CATCH FIRE! with Alex J. Cavanaugh

So, I've been blogging for a while now. (A few years, to be exact.) I am lucky to know many terrific writers who blog and to call them my friends. These are brave, wonderful, talented folks who have my back and understand my goals better than anyone else in the world.

That's why it's so thrilling for me to see these friends succeed.

Take Alex J. Cavanaugh, for example. You'd be hard-pressed not to come across his name if you're a writer in the community of blogging writers, because the dude is everywhere. He's busy writing books, hosting blogfests, and maintaining his website, yet always finds time to leave encouraging comments for everyone else. He has a massive following thanks to his upbeat attitude, ninja skills, and undying love for all things sci-fi and Kate Beckinsale.

So it's an honor today to share some information about his blog tour (which means that the dude who is already everywhere will be even more so)!

Alex's blog tour will be running from February 27 through March 9. During this time, make sure to stop by his blog and leave a comment, because you will be eligible to win a special package from his publisher that includes everything you see here:

That's a copy of his debut CassaStar, his new book CassaFire, a tote bag, and a mug!

Here's a description of CassaFire:


CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities.

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…


Print ISBN 978-0-9827139-4-5, $15.95, 6x9 Trade paperback, 240 pages
EBook ISBN 978-0-9827139-6-9, $4.99, available in all formats

Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Amazon Kindle


You can also join in the fun on Twitter today, hashtag #CatchFire.

Hop on over and say "bon voyage" for his tour! (Seriously, do it. You don't want his ninja army to come after you.)

Congratulations, Alex!

A Little Write Music #21: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Sometimes I wonder why there aren't more female composers out there in Hollywood, writing epic scores for blockbusters. It seems that whenever a major movie comes out, it's the heavy hitters - Williams, Zimmer, and Horner, to name a few - who are standing on that conductor's podium.

I have to admit that Rachel Portman is the only female composer I know of who scores big films. She's written music for The Cider House Rules, Mona Lisa Smile, The Joy Luck Club, Emma (starring Gwyneth Paltrow), Chocolat, and The Duchess.

I like her work - it's very easy on the ears - but to me, it all sounds the same after a while. It's possible that it's because she hasn't had a chance to work on very diverse films the way the big guys have.

But all that aside, I think her score for Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is just lovely, and it's already on my FoTL playlist. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Some New Goals

Image Source: Here

Well, it's almost time. Time to wrap up my final final FINAL revisions on PPP, send it down the river in a basket, and wait for it to be critiqued. I've spent about two years on this project. This new version has never, ever seen the light of day, and I'm a little excited and a lot terrified. But mostly, I'm relieved that I've finally come to a point where I can let it go.

Here is what I plan to do in the meantime while I'm trying not to bite my nails, waiting to see what my trusted readers will think about it.

• Start writing my new WIP. I am so pumped about this story. So pumped. Last week, I sat down and planned it out to within an inch of its life. I'm pretty sure it's going to be at least three books long. I even made a lovely soundtrack for it (you can listen to a preview over there on the right), so I know it's real.


• Finally throw together the bare bones of a query letter. I got this gorgeous pen for Christmas and I've been practicing my cursive with it. I've scrawled about twelve different synopses for PPP with it in this notebook of mine. Think I'm getting the hang of those uppercase Gs.


• Catch up on my Goodreads list. Right now, I'm reading Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, which is like Ray Bradbury meets The Prestige, and I think it's one of the best books I've read in a long, long while. Next up: Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs, a retelling of the Snow Queen.


• Watch more TV. Everyone keeps raving about Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey, so I totally need to check those shows out.


• Blog more, and comment more. Weekends are my only time to visit the blogosphere now, so I'll have to make better use of them!

But most of all, I'll be trying not to bite my nails. I guess it's a good thing I just painted them, huh?

How are your writing projects coming along?

Tagged: 11 Questions

Misha Gericke over at My First Book tagged me in this fun questionnaire - thanks, Misha! I'm supposed to answer 11 questions, then make up 11 new ones of my own for my taggees to answer! Here goes!


1. Do you believe in fate?
I do! I believe in being in the right place at the right time and having the right things happen... even if they are not always what we expect.

2. How the heck do you write and have a life?
I've been trying to figure this one out for a while! My weekends are a graceful and delicate balance of writing, sleeping, and socializing, since that's the only time I have room for those things. (Did I say "graceful and delicate"? I meant "jam-packed and frantic" - but in the best possible way!)

3. If you were in a written story, which character trope would you most likely have followed?
Would this be YA? I'd be the brainy best friend who's a meek bookworm by day and a sword-wielding professional fairy godmother by night.

4. Sweet or Savory?
Let me answer it this way: the only way I can stomach coffee is if it's mostly milk with 8-10 packets of sugar. And REAL sugar, mind you... none of that fake Splenda stuff.

5. What's your big dream?
My dream is to be able to write fiction as my full-time job.

6. Fondest memory?
Being a kid and having all of that free time.

7. What's your biggest wish? (world peace does not count)
I hate apartment living, so I'd say my biggest wish would be a house, preferably one with a gigantic library!

8. Would you rather have an exciting life and be alone or find the great love of your life and live a relatively normal one?
I'd much rather lead a quiet, normal life with the one I love.

9. Have you ever done something, only to realize a half a second later that you made a mistake?
Oh yeah. This can be dangerous when you're emailing multiple people, and you hit "send" before you realize that you've included someone you didn't mean to include!

10. Did you try to go back and fix it, or did you follow through?
I have the Undo feature turned on in Gmail now, but before that, I just apologized to whoever it was. Luckily there wasn't anything incriminating.

11. Do you edit while writing or after the draft is done?
I try to wait until the draft is done before I edit. But sometimes, when I've been away from a WIP for a long time, I re-read the last chapter I wrote to get back in the flow and almost always do some minor revision.


And now, here are 11 questions I've come up with:

1. If you could write any other genre besides the one you currently write, what would it be and why?

2. You have the winning $50 million lottery ticket. What do you buy first?

3. What do you usually order for dinner at an Italian restaurant?

4. How many agents have you queried (or are planning to query)?

5. If you could have any fantasy creature for a pet, what would it be?

6. What Disney character are you most like?

7. Name five things you would pack in your apocalypse emergency suitcase.

8. If your book became a movie, who would star as the main characters?

9. What is your one weakness?

10. You are trapped by bad guys in a dead-end alley. How do you escape?

11. If you were in a horror novel, what kind of character would you be? (i.e. the monster, the damsel in distress, the vampire slaying doc)


I'm tagging the first 11 people who comment on this post! Have fun!

Origins Blogfest - Books: A Love Story

Today, I am participating in the Origins blogfest hosted by DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude, Katie Mills at Creepy Query Girl, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and Matthew MacNish at QQQE. Everyone participating in this blogfest will be talking about how they started writing. So here goes!

I got into writing because I love reading. Some kids kick and scream when their parents tell them to sit down with a book instead of playing video games or going outdoors. My parents (and sometimes my teachers) had to tell me to stop reading. I was the kid with the huge glasses and the messy hair, preferring to sit in corners and get lost in Narnia, Lilliput, the Shire ... wherever my current book wanted to take me. Books were my passport out of reality.

I loved fairy tales most of all. I was the quintessential Disney kid. Whenever my parents made me go outside to play, I'd pretend I was a princess. I had this wicker Easter basket that I would hook over my arm and I would waltz out into the woods in our backyard, singing and hoping animals would come hang out with me. (They never did. I'm pretty sure I traumatized more than one squirrel with my singing.) I even dressed up as Snow White for Halloween one year, wearing a beautiful dress handsewn by my mom and a huge red ribbon in my chin-length black hair.

Everyone knew my weakness. Books poured in on Christmas and my birthday from friends, relatives, and neighbors. I still have my two favorite books from my parents, both beautiful gold-leaf volumes that compiled all of the famous fairy tales and fables from around the world.

I remember spending hours lying on my stomach under the lilac canopy of my bed, absorbing stories the way I inhaled the breeze from my windows. I began filching notebooks and pens from the den, putting my childish hand to paper and rewriting those fairy tales in my own words. Pretty soon, I was adding and embellishing - and writing about my efforts in a unicorn diary with a lock on the side - and before anyone even knew it, I was gone. I was so in love with writing that I couldn't stop.

I feel truly lucky to have known what I wanted to do with my life since I was a kid, because some people go a long time without ever finding out.

I still haven't outgrown fairy tales. I still dream about one day owning a library like the one in Beauty and the Beast. I don't prance around the woods in a crown and a dress singing anymore (which is probably for the best) but I haven't lost that desire to jump into a book and let it become a sailboat, a winged horse, a vessel for my dreams. I'm still not tired of the crisp smell of paper, the feel of a book's spine between my fingers, the sound that the pages make as I turn them.

I'm still hoping to see those words - "written by Julie Dao" - in ink one day, on some cover on a table where a girl or boy who wants an adventure will use it for their passport.

So there's my start! How about you? If you're participating in this blogfest, please let me know in the comments!

Origins Blogfest

Hey all, I've been super duper busy with work and life and - most importantly? - WRITING, but I just wanted to check in and give this new blogfest a shout-out.

The Origins Blogfest will take place on Monday, February 13, and will be an opportunity for all of us writers in the blogosphere (aspiring or otherwise) to tell the story of how we began writing. It's being hosted by (who else?!) DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude, Katie Mills at Creepy Query Girl, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and Matthew MacNish at QQQE. Mark your calendars and spread the word! Oh, and make it official and put your name down on the list HERE.

You should also keep an eye out for this week's showdown between the 12 finalists of WRiTE Club. The playoffs are guaranteed to be intense and bloody!

Hope you're all well! I can see from Twitter that a lot of writing and querying is getting done - AWESOME! Now it's back to work... (unless, of course, you're girding your loins for this Superbowl of which I've heard so much talk...)

2012: Year of the Dragon

I'm currently knee-deep in writing, but tomorrow is the first day of the Chinese New Year and I wanted to celebrate with a quick post!

2012 is the Year of the Dragon, and as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I'm working on a new story that features these beautiful, legendary creatures. Like PPP, it will be a fairy tale retelling, only much darker, much longer, and set in a high-fantasy world with Asian influences.

I'm very proud to have such a rich culture and heritage from which to draw inspiration. One of my favorite parts of writing a story is doing the research for it, and so far, I've pulled up some great information about Chinese dragons.

So if you're getting tired of reading epic fantasies about tall, golden-haired, violet-eyed heroes/heroines slashing at European dragons with swords (and while we're on this subject, why are fantasy heroes/heroines always tall? Do you have to be a certain height to wield a sword?), why not learn a little bit more (and maybe try writing!) about Asian dragons?

Image Source: Here

Unlike their European counterparts, Asian dragons symbolize wisdom and good luck. They are honored and worshipped, not feared and hated.

In fact, when I mentioned to my mom that I was thinking of writing about them, she told me that the dragon is the symbol of the emperor. "Only he gets to wear them on his clothes. Make sure you put that in your book," she advised.

Legend has it that the first emperors of China were dragons themselves.

Image Source: Here

Like European dragons, they can fly - but they don't need wings to do it.

Instead of breathing fire, they are guardians of air and water. They have the power to control the rain, rivers, lakes, and seas. When they get angry, they can cause severe droughts or torrential floods ... which is why it's generally a good idea to show them respect.

Image Source: Here

Dragons appear in almost every form of Chinese art. They're carved into instruments, molded into sculptures, drawn on thrones, and painted on scrolls.

The number nine is associated with Chinese dragons. Only the emperor and people of the highest rank were allowed to wear robes with nine dragons.

Image Source: Here

Check the chart below to see if you were born in the Year of the Dragon!

• 16 February 1904 – 3 February 1905: Wood Dragon
• 3 February 1916 – 22 January 1917: Fire Dragon
• 23 January 1928 – 9 February 1929: Earth Dragon
• 8 February 1940 – 26 January 1941: Metal Dragon
• 27 January 1952 – 13 February 1953: Water Dragon
• 13 February 1964 – 1 February 1965: Wood Dragon
• 31 January 1976 – 17 February 1977: Fire Dragon
• 17 February 1988 – 5 February 1989: Earth Dragon
• 5 February 2000 – 23 January 2001: Metal Dragon
• 23 January 2012 – 9 February 2013: Water Dragon
• 10 February 2024 – 28 January 2025: Wood Dragon

Some characteristics that dragon people are said to have include: self-confidence, courage, passion, innovation, and a quick temper.

If you're interested in reading more about these magnificent creatures, check out this site or this site (warning on the second one: great information, cheesy background music).

Happy Chinese New Year! Celebrate with a dumpling or two!

Giveaway Winners and Pretty Pictures

Image source here

Congratulations to the four winners of my 400 Awesome People Giveaway! *throws confetti*

1. Christine Rains
2. Julie Dorris
3. Tiana Smith
4. Emma Lauren

I'll be contacting all of you shortly via email so you can choose your prizes! As soon as that's taken care of, I'll mail your books and Harry Potter keychains to an address of your choice! (Trust me, you will love the souvenirs. I could spend a whole day at Filch's Emporium picking them out - so many good ones to choose from!)

Anyway, January has been a great month so far.

Writing-wise, I found a new name for my land in PPP. It was originally called the Seven Kingdoms. I always suspected that this would just be a temporary name, but I still got attached. It was sad when I found out it had been used before - by no less an author than Mr. George R. R. Martin! - but I'm liking the new name quite a lot.

So, without further ado... welcome to the land of Finale! Where it's all about happily ever after - no matter what it takes to get there.

My main character, Noelle, comes from a rural kingdom to the South. It's the breadbasket of Finale, with lots of rolling countryside, farmland, and green pastures.

Image source here

Near the beginning of the story, she gets to visit the capital kingdom, which is in the very center of Finale. It's as close to a metropolis as you can get - except there are carriages instead of taxis, cobblestone streets instead of concrete pavement, and a castle on the horizon instead of skyscrapers.

Image source here

Meanwhile, her best friend Geoff is off at knight school in a mountainous kingdom to the North. The peaks are treacherous, and they're filled with hidden goblin lairs and dragon's nests, but... where better to train?

Image source here

Then there's the prosperous sea kingdom to the West, where the richest folks in Finale - including Noelle's archenemy, who's a real estate heiress - spend their summers.

Image source here

And to the East, there's nothing but forest that goes on for days and days. It's easy to get lost in there if you don't have your bearings, and you really don't want to end up in some witch's bramble trap.

Image source here

Despite the often-challenging revision process, this story's been a real joy to imagine and write. I laughed a lot while working on it, especially whenever Noelle's ornery sidekicks - a sarcastic frog named Alfonso and a yogurt-addicted cat named Muffet - came onto the scene.

I hope that somewhere out there, someone will love it and laugh at it as much as I do! Only one way to find out, right? :)

What about you? Does your story take place in an imaginary world? Any photos that represent your vision of it? Feel free to share!

The Adventure Lives On

Sign near the entrance to Islands of Adventure.
(*All photos in this post were taken by me/family.*)

Happy New Year, everyone!

Just got back from my vacation this morning! Is it possible to feel exhausted and refreshed at the same time? Because that's kind of what it feels like right now. I enjoy flying, but all the taxi-hailing, luggage-checking, boarding pass-printing, security-navigating, and connecting flight-catching can get pret-ty tiresome.

BUT, I think all of that is worth it because I had a fantastic time at Disney World and Orlando Studios with my family. We have a lot of milestones to celebrate this year - graduations, new jobs, and big birthdays - and so we welcomed 2012 in style in the happiest place on Earth.

I got to go on my favorite rides and see my favorite shows in the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. They never get old, no matter how many times I go.

I also spent a whole day at the Islands of Adventure, where I got to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter up close and personal.

View of Hogwarts Castle from Hogsmeade.

This place still gets extremely crowded, so just be prepared if you're planning a trip in the near future. Expect to wait in line for hours to get on one of the three rides, and expect to jostle and be jostled in order to see anything in the tiny, tiny shops.

My acceptance letter never came when I was 11. Oh well, might as well take a picture with the train.

I had fun, but frankly, I'm a bit disappointed by how Universal Studios built this place and I think there can be MANY improvements. Like, for instance, creating a walking tour of Hogwarts Castle that doesn't force people to stand in a three-hour line for a ride they may not even want to go on.

Zonko's Joke Shop. SUPER tiny.

Honeydukes Sweet Shop. My $10 chocolate frog does not move. I'm thinking of filing a complaint.

Also, I never thought I'd say this, but I froze my butt off in Florida. It was COLD. So cold that the shorts and flip-flops I packed never made it out of the suitcase (although the sunglasses and sunscreen did), and I had to wear six layers of clothing on the night that we stayed out late to see Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios. (By the way - best. Show. Ever. Please do not miss it if you plan on visiting Disney World.)

What with the freeze warnings and the windchill, it felt like being at home... except way more fun. I'll try my best to post more pictures on Facebook eventually!

Anyway, hope you're having a great start to 2012 so far. It's the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese calendar. Chinese dragons figure heavily in my new story because I think the lore behind these creatures is every bit as amazing and deserving of being in an epic fantasy novel as European dragons. I'll be sharing more about this soon!

P.S. Sunday, January 8 is the last day to enter for a chance to win books and Harry Potter World goodies in my 400 Followers Giveaway. Click HERE for details!

Happy Holidays!

Our Christmas tree!

I'm off on a blogging break for the next two weeks!

Here are some of the things I'm planning to do:

1. Work on a new story!
   


2. Finish reading: Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran, The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman, and The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan.


3. Eat my weight in food.


4. Watch my two favorite versions of A Christmas Carol, here and here.
   


5. Drink copious amounts of butterbeer here.


6. Ride this, this, and this at Disney World. And go see this and this.

I'll leave you with two clips from the Nutcracker, which I've been writing to ever since I went to see it last week. I'm not too crazy about ballet, but I love this gorgeous music. Plus, it's a nice break from all the Christmas stuff that's been playing since Halloween!

I wish you all a bright, happy holiday season and I will see you back here in 2012. ♥

(Don't forget to sign up for my 400 Awesome People Giveaway if you haven't already!)

The 400 Awesome People Blog Giveaway

When I first started Silver Lining three years ago, I did so for the following reasons:

1. Have a place to vent whenever I hit a writing snag.


2. Get feedback and figure out whether I have what it takes.


3. Make friends with other writers with similar goals.


4. Learn more about the publishing process.
   

Over the past three years, all of those things happened. And what's more, I found 400 Awesome People who came to visit my blog and (I hope!) want to stay. So thank you from the bottom of my heart, particularly those of you who come back again and again and leave encouraging comments.

In order to show my appreciation, I'm having a blog giveaway! The only requirements for eligibility are:

• Be a follower. (Residents of U.S. and Canada only for shipping purposes, please!)
  


• Comment on this post with your email address by Sunday, January 8, 2012.
  


• Post about the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog/website. Let me know in your comment and you'll be entered twice!
  

Here are the prizes:

• The Luxe by Anna Godbersen (hardcover). Gossip Girl meets 19th-century Manhattan in this YA novel about intrigue and glamor in the Gilded Age. [Goodreads Link]
  

- ♥ -

• Kindred by Octavia Butler (paperback). A modern black woman time travels back to the antebellum South, where she struggles to ensure her own future existence. [Goodreads Link]

- ♥ -

• Peony in Love by Lisa See (paperback). In 17th-century China, pampered Peony falls for a man she can never have - except in death. [Goodreads Link]

- ♥ -

• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (paperback). On vacation in Scotland, Claire inadvertently travels back 200 years, where she must choose between her husband and a hunky warrior. [Goodreads Link]

- ♥ -

• A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick (paperback). A lonely millionaire with ulterior motives puts out an ad for a reliable wife ... only to discover that the woman who replies has plans of her own. [Goodreads Link]

- ♥ -

• The Notebook and The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks (2 paperbacks, counts as 1 prize). Two stories about love that transcends social class and the fading years of marriage. [Goodreads Links HERE and HERE.]

Since, this is to celebrate my four hundred followers, there will be FOUR winners!

I'll assign a number to each person who comments and use random.org to help me pick the winning numbers. Lowest number chooses a prize first. Easy peasy, right?

Optional: Each winner will also receive a little goodie from Harry Potter World, but only if they want one. These will be surprises - because even I don't know what they'll be yet - but I promise they'll be fun!

Good luck!

Deja Vu Blogfest

Today, I'm participating in the Deja Vu Blogfest (details here) and I've chosen to re-post an entry from December 2009. Thanks for reading, and please check out other participants' entries when you get a chance!

(Side Note: Just realized that I even used the words "deja vu" in my entry! How fortuitous!)

♥ ♥ ♥

Image Source: Here

I was seven years old when I received my first marriage proposal. We were living in upstate New York at the time, in a house on the corner of a quiet street surrounded by lilac bushes and Japanese maple trees. Our backyard stretched out to an oak grove in a tangle of wildflowers, sweeping up a slight hill on which our next-door neighbors lived. They were a young couple with a son my age named Kyle. He owned a shiny, battery-powered Kawasaki two-seater in cherry red and one day he sped down the hill into my backyard. I was sitting on the raised deck my dad had built to accommodate his giant barbecue grill, wearing a rhinestone tiara and my mom's silk scarf. When I looked down, there he was staring back up at me with a charming gap-toothed grin.

He gave me a friendly wave. "Want a ride?"

"Okay," I said, even though I didn't think we had anything in common. He was the kind of boy who dug up worms and climbed trees to see how far he could fall, and I was spoiled and prissy and liked to keep my dress clean.

I descended from my wooden, umbrella-tabled tower and climbed into my new prince's steed of choice.

"Hold on tight," he advised, and slammed his foot down on the accelerator. We must have been going about ten miles an hour - if that - but it seemed like the fastest, wildest ride of my life.

That summer we were inseparable, spending every minute of playtime our moms allowed us with each other. I came home with filthy hands, grass-stained skirts, and an acquired appreciation for bugs and dirt and other things I would have once called yucky. I like to think that he had an acquired appreciation for books after he met me ... or at least, he didn't hate them as intensely. We never kissed because kissing meant cooties, but sometimes he held my hand on the swingset.

Like most summer romances, ours came to an end.

On my birthday in September, my parents announced that we were moving. My dad's company was transferring him to a different branch and Kyle and I would be separated forever.

After school I ran over to tell him the sad news. We sat together on the swings, brown hair and black pigtails close together, thinking hard.

"We could run away," he suggested.

"What would we eat?" I asked doubtfully.

Kyle thought for a moment. "Dunkaroos. I know where my mom keeps them."

"We'd get sick of them really fast," I pointed out.

"Okay. How about you marry me?"

I made a face. "Gross, I can't marry you! You're my neighbor."

He didn't seem put off in the least. "What's wrong with that? My mom married my dad and they were neighbors." He picked up a blade of grass and chewed it like gum. "We could live in my treehouse."

I was sold. Kyle had the most amazing treehouse complete with windows and furniture. So I agreed to marry him and we made rings out of the dark green twisty ties from the supermarket. Unfortunately time ran out before we could hold an official ceremony. The moving van came and my family left our house and our neighbors behind for the chilly New England fall.

Flash forward seventeen years. I'm chatting on the phone with my friend Callie and somehow we get onto the topic of the first boyfriends we can remember. Kyle hadn't crossed my mind until this conversation. When I hung up, I decided to see if he was on Facebook out of curiosity. And there he was, a much taller, broad-shouldered version of the boy I remember, with the same charming smile sans missing teeth.

You know how sometimes you look at a person or a photograph of a person you knew when they were little, and you can still see them as a child? That same sense of deja vu hit me and I just had to laugh. He had changed, yet he was exactly the same - and I know he'd say the same thing about me.

I think writing is a lot like that. We change and we grow (and hopefully improve) but there's always a little something that reminds us of the way we once were. Can you see bits of your old self as a writer in your work? I definitely can. Sometimes all it takes is a sentence to trigger my memory, and I'll smile and feel nostalgic for rhinestone tiaras and the smell of freshly mown grass.

A Little Write Music #20: Pan's Labyrinth

I fell in love with Guillermo del Toro's haunting dark fairy tale, "Pan's Labyrinth," the first time I saw it.

The score, written by Spanish composer Javier Navarrete, received a well-deserved Oscar nomination. I have a feeling I'll be listening to this soundtrack very often when I work on my next YA project, which will have a much darker feel than PPP.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Post-Turkey Update

I'm back from Thanksgiving break, and I've got some great news: revisions on PPP are FINALLY done! It was a close call, though. I must have been half-asleep when I was packing to go home, because I lovingly placed my iMac and all of its assorted necessities into a box in the trunk of my car ... and like a total idiot, forgot the power cord!

Of course, I didn't realize this until I had arrived at my destination three hours later. Cue the frantic phone calls to Best Buy and Apple to see whether they sold the power cord alone and could expedite it to me (they do NOT, by the way) and the melodramatic rantings about how I had been so excited to work and now could not, since I'm spoiled and don't like writing on the PCs I had access to.

Long story short, I revised the old-school way: longhand, with a pen and paper. A week later, after driving back (and being reunited with my power cord), I spent the remaining two days madly typing up all of my revisions and... BAM! Done at last!

1. Next step: rest the WIP for a week or two, add a lil' polish, and send it off to my critique partners. Hear their thoughts; revise some more.
   


2. Next next step: Write a real, live query letter (eeeeeee!).


3. Next next next step: Open an account on Publishers Marketplace and start making an agents-to-query list (double eeeeeee!).

Starting on the 17th, I will have a three-week vacation before I start my new job, both of which I am very excited about. Plenty of time to get PPP squared away so I can finally start querying.

I'll also be traveling for five days, one of which will be devoted to Harry Potter World, and I am out-of-my-mind pumped for it. I'm planning on picking up souvenirs and doing a blog giveaway upon my return, so keep your eyes peeled!

Aside from all that, I'm just going to thoroughly enjoy the holiday season. It's my favorite time of year: wrapping presents, baking cookies, quoting lines from "Elf" until people's ears bleed, attending Christmas shindigs, and going to the ballet to see The Nutcracker. Yay!

I probably won't be blogging all that much (except for this Dec. 16 blogfest that I will participate in), but I should be around, catching up on other people's blogs. Hope you're all having a happy, productive December, too!

Dao Unplugged

Nope, I'm not giving a concert. I'm just removing myself from the internet for a little while to wrap up revisions on PPP. That's right, wrap up.

Things just really clicked this week (love it when that happens!) and I'm so excited about the way the manuscript's turning out. I know where I have to go and I'll be working to get there over the long break.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I'll see you back here in December.

Dao out!

Why WIPs Are Like Marriages

Revisions are currently kicking my butt. I'm a perfectionist, so I both love and loathe editing - love, because my work gets better with every round, and loathe, because it takes me so many rounds before I'm happy with a change.

It occurred to me that the honeymoon phase is over for me and my WIP. We are now thoroughly married. Here's a few reasons why.

• The romance is gone. I don't open the document with stars in my eyes anymore. I still have strong feelings for it, but my dreamy "oh-my-god-I'm-obsessed-with-you-you-are-amazing" phase has turned into the "are-you-going-to-work-with-me-today-or-am-I-going-to-have-to-apply-force?" phase.


• The smooth sailing ends. My WIP doesn't tell me I'm pretty anymore. It just sits there, watching football and drinking beer. After the rough draft is written, the relationship isn't easy any longer. You have to smooth ragged edges and connect loose dots.


• You feel like you're doing all the work. Remember when your characters unfolded and your plot flowed without you seemingly having to lift a finger? Suddenly, that changes. You need to make major alterations for consistency. You might have to (gasp) get rid of secondary/tertiary characters or even whole chapters. And the whole time, your WIP's just sitting there, not helping. Would it kill it to take the trash out once in a while!?


• You forgot your anniversary!

But sometimes, when things click, there's a glimmer of what used to be there. The excitement, the thrill of novelty. And that's when you realize that the rollercoaster has become unadulterated, resigned, inexplicable, uncompromising love.

What about you? How's your "marriage" going? (And are you trying to keep your eyes from straying to new story ideas like mine are?)


P.S. I will be participating in this blogfest on December 16th! The theme is to recycle an old blog post of yours that you love or that didn't get as many reads as you'd like. Check out DL Hammons's blog for more details and the sign-up sheet.

Now I just have to decide what to re-post!

Go Ninja Go Ninja Go!

One of my friends celebrated her birthday this weekend at a pub that's known for its 90s dance parties. I'm convinced that that is the secret to the ideal after-work Friday: good friends, good food, cheap beer, and Britney circa 1998. Our group was the biggest on the dance floor and everyone, guys and girls alike, had a great time. No one judges you for dancing like an idiot to Vanilla Ice when everyone else is doing the same thing.

I bring this up not just to brag that I performed the puppet dance from NSync's "Bye, Bye, Bye" video on the dance floor (it was epic, by the way), but to talk about nostalgia and how we get attached to familiar things - places, movies, songs - from our childhood.

Most 90s pop might not be groundbreaking, nor does it have very well thought out lyrics, but my friends and I grew up with this stuff and watched all the videos on TRL after school.

Nostalgia also applies to books. I see so many great middle-grade recommendations on the blogosphere, but mostly they just make me want to revisit the stories I read as a kid: The Phantom Tollbooth, anything by Roald Dahl, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, A Wrinkle in Time, Julie of the Wolves, Charlotte's Web, Bridge to Terabithia, the original Nancy Drew hardcovers.

So it's really a treat to see some of these classics come back to life. Here's one that I was obsessed with: The Adventures of Tin-Tin and Snowy, by Belgian artist Hergé. I used to watch it religiously when it was a show on Nickelodeon.

Apparently it's coming to the big screen this December, courtesy of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson:


What books are you nostalgic for? If you've re-read them recently, what do you think of them now?

Aaand, just for fun, here's a sample of the music I heard on 90s night for those of you who remember it as fondly as I do. Enjoy!

Jessica Bell Debuts Novel "String Bridge"

Happy 11/11/11!

Today, my friend Jessica Bell - who blogs at Alliterative Allomorph - is celebrating the debut of her book String Bridge, about an Australian musician facing obstacles in her path back to the limelight. Check out the announcement below for more information!

♥ ♥ ♥

Today is THE day to help Jessica Bell's debut, STRING BRIDGE, hit the bestseller list on Amazon, and receive the all-original soundtrack, Melody Hill: On the Other Side, written and performed by the author herself, for free!

All you have to do is purchase the book today (paperback, or eBook), November 11th, and then email the receipt to:

jessica.carmen.bell(at)gmail(dot)com

She will then email you a link to download the album at no extra cost!

To purchase the paperback:

Amazon USA

To purchase the eBook:

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

To listen to samples of the soundtrack, visit iTunes.

Connect with Jessica:
String Bridge: http://www.stringbridge.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jessica_bell
Website: http://www.jessicacbell.com/
Blog: http://thealliterativeallomorph.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/author.jessica.bell
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MsBessieBell
Publisher: http://www.luckypress.com

ZOMBIES!!!

Photo Source: Here

Something felt very wrong about the woods we had just entered. Broad daylight, and not a single bird or squirrel - in fact, no sign of life at all.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" someone quavered.

"This is where the map told us to go," another person said.

I looked around at the group, a cluster of two dozen tired souls in sneakers and running shorts, all of us splattered with mud. We looked pathetic. I'm not saying that you have to face a zombie apocalypse in blown-out hair and full makeup in order to be prepared, but man.

"We have to go through that cabin." A man next to me wiped his dirty hands on his t-shirt, which spelled out EAT JIM, NOT ME above an arrow pointing to the left. "There's barbed wire on both sides. We can't go around it."

His friend - Jim, presumably - looked both ways, as though we were doing nothing more than crossing a busy intersection. "It's too quiet here, guys. Stick together."

"Stop trying to be the leader," a big blond woman told him, sauntering forward with bravado. "You know they always lose their brains first."

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a low growl emerged from the twisting trees to our right. A pack of five zombies, drenched in blood, lurched toward us. Their eyes rolled, their mouths gaped, and from their pockets flapped a handful of scarlet tags, indicating that we were not their first victims.

"Run! Run, you idiots!" screamed the man with the EAT JIM t-shirt.

I scrambled ahead with the rest of the pack, all too conscious of my own tags fluttering around my running shorts. I was too vulnerable - we all were. All a zombie had to do was grab one, and...

A scuffle to my right. One of the zombies, a young guy with a mohawk and an array of facial piercings, grabbed at the person next to me and missed. He turned his attention to me. Determination born of hunger flared in his eyes as he snatched at my tags.

I hauled back, preparing to aim a right hook alongside his jaw.

"No!" the zombie said, flinching. "You can't touch me, you'll get disqualified from the race!"

Crap.

* * *

I'm thinking about doing something crazy next year, and that is participating in this race: Run For Your Lives 5K.

It's a race-slash-obstacle-course where the object is to get to the finish line with all of your red health tags still attached to your body. The catch? People will be dressed up as zombies and they will chase you and try to steal your tags while you're running through.

Why do I say that this is crazy?

1. I haven't run a 5K since high school. True, that's only about 3 miles, which I walk on a daily basis now that I live in the city, but I haven't gone that distance competitively since I was like, 15.
   


2. I'm a big scaredy-cat. Yeah, I know that the zombies aren't real, but STILL...


3. I fight when frightened. If you try to sneak up on me, I'll probably end up punching you. Fair warning. This might not be so convenient during the race, since we and the zombies aren't supposed to touch each other. I'll have to try not to get thrown out for kicking one in the face...


4. No one will do this with me. I've gotten only about 3 friends to agree to run this with me and let's face it, I need like, 15. Everyone else has been throwing down excuses like "I have bad knees" and "I might be on vacation then" and "Sorry, I don't run." See, the strategy here is to have a big group of people. While the zombies are distracted and try to eat your friends, you can easily run around them.

BUT, that being said, I think it might be pretty fun.

It might even inspire me to write a zombie story (and I would definitely do a blog novelization of everything that happened for your reading pleasure). After all, zombies are the new vampires. This might be my chance to create a swoonworthy undead hero to rival Edward Cullen.

What do you think? Should I do the race?

Me Me Me

I can't remember who tagged me for this meme (I'm sorry!), but I think these are a fun, quick way to take a break from writing/revising/procrastinating from writing and revising.

However, before I answer the questions, I have a PPP update!

This weekend, in spite of gallivanting off to eat dim sum, attend two birthday parties, drool over the hotness of appreciate the acting talents of Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 50/50, bake brownies for my co-workers, and give my car a much-needed fall cleaning, I managed to write 6,000 new words!

I'm really excited about the progress I've made, slow as it has been, and I hope to make much more by year's end.

And now, on to the questions!



If you could go back in time and relive one moment, what would it be?
Summer '05, when my family went to Europe. It was our last trip all together as a family. If I had known that at the time, I would have appreciated every moment more!


If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?
I would have had waaay more fun in college. All I did was study and be boring, and I never got to enjoy it the way other people do!


What movie/TV character do you most resemble in personality?
Probably Peggy Olson from Mad Men. She might seem meek at first, but underneath, she's got drive, spunk, and ambition that comes out when the time's right!


If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would it be?
I would never push anyone off a cliff! Off a pool diving board when they weren't looking, maybe.


Name one habit you want to change in yourself.
I'm too demanding of myself and of others. Learning to be more laidback would be a plus!


Describe yourself in one word.
Optimistic.


Describe the person who named you in this meme in one word.
How about "mysterious," since I can't even remember who I got it from...


Why do you blog? Answer in one sentence.
I want to share my passion with the world!



If you're reading this post, you're tagged, so feel free to take a break and answer these questions on your own blog!

Happy Monday!

Revisions? Rewriting? BRING. IT. ON.

I cycle through these periods where one month, I'm writing maniacally, churning out 10,000 words every week, and then the next month, I can barely even stand the sight of my WIP. The same goes for revisions. When I'm up, I'm up and I might edit 10 chapters in one sitting, but when I'm going through one of my bad spells, I can't even force myself to get through a few pages.

Sadly enough, the most recent bad spell has been dragging on for two months. I am completely ashamed of myself for slogging through at such a slow pace. Instead of focusing on PPP, I've been lazy, lethargic. I've been wasting time on unproductive things and on people who, it turns out, couldn't even care less about me.

I've been so inspired by all of you doing NaNoWriMo that I am officially getting back on track this weekend. I'm going to sit down with my WIP and re-read the entire thing, marking it up as I go. I've already highlighted several passages/story arcs that need to be completely rewritten, but my zeal is back and I'm not fazed by how much work it might turn out to be.

2011 is drawing to a close and I need to get this done now, while my motivation has made a comeback. I'll report back on my progress!

Coldplay is dominating my writing/revising playlist of late. I love this new song and the video is chock-full of awesome. Check it out and good luck with your projects! Onward!


Listen on Youtube

50,000 Words? PFFFFT!!!

Photo from Jupiter Stock Images

I used to be able to call myself a long-distance runner. I sucked more than anyone else on the cross-country team, but in gym class, I was a god, a seven-minute-mile wonder woman. For the first time in my athletically challenged life, I could do something physically strenuous for hours without getting tired.

And then there came college, and with it the infamous Freshman 15. I was never quite the same after that, especially since I lived above a dining hall my sophomore year. All I had to do was put on slippers and pajama pants, and burgers and macaroni-and-cheese and cannoli were just a flight of stairs away.

Four years after graduation, I'm still working on getting back into shape. I recently signed up for an expensive gym to help motivate myself, and so far, it's been working. Every week, I run a little faster. I run a little longer. If I'm on the elliptical, I crank up the resistance level a little more.

I'm not going to lie - exercising is damn hard. Most days, my attitude is: "Why am I sweating and smelling bad when I could be on the couch, eating candy and watching Vampire Diaries?"

But then there are the good days, the days when I'm feeling great and the right song comes up on my iPod and I'm pumped to be running four, five, six miles.

Let me tell you something - running and writing are the exact same thing.

You might ask an athlete: "Why are you running a marathon?"

And then they might turn around and ask you: "Why are you doing NaNoWriMo?"

And that's when you say: "Because I'm a bad ass. That's why."

And it would totally be true, because you know what? Not everyone can write 50,000 words in one month. FIFTY THOUSAND WORDS. That's crazy, y'all. And that's on top of real life.

When it boils down to it, I think participating in NaNoWriMo is just as insane as running 26 miles in one go. Which is why, if you're taking part this November, you need to stand up right now and pat yourself on the back. You are a truly awesome individual.

I wish I were doing it again this year, but I'm currently stuck on the Cliffs of Insanity, revising PPP.

Good luck on Tuesday... I'll be rooting you guys on from the sidelines! If revisions go well, I might join you for the second half of November and see if I can't write my children's book then.

So, how have you prepared for this year's writing marathon?

A Little Write Music #19: Edward Scissorhands

I just realized that I haven't posted any new writing music for a couple of months now!

The soundtrack to Edward Scissorhands recently came up on my iTunes shuffle, which I think is totally appropriate for Halloween. I love this movie and I think Danny Elfman's score is perfect for it - just the right blend of haunting, lovely, and mysterious. A lot of the tracks are set in 3/4 time, making for some eerie waltzes that feature music box-like sounds. Creepy and beautiful at the same time!

Enjoy and happy writing!


Listen on Youtube


Listen on Youtube

Halloweentime is Here

Photo Source: Here

It's that time of year again! There's a chill in the air, the leaves start changing colors, people discuss costumes and apple-picking, and scaredy-cats like me do stupid things like read horror novels at bedtime to get into the spirit of the season. Just for fun, I asked some of my coworkers what they thought was the scariest book they had ever read, and the answer was unanimous: anything by Stephen King.

After all, this guy has written about killer clowns, murderous corn-worshippers, freaky little kids, and possessed vehicles. He also lives on 13th Street in Bangor, Maine, in a creepy Victorian mansion surrounded by a cast-iron gate with gargoyles, spiderwebs, and who knows what other evil doodads on it.

I've never read anything by him or seen any of the movies based on his books, but I'm going to give this one a try: Needful Things. Have any of you read it? I'll let you know what I think, but I'm already prepared to sleep with the lights on for a few weeks!

Nevertheless, I'm very excited that it's fall. I think it's ingrained in us as children that fall, not spring, is when things begin. That's when the school year always starts and everyone returns with fresh sneakers, new notebooks, and sharp pencils. It's a great time to curl up with a mug of hot apple cider and get writing, and that's what I hope to do most weekends from here on out!

I recently revisited my iTunes genie for some insight on life. I learned that I lack motivation for revising PPP because it's a Mad World, that I am very popular (thanks OneRepublic, I knew there was a good reason why you are my favorite band), and that I should stop worrying about other people and just dance to Party Rock Anthem instead. I have to hand it to my genie - he's snarky, but he has good advice. However, he kept shuffling up old-school Britney and I'm not sure what to make of that. Will I soon shave my head and go around beating people with umbrellas, only to experience a glorious comeback shortly thereafter? Only time will tell.

Anyway, if you have a spare moment, go on over and see what's happening at DL Hammons's blog. I'm not allowed to say why... but you should just do it.

Have a safe and happy Halloween! What are you dressing up as, if at all? Does anyone have a literary costume? (I'm going as a flapper, so I guess Daisy Buchanan is the closest I'll be coming to literature!)

Hit the Reply Button

Photo Source: Here

Back in high school, before Waldenbooks stores had ceased to exist and were bought out by Borders, I had a sizable gift card that I needed to use. I walked into the one at our local mall and perused the bestseller table, but nothing really caught my eye. I don't usually have trouble finding an interesting book, so I never ask for help, but that day I went up to the sleepy-eyed, sloppily-dressed college student behind the counter and asked him for a recommendation.

"What's a really good book that has come out lately? I'm going on vacation next week and I need something to read on the cruise ship," I explained.

He regarded me for a second, as though trying to judge the kind of book I would enjoy based on my appearance. "Do you read crime fiction? Thriller? Sci-fi?"

"Like Michael Crichton, James Patterson stuff? Not really," I said honestly, thinking of the eclectic pile of British literature, battered Nancy Drews, and middle-grade fiction that I had just exhausted.

"Would you be willing to give it a try?" He slouched out from behind the counter, pulling up the waistband of soda-stained jeans. At the bestseller table, he picked up a copy of that book up there - The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - and handed it over. "This is one of my favorites of theirs. Read the summary and let me know what you think." He went off to help someone else, and I was left with the paperback in my hands.

The first two things I notice and judge a book by are its title and its cover. Both were great in this case, and the description on the back completely hooked me.

"I'm going to give this a shot," I told the kid.

"Good choice," he said approvingly. "Just don't read it late at night, because you'll be up until 4 AM trying to finish it. You've been warned."

It didn't even take me that long. When I got home, I decided to read the first few chapters to see what it was like, and ended up finishing the whole thing by dinnertime.

I went back to Waldenbooks and bought every paperback I could find by Preston and Child. The cashier - who became my good friend Josh - had turned me into a rabid fan of these guys' science-based, gunshot-paced novels, so much so that I headed online to learn more about them.

There was a section on their website where readers could send them an email, and I went ahead and told them about how I had gotten hooked on their books, never expecting a reply.

Then, one day, this message appeared in my inbox from none other than Lincoln Child himself.

Dear Julie,

Thanks for your email. Douglas and I appreciate you taking the time to send us a message about how much you enjoyed our books.

We need to thank that guy from Waldenbooks for recruiting another reader!

Glad you enjoyed the character of Pendergast. We're planning on keeping him in many more books to come.

Happy reading,
Lincoln

I thought it was so cool of him to respond, being one-half of a super busy, power-writing, NYT bestselling team, although a few party poopers have suggested to me that Preston and Child hire people to answer their emails for them. (I really do think it was him, though.)

Regardless, authors who make sure their readers get responses are pretty darn awesome. When your feedback is acknowledged, it makes you feel more invested in whatever you gave feedback for. This is definitely a great lesson for anyone who blogs and/or wants to get published, and it's also why I always try to reply to every comment or Tweet I receive.

What about you? Do you reply to all of your comments? Have you ever heard back from an author?