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FREE Writing Feedback During the WHW Amazing Race!

Oct 23, 2013 | | 0 Comments

Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi at Writers Helping Writers (formerly The Bookshelf Muse) have added two more books to their Descriptive Thesaurus Collection: The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes and The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws. To celebrate, they are hosting a race, and not just any old race, either. It’s the…

 

Writing is hard, isn’t it? Create the perfect hook. Make your first page compelling. Craft an amazing 25 word pitch. Knock out a query that will blow an agent’s mind. On and on it goes. And sometimes, well, you just wish someone would help.

WISH NO MORE!

From October 21st until October 27th, Writers Helping Writers is posting an OPEN CALL for writers. You can fill out a form, requesting help with critiques, book visibility, social media sharing, blog diagnostics, advice and more.

An army of Amazing Racers are standing by (ME INCLUDED!) waiting to help with your submissions. How many people can we help in a week? Let’s find out! Did I mention there are Celebrity Racers too–amazing authors and editors who know their way around a first page. Maybe one of them will pick your submission to help with!

Each day this week, there’s an AMAZING giveaway, too. So stop in at Angela & Becca’s new Writers Helping Writers website and find out how to take advantage of this unique, pay-it-forward event for writers. I’ll see you there! 

Florida Authors Help Build Literacy!

Oct 21, 2013 | , | 3 Comments

HotYAReads

I am so excited about this new endeavor that a team of Florida-based young adult authors are doing and I’m a part of. We’ve created a Facebook page for teens, media specialists, librarians, teachers, and anyone who loves literacy to keep tabs on all of our:

·         New books

·         Events

·         Contests

·         Workshops

Our goal is to reach out to our readers and support our community in any way that we can in order to get our communities and schools excited about reading, writing, and YA literature.

Our Hot YA Reads Facebook page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/HotYAReads.

A big shout out to Hafsah at IceyBooks for creating our stunning logo. Not only did she nail the concept we wanted to portray, but she was quick and helpful.

I hope you’ll check us out and be a supporter with us in promoting literacy, not only in Florida, but around the world.

The Authors of Hot YA Reads

Vivi Barnes (Entangled)-  www.vivibarnes.com

Heather Burch (Blink)-  http://heatherburchbooks.com

Erica Cameron (Spencer Hill Press)-  http://byericacameron.com

Lucienne Diver (Flux)-  http://www.luciennediver.com

Trish Doller (Bloomsbury)- http://trishdoller.com

Karen Amanda Hooper (Rhemalda Publishing) –  http://www.KarenAmandaHooper.com

Kristen Simmons (Tor)-  http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com

Christina Farley (Skyscape)-  http://www.christinafarley.com

Lauren Gibaldi (HarperTeen)-  http://laurengibaldi.com

Madeleine Kuderick (Harper Collins)-  http://www.madeleinekuderick.com

Jessica Martinez (Simone Pulse)- http:// jessicamartinez.com

Lynne Matson (Henry Holt and Co.) –  http://lynnematson.blogspot.com

Meredith McCardle (Skyscape)-  http://meredithmccardle.com

Sarah Nicolas- www.sarahnicolas.com

Lisa Ann O’Kane (Strange Chemistry)-  http://lisaannokane.com

Amy Christine Parker (Random House Childrens)- http:// www.amychristineparker.com

Jenny Torres Sanchez (Running Press Kids )- http:// jennytorressanchez.com

J.A. Souders (Tor)- http://jasouders.com/

Jenn Marie Thorne (Dial/Penguin)

Super Rue’s Adventures

Oct 14, 2013 | | 4 Comments

Rue2Once upon a time there was a dog who had crazy adventures, unbelievable stories, and perhaps even super powers. Her name was Rue.

And Rue took the world by storm because we all loved her so very much.

If you are on Facebook, you can read all about Rue’s adventures here: facebook.com/ruesroadtorecovery

Every day I’d wait anxiously (along with thousands of her fans) to see what new schemes and crazy adventures she’d come up with that day.

Until last week Rue unexpectedly passed away.

Rue

To commemorate Rue’s super power adventures, Jessica Vaughan-Reimann, Rue’s caretaker, put together a digital copy of all Rue’s escapades called SUPER RUE’S ADVENTURES.

Here’s the blurb:

Rue started life as a regular dachshund, but after a surgery for her back and a trip into a hyperbaric oxygen chamber she ended up with super powers.  She keeps track of her daily adventures in her journal and on her blog. She is a very active differently-abled dachshund whose determination and love of life will inspire you.  

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Jessica was using the sales of this e-book to pay for the costs of Rue’s surgeries, but now a portion of the proceeds will be donated  to the Dachshund Rescue of South Florida’s IVDD surgery fund.

I know I’m going to miss hearing about Rue’s adventures, but I love how Rue’s memory will live on through her book.

My First Blurb and Preorders!

Oct 7, 2013 | , | 7 Comments

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There are so many milestones along the way toward publication. Each step is kind of crazy and wild and full of adventure.

Today I’m super excited to share with you my first blurb from NY Times bestselling author of the ACROSS THE UNIVERSE series, Beth Revis.

Here’s what she says about GILDED:

An amazing contemporary fantasy that explores the vast legends of Korea, this richly detailed novel kept me turning the pages well into the night. Jae Hwa starts off as a strong character and ends as a noble one, using both her brains and her brawn to win the day–she’s exactly the kind of girl YA literature needs.

Squee!!!! Amazing, isn’t it? I’m beyond thrilled.

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And to top off amazingness, GILDED is finally available for preorder. Check it out here!

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I know you are all waiting to see the cover. Bad news. You’re going to have to wait until January when I’ll be having a big cover reveal. I know! Waiting is tough, but I think it will be worth the wait!

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Winner of GATED and Book Reviews!

Oct 2, 2013 | , , | 2 Comments

Guys! I have a winner for the giveaway of Amy Parker’s GATED.

Drumroll!!!!

The winner is ChristinaReads! Woot! Email me at Farley dot ChristinaL at gmail dot com your mailing address.

I’ve reviewed three ARCs of upcoming 2014 young adult debuts. They are:

CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge

Cruel Beauty

HEXED by Michelle Krys

hexed

ALL THAT GLOWS by  Ryan Graudin

All that glows

Check out my review here:

 

So what do you think? Which book are you most itching to read?

Interview with Vivi Barnes

Sep 23, 2013 | | 9 Comments

The other day Vivi Barnes and I got together to hang out and chat about her book. We videoed it so you could join us!

Olivia TwistedHere’s the blurb from Amazon on Vivi’s upcoming YA contemporary, OLIVIA TWISTED:

Tossed from foster home to foster home, Olivia’s seen a lot in her sixteen years. She’s hardened, sure, though mostly just wants to fly under the radar until graduation. But her natural ability with computers catches the eye of Z, a mysterious guy at her new school. Soon, Z has brought Liv into his team of hacker elite—break into a few bank accounts, and voila, he drives a motorcycle. Follow his lead, and Olivia might even be able to escape from her oppressive foster parents. As Olivia and Z grow closer, though, so does the watchful eye of Bill Sykes, Z’s boss. And he’s got bigger plans for Liv…

And here is the video!

Intrigued yet about her book? If so, check out her incredible book trailer over at Hypable.com here.

I’m super excited about going to Vivi’s book launch in November! OLIVIA TWSTED is a retelling of Oliver Twist, and as a big fan of retellings, I can’t wait to read this book. How about you? What are some of your favorite retellings?

GATED Book Launch and Giveaway!

Sep 16, 2013 | , , , , | 11 Comments

group

My Orlando writer peeps- Larissa Hardesty, Tara Gallina, Sarah Nicolas, Jessica Souders, and I- took a road trip to Amy Parker’s GATED book launch.

buying books

Amy has been such an amazing support to me over this past year as both were preparing to launch our YA novels. So it was just so heartwarming to see Amy’s book enter the world. What an exciting time!

Amy and I

Her book launch was held at the adorable Inkwood Books in Tampa. We don’t have any cute bookstores like this in Orlando so it’s fun to browse the shelves and check out books I haven’t heard of before.

Inkwood outside

She had all kinds of fun goodies such as cake, kisses, and gift bags for the winners of her raffle. Everything was decorated in teals and greens that matched her cover.

cake

table

I thought, what better way to ‘experience’ her launch then to take video clips and show you! Once you’ve finished watching the video, comment below to enter to win an autographed copy of GATED!

 Tweet the contest and just let me know that you did in the comments section for an extra entry. Deadline is Sept. 30th. Open to US residents.

 

Book Review of RED, NEARLY GONE, and THE PROMISE OF AMAZING

Aug 19, 2013 | , | 12 Comments

Today I start a new school year with my 2nd grade Jedi padawans. I’m super excited to be teaching and (hopefully) making an impact in my student’s lives. In the middle of setting up my classroom, I’ve also been busy writing and reading.

As for what I’ve been writing, I can’t tell you. *grin* That’s top secret information reserved for my brilliant agent. Lucky (or not so lucky!) agent man has been getting some projects from me in his inbox lately. Honestly, every time I send my agent something, this is my thought process:

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Gif from here

I also have converted my dining room table into my new research center. It’s full of books, old letters and butcher paper. If I can pull this project off, you all owe me stacks of chocolate. I’m trying to keep this outlook:

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 Gif from here

My reading pile has been stacking up, too, with tons of ARCs of books coming out later this year and into 2014. Such great stuff coming up!

In the video below, I talk about three books:

RED by Alison Cherry

NEARLY GONE by Elle Cosimano

THE PROMISE OF AMAZING by Robin Constantine

All three of these books are amazing.

What have you been up to?

Writing with Multiple Plot Lines

Aug 7, 2013 | , , | 9 Comments

While I was in Germany last summer, my family and I traveled mostly by train. I remember looking out the window as our train pulled into Munich station. I was amazed at how the tracks all merged into this one giant station. My writing brain couldn’t help but think how those train tracks were a lot like plot lines.

So while everyone else got off the train and headed to their destination, I coaxed my poor husband in filming me talk about plot lines. Yes, my husband puts up with a lot due to my writing obsession.

This was actually filmed last summer. I’m finally finding the time to post it! What do you think? Are train tracks like plot lines?

Review of Side Effects May Vary

Aug 1, 2013 | , | 6 Comments

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I was super excited to get SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY by Julie Murphy. This is a OneFour KidLit ARC, and it arrive in the mail yesterday via Dahlia Adler. This book is currently on ‘tour’, visiting OneFour authors around the globe. Think of it like a yearbook. We read the book, write love notes in the margins, and then sign the back before passing it onto the next OneFour author.

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The Blurb from Goodreads:

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most? 

What I Love About This Book:

I loved the perspective of this book. Alice is such a rich and complex character. She has many facets, and when they are all woven together, she becomes alive and real.

What Makes This Book Unique?

Murphy goes back and forth between the Now and Then of her story, and it allows a rich reading experience.

Why Should You Read it?

I read this book in one night. It was a page turner because I really didn’t know how it would end. And the drama! Lots of drama. I wrote lots of OMG and gasping faces in the margins.

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My Favorite Line:

Julie Murphy knows how to write beautiful lines over and over so it’s really hard to come up with just ONE. But this one really hit me hard:

“Because, for me, cancer would always be a shadow I lived in, an addiction that was never quite through with me.”

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Check out Julie:

On Twitter

Her website

Goodreads

SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY releases Mar. 18, 2014

And now I’m off to mail this baby to Jennifer Mathieu. I think she’ll like it!

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