Exciting
news! I finished my proofread of Screwing
Up Alexandria. Now it’s off to my proofreader for one last check. The
release date is scheduled for June 6!
So if you’re interested in a chance at winning an e-advanced reader copy of the
novel, be sure to sign up for the Screwing Up Time mailing list.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Release Date
Friday, May 9, 2014
Tagged: My Writing Process
(If you haven't already signed up for the Screwing Up Time mailing list, please do. I will be giving away an e-ARC--advanced reader copy--of Screwing Up Alexandria to one person on my mailing list. The sign up is on the right side of the blog.)
Melanie Crouse, YA author of Hidden Magic and co-author of Alchemy, tagged me in a blog hop where authors answer four questions about their writing process. (Melanie is one of my wonderful beta readers. Thanks so much, Melanie!)
My Writing Process
What Am I Working On Now?
Right now, I’m proofreading Screwing Up Alexandria. In this book, the characters took me to three different time periods. It was a blast. I can’t wait to share it with you. (One of my beta readers said it was my best book yet. I hope so.)
How Does My Book Differ From Others In Its Genre?
Unlike most young adult books, the Screwing Up Time novels are written from a guy’s perspective. I wanted to explore what would happen if a guy from 21st century America ended up in the Middle Ages, ancient Babylon, Alexandria, Uruk, or even the future.
Why Do I Write What I Do?
I write young adult because it’s such a creative genre. As a writer, you can explore just about anything. And young adult protagonists are incredible. They are finding out who and want they are—making decisions that will define the rest of their lives. For example, in Screwing Up Time, when Mark decides whether to break into the psych hospital, he’s really deciding if he’ll risk everything to do the right thing.
How Does My Writing Process Work?
I am a seat-of-the-pants writer. But that doesn’t mean I just sit down at a blank page and start typing. Okay, sometimes I do. But usually I plan and research first. For example, with the Screwing Up Time novels, I research the time periods I’m sending my characters to before I start because I think the setting is so important that I view it as a character that helps drive the story.
When my initial research is done, then I sit down to the blank page. And let the characters and the setting drive the plot. They only invite me along to record their story.
On now to other writers. I’m tagging Kimberly Afe, author of The Headhunter’s Race, and Misha Gericke, author of The Vanished Knight.
Don't forget, sign up for my mailing list for a chance to win an e-ARC of Screwing Up Alexandria!
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
The Reading Writer
(If you haven't already signed up for the Screwing Up Time mailing list, please do. I will be giving away an e-ARC--advanced reader copy--of Screwing Up Alexandria to one person on my mailing list. The sign up is on the right side of the blog.)
Writing has changed
the way I read. I don’t know if it’s true for all writers, but I read
differently now. And I don’t mean that it makes me a more critical reader. In
some ways, it does. In other ways, it makes me a more compassionate reader.
But the big
difference is that I notice things now that I wouldn’t have noticed before. Currently,
I’m reading a NYT bestselling thriller. As the author spins her story, little
details about the characters stand out. And I know that those details aren’t
random filler—they are subtly preparing the reader for a twist at the end. In
other words, the details lead me to suspect that the “guilty” party really
isn’t guilty. He’s the victim.
And I wonder
if it’s less “fun” for me as a reader. If I weren’t seeing these hints for what
they are—preparations for the reversal at the end, would the novel be more
exciting? Does seeing the hand of the author behind the scenes spoil its
effect? After all, one of the things writers try to do is disappear. We work to
leave no trace of ourselves in the text. So, does being a writer and knowing
the “tricks of the trade” spoil the experience? Perhaps.
But there is
another facet to the experience. As a writer, I appreciate the text more. I see
the nuances and skill. I suspect it’s a “forest and trees” issue. I can’t have
the same kind of “forest” experience anymore, because I see so many individual
trees. But those trees can sure be gorgeous—the texture of the bark, the shade
of leaves, the strength of the branches. Maybe it’s just exchanging one experience
of beauty for another.
On the other
hand, if I’m completely wrong about the thriller, it would be very cool. And
you’ll hear me squeal because I’ll have seen the forest and the trees.
What are your
thoughts? If you’re a writer, does it change your experience of reading? And if
you don’t write, would you as a reader want to notice the machinations of the
writer in the text?
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Screwing Up Alexandria Blurb
The blurb for Screwing Up Alexandria is finished!
Here it is.
Here it is.
Time traveling has
never brought Mark Montgomery anything but grief. And then, it gets worse.
When Mark comes home from Babylon with a coded tablet, he
never dreams someone would be willing to kill to get it. But they are. So Mark and Miranda kidnap an ancient cryptographer
named Nin and take her to the Library of Alexandria to decipher it.
The search for the truth of the tablet takes all of them to
the most dangerous time on earth. And when Nin ends up on an altar surrounded
by blood-thirsty crowds, only Mark can save her. But he’s blind.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Screwing Up Alexandria update
I'm sorry I haven't done a lot of posting lately. But it's for a good reason--I've been working on Screwing Up Alexandria.
I just finished the final edit of the book!!! Now I have some tidying and a couple of proofreads to do. Then it will be complete!
Next week, I hope to have the book blurb up. So be sure to check back.
I just finished the final edit of the book!!! Now I have some tidying and a couple of proofreads to do. Then it will be complete!
Next week, I hope to have the book blurb up. So be sure to check back.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Collective Nouns Quiz and Answers
Last week, I posted then Collective Noun Quiz. Here's the quiz if you missed it last week. And if you scroll down past the word list you'll find the answers. Enjoy!
A group of
crocodiles is called a/an __________.
A group of
eagles is called a/an______________.
A group of
goldfish is called a _________________.
A group of
greyhounds is called a/an___________.
A group of
larks is called a/an_____________.
A group of
leopards is called a/an _____________.
A group of
owls is called a/an _________________.
A group of
rattlesnakes is called a/an ____________.
A group of
ravens is called a/an _______________.
A group of
turtledoves is called a/an ___________.
A group of
kittens is called a/an______________.
Word List:
Kindle,
exaltation, convocation, float, parliament, rhumba, leap, pitying, leash,
troubling, unkindness
Key:
A group of
crocodiles is called a float
A group of
eagles is called a convocation
A group of
goldfish is called a troubling.
A group of
greyhounds is called a leash
A group of
larks is called an exaltation
A group of
leopards is called a leap
A group of
owls is called a parliament
A group of
rattlesnakes is called a rhumba
A group of
ravens is called an unkindness
A group of
turtledoves is called a pitying
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Collective Noun Quiz
The other day
I was wondering about collective noun groups. (I love that a group of crows is
called a murder.) It was such fun Googling and discovering the various
collective noun names that I thought I’d turn it into a quiz.
So here you
go.
A group of
crocodiles is called a/an __________.
A group of
eagles is called a/an______________.
A group of
goldfish is called a _________________.
A group of
greyhounds is called a/an___________.
A group of
larks is called a/an_____________.
A group of
leopards is called a/an _____________.
A group of
owls is called a/an _________________.
A group of
rattlesnakes is called a/an ____________.
A group of
ravens is called a/an _______________.
A group of
turtledoves is called a/an ___________.
A group of
kittens is called a/an______________.
Word List:
Kindle, exaltation,
convocation, float, parliament, rhumba, leap, pitying, leash, troubling, unkindness
I'll post answers next Wednesday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)