L.J. Boldyrev | Blog

It's A New year!

2012-01-03T13:21:00.000-05:00

2012 started nice and cold here in NYC! But aside from that, I think it's going to be a great year. My crit partner, Kristi Helvig, is kicking us off over at Sisters in Scribe with the story of how she got her agent, and a few contest/giveaways, we're back at Tangled Fiction with all new stories, and I am cranking on my newest round of edits on my manuscript!

I'm not a big fan of resolutions, but goal setting is great. My main goal for this year is to sell this big sexy manuscript to the perfect editor. Someone who loves my characters just as much as my agent and I do. How about you? Big plans? Or do you like to take the baby steps?

Here's to a great new year!

I Heart School. And An Easy Chance To Win An ARC.

2011-10-20T10:37:00.002-04:00

My Tiny Human started school in September this year. She and I went from being together 24/7 for all four years of her life, to being apart for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. Now. This is where I could tell you that I cried the day I dropped her off and I've missed her and she had terrible separation anxiety. But I'd be lying.

It is GREAT! She loves school, her teacher is fantastic, and I have 6 hours to exercise, write, read, whatever I need to do. I told myself that my revisions would be done so fast and my house would never be cleaner, but yeah, that hasn't really happened. Still, this extra quiet time has done wonders for my mental health (and physical health, since I've had time to exercise).

But the downside to having school aged children, is remembering all the special dates. Good golly. And I volunteer for things, so I need to remember those dates, times and places as well. Oy!

I've been asked to come in and do a school visit next week with her class and talk about writing, so I will definitely let you know how that goes!

Anybody else with Tiny Humans that started school this year? how are you spending that time? Writing, I hope!

And we have a new tangle started by me at Tangled Fiction if you're in the mood for some short fiction and crossroads demons. I might just do an impromptu ARC giveaway (I may or may not have in my possession, an ARC of THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwabb and it is fantastic) or something to some random person who reads and comments on the Tangled Fiction Blog. Either at Livejournal, or Blogger, either one is fine. Happy reading/writing!

Second Draft = First Draft - 10%

2011-10-13T09:30:00.002-04:00

This is a formula learned by Stephen King back in his early years of multiple (multiple!) rejection slips. Like Mr. King, I find my writing style to be the opposite. I write a fast paced, skimpy first draft, and then add the meat later. But I'm just now figuring out what that really means.

I'd worry about themes, and character arcs and motivations, all of the things a good writer should be worried about. But I'm realizing now that I think I worried about them at the wrong time. I don't outline. I don't plot my first draft. I can't. I've tried, and it kills my creativity. Just...*bang*. Dead. I start with something--a situation, a character, a first line--and I go with the flow from there. Granted, I would probably save myself some revision time if I thought ahead, but that's just not how I work. I'm noticing now as I'm on draft # (I care not to mention the number) that I DO have themes! Or at least, snipits of things that I can make resonate, things I can flesh out and bring to the foreground and make thematic! OMG! And I have symbolism! What!? For real. It's all there. And I didn't even try.

I wish I'd come to this revelation sooner, and had I finished this amazing book called On Writing a little sooner, I probably would have. But I'm not one to dwell on shoulda, coulda, woulda.

I'm not saying every story needs themes or symbolism nestled in there. I don't think they all do, but if you find it, go with it. Why not, right?

Another question we tend to stress over is the "what's it all about?". What was my book all about? What was I trying to say with it? Why did I spend so many hours hunched over my keyboard, forgetting to eat, or shower, or wear suitable clothing? This is another question best saved for draft #2, not the first draft. At least, in my case. I can't speak for the rest of you.

During the first draft stage, you might keep this one tucked away in the back of your mind, I try to. But I personally can't decide what I want to say until it's done. You don't want to sit down before you write and think to yourself, "Well, I'm just going to teach these kids that doing drugs is a bad idea." Because then your manuscript of going to reek of morality. And if you want to write an honest work of fiction, you don't want to do that. I mean, unless that the sort of book you want to write. I don't want to step on any toes or anything.

So that's basically it. Often bringing these things to light in what you've already written takes a great deal of cutting (killing those pretty little darlings) and moving, shaping, rewriting. But when you sit back and read what you've written, and it actually resembles a real story, it's so worth it.

Does anyone here follow this formula? Start of with a whopper and file it down to the good stuff? Please share!

Win A 30 Page Crit From Sisters In Scribe!

2011-09-15T10:10:00.000-04:00

Once again, the writing community has come together to raise funds for the American Red Cross, this time to provide relief for Hurricane Irene victims. And Kristi, Valerie, and myself are happy to be a part of it!

Read for Relief opened the bidding for a 30 page crit from EACH of us! That's three 30 page crits on your YA or MG manuscript! Come check out the auction website and browse the other items up for grabs, along with ours! Happy bidding and good luck!

Bidding closes at 10:00PM EST, Saturday.

Gettin' Back In the Groove!

2011-09-01T10:51:00.001-04:00

Summer is winding down. My big kid is back in school (2nd grade!!!) and my Tiny Human starts pre-k next week, so I am back in writing mode! Of course, writing mode never truly stops, but my blog hiatus has been long enough. I've missed you all.

You'd think after taking about a month off that I'd have something awesome to blog about, but alas, I do not. I could ramble on about my mandatory evacuation, thanks to Hurricane Irene, that turned into a party with my folks out in the sticks, but you don't want to hear about that.

*whispers* Husband is no longer a tattoo virgin.

But I want to hear about you! How was your summer? Did you get a lot of writing done, or are you a total summer slacker? What have I missed in the blogosphere! Did you attend Write On Con? My super awesome agent, Sara Megibow, was a guest during one or more of the chats!

Starting Monday, our Spring/Summer hiatus at Tangled Fiction ends! We're coming back with a brand new tangle, started by me on September 5th, so be ready!

Updates! And Apologies.

2011-08-11T15:25:00.001-04:00

Have you checked out Sisters in Scribe lately? We have another fab giveaway happening! Up for grabs is an autographed copy of BAD TASTE IN BOYS by our zombie-loving friend, Carrie Harris! We're only selecting one top entry for the book, but I MIGHT have something special for our second and third faves. *wink*

In other news, you remember back in April when Natalie Parker, Valerie Kemp and I (Tangled Fiction) said we were taking a spring hiatus, and we'd be back in May? And then May came and went. And then so did the rest of the summer? Yeah. About that. We feel TERRIBLE for abandoning the blog for so long, but we've had good reason! You already know my news, but Valerie and Natalie have had their own share of excitement this summer! We have an update up on the TF blog, so be sure to check that out! We are STOKED to be back in the saddle. We've missed you guys! Also on blogger.

My agent, Sara Megibow, now has a monthly blog spot at Romance University! Even if you don't write romance, I still recommend giving Sara a read. I'm a little bias, yes, but she is awesome!

As for this blog and all it's patheticness, I'm afraid that'll continue at least until September. I'm super busy with edits (Sara cracks a mighty whip) and summer vacation! And I hope you are too. ;)

Oh, Monday. And Frogs.

2011-07-25T12:25:00.001-04:00

It is Monday again already. How did this happen?! So you may have noticed I haven't blogged much, and I swear I have a good reason! You know, besides being up to my eyeballs in edits and trying to balance that with summer vacation with my kids.

We've had a major heat wave here in NYC and because of this extreme heat, our power was down for nearly three days. No Internet. No TV. No lights or air conditioning. It was brutal. But I survived! And so did my family and my pets. There were no casualties, save for one fish that is unaccounted for. But I am blaming his disappearance on the monster belly of my growing catfish.
*sigh*

Today is my dad's 60th birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! I LOVE YOU! And he's stuck in a hospital two states away. I tell ya, moving away from home is not all it's cracked up to be. But not to worry, he's a tough old biker. He'll be fine.

Back to that heat wave. We were all a little loony in my house those days when the temps were above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Loonier than usual. My daughter (7 years old) was crouching on the couch with her knees bent up by her ears, making *ribbit* noises and pretending to catch flies with her tongue, (this is really a totally normal thing for her, not at all heat induced) and my husband walked by and she said, "Daddy, I'm a frog."

Really? A Frog? Not a chicken? I was totally leaning toward chicken.

This got me thinking about writing, as most things do. Especially when my whole body feels like melty goo and I CAN'T work on my book because I have no electricity and my laptop is a tiny dinosaur who has the battery life of... something that only has a 30 minute charge. I can't even think of anything that sucks battery life that bad.

So. Writing. It was obvious she was pretending she was a frog, right? You got that too? And yet she still felt that she had to tell my husband. We do this in our writing. We all do this. Don't fib. I can see your soul.

We tell. Even when we think we're showing.

We can describe something, a feeling or emotion, so perfectly, and then we still end up tagging it with the emotion we're trying to describe. (ex. My heart raced with fear.)

This is where amazing crit partners, and lots of hours spent in the revision cave come in handy. Turning yesterday's crap into a little less crap.

I had a point here. I know I did. I think it was something like "trust your reader." Readers are a highly intelligent breed. They'll pick it up.

If it walks like a duck...or hops like a frog.

Winners!

2011-07-21T10:49:00.001-04:00

Guys, thank you all SO much for the well-wishes and congratulations. You made celebrating my good news completely awesome, and I could never thank you enough. But you don't want to read all my gushy thoughts, so on to the winners!!!!

Thanks to the Truly Random Number Generator, the winner of an ARC of Marie Lu's LEGEND is

Mary B!!!!!!

And the winner of the signed pre-order of Miranda Kenneally's CATCHING JORDAN is

Yasemin!!!!!!

I will be emailing both of the winners today! Thanks again for helping me celebrate and an extra big thanks to those of you who helped spread the word via twitter, facebook, and blogs. You rock!

Hopefully we'll be celebrating lots more good news in the future!

News! And The First Post Where I Use The Words “My” and “Agent!”

2011-07-07T10:00:00.042-04:00

Sooo my title probably ruins the surprise a little bit, huh? This is the news I have been promising you on twitter and facebook! I’ve signed with an agent!

Me!

A real, live agent! Not to be confused with a not-live one. Like a plastic one. Or rubber.

My story is a short, fast-paced, crazy-lucky one. The condensed version: I received offers! And I accepted one!

Miranda Kenneally (author of CATCHING JORDAN, Dec. 2011) had already read my manuscript. And she kinda loved it, even though she’s a contemp writer, and my manuscript is...not contemp. And Miranda knows I’ve always fancied her agent, Sara Megibow.

***You all probably remember when Sara Megibow was a guest judge on the Sisters in Scribe blog, yes? If not, that post is here. Sara is fantastic! She’s professional, assertive, super nice, and about a zillion other gushy things.***

My situation was a little different than most, so Miranda emailed Sara and gave me a referral! Sara read my query letter, and requested the full. There were phone calls, and thoughtful consideration of all of my agent options (options!), and in the end, it was Sara Megibow who won my heart.The perfect match for me and my fledgling career.

I have signed with Sara Megibow of the Nelson Literary Agency!!!!

(I am also REALLY bad at photoshop)

*confetti*

And to celebrate, I’m giving away books from Nelson Agency authors!

First up, an advanced reader copy of Marie Lu’s YA dystopian, LEGEND (Putnam Children's, Nov. 2011), courtesy of Sara Megibow! Thanks, Sara!

ANNNND I’ve also got a SIGNED pre-order of CATCHING JORDAN (Sourcebook, Dec. 2011) by Miranda Kenneally up for grabs! This will be a final copy, but you won’t get it until Nov-Dec. Thanks, Miranda! *squishy hug*

To enter, fill out the form below. Contest ends Wednesday, July 20th at 11:59pm EST. TWO winners will be randomly chosen and announced on Thursday, July 21st. I’m not requiring you to be a follower of any blogs, or to spread the word via social networking sites, but I’d sure appreciate it if you did. Giveaway IS international. Yay!

Thanks, y’all!

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;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And if for some odd reason that form didn't load for you, you can find it here.

And, and if you want to double your chances of winning a copy of CATCHING JORDAN, Miranda is having a contest at her blog. You can win an ARC of her book, or a crit from our agent, Sara Megibow, or a crit from YA authors, Sarah Skilton or Jennifer Shaw Wolf, and a number of other awesome prizes. Ends July 10th at 11pm EST.

Under Construction.

2011-06-30T18:58:00.002-04:00

Just ignore my mess. Pretty please.

Elvis Lives!

2011-06-23T10:55:00.000-04:00

It is summer! Finally! The warm weather is here, the kids are home until September, and I am in full mom mode. Which, unfortunately, leaves very little time for blogging, reading, and writing. If I post infrequently, please forgive me. I've got the summer fun bug.

As you may know, and if you didn't you do now, I am a big Elvis Presley fan. I think he's the most beautiful man that ever lived, and his voice belongs to some supernatural being of awesomeness. Sooo naturally, when I hear that an Elvis impersonator is doing a free concert at the beach fair, I HAD to go. Even though it was Father's Day and I'm pretty sure my husband was a teensy bit jealous. Seriously, babe, the real thing is long gone and nobody compares to you. Mwah. So we took the kids to the beach for the day and then parked on the grass for the concert. I saw "Elvis" when they were setting up the stage and had to run up there and say hello. He was super nice and took a picture with me. I warn you, he looks nothing like The King, but still, he was awesome.

I give you Elvis, the Italian version from Jersey.

He told me if I came back up after his concert, he'd take another photo wearing his costume, but we left an hour into the show. Kids needed to go to bed, although my oldest did not want to leave. She stood by the stage the whole time we were there. "Elvis", by day known as Anthony Liguori Jr., waved at me from the stage while he was singing and then brought me a scarf, which my girl confiscated and wore all night.

This is the very short (battery died) video I took where he waved at me. :) It's a small wave, and then my camera got all shaky because...well because he waved at me.

As you can hear from that short clip, he was awesome! Sounded VERY much like Elvis, and he was a great performer. If he's ever in your area, check him out!

I hope you're all enjoying your summer!

Announcement of Awesome!

2011-06-11T08:27:00.000-04:00

For a friend. This particular announcement is not my own.

Remember when we (Valerie, Natalie and I) decided that we were going to write one story a week at Tangled Fiction? And everyone said we were crazy?

Natalie has proved to be the craziest of our bunch. Stop by her blog and congratulate her on her big announcement, and to partake in her blind joy!! You don't want to miss it.

Hiatus

2011-06-07T13:50:00.000-04:00

I know my blog posts here are sporadic at best, but it is summer and I am outdoorsy. I won't be doing a whole heck of a lot of blogging over the next few months--very busy schedule!

But for great posts about books and writing you can check out Sisters in Scribe. My scribe sister, Valerie, is out of the country for a while so she might not be posting much, but Kristi is an admitted over-achiever. You can always count on her Tuesday posts! And my Thursday posts will be there as well as a Contest Monday and a Friday Book Recommendation.

Hope you're having a fantastic summer!

*back to baking my strawberry pies*

Summertime Hideaway!

2011-06-02T14:27:00.000-04:00

I've been slacking a little lately. Or distancing myself from my WIP, rather. Yes. That.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Weekend! Mine was a success. With my grilling skills, yes, but I mean with my summer-spot hunting. New York is a very crowded place. I don't think a spot exists within the city limits that is not cluttered with people.

Except this one.

And I like you, I really do. But I'm not telling you where this is because it is MINE! Precious.

It is a part of the beach near my house. (I live on an island. Sounds exotic. It's not.) Apparently, not a lot of folks like to hang out on the beach that has more shells than sand and smells like dead sea creatures because the tide comes in and drops them off in shallow pools for the birds to eat. But I like it just fine. Because it is EMPTY! Seriously, I felt like I spent the afternoon in a Dystopian novel. Or like I'd turn a corner and see Mary chopping the head off of a water-logged Mudo.

There were a few inhabitants.

But they're really very quiet. I do believe I've found my new writing spot. Have you a favorite hideaway?

Self-Editing Tips!

2011-05-26T16:05:00.001-04:00

While I’m waiting for notes on my WIP from my Scribe Sisters, I’ve been doing some research on things, including agents, revisions, candle making, how to properly skin an animal (don’t ask), and I’ve come across some gems.

Mostly on the revision thing.

Cheryl Klein, an editor at Scholastic, has this fantastic recap of a talk she did for an SCBWI conference on revising and self-editing. The full speech is also there for your reading pleasure.

http://www.cherylklein.com/id21.html

Literary agent Natalie Fischer (Bradford Lit) recently posted a great recap of her talk at an SCBWI event on the revision process.

http://adventuresinagentland.blogspot.com/2011/05/ponder-polish-perfect-how-to.htm

YA author Holly Cupala (Tell Me a Secret) has compiled a huge list of posts from various authors, illustrators and industry pros on revision!

http://www.hollycupala.com/2009/08/revision-tips-galore.html

Hopefully you find these links as useful as I have. Happy revising!

*****

In other news, if you haven't seen the amazing book trailer for Carrie Harris's debut BAD TASTE IN BOYS, go do that immediately! My critique partner Valerie Kemp created it!

It's Friday, Friday

2011-05-20T09:59:00.002-04:00

Into each life some rain must fall.

2011-05-19T15:12:00.000-04:00

And fall it has. Literally. We've had rain showers for three days straight, but it lightened up some today. Long enough for me to get six lavender plants in the ground, sweep up a giant pile of maple seed helicopters (I don't know what they're supposed to be called, but they spin like helicopter blades when you drop them), and take M for a bike ride.

I should probably be working on something while my crit partners are reading GREYSKIN, but I'm taking the time to enjoy the warm weather and the outdoors. Nature puts me back in touch with Charlie, my MC. She's quite the nature girl herself. Which makes me wonder, writers, do you find yourself doing things your MC would normally do, or does your MC enjoy some of the things that you enjoy? I think Charlie is a bit of both for me. I put a lot of myself in to her, and she's put a lot of herself in to me.

But she's still way cooler than me.

All Good Things...

2011-05-14T09:03:00.000-04:00

The contest at Sisters in Scribe was a huge success! And tons of fun! Sara Megibow is fantastic. We closed entries at 11:59pm on Saturday, and by Tuesday she had picked her top three winners. Stop by the blog to see who won!

This week NYC has seen some fantastic weather! Sunny and 70 degrees. FINALLY! I got my climbing rose bush and my clematis transplanted, I planted a bunch of herbs, including one of my favorite smells--lavender, my lilac trees are in full bloom, and I got a few hours out in the sun with a book. And now it's cold and rainy for the next four days. *sigh*

I've read two awesome books this week: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready. Both are fantastic! I'm trying to get into a contemporary right now and I'm finding I have to force myself on this one. But I've heard so many great reviews, I am willing to give it a chance. You read anything good lately?

So why all this free time, you ask? Shouldn't she be revising?

I should! But I think an important part of revising is distancing yourself from your manuscript. I've busted my hump over rewriting the entire last half of my WIP (again) and now it's time for some space. I've sent him home with Krist and Valerie for the time being. I trust he is in good hands. This is not the first time my crit partners have read this manuscript, but this is the first time I've actually missed it when I'm not working on it. I'm taking this as a very good sign.

Agent Pitch Contest at Sisters in Scribe!

2011-05-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

Today is the big day! At Sisters in Scribe, we have opened the entry window for our140 character pitch contest! Entries will be judged by the fabulous Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary. Sara has offered a 30 page manuscript review to the winner!

Stop on by and please read the full contest details before entering!
http://www.sistersinscribe.com/2011/05/contest-of-epic-awesome-with-agent-sara.html

Charlaine Harris in NYC

2011-05-05T09:11:00.000-04:00

Tuesday night I hopped on the Harley (on the back--I'm not that cool) and rode into Manhattan with my husband for the release and book signing of DEAD RECKONING, book 11 in the Southern Vampire Mysteries (True Blood) by Charlaine Harris. I will admit, I was a little bit starstruck. Most of the pictures that my husband took, I'm making crazy faces, or squealing like the fangirl that I am. So I'll just share these ones with you.

I took my smaller camera, which takes kind of crappy pictures, because I went on the bike and my big camera is...big.

That is me on the right in the tan sweater.

Charlaine Harris was the author who got me back in to reading. The minute I picked up DEAD UNTIL DARK, I was hooked in the world she'd created, and totally in love with her characters. Because of this, I started writing. I even named my protagonist in my current WIP after Charlaine. Her books are for adults, and I write YA, but I didn't chose YA. It chose me, I suppose (in fact this is the ONLY adult series I read, ha!). There are so many great YA authors who have inspired me, but when I look back, Charlaine and Sookie were what made me realize I was a writer. My favorite quote from this signing was from Harris: "Writer's are born, not made." She didn't mean that you're born a great writer, you do have to write and learn how to write well.

Charlaine answered questions for about thirty minutes and then for the next two hours or so she signed books. She is a signing machine. By the time she got to me, about an hour into signing, her signature was still perfect. During the Q & A fans asked the general questions about her writing process, which now consists of a lot of the business side and not as much writing as she'd like to do, how much coffee she drinks (three cups in the morning), and how she feels about the differences Alan Ball made between the books and the show (she thinks he's fantastic, and she wishes she had thought of Jessica).

The thing I found most interesting was that, despite the fact she'd written mysteries for years before she wrote the first Sookie Stackhouse novel, it took two years for her agent to sell it. Mainly because nobody knew where to put it on a shelf. When she wrote the book, she thought it would be fun to have a mystery series that involved the supernatural, melding mystery and urban fantasy together. Then she thought if she threw in a juicy sex scene for Sookie, she could get the romance readers too. And when the question "Where do we shelve this?" came up, Harris said "everywhere". A logical answer, for sure!

It was an amazing opportunity for me to be able to meet her. Her Sookie novels have inspired me in so many ways. I do believe it is important for writers to read and gather inspiration from "the masters" of literature, especially in your chosen genre, and not only the current super hits (Sookie, Twilight, Harry Potter, etc), but the thing that inspires me most about Charlaine Harris's Sookie novels, is just how much I love them. How immersed in that world I become when I sit down to read. That is what I want to do to readers. That is what is so inspiring. And that is how I knew I was a writer.

Have you had the chance to meet some of your favorite authors? Who inspires you?

***

Tomorrow is the big day at www.sistersinscribe.com! We open up for entries into our first ever agent participant contest ! So perfect those twitter pitches, and we'll see you there tomorrow!

Get Those Pitches Ready!

2011-05-02T11:53:00.000-04:00

To say thanks to all 500+ awesome followers at sistersinscribe.com we've decided to have a contest! This one is for writers! Stop by the blog to get the details. Contest officially opens FRIDAY MAY 6th! so perfect those pitches! We've got a special guest judge who has offered up quite an amazing prize to her favorite entry.

In other news, I'm sure we've all heard about the devastation in the south due to wildfires and tornadoes. The writing community is at it again, taking donations for yet another fabulous benefit auction. If you've got something to donate (books, swag, critiques, etc) stop on by http://helpwritenow.blogspot.com and sign up! And be sure to keep checking back for the auctions.

She Swallowed the Cat to Catch the Bird

2011-04-25T15:26:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter Sunday or a lovely regular Sunday, which ever you prefer.

Today the sun is shining! OMG! I KNOW! (See this post.) And I am, of course, outside enjoying every minute of it. I bought myself some pink hyacinth the other day and finally had a nice enough day to plant it outside in my flowerbed.

I haven't worked in those beds for a full year and they needed some dirt. Dirt is in the garden shed. Garden shed is always full of spiders in the spring. I braced myself for this as I unlocked the door. Snakes, rodents, I can handle any of them. But spiders? My brain completely cuts off and I go in to freak-out mode. I have been known to slap myself pink if there is a spider on me.

*Pulled open the door*

Spiders scattered everywhere! Well, okay, like three of them crawled away. And I bent over to grab a big bag of dirt and I see the mess. Rats have moved in to my garden shed.

If you've followed my blog (or twitter of facebook even) you know I have these in my house.

And they are completely spoiled and I love them very much. But you can see even from this photo that they like to make messes. They love to dig and rip things apart, like newspaper and fabrics and wood. The unwelcome rats in the garden shed dug into two 50lbs bags of garden soil, and shredded countless unused trash bags, pulling the pieces inside my bags of dirt. And they also ate holes in the back wall and the floor.

I had a "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly" moment, wondering if I could rent a snake to chase the rats away. Somehow I doubt a pet store would let me rent a snake. I can't kill them (see above picture) but how do I get rid of them? I'm going to try some "Critter Ridder" which is basically black pepper. Squirrels cant stand the smell of it, so maybe it'll work on these guys too. If not, I'll try peppermint oil.

And now I'm rambling.

In other news! My Scribe Sisters and I will be hosting a fabulous contest over at our blog, www.sistersinscribe.com to celebrate hitting 500 fabulous followers! We'll have something awesome for writers, but also some great YA reads for you readers that follow us. Details to come at the SIS blog. You will have to be a followers there to enter. :)

It's Not Procrastination!

2011-04-21T09:23:00.001-04:00

I swear it's not!

When I get stumped in a project, or just need to get back in touch with my characters, I turn to music and www.weheartit.com

If you haven't ~~wasted~~ spent some time browsing the collection of images there, you totally should! I've found so many that are PERFECT representation for my wip. Like this one, for example:

That is so completely Jack and Charlie! Really, this post was an excuse for me to share that picture with you. The downside is that I have no idea who the owner is. Is it yours? :D

What's your favorite ~~procrastination~~ inspiration exercise?

Sweet Summertime

2011-04-18T13:04:00.000-04:00

Summer seriously needs to move its arse over to NYC. It's cold. It's wet. And squirrels are claiming the nuts they buried in my flowerbed. Thankfully, I have not yet planted my petunias.

I've been listening to a lot of summery songs lately on my music player--mainly country music because I'm cool like that--to help me get into the spirit. Maybe I can coax Summer my way by thinking about her. She's a vain one, that Summer.

Last year my family and I went camping with my folks over in Pennsylvania, my home state. We spent the day at a nearby amusement park--ferris wheels are WAY less fun than I remember--our evenings sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows, and somewhere in between we caught crawfish in the river. We are proud country folk. It was heavenly. And I want to do it again, but it feels like that warm weather is never coming back! Melodramatic, I know. We had a nice day last week, sunny and close to 80 degrees, but it was just a tease. Summer, you tease.

Has summer weather graced your state with her golden, glowing, t-shirt-wearing presence? So jealous.

Sisters in Scribe

2011-04-17T21:17:00.000-04:00

We've changed our web address over at Sisters in Scribe, and can now be found at www.sistersinscribe.com! If you're following us at our old address, don't worry. You don't need to do anything. ;)

And if your not following us, well get to it! We're planning a 500 followers celebration and we're only TWO away from our goal!

Buy A Shirt, Help Japan!

2011-03-26T10:40:00.000-04:00

I posted a while back about Writer's For The Red Cross where you could donate $25 to the Red Cross and pick out a book, or bid on fabulous writing/book related prizes. Now I want to share these awesome t-shirts!

A high-school friend of mine (who is a nurse and a fabulous model and you should check her out) just showed me the t-shirts her fiance Raj Belani (photographer, graphic designer) designed. All donations go directly to The Red Cross.

About the design:

The red circle obviously represents Japan's flag. The gridded nation is supposed to represent the "building block" of Japan. The crack represents just that, a minor crack. Regardless of the magnitude of the earthquake, it's just a minor crack, and Japan being one of the strongest nations, will overcome it. The flourishing flowers represent regrowth...and the person donating to receive one of these items represents hope for someone who was affected by these events.

Awesome, yes? For more info, visit Raj's blog.

It's March 23rd And My Yard Is Covered In Snow

2011-03-23T09:01:00.000-04:00

And I would be very sad right now, except that Simon Hay is hosting me at his blog today! I talk about writing, but also some personal stuff too. And there are pictures from my youth! Who doesn't love those?

Stop by and check it out! Simon is quite an interesting guy. He's a medium, a healer, and a writer! Definitely a one-of-a-kind guy, and one of the nicest people I've come across. Come check it out!

Teen Author Festival 2011

2011-03-20T17:04:00.000-04:00

Another amazing Teen Author Festival came to a close today with a mega book signing at Books of Wonder in NYC. 45 authors showed up to sign their books and take pictures with fans. Among them were authors Lisa McMann, pictured below, Elizabeth Eulberg, Maggie Stiefvater, Ellen Hopkins, David Levithan, and many more.

This was the only event I was able to attend this year (the reading in my borough unfortunately had to be cancelled and I was unable to attend the other four) but it was a great one! TAF is organized by author/editor David Levithan and is hosted in NYC every March. If you're planning a trip to NYC, I suggest coming for TAF. You'll meet an amazing group of authors and other like-minded individuals. Definitely worth the trip.

Writers For The Red Cross

2011-03-17T15:44:00.000-04:00

Before you go out and purchase a new book, check out Writers for the Red Cross. If you donate $25 to the Red Cross via WFTRC, you'll be sent a book of your choosing from what they have on their donated shelves.

Debbie from inkyelbows, is also donating a hand-illustrated custom poem to the highest bidder. Her package will be up for auction until March 20th. Details on that here.

They have a lot of great books on hand, but only a limited supply available, so if you can, donate today, and please spread the word!

********************************************************

And in other news, my critique partner Valerie Kemp is featured at Dear Teen Me today with a letter to her 13 year-old self. You truly don't want to miss what she has to say.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Deadlines Don't Have to be Damning

2011-03-10T12:44:00.000-05:00

Writing for Tangled Fiction has taught me a lot in terms of character and plot structure, but also self-discipline. The only time I'd ever written under a deadline was when I'd gotten my editor's notes for Parallel, my short story that was published in the Rebel Moon anthology, and that was a piece of cake compared to TF deadlines.

Twenty-four to forty-eight hours is not a lot of time to come up with something out of the blue, especially when it has to match what's already written. And if you aren't in a writing mood, it's that much worse. I'm all for stepping away from the manuscript, distancing yourself until you're in a more relaxed state of mind and you can let the creativity flow, but sometimes that isn't an option. Sometimes you're faced with a deadline. And if you aren't burdened by deadlines now, someday you will be!

I've written things that have come off as harried, and I've written things I've been much more proud of. I wish that I had some magical piece of advice that would give you exactly what you need to prevail in the face of evil thought-crushing deadlines, but I don't. All I can say is that deadlines don't have to be damning. Do not fear the deadline! But I think it's a great idea to condition yourself now so that when that five or however-many-page editorial letter comes, you're ready for it. You can do this. You can write something great even when your brain says you can't.

And if YOU have that magical piece of advice, I am so ready to hear it.

Rivers and Railroads

2011-03-04T12:08:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned before, this week is individual shorts week at Tangled Fiction . I posted my short UNTOUCHABLE this morning.

These are some pictures of the river and railroad near my home town, one of which was used as the visual for UNTOUCHABLE.

Thanks for looking!

The Fatty Ratties

2011-03-04T08:56:00.000-05:00

Back in January I had a birthday, and my gift (that I practically begged for for four years) were two little boy rats. This is them then, at about 5 weeks old:

And this is now at about 9 weeks old:

Aren't they adorable?

This week is individual shorts week at Tangled Fiction. I'll be posting my short UNTOUCHABLE a little bit later today. I grew up near the Susquehanna River and spent a lot of time on the railroad tracks and swimming in the river. I was feeling quite nostalgic when I wrote this short. Hope you'll come by and give it a read.

Match Made in Zombieland.

2011-03-01T17:19:00.001-05:00

I just got this text from Husband and it's too funny not to share with you.

"I was just in the bowels of a building in Manhattan. I had to climb two flights of stairs and then walk around with a flashlight. It was AWESOME. I kept thinking it would be a perfect place to hide from zombies."

This is the man that I love. <3

Also, this week is individual short week at Tangled Fiction. Natalie posted her short titled BUTTERFLY GIRL on Monday. Valerie will post hers on Wednesday, and I post mine on Friday. I suppose I need to go write it. >_<

A Cockroach Can Live 9 Days Without Its Head.

2011-02-28T13:31:00.001-05:00

True facts.

You will be happy to know that there have been no evil baby bug sightings since the garage rag incident. Or maybe you aren't happy to know that. Maybe you wanted me to find evil baby bugs. What kind of person are you?!

So. In case you've missed it, my critique partner, Valerie Kemp, is hosting part 2 of her Back from Branson giveaway. Up for grabs--your choice of one of 17 books by some of the authors who attended the Branson Retreat.

Sometimes Your Characters Outsmart You

2011-02-24T12:14:00.002-05:00

You've all seen those cheap horror films with the busty blonde babysitter, right? You know the one where she hears strange noises in the attic that can only be an evil killer-zombie-ghost with fangs? And she grabs a flashlight, because the electricity suddenly went out, and she climbs the stairs to investigate, armed with nothing but her um...wit.

***I tried to draw a cartoon here, but the girl looked like she had two watermelons stuck in her throat and a spaghetti noodle where an arm might be. I am not an artist.***

It might "work" in those movies, but it doesn't work in your book. Unless that's the kind of story you're writing. In that case, just turn away now.

Your character needs to have brains to make your story interesting and believable. When revising one of my manuscripts, I kept bumping up against this wall, trying to make my MC do something that she really didn't want to do. Something she would never do, because she's witty and clever, and what I was trying to force her into was stupid.

If you're trying to force your MC to put out a fire with a garden hose, instead of calling the fire department, she better have a darn good reason for it. If she doesn't, you might need to try a different approach.

Happy revising!

Evil bug sack! And a TF Short

2011-02-18T13:57:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I cleaned my garage yesterday, because the weather is FINALLY looking spring-ish, and I found this bag full of micro-fiber cloths that Husband uses to clean his motorcycle, the car, etc. I brought them in and threw them in the wash. Today I take them out of the washer--I know I should've done it yesterday, thanks, Mom--and guess what I found in the washer?

One of those roach egg-sac things!!!!! So I am completely skeeved-out now. I cleaned out the washer and flushed the evil baby bugs down the toilet, washed my hands a few times and ran the washer with nothing in it, just to be sure. Ugh. How gross is that?

Anyway, spring is in the air! But before you leave February in the garden soil, go check out the final tangled installment of HART'S RIDGE over at the Tangled Fiction blog! http://community.livejournal.com/tangledfiction/14468.html

Fiction and furry things

2011-02-05T09:45:00.000-05:00

I know I've been MIA from here for a while, but things should start to settle down soon. Dec/Jan are always crazy months for me.

This past week was individual short week at Tangled Fiction. Each of us posted an un-tangled full short. Stop on over to check those out! :D

Also, I got this for my birthday:

For this:

And this:

And their serious cuteness has taken a lot of my attention. :-)

They're names are Poe (after Edgar Allan) and Dowell (after Alexander Beliaev's sci-fi novel, Professor Dowell's head--one of Husband's favorite novels.) they're brothers from a litter born on Christmas and they are cute, and furry, and they are mine. :D

Must Have Books of 2011

2011-01-13T10:52:00.001-05:00

Like my Sisters in Scribe, Kristi and Valerie, I've set a reading plan/goal for 2011. My goal, is to read the books I already have before purchasing new ones. Except those must-have books that are coming out this year.

There are still a lot I must have from last year, like SLICE OF CHERRY! How I missed that release date is beyond me. But I plan on hitting up the bookstore on Friday night so that's covered. Yeah, outside of the plan BUT that book came out in 2010 and I had planned to buy it before I made the new year plan, so it's okay. Hush.

I honestly haven't paid much attention to a whole lot of the 2011 new releases, not because I don't want to, I've just been that busy. Some that I am aware of and must have are:

THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES by Carrie Ryan

FOREVER by Maggie Stiefvater

*Secret Novel* by Maggie Stiefvater

*no cover image*

BLOOD MAGIC by Tessa Gratton

BAD TASTE IN BOYS by Carrie Harris (and you guys should be ready for that one too--we *might* have something special over at SIS when it comes out.)

POSSESSION by Elana Johnson

THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab

HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire

*no cover image*

CORSETS AND CLOCKWORK by Various (includes a short by Dia Reeves)

And I'm just going to stop there because this list is really long.

What are some of your must-have books for 2011? Share so I can make said list even longer. Mwauahahahaha! (That's an evil laugh.)

Aquarius is the superior star sign

2011-01-07T12:46:00.000-05:00

There, I said it.

My birthday is coming up! January is a great month to be born. When you're a kid, your birthday parties are limited to indoor activities and it is often too cold or snowy for your party guests to actually show up. I was always envious of my June-born sister. But not anymore! Because January is a month made of awesome.

Tangled Fiction is back from our holiday break with a brand new story about arse-kicking girls in hoods, wielding axes, knives, and bows. And there's giant, smelly wolves.

Also, I've gotten over my writing funk, mostly, thanks to Natalie C Parker, and my Sisters in Scribe, Valerie Kemp and Kristi Helvig. I am now back on track with awesome ideas for whipping Greyskin into shape!

Any other Aquarians out there?

Snow Days!

2010-12-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone that celebrated had a wonderful Christmas! If you're celebrating Kwanza, Happy Kwanza!

NYC got hit with a major blizzard over the weekend and Husband had an extra day home from work. We spent it throwing snowballs at each other and the kids (Big A totally betrayed me and teamed up with Dad, but Little M was loyal and threw a great many powdery puffs at the both of them! Huzzah!), and chucking each other into snow banks. Much fun.

Until we had to be grown-ups and actually shovel the driveway and dig out the car.

I am back to the writing grind today and cleaning up my house in between line edits, so I will probably disappear on you again for a few days. At Sisters in Scribe we are still taking entries for our December Giveaway (international, ends Dec 31st) and over at Tangled Fiction we have our first public round table discussion, so hop over there to see wtf we were thinking when we started our tangles and to chime in with what you thought might have happened!

Happy New Year!

Holiday Giveaway and a New Short!

2010-12-06T12:02:00.000-05:00

Over at Sisters in Scribe, my scribe sisters and I are giving away 3 autographed YA books to 3 winners, ends Dec. 31st! Hop over there for the details and if you know of any other contests around the web, feel free to post it in our Mr. Linky meme.

In other news! Part 1 of BETHLEHEM, by me, is up on the TF blog! Here's a sneak peek! Hope you enjoy!

The last winter that time recorded started just like today, with a sky so bleak that you couldn’t tell where the earth ended and it began. It was the last winter I spent with my family in this same apartment, staring out this same window watching fat snowflakes fall. The last winter that would ever matter.

But it doesn’t matter today. Today I need food and things to burn. It’s light enough to start looking, but without the sun I can’t even guess the time. The sky is so thick and so gray, the city street so empty and muffled by snow, that it feels like I’m stuck in someplace in between.

Sunday Squirrel

2010-12-05T13:31:00.000-05:00

Spy Squirrel

*More about Sunday Squirrel*

Books on Writing

2010-12-02T10:14:00.000-05:00

I'm knee deep in revisions, so I thought I'd pick up a couple of books on writing this week, and both of them (so far) are excellent. Here they are.

Stephen King's On Writing

Part memoir, part cheerleader. Not so much a how-to book on writing, but more of an empowering and entertaining read from one of America's most beloved writers.

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell

This is the first book in this series that I've read. So far I'm really enjoying it. Some of the steps in this book might seem like a no-brainer to you, but some of us need it spelled out. If you're part of the former, it never hurts to have a good reminder.

There are a lot of great examples in here on scene structure, building suspense in dialog, creating a bond with your reader via your main character, character arc, plotting, revising, etc. There are different activities you can try out on your own to see what works and why.

I've been told this is a great series to go with and so far, I'd have to agree.

I'd like to hear your recommendations. Read any great books on writing recently? Have you read either of these two books?

Hanukkah!

2010-12-01T09:06:00.000-05:00

Hanukkah begins tonight at sundown!

The following comes from http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm

The Story

The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.

More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated.

According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war.

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Happy Hanukkah to all those celebrating! A freilichin Chanukah! Chag Urim Sameach! And enjoy those latkes!

Book Recommendation--Immortal Beloved

2010-11-29T19:04:00.000-05:00

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was one of those books I had a hard time putting down. I love history, so I LOVED Nastasya's flashbacks to her previous life. It almost felt like two books in one. And Reyn, the Viking god--yeah, who wouldn't love him? Great read!

If you've read it, what did you think?

View all my reviews

Full Shorts Week

2010-11-29T08:57:00.001-05:00

This week at Tangled Fiction, the girls and I have decided to each write 1 full short story to share with you all! I kick us off today with a short starring Jack and Charlie, the two main characters in my wip, GREYSKIN.

Here is a small teaser, but to read the full, you'll have to hop over to TF and check it out!

Jack stands beside me, mouth open, eyes wide, as we stare down into an empty trunk. The heat of the exhaust burns my leg through my jeans, but I can’t move away from it. The trunk is empty.

“Where the hell’d it go?” Jack asks.

I shake my head. “How’d it get out?”

Jacky slams the trunk closed and turns around to lean against it. I do the same. The cicadas buzz so loud out here at night it’s impossible to hear anything else, so there’s no point being on guard. Besides, not even Jack can outrun a pissed off vampire. After being knocked over the head with a tire iron, wrapped in silver chains, and thrown in a trunk, I’m sure I’d be pretty pissed too. Vampires aren’t known for their happy-go-lucky attitudes.

Thanks for reading! And I hope you check out the full story.
Happy Monday!

http://community.livejournal.com/tangledfiction/
http://tangledfiction.blogspot.com/

Sunday Squirrel

2010-11-28T07:28:00.000-05:00

Stretchy Squirrel

*More about Sunday Squirrel*

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T13:50:00.000-05:00

First, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! I hope everyone is enjoying family/friends/loved ones and good food right now, instead of reading this. But in case everyone you love is in a food coma and you're all by your lonesome, here are the top 5 writing related things I am thankful for.

1. My friends and family. My parents and siblings, my husband and my children. Even my in-laws, who are super awesome. I've been blessed with the people in my life. I could gush on about how amazing my husband is and how smart, cute, funny, well-behaved my kids are, but you don't want to hear all that. The people in my life support my writing and I think it's very important to any writer to have that support. And my mom gave me the awesome desk that I write on. :)

2. The ability to write! Like Kristi said, I am very thankful that I can write! It's what I love (read: need) to do, and I am thankful that I am able.

3. Critique partners! Without my Sisters, and writing friends, my writing would be nowhere near the level it is right now. I'm very grateful for all their time, patience, and hard work.

4. The Internet. Not only is it a fantastic marketing tool (you know, for whenever I'll actually have a book to market), but it's basically my only social outlet. Writing is a very solitary endeavor, and although my family and friends are supportive, they don't always get my obsession with pretty book covers, or the relationship I have with the people in my head. You guys do. Right?

5. The YA writing community. Writers both published and non, agented and still treading through the query trenches. You are all so helpful and supportive. Everyone believes in paying it forward. In helping each other. This kind of community is just invaluable. Many of you organize charities and events, like the season of love and hope auction that Valerie mentioned yesterday. There is the YA lit chat community. the Verla Kay blue boards. The countless blogs chock full of information for aspiring writers on everything from what books to read, to how publishing works, to who, how and when to query. You are all fantastic! Thank you all!

What are YOU thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

comic from http://www.inkygirl.com/

Bikers With Dolls

2010-11-23T07:58:00.006-05:00

I may or may not have mentioned that my husband and I ride. We also belong to a local riding club, formerly a HOG chapter that was forced to disband when our local dealership closed. The club has always done a toy run every year where each rider brings a donation of one new, unwrapped toy, and we ride together (with biker Santa and Mrs. Biker Clause--also club members) to a daycare center in an under privileged neighborhood where Santa meets the kids and gives everyone a toy. Afterward, we go party and listen to live music, but that's not the important part. OR the fun part.

Lots of bikers made lots of children happy, and not just on this day with our club and those who came out to support the event. I didn't take any of these pictures, so I am totally stealing them from the guys who did, but I just have to share. It was such an awesome day. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Biker Santa (also known as Bob)

I am somewhere to Santa's right (left side of the pic) in this one. See how many bikers showed up? :D And the NYPD escorted us all safely to the daycare. Thanks, NYPD!

That's only about half of the donated toys.

The girls and I taking names and toys. I am in the back, middle, and that cute lil reindeer up front is mine.

Our amazing escorts! If I get ticketed for going through all those red lights, I'm coming to them...

Some of the kids and families that came to see Santa!

And there is a few hundred more, but I'll stop here. HUGE thanks to all the riders who came out, to Santa Bob and his wife for being so awesome, and for the NYPD for keeping the NYC traffic at bay for hundreds of motorcycles. And thanks to you for looking!

Intense Debate

2010-11-22T12:06:00.004-05:00

One thing I love about lj is the threaded comments. Blogger, I adore your user friendliness, but you lack this feature, and that sucks. So I've added intense debate to my comments! If you don't have an intense debate account (but you should because it's pretty cool) and you don't want to make one, have no fear! You can sign in using open ID.

Website Launch!

2010-11-19T17:10:00.002-05:00

Do you remember my website with the cool flash animation, and the creepy desk, and flickering candle of awesome? Well, that's gone now.

*sniffle*

But! I have put up another website, a much more informative one, in it's place. I loved my old one, but flash doesn't work well for everyone, and I wanted it to be user friendly. Anywho, once I figure out how to recreate the website background in photoshop and then edit blogger, this will match a little better. I hope. But I am really terrible with photoshop so by the time I figure that out, I'll probably end up changing it all again.

Redesign!

2010-11-18T15:30:00.002-05:00

In case you were wondering, I am attempting to make my blog match my website @ ljboldyrev.com.

It won't look so crazy around here once I figure this out!

Tangled Fiction: This post brought to you by the letter 'T'

2010-11-15T08:37:00.000-05:00

Tangled Fiction: This post brought to you by the letter 'T': "We have an announcement to make. *ahem* We have heard from a few readers that they prefer waiting until Friday to read the full story all ..."

Sunday Squirrel

2010-11-14T18:54:00.004-05:00

This is one of my favorites. They store food inside this tree.

Tangled Fiction Fulls

2010-11-14T10:47:00.000-05:00

We now have an archive page on the TF blog where we will post links to the full stories as well as each individual part. lhttp://http://tangledfiction.blogspot.com/p/story-archive.html Sneak peek of IN THE CARDS, started by me, continued by Natalie C Parker, and concluded by Valerie Kemp!

The caravan sat up against an old wooden fence, covered in rust and moss like it had been puked out by the earth. Vintage, her older brother Lem had called it, but Nim knew better. Vintage meant trash.

She pulled her shawl around her shoulders, but the wind still bit her skin. She couldn’t go inside yet. Lem hadn’t given the signal. Tonight’s girl was blonde, her skin bronzed by the sun. Nim looked down at her own milky white hands. She’d never have tan skin. She’d never have anything the girl in the caravan had—money, friends. It wasn’t in the cards for her.

Follow the above link to read more of this one, and our second 3 part short, WHAT WISHES ARE MADE OF! Thanks for looking!

Author Interview with Carrie Harris!

2010-11-09T09:28:00.004-05:00

No, not here. But over at my critique group blog, Sisters in Scribe, Kristi has set up a fabulous interview with one of my favorite people, YA author, Carrie Harris! Carrie's debut novel BAD TASTE IN BOYS will be released July 12th 2011 and is available for pre-order now. With a cover like this, it's a must have.

About the book, from Carrie's (awesome) website:

Someone’s been a very bad zombie.

Super-smartie Kate Grable gets to play doctor, helping out her high school football team. Not only will the experience look good on her college apps, she gets to bethis close to her quarterback crush, Aaron. Then something disturbing happens. Kate finds out that the coach has given the team steroids. Except . . . the vials she finds don’t exactly contain steroids. Whatever’s in them is turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless, flesh-eating . . . zombies.

Unless she finds an antidote, no one is safe. Not Aaron, not Kate’s brother, not her best friend . . . not even Kate . . .

It’s scary. It’s twisted. It’s sick. It’s high school.

Please hop on over and check out Carrie's interview. If you aren't familiar with her, you want to be, and if you are, you know you love her.

Teen Fiction Contest!

2010-11-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

Teen fiction contest deadline is Nov. 11

Teens in grades seven through 12 can write a short story or a few chapters of a book, up to 10 typed pages, for a Teen Fiction Writing contest. The entry deadline is Nov. 11. Any genre, from contemporary, historical, fantasy, realistic, steampunk, horror or paranormal, is acceptable. The contest will coincide with a teen author event being held at Barnes & Noble on Route 59 in Nanuet at 3 p.m. Dec. 11.

The authors are Shannon Delany, author of “13 to Life”; Margie Gelbwasser, author of “Inconvenient”; Shari Maurer, author of “Change of Heart”; Jen Nadol, author of “The Mark”; and Jame Richards, author of “Three Rivers Rising.” They will read from their novels, talk about writing and publishing a book, and sign copies of their books.

The winner will get a 15-minute one-on-one critique with one of the authors before the Dec. 11 program and a signed copy of the author’s book. Entries may be e-mailed to shari.maurer@alumni.duke.edu or brought to the Nanuet Barnes & Noble store. Visit www.sharimaurer.com.

Sunday Squirrel

2010-11-07T08:06:00.004-05:00

As you may know, I'm a bit of a squirrel watcher. Only because I live in NYC and my wildlife interaction is limited to pigeons and squirrels, and the occasional rat. I've seen a raccoon, a few hawks, and a opossum before, but not often. Anyway, squirrels. They're cute and I like them, so I take pictures whenever they come to my yard. I post the pictures on my facebook every now and then, but I decided I want to start sharing them here. So I give to you Sunday Squirrel! :D Yay! Every Sunday (I will try to remember every single Sunday) I will post one picture of a squirrel that I've taken. Starting now.

>:)

2010-10-31T09:56:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Whether you're trick-or-treating, partying, or staying home and watching scary movies with a bowl full of popcorn with extra butter, be safe and enjoy!

I'm getting a 55 gallon fish tank (YAY!) today, but after I set that up, I will be taking my tiniest human, a ballerina, to a few of our neighbor's houses to beg for candy. Then we'll be watching scary movies (after she's in bed) and passing out candy! But not too much candy because I need leftovers. I deserve them. Yes.

What are you up to tonight?

----------

And don't forget, Monday, new story at Tangled Fiction, started by me. This one will be told on Mon, Wed, and Fri in three parts only.

Official Announcement!

2010-10-29T11:27:00.003-04:00

I've mentioned here recently that there were going to be some changes at Tangled Fiction. As October comes to a close (with one of the coolest holidays ever), we've made the official announcement on the Tangled Fiction blog! Hop on over there to check it out!

Change is a good thing.

Tangled Fiction

2010-10-27T17:16:00.003-04:00

My contribution and the finale to UNCHARTED, our second collaborative short is up on the Tangled Fiction Blog!

There will be some changes made on TF! Starting November 1st, we will be posting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, giving you one full story a week instead of a month!!

We'll kick things off with a piece started by me! Don't miss it. Um...Please.

Inspiration from Libba Bray

2010-10-20T13:26:00.004-04:00

The following comes from a recent blog post by YA author Libba Bray. It was written in response to a teen girl with a life-choice dilemma: Do what she wants with her life, or do what will make the adults in her life happy. I applaud Libba (and it's not the first time) for writing this and for sharing it with the world. I WISH someone had told me this when I was a teen.

http://libba-bray.livejournal.com/58659.html

Teens, what *you* should be doing.

"Listening to music. Eating pizza before your metabolism goes to hell. Dancing. Spending a Friday night with your friends at the local playground having conversations about life, liberty, love, and Lady Gaga while sitting on a merry-go-round. Reading great books. Reading trashy books. Inventing personas. Trying on identities. Learning to drive. Going to concerts and games. Playing sports. Disdaining all of the above. Creating random Facebook pages filled with quotes you love one day and find hopelessly déclassé the next. Making art. Examining your hair for split ends. You should have the luxury of occasional boredom so you know what it feels like and so you know how to respond to its inspiration. You should not be so overscheduled and exhausted. Teenagers are not supposed to be mini-adults or over-achieving automatons. There is supposed to be a long on-ramp to adulthood."

Rebel Books Halloween Sale!

2010-10-20T10:45:00.007-04:00

Right now, if you buy a copy of REBEL MOON (includes a werewolf short by me) you'll get MISERABLE MIDDLES for 5.99 British Pounds (converts to about $9 USD). This offer is available only through twitter and facebook, not on the website, so for more details, you need to send an email to RebelBooks at hotmail dot com with the subject "Happy Halloween"! If you happen to get a copy of Rebel Moon, I would absolutely LOVE to hear from you!

http://rebelbookspublishing.co.uk/default.aspx

REBEL MOON

(An Anthology of supernatural tales)

by Various

Have you ever wondered what Death would look like if he approached you at a bus stop? Or what would happen if a vampire’s chosen victim turned out to be more than they had bargained for?

Rebel Moon is a collection of stories that will whisk you into worlds of vampires, werewolves and witchcraft so prepare yourself for a bumpy ride as sometimes the dead have more of a life than the living and if this book teaches you anything it is to always expect the unexpected!

From the teen witches you wouldn’t want to cross in One Witch Down to the dark comedy of Evil 101, this is a book you won’t want to put down.

MISERABLE MIDDLES

by Phoebe Penhalligan and Boo Irwin.

Illustrations by Karen Hurd.

A collection of tales from the Underworld Kingdom including "A Miserable Middle", "The Bloody Ballad", "The Petrified Prince" and others inspired by the recent debate over unhappy endings in children's fiction. The beautiful cover illustration has been designed by Karen Hurd. This collection of tales may sometimes have a miserable middle but they all end happily, well kind of!

(Excerpt from "A Bloody Ballad")

"Saxo Douglas walked into the room keeping his eyes on the floor. He was tall and thin with long black hair and a snub nose. He was not a musician by trade and this was his first audition. As he took his place before the King and Queen he raised his eyes and so visible was his suffering that the Queen removed her earplugs for the first time that day. He had not yet uttered a word and yet she could feel his pain as if it were her own. The King however was only interested in blood and gore, he liked a bloody ballad or a song of suffering, but as far as he was concerned love was not for songs it was for poetry, and poetry was definitely not one of his favourite things.

"What will you be singing about today?" ventured the King warily.

"Love." Saxo replied simply. "I will sing about a love so powerful that it was more important than all the riches in the world!"

What's Happening?

2010-10-14T11:49:00.004-04:00

Quite a few things going on at the moment!

Over at Sisters in Scribe (a blog I share with my two fantastic crit partners) we are hosting Andrew Jacobson, co-author of The Familiars, on his Haunted Blog Tour! A copy of the book is up for grabs to one lucky commenter. There is also a clue for the scavenger hunt! Contest ends October 30th and is international. That gives you time to get the book, read it, and play!

There is always something over at Sisters in Scribe. Writing advice, book chats, giveaways. So please, give us a read. You know. If you want. :)

We have a new story up on Tangled Fiction! New stories start the first Tuesday of every month. Each week after a new portion of that same story will be continued by a different author! Part 1 of our current story is written by Valerie Kemp (one of my Sisters in Scribe). Part 2 by the lovely Anne Marie. Part 3, airing next Tuesday will be written by the amazingly talented Natalie C Parker. And the conclusion, Part 4, will be written by myself. Don't miss it! Lots of creepy goodness over there. We're all very twisted. And tangled. Har-har!

Tonight, 9PM EST, Jessica (Confessions of a Bookaholic) and Lisa (A Life Bound By Books), are hosting a Haunted Halloween twitter party! There will be book and swag giveaways, author's stopping by to chat, trivia, etc! Lots of fun so don't miss that! Follow the link for the deets.

http://totalbookaholic.blogspot.com/2010/10/haunted-halloween-its-twitter-party.html

Happy Thursday!

Greyskin Fantasy Cast!

2010-10-12T13:16:00.016-04:00

**I am working on fixing this post. I have no clue why it's all messed up.**

I'm stuck in revisions and so, naturally, I'm procrastinating! Today I've decided to fantasy cast the epic movie of my wip, GREYSKIN. You probably haven't read it, so you won't know who the heck these people are, but I'm going to share with you anyway.

And I'm sure someone else could help me cast it much better because I'm not really up to date on all the young actors, and I bet there are some undiscovered teens out there who would be even better picks, but I don't know them. So! Onward!

Sixteen year old Charlene (Charlie) Waite played by Lucy Hale. She'd be easy to turn into a butt-kicking, monster-hunting heroine.

Twenty one year old love interest, Jack O'Donnell to be played by Mark Salling. Grow out his hair, put him in some cowboy boots and set him behind the wheel of a '66 Chevelle and we have our boy. Just pretend you don't know him.

Sixteen year old Aaron Stoker, invisible to Charlie though he is hopelessly infatuated with her, played by Travis Caldwell.

Ms Anna, Charlie's mom and one of my favorite characters. Played by a younger Cher, back before she went plastic.

Vic, Charlie's MIA father, Eddie Spears. I know it's a strange picture choice, but it actually fits, lol!

Mac Tucker, bounty hunter, can only be Michael Clarke Duncan.

That just leaves the villain and two minor characters. But I'm all out of ideas for today. Back to writing!

Beasties and Besties.

2010-10-11T11:51:00.002-04:00

Ya writer, Lisa Green, has a fabulous and fun blog where she hosts her Monday Madness posts-- She choses a guest (writer, blogger, celeb) and judging by what she digs up on the web, Lisa figures out what supernatural creature her guest is. Today she did me. Hope over there to check it out and see what supernatural beastie I am!

http://paranormalpointofview.blogspot.com/2010/10/monday-madness-lj-boldyrev.html

In unrelated news, my best friend got ENGAGED!!! YAY! She and her sweetheart (another friend from high school) have been together for eight years. He and I have been discussing how and where he should propose. We agreed the best thing for her, being as family oriented as she is, was to pop the question in front of her family, no matter how difficult that one was for him. And he did it! On their eighth year anniversary. 10-10-10. An easy date to remember. So CONGRATULATIONS TO SHEENA AND JASON! I love you guys.

Today!

2010-10-10T10:03:00.001-04:00

My Sister in Scribe, Valerie, will be doing a guest post at author/lit agent Nathan Bransford's blog! Be sure to check her out!

Tangled Fiction Tuesdays!

2010-10-05T15:59:00.001-04:00

Brand new story started by Valerie at the TF blog!

http://community.livejournal.com/tangledfiction/

http://tangledfiction.blogspot.com/

A little preview of UNCHARTED (Part I)

There was no way to untangle what was left of Mason from the tree, but the rest of us crawled out the back of the van to where we stood now, trapped between a dense forest and a sheer rock wall, hundreds of feet below the road. So far down that I couldn’t even make out the edge of the cliff in the dark. A grim thought sent a chill down my spine. Mason was the first to die, but he might not be the last.

Insert Witty Title Here

2010-10-04T16:03:00.003-04:00

I won't be posting much, slogging through revisions and I've got a new novel begging to be written, sooo don't forget to check out Tangled Fiction tomorrow for a BRAND NEW story! Part I will be written by Valerie (one of my Sisters at Sisters in Scribe).

TF is also mirrored on blogger.

Creepy children, dead things, and tart-eating monsters.

2010-09-29T10:58:00.003-04:00

Tangled Fiction, the short story blog shared by four young adult writers, myself included, finished our first ever collaborative short story--The Importance of a Strawberry Tart-- yesterday.

Please stop by and check it out! Posts are sorted newest first, so make sure you scroll to Part I before reading anything in Part IV!

Next week (Tuesday October 5th) we will start our second story. Part I will be written by Valerie, Part II by Anne, Part III by Natalie and Part IV by me. Don't miss it!

Sample of TIOAST PartIV:

Georgia stood still, her whooshing skirts and leather boots silent for the first time all day, not daring to enter the kitchen alone. Darkness had finally engulfed the house, as the sun had set an hour past, and none of the gas lamps or candles had been lit on the first floor.

Speaking about rape and a SPEAK Giveaway

2010-09-29T10:31:00.002-04:00

Swing over to my crit group blog for a special post and a chance to win SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson and a censorship button. Contest ends Oct 4th.

FOREVER, the last book in Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER trilogy! Pre-Order signed copies!

2010-09-27T12:19:00.004-04:00

Maggie's favorite indie bookstore, as usual, will have signed copies of FOREVER!

Pre-order here: http://www.fountainbookstore.com/autograph-maggie

How freaking awesome is that cover?

Also, Maggie is having a mega contest of awesome where you can win lots of fantastic signed prizes!

http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/177891.html

Heads Up

2010-09-23T15:00:00.002-04:00

I know it's only Thursday, but I wanted to give you a heads-up about Tuesday, September 27th.

On my critique group blog, Sisters in Scribe, Kristi will be putting up a very special #SPEAKloudly post. Kristi is a clinical psychologist and has personally worked with both rape victims and rapists. For info on #Speakloudly, visit author Laurie Halse Anderson's blog.

Also, the fourth and final installment of The Importance of a Strawberry Tart will be posted on Tangled Fiction.

Don't miss it!

Zombies vs Unicorns Smackdown!

2010-09-22T09:30:00.005-04:00

Thursday, September 23rd, 6 PM--The great Zombies vs. Unicorns debate WILL go down at Symphony Space in NYC. Libba Bray, Justine Larbalestier, Holly Black, Naomi Novik, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Scott Westerfeld and Maureen Johnson have a scholarly debate about Unicorns versus Zombies! Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to go (no babysitter) but it sounds fantastic! If you're in NYC and you do go, pretty please take pictures!

From http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/6379-thalia-kids-book-club-zombies-vs-unicorns-

The editors of the new collection Zombie vs. Unicorns Holly Black(The Spiderwick Chronicles) and Justine Larbalestier (Liar) (pro-unicorn and zombie, respectively), gathered strong arguments for both sides in the form of short stories by an eclectic group of YA novelists. At this event the editors are joined by contributorsMaureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes), Libba Bray(Going Bovine), Scott Westerfeld (Leviathan), Naomi Novik(Temeraire series), and Alaya Dawn Johnson (Racing the Dark), who will argue for their side. What side are you on? Team Zombie or Team Unicorn? Ages 10 and up.

In Zombies vs. Unicorns, half of the contributors portray the strengths for good and evil of unicorns, and half show the good and evil side of zombies, with the two editors adding their own hilarious commentary throughout the anthology. The original zombie/unicorn debate between Black and Larbalestier started on their blogs in 2007 as a feud about which creature made for better fiction: The original feud, as well as downloadable assets and a voting area, can be found athttp://promo.simonandschuster.com/zombiesvsunicorns/.

"I am extremely pleased to be working with Simon & Schuster to ensure the clear and final victory of the majestic unicorn over the zombie. For too long, the zombie has dominated the public consciousness, but the reign of the unicorn is at hand!"

-Team Unicorn editor Holly Black

"I think that posterity will look upon this as the moment when the mythology of rainbow-farting unicorns was finally laid to rest, and zombies took their rightful place at the top of the food chain,"

-Team Zombie editor Justine Larbalestier

Unicorns are sort of awesome, and I love Holly Black's WHITE CAT, but I am

Tangled Fiction Tuesdays!

2010-09-21T11:06:00.003-04:00

Part III, by me, of The Importance of a Strawberry Tart is up on the TF blog! Go check it out! And come back next week for the deliciously creepy conclusion by Anne Marie!

The Importance of a Strawberry Tart, Part III

Smoke filled the room. It was almost enough to nullify the ghastly odor of the raccoon. Almost. Georgia rubbed her eyes, trying to lessen the sting. “Eudora?”

“Georgia! Oh, thank heavens!”

Georgia lifted her skirts, stepping carefully through the cloud of hickory smoke, lest she step on George and squash the other side of his face. Her stomach twisted at the thought of that milky white eye exploding beneath the weight of her buckled shoe

to read more:

http://tangledfiction.blogspot.com/

http://community.livejournal.com/tangledfiction/

Tomorrow

2010-09-20T15:47:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow I post my installment of The Importance of a Strawberry Tart on Tangled Fiction! Stop by and check us out!

http://community.livejournal.com/tangledfiction

Also on blogger

http://tangledfiction.blogspot.com/

Speak Loudly

2010-09-19T09:57:00.003-04:00

It's September and the book banners are at it again. Being challenged this time is SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson - the story of a girl trying to move on after she'd been raped by a classmate. Book banner calls it "soft porn" when there's no sex in the book! Spread the word and fight book banning. #speakloudly

Visit Laurie's blog for more on the conflict:
http://madwomanintheforest.com/this-guy-thinks-speak-is -pornography/comment-page-1/#c omment-25762

Reminder: Tangled Fiction!

2010-09-17T21:20:00.002-04:00

Just a quick reminder that this Tuesday will be my turn to write a portion of the first ever Tangled Fiction short, The Importance of a Strawberry Tart! So please come by and give us a read. If you haven't read part I by Natalie C Parker and part II by Valerie Kemp, you totally should!

http://community.livejournal.com/tangledfiction/

You guys can leave comments on lj by signing in with twitter or FB

http://tangledfiction.blogspot.com/

This blog is going to be a long term thing, so keep an eye out! We're sure to do contests, games, and lots of fun things in the future.

Epic Contest of Awesome

2010-09-17T18:39:00.001-04:00

The totally fabulous Angela Ackerman of The Bookshelf Muse would like to thank her 1,000 loyal minions, and to do so, she is having a contest of epic proportions!!!!! Go enter!

FROM TBSM:

General Drawing:

5-First Page critiques
2-First Chapter critiques

Special Drawing Challenge

It's simple: SPREAD THE WORD about this contest! If you do, I will include you in a special drawing for a three month mentorship with me.

What the mentorship will entail:

--A three month partnership where I will help you in any manner I can toward stronger writing, publication, increasing your online platform and helping you with agenting questions/search

--I will help you build or improve your query (if needed)

--A full read of your manuscript, offering advice on improvements and helping to brainstorm solutions if desired.

--An in depth look at your web presence and suggestions to hone your blog, increase followings and make suggestions with other social media to strengthen your online exposure

--Emails to answer any questions you have about writing, blogging, getting an agent, leaving an agent or how the agent relationship works

--General support!

So, do you need a mentor, someone to bounce ideas around with, brainstorm solutions, ask questions about writing or platforms? I may not be 'book published' yet, but I've been around and picked up a few things. :) I also have the good fortune of being agented by Jill Corcoran of The Herman Agency, and have written over 1200 critiques for other writers, helping them strengthen their writing. Maybe I can help you, too.

HOW TO ENTER:

If you'd like to enter for the General Drawing, you MUST be a Follower (new or old) and leave a comment. That's it, no big hoops to jump through. Just stop in and say hey, and of course I always appreciate tweets, blog links and general word spreading, but that's up to you. :)

If you wish to also enter for the mentorship draw, you MUST be a follower (new or old) AND fill out this simple form I've attached.Normally I don't do the form thing, but for something like this, it will help me stay organized.You don't need to be at the query stage or anything, just a serious writer intent on improving. :) If you think I might be able to help you on your journey, please enter!

Contest closes Wednesday, September 29th, so get those entries in, and once again thank you for spending time here at The Bookshelf Muse!

Things I Try To Remember

2010-09-17T10:04:00.006-04:00

When writing fiction:

Every scene needs to move the plot forward, needs to accomplish something
Every ~~scene~~ page needs tension
Don't be passive! Make things happen to your main character, not through a third party
Ask yourself if this could be dramatized
Be lenient with adverbs (she admonished, gravely)
"Substitute the word 'damn' every time you are inclined to write 'very'; your editor will delete it and your writing will be as it should." - Mark Twain
When writing an action scene, don't slow it down with descriptions

These are just a few things I keep in mind when writing. I'm sure there's more, but these are probably my most important.

Do you have any little rules you try to write by?

Tangled Fiction Tuesdays!

2010-09-14T09:38:00.002-04:00

It's Tuesday! And you guys know what that means. A new installment to a collaborative short story over at http://tangledfiction.blogspot.com/ or for you lj users, http://community.livejournal.com/tangledfiction/!

Part II of The Importance of a Strawberry Tart is written by my loverly friend and crit partner, Valerie Kemp. Next week, I will be writing part III.

Tangled Fiction Tuesdays!

2010-09-13T15:44:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow is Tuesday which means it's time for the second installment of THE IMPORTANCE OF A STRAWBERRY TART!

Visit Tangled Fiction on livejournal or blogger to read part I of this collaborative short story. There are strawberry tarts, creepy children and dead things. Not to be missed!

Design.

2010-09-10T12:04:00.001-04:00

I'm messing with my blog design again. Should have it looking spiffy in a few.

Brainstorming; How Do You Do it?

2010-09-09T16:55:00.001-04:00

I'm sitting here trying to revise (which is nearly impossible since my three-year-old um...became three years-old) and so naturally that means I am procrastinating on the internet. I came across a post by paranormal author Kait Nolan today about writing things down with a pen, instead of on the computer.

I'm sure most of you have already figured out that your brain works differently when you write freehand as opposed to staring at your computer screen. I'm a panster, meaning 90% of my writing is done organically without outlining or planning. After I've got a decent draft, or most of one, I work things out in a notebook. I'll write down what I have, what I want, and possible routes to get there.

One of my writing colleagues at Tangled Fiction asked me what I do to brainstorm (some people like to lay on the floor and listen to music) and I really couldn't think of anything. Aside from working things out in a notebook, I don't think I really have any brainstorming tactics. Sure, ideas pop in my head when they're least expected and I'm forced to scribble on my arm, or leave myself voicemail. But I don't have a routine for it. Riding on the back of my husband's motorcycle helps to open my mind (it's ridiculously relaxing) but because I'm a mom that's not an easy option. Stuffing your kids in a saddlebag is frowned upon.

So what do you all do to get the creative juices flowing?

Tangled Fiction Is Here!!!!!

2010-09-07T17:20:00.002-04:00

If you saw my earlier post, you already know what Tangled Fiction is. But did you know that TF is live! We made our first post today, kicking off the free fiction with a creepy collaborative short called The Importance of a Strawberry Tart. Come check it out!

http://tangledfiction.blogspot.com/

http://community.livejournal.com/tangledfiction/

Tangled Fiction Is Coming!!!!!

2010-09-06T10:50:00.002-04:00

I wanted to let you all know that three YA writers and myself have started a new free fiction blog called Tangled Fiction!

http://community.livejournal.com/tangledfiction/

The blog is also mirrored on Blogger, for those of you who don't like Live Journal (I hate it).

A little bit about TF:

We came together with a four-fold mission:

to become better writers
to have a good time while we practice our craft
to give away free fiction
to make that fiction fun for others

Starting in September, one TF writer will begin a new story on the first Tuesday of each month. Her story will be on whatever topic she pleases, such is the prerogative of being first! It will be up to the rest of us to continue telling that same story. We'll post on the remaining Tuesdays for the duration of the month until the story has reached its exciting and breathtaking conclusion!

That’s the structure, but there are a few more things we’d like you to know up front.

Our Recipe for Getting Tangled:

No planning! We aren’t collaborating before the writing begins. We see the story as you do.
Take Turns! We’ll all rotate through the four pieces of story: firsts, seconds, thirds, fourths.
The Sky’s the Limit! The gloves are off and this is meant to be a challenge. Anything and everything goes!

We'd love if you'd join us as a "Watcher." Tell us you loved it. Tell us you were terrified. While this isn't a Watcher-driven community, we certainly do want to hear from you. We hope you enjoy the journey as much as we will!

Cheers,
Valerie, Natalie, Lacey, & Anne

Home!

2010-09-06T08:51:00.005-04:00

I have returned! Most of you probably didn't even know I left. *sigh* It's not your fault. I am a terrible blogger.

My vacation went well! I went to the Grange County Fair and it was awesome, all be it way over-crowded. Visited with family, rode the hog for 8 hours in the mountains with Husband and some locals, went to an old country zoo where a tiger gnawed on my finger, and my mom was reunited with her wolf after 13 years or so. And I saw the Eutaw House and now I want it. Edgar Allan Poe stayed there on his way to Poe Valley. That is enough to make me want to invest millions into a place that will probably only lose money.

I'll share a few pics, but I won't totally bore you with the gazillion shots of mountains and trees.

Cutest kid ever.

Amish buggy

Mom and Dakota (ignore the tears, it was an emotional reunion.)

Donkey noses. Do I really need to explain that one?

Tiger chewing on my finger. No, the zoo doesn't normally let people back there. I'm special.

Husband at the Iron Horse Ranch.

My bestie and I (left) outside Homan's old country store. Across from the Eutaw House.

Also, and I will probably tell you about this a million times in case you miss it, Tangled Fiction blog is up and running! Our first segment of our first story will go live tomorrow! You seriously don't want to miss the awesome. And I'm not just saying that because I am one of the authors. Natalie C. Parker, Valerie Kemp, and Anne Marie are seriously talented writers and the four of us collaborating on ONE story? It will be epic. EPIC, I tell you!

http://community.livejournal.com/tangledfiction/

Come Chat with Me!

2010-08-27T11:42:00.005-04:00

Hello!

I won't be blogging much, or probably at all, until after Labor Day, so I wanted to give you all a head's up and let you know that on Tuesday August 31st at 6:30pm EST, I will be chatting with Barry Eva on his Blog Talk Radio show, A Book and Chat (Or Across the Pond).

I'll be speaking with Barry via telephone, but there is also a live chat program where you can chat among other listeners, or ask a question. I won't be on my computer, unfortunately, (I might die from this) but I'm sure Barry will relay any questions to me. If you don't have access to the internet for whatever reason, but you still want to listen, just call (347) 237-5398 at 6:30pm EST. There is an option to speak, or just to sit and listen where nobody will hear you.

I should warn you, I do not have a voice that was made for radio and I am super nervous. I don't even like speaking on the phone. Sad to say, the internet has become my major social outlet. *sigh* But Barry is British, so he's fun to listen to and a great host! :-)

I will have some news (possibly the first official news) on a new literary venture I've been fortunate enough to partake in, so make sure you tune in!

Assuming someone actually listens and I'm not talking to the e-crickets. Which might not be a bad thing.

Happy Weekend!

Author Chat!

2010-08-26T13:42:00.003-04:00

Hey, guys! Remember that book I just gave away?

On September 1st, you can join Flux books and chat with NYT bestselling author, Simone Elkeles! Simone is the author of RULES OF ATTRACTION, the bestselling Flux novel, LEAVING PARADISE, and the upcoming sequel, RETURN TO PARADISE!

UStream.TV

September 1st

5:00pm

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=142297042473632

Mockingjay Midnight Madness!

2010-08-24T11:22:00.010-04:00

As most of you know, MOCKINGJAY, the third and final installment of the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins released at midnight last night!!!! Books of Wonder, an independent bookstore in NYC that you absolutely have to stop at if you've ever out this way, hosted the official release party with Suzanne Collins!

Books of Wonder has been taking preorders for MOCKINGJAY for weeks. The bookstore closed its doors at 7pm, like always, and reopened at 8pm for the party. The line formed out on the street starting at 3 o'clock in the afternoon!!! Suzie Townsend, of Fine Print Literary, and company were at the start of the line.

Those girls are carrying bow and arrows!

Sorry some of these are dark. That's the line all the way down the street.

The bookstore workers were very organized. They had us form two lines--preorders and those who needed to purchase books. I was cursing myself for having not preordered, until I got inside and saw the preorder line wrapping around the building. I stepped up to the counter in the empty buy-your-book-now line, and got ticket #103, meaning I would be person #103 (and I got there about 45 minutes before they reopened!) to get my book stamped by Ms Collins.

Books of Wonder hosted quite a few mega signings, they can handle this sort of event.

It was crowded, extremely, but it was amazing. They had a magician, jugglers, face painting, trivia games, raffles, and with the purchase of MOCKINGJAY plus one other book at a set price or more, they gave you this awesome mug!

On to more pictures!

David Levithan was there to announce Suzanne and just be his awesome self.

This is Mitali (http://www.thealleyofbooks.com/), myself looking freakishly tall next to them, and author of KNIGHTLY ACADEMY, Robin Schneider, AKA Violet Haberdasher.

Beautiful girl in a beautiful dress!

Elizabeth Eulberg (THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB) was there. Elizabeth, how did we not take a picture! And Elizabeth Law, publisher at Egmont USA was also in attendance. Unfortunately, she was on her way out, as I was on my way in and I didn't get the chance to speak with her again.

Suzanne Collins and Beautiful Dress Girl

Suzanne stamping my book!

*Squee!!*

It was a GREAT night! HUGE thanks to Books of Wonder, Suzanne, Scholastic, and all the entertainment! I've been to quite a lot of book signings and events and this was one of the very best, and not just because it was MOCKINGJAY! These folks worked hard to make it a successful night.

Did you attend a launch party last night? Don't forget to check Suzanne's tour dates!

Book Recommendation.

2010-08-21T10:29:00.002-04:00

OPEN YOUR EYES

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she'd made her peace with it. But she can't handle dragging Cabel down with her.

She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He's amazing. And she's a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves--she has to disappear. And it's going to kill them both.

Then a stranger enters her life--and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she'd ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out...

He reaches toward her, his fingers black and bloody, his eyes deranged, unblinking. Janie is paralyzed. His cold hands reach around her neck, squeezing tight, tighter, until Janie has no breath left. She's unable to move, unable to think. As his grasp tightens further around Janie's neck, his face turns sickly alabaster. He strains harder and begins to shake.

Janie is dying.
She has no fight left in her.
It's over.

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse; 1 edition (February 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416979182
ISBN-13: 978-1416979180

I loved this series. I admit I liked WAKE and GONE a bit more than FADE, but it's definately a series I recommend reading. Each book is told in third person present tense, which is something I haven't seen in too many books and it can be a little weird at first. Lisa's writing and Janie's voice are so seamless and strong that once you get into the book, you don't even notice the tense. These books are a little bit dark, so if you're looking for gentle reading, this probably isn't the series for you.

Blog Mayhem

2010-08-20T13:55:00.001-04:00

I just destroyed my blog... Please be patient. I suck at this.

Winner of Return to Paradise ARC!!

2010-08-20T12:38:00.005-04:00

Really quickly I'd like to thank all of you for entering!! We had a total of 355 entries into the contest! Some of you are new followers, but most of you are returning, and some of you are my personal friends. I know contests are fun to enter and fun to win, but they're also fun for the host. And *this host* totally appreciates all of you for every single entry!

Out of 355 total entries, the winner is

CARIE SOTO

with 20/355 entries!!!!!!!

Carie, please send me an email to ljb (at) ljboldyrev (dot) com with your mailing address!! Congrats! If you do not contact me by Sunday, I'll have to chose a new winner, so please make sure you email me.

If you didn't win this time, there will be more contests, including a chance to win REBEL MOON signed by me. Thanks again, guys!

No Farms, No Food

2010-08-19T11:19:00.001-04:00

Today's post is going to be completely unrelated to writing, just so you know. Randomness will ensue.

I was watching this thing on Planet Green last night, and they were saying that in 2050 the world's population will hit 9 billion people, and there is growing concern over food shortage.

Food shortage!

I grew up around farms. Farmland as far as the eye could see. But now I'm thinking about growing populations, and the human race striving for better technology and higher wages, and blah blah blah ( I'm not the type of person who usually sits around and thinks about this) and it's no wonder food shortage is a possibility! Who wants to be a farmer anymore? Farms are usually family owned, handed down from generation to generation but with the way things are, can a farmer afford to live a comfortable life?

When I was a kid, my family bought milk in glass jugs right from the neighboring dairy farm. Now the FDA is trying to say we can't drink unpasteurized milk (even though more health risks are related to pasteurized than not).

Anyway, I just wanted to give a shout-out to farmers everywhere and say thank you. Without farms, we don't have food. Farmers work from sun-up till sun down, some of them seven days a week. I raise my Elvis coffee mug to you, Mr. Farmer.

Happy Thursday.

On Shorts

2010-08-18T11:34:00.003-04:00

I did a guest post on writing short stories over at Adventures in Children's Publishing. Hope over and check it out! Yanno, if you want.

Getting Ahead (of yourself).

2010-08-12T11:12:00.002-04:00

As aspiring writers, a lot of us tend to make mistakes when it comes to submissions. We don't follow guidelines, we make spelling errors in our queries, or we submit before we're really ready. I'm not saying all of us do these things, you may never make one mistake. But a lot of new writers jump the gun be it with agents, editors, or even contest entries.

You're eager. You know you need to revise more. But it's written all the way to the end. Your BFF says it's perfect. Your mom says you're the next J.K Rowling. Your palms sweat. You're finger is on the button ready to click "send".

Don't do it!

Because chances are, it's not ready. You're not ready. And you don't want to make an a$$ out of yourself by submitting something that isn't ready. If you win the contest, or if the agent requests pages, then what? You send something half-assed and then ask to revise and resubmit. You've wasted said agent/editor's time and you are EXTREMELY lucky if she/he doesn't tell you to go to someplace not nice.

Trust me. Don't do it.

Breathe. Revise. Rewrite. Repeat.

You'll know when it's ready.

Contest: Signed ARC Return to Paradise

2010-08-04T14:28:00.023-04:00

**CONTEST IS CLOSED**

See Winner

No special reason for this one. I was just looking over my book collection and realized I have a few extra copies of some awesome books and ARCS. This month's giveaway will be a signed ARC of RETURN TO PARADISE by Simone Elkeles (Flux books September 1st 2010) and a bookmark!

I apologize for the poor quality photos. My cell doesn't take good pics indoors.

And one of me and Simone in case you doubt me.

The Sequel to LEAVING PARADISE

From the New York Times Bestselling Author of RULES OF ATTRACTION

Caleb Becker left Paradise eight months ago, taking with him the secret he promised to take to his grave. If the truth got out, it would ruin everything.

Maggie Armstrong tried to be strong after Caleb broke her heart and disappeared. Somehow, she managed to move on. She’s determined to make a new life for herself.

But then Caleb and Maggie are forced together on a summer trip. They try ignoring their passion for each other, but buried feelings resurface. Caleb must face the truth about the night of Maggie’s accident, or the secret that destroyed their relationship will forever stand between them.

Praise for Leaving Paradise:

"Elkeles writes convincingly about family tensions, retreating from painful reality, and teens outgrowing their old skins." —School Library Journal

"Elkeles creates raw emotions, dialogue, and high-school ambience that’s just right… [A] delicate, delicious love story."—Booklist

To enter:

1. You must be a follower of this blog. This is not me trying to get a bazillion followers. This is me appreciating those who support this blog. This will get you 1 entry point.

2. For each time you spread the word about THIS giveaway, with a link to where you shared it, +1 entries. (Facebook, myspace, twitter etc)

Tweet: Giveaway! Signed ARC of RETURN TO PARADISE by Simone Elkeles! @ljboldyrev http://bit.ly/bilOdy

3. A blog post, with a link to your blog will get you +5 entries.

4. For bonus entries, spread the word about REBEL MOON! RM is an anthology of supernatural short stories for young adults, including my first ever published short, PARALLEL (it's got werewolves).

+5 for EACH time you share the following:

"REBEL MOON, an anthology of supernatural tales, now available http://rebelbookspublishing.co.uk/bookshop.aspx"

or on twitter

REBEL MOON, an anthology of supernatural tales: Now available http://rebelbookspublishing.co.uk/bookshop.aspx @ljboldyrev @rebelbooksllp

on facebook, twitter, myspace --limit one per site. If you want to tweet it a hundred times, that's cool, but to be fair I'll only count one tweet.

+20 entries if you blog using the following info and link me to your post:

Click the cover to grab your copy of REBEL MOON! Includes a supernatural short by L.J. Boldyrev!

Paperback 220 pages

ISBN 13: 978-0-9565035

ISBN 10: 0956503519

REBEL MOON

(An Anthology of supernatural tales)

by Various

Have you ever wondered what Death would look like if he approached you at a bus stop? Or what would happen if a vampire’s chosen victim turned out to be more than they had bargained for?

From the teen witches you wouldn’t want to cross in One Witch Down to the dark comedy of Evil 101, this is a book you won’t want to put down.

Can also be purchased from Amazon, WHSmiths, Waterstones and Book Depository.

And as a bonus, if you've bought or ordered REBEL MOON, I'll add +20 to your entries. Just snap a picture of the receipt, or a picture of you with the book to ljb@ljboldyrev.com or upload the pic and link me to it in the comments.

I am absolutely bad at math, and I hate when I have to add my total entries on a contest, so I won't make you do that. Just fill out the form and I'll do the rest.

Contest will run until August 20th 12pm EST, and it IS international! I'll ship anywhere. Winners will be announced shortly after.

Thank you and good luck!

Author Closet

2010-07-25T11:58:00.001-04:00

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Author Charliane Harris, Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood), is cleaning out her closet for the next few days. She's offering up quite a few different editions of her books including some from Finland, Germany, Britain, Sweden, and Japan. She's accepting cashiers check or paypal to cover the cost of the book and the shipping and she's offered to sign and personalize any of the books.

I missed her signing in my home city so I've ordered myself a copy of the True Blood Omnibus! :D

Follow this link to see what she has available and for more info on who to contact: http://www.charlaineharris.com/closet.html

Put Yourself Out There!

2010-07-22T09:03:00.003-04:00

Good morning! Don't you just love Thursday? Today the final top three winners were announced in the line-by-line contest! Congrats, ladies(+ me, yay!)! I've participated in a few contests in the past and whether I've placed in them or not, it's always been a great learning experience. It's fun to read the work of so many people we know from the blogging/writing community. The feedback on not only your work, but their's as well, is priceless.

But with contests, like anything in the writing world, you need to wear thick skin. Sometimes comments can sting, even from complete strangers. As writers we need to keep an open mind and accept criticism. It's the only way to get better. Well, that, a lot of practice and gallons of ice cream.

So long as you can take the negative comments along with the positive, contests are a GREAT morale booster. Even if one person flat out tells you your writing sucks, ten other people will tell you what they like and what you could improve.

I know a lot of people don't enter contests because they're hesitant to have strangers reading their work. After all, anyone could steal it! But I think most writers are good people and 250 words or less isn't enough of a glimpse into your awesome plot--you won't even get to the space monkeys. So go ahead and put yourself out there!

And if not that's okay too.

I may or may not have a follow up post to this in a few weeks. We shall see!

Happy Thursday!

Marry Fates Contest

2010-07-19T14:26:00.008-04:00

The Merry Sisters of Fate (Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff, and Tessa Gratton) are hosting yet another fabulous contest on their blog:http://community.livejournal.com/merry_fates/95549.html

Eligible prizes include a signed copy of LINGER by Maggie Stiefvater, and a signed ARC of THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff.

To enter, you must use the below image as a writing prompt. It can be a short story, flash fiction, a poem, whatever! Visit their blog for detailed instructions on how to enter and what's up for grabs.

My entry: Then the queen, who never wanted her son to marry, lit the chandelier and gave it a push.

L.J. Boldyrev | Blog

It's A New year!

I *Heart* School. And An Easy Chance To Win An ARC.

Second Draft = First Draft - 10%

Win A 30 Page Crit From Sisters In Scribe!

Gettin' Back In the Groove!

Updates! And Apologies.

Oh, Monday. And Frogs.

Winners!

News! And The First Post Where I Use The Words “My” and “Agent!”

Under Construction.

Elvis Lives!

Announcement of Awesome!

Hiatus

Summertime Hideaway!

Self-Editing Tips!

It's Friday, Friday

Into each life some rain must fall.

All Good Things...

Agent Pitch Contest at Sisters in Scribe!

Charlaine Harris in NYC

Get Those Pitches Ready!

She Swallowed the Cat to Catch the Bird

It's Not Procrastination!

Sweet Summertime

Sisters in Scribe

Buy A Shirt, Help Japan!

It's March 23rd And My Yard Is Covered In Snow

Teen Author Festival 2011

Writers For The Red Cross

Deadlines Don't Have to be Damning

Rivers and Railroads

The Fatty Ratties

Match Made in Zombieland.

A Cockroach Can Live 9 Days Without Its Head.

Sometimes Your Characters Outsmart You

Evil bug sack! And a TF Short

Fiction and furry things

Must Have Books of 2011

Aquarius is the superior star sign

Snow Days!

Holiday Giveaway and a New Short!

Sunday Squirrel

Books on Writing

Hanukkah!

Book Recommendation--Immortal Beloved

Full Shorts Week

Sunday Squirrel

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bikers With Dolls

Intense Debate

Website Launch!

Redesign!

Tangled Fiction: This post brought to you by the letter 'T'

Sunday Squirrel

Tangled Fiction Fulls

Author Interview with Carrie Harris!

Teen Fiction Contest!

Teen fiction contest deadline is Nov. 11

Sunday Squirrel

>:)

Official Announcement!

Tangled Fiction

Inspiration from Libba Bray

Rebel Books Halloween Sale!

What's Happening?

Greyskin Fantasy Cast!

Beasties and Besties.

Today!

Tangled Fiction Tuesdays!

Insert Witty Title Here

Creepy children, dead things, and tart-eating monsters.

Speaking about rape and a SPEAK Giveaway

FOREVER, the last book in Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER trilogy! Pre-Order signed copies!

Heads Up

Zombies vs Unicorns Smackdown!

Tangled Fiction Tuesdays!

Tomorrow

Speak Loudly

Reminder: Tangled Fiction!

I Heart School. And An Easy Chance To Win An ARC.