A Little Excitement...

You gotta love days like today.  Especially when I get this in the mail!

Hahahahahahahhahhaha!!!!!

(This was a guest post I wrote in 2009 for my good friend Devon Ellington, on her blog Ink In My Coffee. A tad self-righteous, now that I re-read it, but funny how things can change!)

A Little Levity, Please...

You remember being a teenager, don’t you? I know, it’s “been a while.” It’s been a while for me, too. But I remember being bogged down with schoolwork, experiencing “friend drama” (as most teens do) participating in extracurricular activities, etc. etc. etc.

And what was my escape from the craziness of my angst-filled teen years?
 
A good read. I loved getting lost in a good book. The Sweet Valley High series was a favorite. Or the whimsical “Secret Garden.” And who can forget the “Choose Your Own Adventure” Series? Or Trixie Belden? Little House on the Prairie Books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—the list goes on. All whimsical, light, magical, romantic. All good escape reading.
Cut to today, and what are teens calling those books?

Corny.

And what is the average teen reading for escape value?
Books about vampires. Books about abused teens finding other abused teens to commiserate with. Books about suicide and death, and teen pregnancy. Books that are dark, gritty, and “edgy.”
This is escape reading? Just scanning the synopses of the books in the YA section of any bookstore gives me chills. For example, why would someone consider the gritty tale of a homeless kid, fending for themselves on the streets and abusing drugs an escape read?

Call me old fashioned, but I think today’s YA books are too dark, too violent, too gory, too sexy. Kids are forced to grow up quickly enough as it is. Their lives are chaotic, fast-moving and pressure-laden. The teenage years are depressing enough, we don’t need depressing books on top of everything else.
I am left wondering: when did “happy books” become gauche? The books that made you smile, or laugh, or sigh in contentment? Case in point, I had a friend critique a query of mine, where I gave a teaser on my fairy story. Her critique was that my query made the story sound too “light” and I needed to add in the fact that the Fairies drank blood, so it would seem “darker and edgier” for potential agents. Because “darker and edgier” is in right now. I was surprised, but she was right.

This too, shall pass. I have faith. One day, the “Brady Bunch” endings won’t be scoffed at. Mirth and Light will be back. Teens will return to escape reading that truly gives one an “escape” from the doldrums of Life.

But I’m not holding my breath.

Cover Art For My Book "Unearthed" Released!!

**DRUMROLL PLEASE**

I'm thrilled to present the cover for my novel, Unearthed! The book will be released July 10th, 2012! I'm pretty darn excited about it!
  
Here is an overview:
 Matt's spent years resenting his father and the church, but a once-in-a-lifetime archaeology trip forces Matt to face more than he bargained for as he and his father unearth a city that's been lost for centuries. This thrilling adventure is bursting with laugh out loud humor, a touch of romance, and more than a little mystery. A fun read for the whole family!


It is available for preorder now at Amazon.com and Barnes &Noble.com, and lots of other online sites!

YA Time Travel?

Time Travel is a HUGELY popular thing in Adult fiction and Romance novels. So much so, I am wondering why it hasn't crossed over into YA and Middle Grade.

Am I crazy? Am I missing something?

Everything in the bookstores (virtual and brick) nowadays is supernatural creatures and dystopian societies. Dark, gritty, graphic. These are the books I see. What if someone happened to write a book that was dark, gritty and graphic, and contained Time Travel?

Teens and twenty-somethings still love good escape reads. I don't believe they don't for one second. Why else would they read? I would think they'd eat up a good Time Travel novel as long as it had the appropriate "dark" elements.

In my opinion, Vampires and Werewolves are overdone. Witches are overdone. Dystopian tales are overdone. Time Travel is fresh and new. Time Travel needs a chance! It's unexplored territory. Historical fiction is fine, but to have an urban fantasy with Time Travel? I would so be in.

Now to get an AGENT to feel that way...that's another matter...

;-)

The Post-Novel Completion Void.

I'm experiencing a loss. I've been living in this world of mine, and the lives of my characters, for the last month solid, as I completed my YA urban fantasy and edited it. Edits are complete, I'm now shipping it off to my CP and Beta reader, and I feel a sort of...void. It feels weird to not sit down at the computer and pull up the story. It feels weird to not submerse myself in my heroine's world any more.

Time to write the sequel! ;-)

I suppose I should start it, since it's fresh in my mind, and the story will continue linearly, but I think I need to take a small break. For about a week. Then I will sharpen the pencils, dust off the keyboard, and pick up again. For now, I'll just have to occupy my spare time with other things.

It's funny, I get attached to my characters like they're real people sometimes. I care about them. They are, after all, my kids. I have to help them along the way, help them grow. Some of them are malleable, some of them are broken, and I can't fix them, so I don't try. I just let them be. But I like them all the same. And I miss them when our time together is over.

I wonder if I'll last the week?

In Defense of Pantsing. (Yes, Really!)

Let me start by saying I have never been a fan of Pantsing, or "seat-of-your-pants" writing. It makes no sense to me. Not only that, but the likelihood of running into the dreaded Writer’s Block multiplies when you Pants write. Granted, most novels I begin I write in “Pants mode,” and once I’ve written the first chapter or so, out comes the trusty pen and paper and I outline the rest. Because I'm a Plotter. From start to finish, and I make notes along the way on all the characters. So, by the time I write it out, I am sure of the What, Why, When, Where and How.

I surprised myself this weekend. As in, I made a startling realization. I’m sure all other writers know this, but I am somewhat new to the “Ah-ha Moment” party, so forgive me if this is old news.

Pantsing might actually be better than Plotting. At least, for ME.

Why do I make this claim? Because with any novel I’ve ever written, I’ve always plotted it out, and I stay with that plot, and there it is. Because I’m sort of a control freak when it comes to my writing. I am The Boss.

I’m currently writing a novel, and I will be honest, I have no idea how it’s going to turn out. It’s simply coming out of my brain, one sentence at a time, and I don’t have a plot. I’m simply watching it unfold as I go. I already have 52K on it, and I’m enjoying the process immensely, to my surprise.

BUT, since I’m monstrously insecure about having no firm plot, I gave what I had so far to a friend, for her honest opinion. And she liked it. A lot. And one of her comments was that it didn’t have the usual “info dumps” in it that a lot of books have.

And I realized, to my joy, there wouldn’t be. Because the backstory and motivations for everything are coming out as I write, and being revealed slowly, because even I don’t know what they are.

So, when I “Pants” write—does that mean I’m a better writer? Because I’m relinquishing control and essentially letting the characters dictate how things unfold—I info-dump less and the story is actually superior to what I usually write? I will admit, I’ve been surprised by some of the twists and turns my characters have taken. And if the end result is entertaining, even better, right?

So, there you have it. An argument for Pantsing! I wonder if other writers feel this way...

I Wrote.

Yesterday was a fluke. I won't lie. I promised myself writing would be a "treat" for me, once I got this whole house unpacked.

Then, yesterday happened. Got Hubby off to NYC for the week. Went to church. Came back home, assessed all the stuff I need to do this week, and told myself:

"You deserve the day off from unpacking."

And I did just that. I did exactly what I wanted to do, which was NOT unpack. I took a Sunday nap, (love those!) and when I woke up, I came down to the office and sat in front of my computer. Pulled up the story I was working on before we moved. Read some. Got lost in it. Started typing. And typing. And when I looked up a few hours later, it was dinnertime, and I'd written all the words out that had been locked up in my head for so many weeks.

I was reluctant to make dinner. But my boys (bless them for giving me space so I could write) were hungry. We had dinner. We hung out. They went to bed. I sat back at the computer.

I edited the scene I just wrote, until it felt right. It was midnight before I was ready for bed.

Unfortunately for me, I woke up this morning in the world of my characters. I am no longer estranged with them. I want to tell their story. They WANT me to tell their story. But I have to unpack. I gave myself a day, and now, it's back to business. But next week, when my self-imposed deadline expires and the house is unpacked, I WILL write more. I will get back on the computer and keep the story going.

It's good to be back.