• ·

    ‘Tis done … for now

    3 Comments

    So I finished writing/editing/polishing my young-adult fantasy, Quiver, this weekend. Now, it’s time to send it to my agent to read.

    Quiver word count: 74,000. I’m not quite sure if this is the right length for a YA or not. I’ve been reading some YA lately, and it seems to me like the length varies wildly from book to book. I wonder if maybe Quiver needs to be a little longer — 85,000 words or so. But then again, I didn’t want to bog the story down with needless description. 

    We’ll see what my agent says. She might tell me that the story sucks out loud and that it’s not even the sort of thing editors are buying right now.

    Up next? Well, I think I’m going to write a contemporary romance while my agent reads Quiver and another proposal I’ve sent her. I’ve already got my title in mind — Blackberry Falls.

    I’ve never written a contemp before, but I’ve been wanting to try ever since I read Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas. If you haven’t read Sugar Daddy, do yourself a favor and go out and buy it. Yes, it is that good. 😉

    What about you guys? Anyone working on anything interesting right now? Share in the comments.

  • ·

    Just a reminder …

    7 Comments

    That I’ll be doing a Q&A on writing and signing books tonight, April 13, starting at 7 p.m. at the Bristol Public Library in Bristol, Va. The event should last about an hour or so and is part of the library’s celebration of National Library Week, April 12-18.

    Even if you can’t come to my event, I hope you’ll go to your local library this week and check out all the wonderful books and programs that the library has to offer. And be sure to tell your librarians how awesome they are. Because they really do rock.

    Especially you, Super-Librarian Amy! :ww:

  • ·

    Today’s post …

    Is over at Fangs, Fur, and Fey. The site is doing something new and running a topic of the month that members are asked to write a post on.

    This month’s topic asks how authors write — if they start with a synopsis or outline before they start a new book. You can see my post and several others over at the site. Enjoy! 😎

  • ·

    Pick-me-up …

    So I had my monthly critique group meeting last night. It’s always fun just to hang out with the other gals in the group and talk about life, writing, books, or whatever. And since we meet at a Barnes & Noble, it also gives me a chance to browse through the books and lust after the yummy-looking (if overpriced) desserts in the cafe. 😀

    Despite my TBR pile at home, I usually give myself permission to buy one book before my critique group. Last night, I picked up Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I’ve been trying to read some more young adult titles since that’s what I’m writing these days, and I don’t think there’s a hotter YA author out there right now than Mead. I’m looking forward to reading it.

    And frankly, I needed the little pick-me-up of buying a shiny new book. Mainly because there were more layoffs at my newspaper this week — and I expect there will be more to come before the year is over with. Sigh. (Unless, of course, there is some kind of miraculous economic turnaround. Not holding my breath on that one.)

    But wandering through the B&N aisles last night and looking at all the shiny covers made me feel a little better. I really do believe that books can pick you up when you’re down, whether it’s re-reading a favorite title or just buying a new release you’ve been looking forward to for a while. Even with money as tight as it is, books (especially the $8 paperbacks) are still pretty affordable — and even more so if you hit the used bookstores or your local library.

    So I plan on escaping into some young-adult worlds this weekend by reading Vampire Academy (or The Hunger Games) and working on my own book, Quiver. Because I know the story I’ve created in Quiver is going to have a happy ending — no matter how uncertain the real world is right now.

    Happy endings — I suppose those are the real pick-me-ups of books, aren’t they? So here’s hoping y’all have time to settle down for a good read this weekend.