i've ever read about. the authors writing style might annoy you a tad, but i enjoyed that it was different. it was refreshing.
2. Divergent - Veronica Roth
i blogged about this one a few months back and picked it up not long after that. this is one of the dystopian novels you have to read. like the hunger games. i've already read it twice. once myself and once to ryan and i'd read it again.
tris lives in a society divided up into 5 factions. candor(the honest), abnegation(the selfless), amity(the peaceful), eruodite(the intelligent), and dauntless(the brave). when you turn sixteen you must choose a faction to devote your life to. tris's family is apart of one faction while tris feels she belongs to another. she feels torn, but ultimately makes the right decision for herself.
with non-stop heart-pounding action, conflict and of course some romance(because what's a YA without love?) it definitely deserves it's #2 slot.
1. Where She Went - Gayle Foreman
yes, i've blogged about this book before and yes, it's worth the re-blog.
this is the companion to if i stay and the title says it all.
if i stay started out with a car accident that took the life of mia's family. somehow she survived the wreck, but barely. she now lies in a hospital bed weighing the option should i stay or go?
where she went is from mia's boyfriend adam's perspective. complicated emo rock star adam. my heart ached for him.
i loved the second more than the first because rarely to we get to see the raw emotion of a male character. it's an emotionally powerful book about grief, hope and love.
because i read so many books this year i've just got to add some honorable mentions:
Beautiful Disaster - Jamie McGuire
It was one of those trainwreck novels. you shouldn't want to keep reading, but every page draws you deeper and deeper into abbey and travis's relationship. maybe it more like crackcocaine. because you keep thinking to yourself "why am i still reading this?" but you keep on reading it. and i'd read again and again and again. i'd even have this novel in my top ten if it weren't for the language and the tad bit of smut.
travis is your typical sexy tough bad boy with possessive qualities and you should hate abbey for not having a stronger back bone but all you want is for them to finally get to be with one another. don't tell nobody i recommended this book to you. it wasn't me.
Fireflight - Sophie Jordan
if you want a fun new kind of fantasy novel, read this one.
jacinda is a draki. a what? a dragon. but her best defense mechanism is that she can transform into a human. when she flies out during daylight hours, forbidden in her tribe, she and her family are forced to flee and jacinda winds up falling for a human who's family hunts her kind. ultimately i really liked and have added the sequel to my ever-growing "to-read" pile.
Blood Red Road - Moira Young
the cover. the writing style. and the constant praise. hook, line and sinker.
saba has lived her whole life at silverlake, but when her twin brother lugh is captured, she'll do anything to find him and get him back.
though not oozing with romance, it pulls at the heartstrings attached to family members and the lengths you'd go the protect them. i loved her relationship with her brother and the connection she has to him. it's an adventure from start to finish. she fights to survive. she falls in love. and definitely left me wanting more by the end of the book. the sequel comes out sometime this year and i'll definitely be picking it up.
if you want to see all the books i read last year you can click on my goodreads reading challenge 2011 on my left sidebar.
technically i don't think this is a YA. but the story immediately pulls you in with the first paragraph.
"I was thirty years old when the seaplane T.J. Callahan and I were traveling on crash-landed into the Indian Ocean. T.J was sixteen, and three months into remission for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The pilot's name was Mick, but he died before we hit the water."
there wasn't a dull moment in the book and the romance that is slowly created isn't as strange as you would imagine it to be. i finished it a couple weeks ago and i'm still thinking about it.
this story takes place in idaho, which was fun for me. it pulled me back to jackson hole and the palisades, but that was not why i loved the story.
clara is part angel and has a reoccurring vision of an alluring stranger in a forest fire. there's a love triangle and just when you think you have it figured out and you've picked your side it throws you and then leaves you with a little cliffhanger at the end.
the sequel, hallowed, comes out this month and i'm dying to read it.
if you have a kindle or nook or some sort of e-reader you need to pick up this contemporary romance series.
emma just got her first big break in the next hollywood teen hit movie where she costars with a heartthrob and falls for another. it's a fun light chick-lit. i can't tell you what it reminds me of because then it will completely give away the sweetest part of the novel.
the third book just came out and i haven't gotten the chance to read it yet, but i know i won't be disappointed. i mean, how can you for $2.99?
with my e-reader i've become more of a fan of self-published authors. they don't get nearly the credit they deserve. their books might be cheap and unknown, but totally worth the read.
when julie's off-campus housing turns out to be a scam, she moves in with her mom's old friend's family for the semester. but something seriously off about the family and she's determined to figure out why. it's quirky, witty and not what i had expected from the description of the book. you fall in love with all of the characters and their flaws and social awkwardness. i finished the book in a day. i simply couldn't put it down.
the description of this book didn't initially pull me in, but after raving review after raving review of every different book blog i keep up with and then the fact that i got it on sale...i had to know what everyone was talking about and i only wish i had read it sooner.
a curse binds Finnickin's kingdom after the royal family was brutally murdered and seized by an imposter. those inside are held captive and those on the outside can't penetrate the barrier.
there's romance and action and bravery and loyalty and all those uplifting elements you find in stories of fantasy.
if you know me you know my new found weakness for a good faery book. illusions is the third book in the wings series. i love aprilynne's take on faeries. they aren't evil malicious destruction craving faeries. their wings are actually flowers and they live with rainbows and butterflies. haha. yes. this novel isn't dark and that's one of my favorite things about it. the first book wasn't even my favorite, but with every novel you fall more in love with tamani and that's what keeps pulling me back. yes his name is tamani. what kind of name is that? yeah. i thought the same thing, but don't you worry. his name will grow on you too. the fourth and final comes out in may and yup you best be believin' i can't wait for that one either!
stephanie is one of my new favorite authors. the characters of anna and the french kiss are relate-able and so charming. the story takes place in paris and makes you feel as though your right there living it up with anna. its filled with romanitcalness(yup. google it.) and etienne, though everyone but anna calls him st. claire. anna calls him by his first name and i would too will a french name like etienne(eti-yen). mmm. this book makes me giddy. pick it up. i promise you'll love it too.
i don't even know where to start on this one. deep breath. okay.
juliette has a touch that is lethal. it's been 264 days since she's touched anyone. the last time she did she was locked up for murder. and now the reestablishment has decided to give her a cellmate. to punish her? to punish him?
so many questions! i had them all.
i love juliette. she's fiesty and quite frankly a little crazy. i mean wouldn't you be too if you could never touch anyone and everyone was disgusted by you and never showed you any love? she's so different from any YA heroine i've ever read about. the authors writing style might annoy you a tad, but i enjoyed that it was different. it was refreshing.
i blogged about this one a few months back and picked it up not long after that. this is one of the dystopian novels you have to read. like the hunger games. i've already read it twice. once myself and once to ryan and i'd read it again.
tris lives in a society divided up into 5 factions. candor(the honest), abnegation(the selfless), amity(the peaceful), eruodite(the intelligent), and dauntless(the brave). when you turn sixteen you must choose a faction to devote your life to. tris's family is apart of one faction while tris feels she belongs to another. she feels torn, but ultimately makes the right decision for herself.
with non-stop heart-pounding action, conflict and of course some romance(because what's a YA without love?) it definitely deserves it's #2 slot.
yes, i've blogged about this book before and yes, it's worth the re-blog.
this is the companion to if i stay and the title says it all.
if i stay started out with a car accident that took the life of mia's family. somehow she survived the wreck, but barely. she now lies in a hospital bed weighing the option should i stay or go?
where she went is from mia's boyfriend adam's perspective. complicated emo rock star adam. my heart ached for him.
i loved the second more than the first because rarely to we get to see the raw emotion of a male character. it's an emotionally powerful book about grief, hope and love.
because i read so many books this year i've just got to add some honorable mentions:
It was one of those trainwreck novels. you shouldn't want to keep reading, but every page draws you deeper and deeper into abbey and travis's relationship. maybe it more like crackcocaine. because you keep thinking to yourself "why am i still reading this?" but you keep on reading it. and i'd read again and again and again. i'd even have this novel in my top ten if it weren't for the language and the tad bit of smut.
travis is your typical sexy tough bad boy with possessive qualities and you should hate abbey for not having a stronger back bone but all you want is for them to finally get to be with one another. don't tell nobody i recommended this book to you. it wasn't me.
if you want a fun new kind of fantasy novel, read this one.
jacinda is a draki. a what? a dragon. but her best defense mechanism is that she can transform into a human. when she flies out during daylight hours, forbidden in her tribe, she and her family are forced to flee and jacinda winds up falling for a human who's family hunts her kind. ultimately i really liked and have added the sequel to my ever-growing "to-read" pile.
the cover. the writing style. and the constant praise. hook, line and sinker.
saba has lived her whole life at silverlake, but when her twin brother lugh is captured, she'll do anything to find him and get him back.
though not oozing with romance, it pulls at the heartstrings attached to family members and the lengths you'd go the protect them. i loved her relationship with her brother and the connection she has to him. it's an adventure from start to finish. she fights to survive. she falls in love. and definitely left me wanting more by the end of the book. the sequel comes out sometime this year and i'll definitely be picking it up.
if you want to see all the books i read last year you can click on my goodreads reading challenge 2011 on my left sidebar.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
so...
as i do on a daily basis, i was searching through my book blogs and goodreads looking for my next feast of literature(yes i said feast) even though i already have three books i still need to finish...and i came across a book i've seen on shelves for a few months, but the cover has steered me away...
Has anyone read it yet? apparently it's supposed to be amazing. I looked the chick up who wrote it...she's 22! i don't know if that's supposed to give me hope or make me feel incompetent. i feel the later. this woman was writing divergent in college rather than doing homework and now she's a new york times best seller. whaaaaaat? how do these people get so lucky?(aside from the fact that they can write)
Has anyone read it yet? apparently it's supposed to be amazing. I looked the chick up who wrote it...she's 22! i don't know if that's supposed to give me hope or make me feel incompetent. i feel the later. this woman was writing divergent in college rather than doing homework and now she's a new york times best seller. whaaaaaat? how do these people get so lucky?(aside from the fact that they can write)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
i belong in the forest
has anyone heard of the ethnographers? look them up. i love them. they've been the inspiration behind my new book. ryan introduced them to me a few months ago. "grandfather said" is our favorite song. my title will make more sense if you listen to it.
i'm making awesome progress (compared to my usual pace) on my new book. i'm almost halfway done with my first draft and i really hope it turns out as great as it feels like its going to be. i'm trying to make it a book that even if you aren't a supernatural/fantasy lover it will be a book you can get into. i want to do for others what stephenie meyer did for me. yes. i just mentioned stephenie meyer.
i'll keep updating you because i know you all care so much.
i'm making awesome progress (compared to my usual pace) on my new book. i'm almost halfway done with my first draft and i really hope it turns out as great as it feels like its going to be. i'm trying to make it a book that even if you aren't a supernatural/fantasy lover it will be a book you can get into. i want to do for others what stephenie meyer did for me. yes. i just mentioned stephenie meyer.
i'll keep updating you because i know you all care so much.
Friday, June 24, 2011
if i were friends with kristen stewart
i would show her this video...
this is jennifer lawerence. she's going to be playing katniss in the hunger games movies, which i'm totally stoked about, by the way. who isn't really? she was asked about how her life kind of exploded after she accepted the role. i love her already. she seems so fun.
"i hope it literally goes like that."
Tags: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog
this is jennifer lawerence. she's going to be playing katniss in the hunger games movies, which i'm totally stoked about, by the way. who isn't really? she was asked about how her life kind of exploded after she accepted the role. i love her already. she seems so fun.
"i hope it literally goes like that."
Sunday, May 29, 2011
another project
so...i started a new book. now i know what you're thinking...mindy, why don't you just finish the one you started already!? well i'll tell you why. i don't know. i'm at a standstill with that book. i read it over and over again and i'm constantly editing it and adding dialog and it just doesn't ever seem to resolve any reservations i have with the storyline. it's lacking and i can't figure out what it needs. it's really frustrating. so i'm taking a step back from it. it's pointless to force the storyline because then i know i'll just go back and change it. it has to just come to me and it's not. maybe it's just not meant to be. NO. i won't expect that. i've been working on it for over two and half years. i won't just toss it to the side. but i'll let it come to me when it wants to.
so! my new book just started flowing into my head and i had to write it down. i've been working on it for less than a week now and i'm over 10,500 words into it. it just keeps coming, so i'm going with it. why push back when i've got the inspiration? i'm kind of excited about it. now's not the time to dive into what it's about, but when i tell you, you can't laugh at me. okay? okay.
i'll check back soon!
so! my new book just started flowing into my head and i had to write it down. i've been working on it for less than a week now and i'm over 10,500 words into it. it just keeps coming, so i'm going with it. why push back when i've got the inspiration? i'm kind of excited about it. now's not the time to dive into what it's about, but when i tell you, you can't laugh at me. okay? okay.
i'll check back soon!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
confession
my name is mindy and i'm a bookaholic. seriously. i think it's becoming an issue now. no actually we're WAY past that. it's an issue. an obsession. after getting my nook i've spend over $200 dollars in books. since december. now in "heated" debates with the husband i've tried to justify that with, "but babe, i've been able to get over 40 books with that money. that's a steal!" to which the husband replies, "you rationalize buying books just because you can get them for cheap, but you're still spending money..."
he's caught me red handed.
i know i should be more responsible, but its as if i can't help myself. send me into a mall with all my favorite stores with sales up the wazoo and i can resist temptation, but once i see a book that intrigues me and i see...what? it's only $1.99? *click* and its mine.
it's dangerous. severely dangerous for our bank account considering i read 2 to 3 books a week on average.
i think a library card is going to be necessary if i want my marriage to last much longer.
the stack of books beside my bed, waiting/in the process of being feasted upon.
(notice the thin gray one--that's the nook with 3 more books waiting to be read)
he's caught me red handed.
i know i should be more responsible, but its as if i can't help myself. send me into a mall with all my favorite stores with sales up the wazoo and i can resist temptation, but once i see a book that intrigues me and i see...what? it's only $1.99? *click* and its mine.
it's dangerous. severely dangerous for our bank account considering i read 2 to 3 books a week on average.
i think a library card is going to be necessary if i want my marriage to last much longer.
the stack of books beside my bed, waiting/in the process of being feasted upon.
(notice the thin gray one--that's the nook with 3 more books waiting to be read)
Thursday, April 21, 2011
where she went
if you know me, you know i LOVE the happily ever afters. i love rainbows and sunshine and butterflies because honestly there are enough depressing stories in real life, but man oh man...i just finished a sequel to if i stay by gayle forman. there are very few writers that not only have me engrossed in reading because i want to know what happens, but have me hanging on to every word they write. some stories i can't wait to get to the end of just so i can finally have the closure of an ending. not even because the story is dragging, but because i just can't handle the suspense. gayle forman writes so beautifully and passionately, you can't help but drink in everything she writes and hope the story never ends. and rarely do you find a sequel that you love just as much as the first if not more. if i stay stood strongly on its own and when i heard there was a sequel--where she went--i waited on the edge of my seat for it to come out. keep your tissue boxes handy for both books, but read them. you must.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
i'm in my own little world, but it's okay...they know me here
my co-worker asked me yesterday, "did you write last night?" to which i replied, "yes." she said, " i can tell. i can tell whenever you've written the night before. you come in in the morning and it's like you're lost in your own little world."
i can only imagine the type of person i've become, completely spacing and lost in thought half the time. i know my husband is feeling a little neglected, but i just feel too close to stop now. i love my own little world. there's so much stress and sadness in life and i get to escape everyday into these worlds that i've created.
i've begun working on my third draft. i received a little bit of feedback on my second which definitely helped put a few aspects of the book in perspective. i'm excited about the next draft. i've changed around quite a few things that i think will help with the flow and pick up the pace and excitement. maybe give it a little more of an edge. i think i need more edge. there's no sense in boring the readers.
i can only imagine the type of person i've become, completely spacing and lost in thought half the time. i know my husband is feeling a little neglected, but i just feel too close to stop now. i love my own little world. there's so much stress and sadness in life and i get to escape everyday into these worlds that i've created.
i've begun working on my third draft. i received a little bit of feedback on my second which definitely helped put a few aspects of the book in perspective. i'm excited about the next draft. i've changed around quite a few things that i think will help with the flow and pick up the pace and excitement. maybe give it a little more of an edge. i think i need more edge. there's no sense in boring the readers.
Monday, February 21, 2011
iron fey
i've been reading a lot lately and when i get a real good read i have to share it because in a world full of books there are few that i get completely wrapped up in and this is one of them.
normally i wait to rave about a book when i'm finished reading it, but i'm halfway through this series and i can't put it down, nor stop thinking about it. it's becoming an inspiration in my writing. extra bonus.
the iron fey series. you're reading a book about faerys? you may ask...and yes. yes i am. and i'm in love with it.
the first book was intriguing enough in summary and i heard lots of good things about it so i thought why not? i'm on the third book now and they just get better and better. but of course, there's a fourth book and i'm left stranded...stuck in the middle of yet another series waiting for my closure.
enjoy a little forbidden love? bad boys? humor? action? adventure? oh, the iron fey series has all of the above. julie kagawa really knows how to write her main men. mmm...i'd love me some ash. he's right up there with edward, peeta and jace and with my standards...that's hard to do.
normally i wait to rave about a book when i'm finished reading it, but i'm halfway through this series and i can't put it down, nor stop thinking about it. it's becoming an inspiration in my writing. extra bonus.
the iron fey series. you're reading a book about faerys? you may ask...and yes. yes i am. and i'm in love with it.
the first book was intriguing enough in summary and i heard lots of good things about it so i thought why not? i'm on the third book now and they just get better and better. but of course, there's a fourth book and i'm left stranded...stuck in the middle of yet another series waiting for my closure.
enjoy a little forbidden love? bad boys? humor? action? adventure? oh, the iron fey series has all of the above. julie kagawa really knows how to write her main men. mmm...i'd love me some ash. he's right up there with edward, peeta and jace and with my standards...that's hard to do.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
eureka?
SO for months and months and MONTHS i struggled to get a basic plot for the first novel in my series. the reason being when i started writing the series, it began with a dream(cliche? stephenie meyerish? maybe. but she's not the only one to have a dream and write about it). the dream was the last scene of the entire saga, so that left me with learning where the people began and what they went through to get to that point. when i finished my first draft back in july(let's be honest)...it dragged. the main man was too perfect and slightly creepy. i used "just" and "basically" too much and most importantly, it lacked a plot(kinda of crucial to a book, but maybe that's just me). with this second draft down, i'm praying that the basic plot is there. and now i think i finally have it in synopsis form. so tell me, fellow readers, what are your thoughts?
After the death of her father, Aveline lost hope in a life with happily ever afters. Romance was nonexistent and she liked it that way. But when Jesse, an alluring new boy in town, falls into her life, she just can't seem to escape him. Then chilling notes start popping up in personal spaces and haunting dreams with unsettling warnings cloud her nights causing her to question not only her sanity, but their connection to the new addition into her life.
would you be intrigued enough to pick up a copy or does it sound cliche and overdone? too vague? be HONEST. please. and thank you.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
second draft
i had a goal for myself last year(it's so weird to say that) to finish a second draft of my bookala(alix created the name. i can take no credit). SO new years eve, guess what i spent my time doing? yup. i finished it at nine that night and it felt good.
THIS year my goal is to have the book done and in the process of publishing. whether that be through self-publishing or traditional, i haven't decided yet...so here's where you(if there are any of you reading this) come into play...
i've sent out a couple copies of it for feedback so i can make it better, but i'd love more readers. the more comments and thoughts the better. i won't be able to please everyone obviously, but it helps me brainstorm and clear some writers block.
my bookala is very close to my heart and i'm very protective of my blood sweat and tears, so i don't want to send too many copies of it out. i have a hard time even sending out any copies at all but i know i'll have to let whoever wants to read it eventually. but please if you are interested in an unfinished/polished rough draft, let me know..i could definitely use the feedback!
THIS year my goal is to have the book done and in the process of publishing. whether that be through self-publishing or traditional, i haven't decided yet...so here's where you(if there are any of you reading this) come into play...
i've sent out a couple copies of it for feedback so i can make it better, but i'd love more readers. the more comments and thoughts the better. i won't be able to please everyone obviously, but it helps me brainstorm and clear some writers block.
my bookala is very close to my heart and i'm very protective of my blood sweat and tears, so i don't want to send too many copies of it out. i have a hard time even sending out any copies at all but i know i'll have to let whoever wants to read it eventually. but please if you are interested in an unfinished/polished rough draft, let me know..i could definitely use the feedback!
Friday, December 31, 2010
self publishing
so i've been recently intrigued by this indie author. i found her while looking for cheap nook books(yes i got a nook color for christmas and am in love with it) and i've become completely hooked on her.
amanda hocking.
i searched her out online to get a feel for what kind of an author she was. she's 26 years old with no literary awards. no bachelors degree. no special connections to the literary world. no marketing tactics. (sound familiar?) for years she queried a million agents and publishing companies with no positive results. rejection upon rejection she got really discourage and so in april of this year she decided she was going to self publish. with no expectation of making more than a couple hundreds bucks by the summer, but that's all she wanted.
since april she has published 8 books. EIGHT. she's a freaking writing machine. granted she wrote most of these books before april but the woman deserves some credit. since april she has sold almost 150,000 books. this month alone. december. she sold 99,000 books. through self publishing! i don't know why i'm so fascinated.
which then brought me to a personal decision. the internet at our finger tips has made self-publishing so much easier. you can just upload a book on amazon and barnes and noble and BAMB, you're out in the world sharing your stories. sure there are down sides. but it's a start right?
she has a series called the trylle trilogy(i'm waiting for the third book to come out next month)...that has become so popular, publishing companies are coming to her now. they want her trilogy, but they want her to wait until the end of next year to publish the last book. in case you were curious...which i knew you were...she has declined and decided to stay indie for now.
it's not even that her books are that amazing. they have spelling mistakes and grammar issues because she does it all herself. yes, the 6 that i have read i've enjoyed, but the fact is that she has gotten herself out there through self-publishing. i completely tossed that out the window as an option a year ago because of the horror stories i read about and it was expensive! but now i'm second guessing myself...as much as i want to see big beautiful printed copies of my books...what if that's not the route to go?
so the question i'm throwing out into the universe today is...is it worth it? should i take a risk(when my books are good and ready) and do it myself...or should i do it the traditional way where i could have a greater opportunity to be put out there?(that is if i'm not rejected a million times like her)...
decisions...decisions...
amanda hocking.
i searched her out online to get a feel for what kind of an author she was. she's 26 years old with no literary awards. no bachelors degree. no special connections to the literary world. no marketing tactics. (sound familiar?) for years she queried a million agents and publishing companies with no positive results. rejection upon rejection she got really discourage and so in april of this year she decided she was going to self publish. with no expectation of making more than a couple hundreds bucks by the summer, but that's all she wanted.
since april she has published 8 books. EIGHT. she's a freaking writing machine. granted she wrote most of these books before april but the woman deserves some credit. since april she has sold almost 150,000 books. this month alone. december. she sold 99,000 books. through self publishing! i don't know why i'm so fascinated.
which then brought me to a personal decision. the internet at our finger tips has made self-publishing so much easier. you can just upload a book on amazon and barnes and noble and BAMB, you're out in the world sharing your stories. sure there are down sides. but it's a start right?
she has a series called the trylle trilogy(i'm waiting for the third book to come out next month)...that has become so popular, publishing companies are coming to her now. they want her trilogy, but they want her to wait until the end of next year to publish the last book. in case you were curious...which i knew you were...she has declined and decided to stay indie for now.
it's not even that her books are that amazing. they have spelling mistakes and grammar issues because she does it all herself. yes, the 6 that i have read i've enjoyed, but the fact is that she has gotten herself out there through self-publishing. i completely tossed that out the window as an option a year ago because of the horror stories i read about and it was expensive! but now i'm second guessing myself...as much as i want to see big beautiful printed copies of my books...what if that's not the route to go?
so the question i'm throwing out into the universe today is...is it worth it? should i take a risk(when my books are good and ready) and do it myself...or should i do it the traditional way where i could have a greater opportunity to be put out there?(that is if i'm not rejected a million times like her)...
decisions...decisions...
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