A personal message and a fat vampire

There's so much going on I barely know where to start. J. Lo and Steven Tyler joining Idol (really?). Hang on, let's just chew on that for a minute, Dog.

My son turned three yesterday and my daughter will turn seven next Thursday.

I have at least four more gray hairs since the last time I counted and a horrible cough going on four weeks now. Notice a pattern?

We have a disgruntled contest winner from our Halloween in July contest who has not yet received her book. I totally understand this frustration. However, we cannot control when the author or publisher sends the book out nor is it nice to "gently remind" them more than a few times. Authors are very busy. They write and travel a lot. They also have a lot of contests to support. So, waiting 6-8 weeks (sometimes longer) to receive a contest prize is not unheard of. Just thought I'd put that out there in case anyone was interested.

Husband started a new job with the local police after twenty years with NYPD. In his new job, he had to be tasered and pepper sprayed. Heh heh. I volunteered to do both but the Chief of Police wouldn't let me. Darn it.

Three year-old is totally potty trained. No more diapers or pull-ups. So what's the problem? His new trick is he calls me every night to, "fix his blanket." Without fail sometime between 3-4AM I get the screaming call from my son's room.

Do you really care about any of this? I'm just babbling at this point. I tend to do that when I have something difficult to say.

That difficult thing is this is my last post for The YA-5. I am completely over committed right now with writing, YALITCHAT.ORG, the chat on Wednesday nights and all the other stuff I have going on. Kari Ann, Justina, Kelly and Emily are awesome so stick around. They may even replace me (as if that's possible).

OK, I feel bad. Gonna give away a book. Will that make you feel better?

HARPER TEEN has given me a copy of FAT VAMPIRE by Adam Rex! I'll choose a winner at random from those who comment below with a going away note to me that makes me laugh. Embrace your inner comedian! Make me laugh by this time NEXT Friday.

It's been a blast, people.

xoxo-
Georgia

The sisterhood of the traveling manuscript

OK-so, the title of my post is dumb. This is my third blog post this week--fifth if you count the ones I've posted to YALITCHAT.ORG (shameless but necessary plug--I'm not just a client, I'm also the President). :-)

This post is about the community of writers that has come to mean so much to me of which YALTICHAT.ORG is a major part. Because writing is normally a solitary profession and also quite competitive, I believe it's important to have a support system of people who understand you as a person, a writer and who understand the business well enough to "get" what you're going through.

Most often, it is hard to talk to friends, family and even spouses about the life of writing. So we would rather just smile or shrug it off and say nothing. Many of us tell few people about the work we're doing or the books we're working on for fear of ridicule--especially if it's something in the science fiction, fantasy or paranormal genres. You know what I mean right? How about you saucy romance folks? Afraid to let your neighbor beta read your work for fear they might think you're a little too pervy to let little Johnny come over and play?

The life of a writer is not always all it's cracked up to be. We need to be around our own. We need community. This is my story. This is how I survive.

Let me tell you about the first writer's group I ever joined. The Blue Boards online. The first writer I ever spoke to, the one who turned me on to it was Maggie Steifvater. This was back before SHIVER and LINGER and the like. Maggie was nice enough to point me in that direction. In doing so, she did two things for me. She showed me that being a writer is not just about climbing the ladder of personal success (being in it for you), but it's about helping others along the way. This is something I will never ever forget and a story I will always tell. The other thing she did was open me up to an experience unlike one I was not used to. I've been on boards before but none so welcoming and free-flowing with people willing to share with, help and support one another. It was so unlike the music business where I'd come from.

Then I joined SCBWI and started to interact online with my regional Carolinas chapter. And let me tell you--even if you don't ever have a chance to attend a conference (which I highly recommend you attempt at least once) just knowing that this group of folks is there (virtually and in some cases physically) to talk to, vent to, listen to and celebrate with online makes my writing journey that much sweeter. I love reading my daily digest of group posts from our regional chapter. It reads like a page from a motivational speaker's speech. No matter how big or small, we celebrate one another's achievements, reviews, signings, appearances, sales, agentings, releases, joinings, awards, etc. I'll be the first to admit. I'm not nearly as active as most members. But I am a member and appreciative of all I've learned at the conferences and the community that it affords me. I've personally made friends with a few members and my daughter has a new friend too as a result!

I want to brag a little about some of our group's members and their recent achievements. I hope I don't leave anyone out!

Carrie Ryan continues to celebrate the success of THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH AND THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES.

John Claude Beamis in Publishers Weekly (digital w/ photo) and a short piece about his CLOCKWORK DARK Trilogy.

David Gill celebrates the release of BLACK HOLE SUN (blurbed by Suzanne Collins).

Elanora E. Tate is included in the September issue of Our State Magazine.


Carole Boston Weatherford to receive the North Carolina award. Highest award for a civilian in North Carolina!


Tameka Fryer Brown is featured in an interview on Cynsations!


Beth Revis celebrates release of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE on 1.1.2011!

Kelly Starling Lyons celebrates the fifteenth anniversary of the Million Man March with a blog tour featuring her picture book, ONE MILLION MEN AND ME!

If I've missed anyone (FROM SCBWIC) who is celebrating or needs to be celebrated, please, please, please know that is is simply the result of old lady brain. EMAIL me and let me know and I will add you ASAP.

And then there are my writer girlfriends who I consider "my heart." These are the people who I very much adore and celebrate daily. I also respect them tremendously as writers, women and take advice from them as to what to do not only about my work but my kids and my marriage and for whom I am eternally grateful to have in my personal and professional life.

Michelle Zink has just completed a tour for the release of GUARDIAN OF THE GATE. Not having her around to text with several times a day was like going through withdrawal. Welcome back!

Nancy Holder is celebrating the release of CRUSADE. I'm giving away a copy at YALITCHAT.ORG.

A.S. King is gearing up for the release of PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ. Don't take my word for the awesomeness that awaits you. It received a Booklist starred review!

And then there are people that I don't get to talk to quite as often but when I do, I always feel better. These people are the real deal--genuine, trust-worthy and just plain fun. I appreciate you.

Alyson Noel is celebrating the release of SHADOWLAND in paperback and RADIANCE. Quite by accident and via Twitter we discovered that we are actually sisters separated at birth. imagine that.

Cynthia Leitch Smith Yes, I know I still owe you a guest blog post. Cynthia is a genuinely nice, smart and intellectually intriguing person. She has listened and offered help to me without asking for anything in return and for that I'm quite appreciative. Her sound advice helped me see what was right in front of me like a coconut being dropped on my head. Looking forward to BLESSED in 2011!

Dawn Metcalf is awesome and supportive in all kinds of ways. She comes through for me when I need a co-host for #YALITCHAT on twitter and our countless conversations about the industry and writing have been entertaining, informative and sometimes heartbreaking. I want the best for this truly amazing woman and look forward to the release of her book.

Jeanne V. Bowerman is co-founder and moderater of @SCRIPTCHAT and one of the niceset, most talented people I know. She is genuine, kind and good-hearted. If you are lucky enough to be a friend, you will find that she is free with advice, support and true friendship and not one of these high on themselves, too busy types. She is truly deserving of the success I know that is on her way.

Colleen Lindsay is celebrating a new job and freedom from agenting! She has been a friend, an industry mentor and a very supportive advisor to me personally. She has even helped me rewrite my query and strengthen the first chapter of my first novel. An avid supporter of #YALITCHAT from the start and even now that she's no longer an agent, she continues to use her influence to support us and me. I appreciate you and hope you know how much.

Michelle Wolfson is being awesome and celebrating the success of PARANORMALCY! She is kind, supportive and always willing to do what she can to help. Michelle has made herself available to me on weekends to talk agent submissions from the YALITCHAT.ORG Agent Mailbox and even advise me on my career goals. She's the real deal.

Laura Renegar and I share a love of Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and I think a crush on Patrick Dempsey. We can't stop ourselves from tweeting one another on Thursday nights in season or the day after the shows air. Sadly we also talk a lot about our journey to publication which for both of us has been a struggle. She is a supportive and caring friend who also shares my love for Chick-Fil-A. I appreciate you, Laura.

JJ is wise beyond her years yet vulnerable and sweet. She's become a friend and mentor though I am a few years older than her (just a few). I know I can vent, rant and rave to her when and if I need to and she'll listen. She may not have the answers but she'll listen and have my back. You need that in this business.

Elan Roth and I met at an SCBWIC conference in Durham, NC. We talked for over an hour. She had previously rejected my query. We became friends that day. Why? Because I wasn't trying to get her to like me or be my agent. I was just happy to talk to someone from home (NYC), someone who understood me and my City-Girl ways, someone I could be myself with. We don't see eye-to-eye on everything and have even accidentally argued. Total misunderstanding. I was actually trying to cyber protect her. But what I do know is this. Elana and I have each other's backs. Yeah. I use that phrase a lot. I can call her when I need to and vent and vice versa. 'Cause sometimes you need to drop a few f'bombs on someone who gets you.

Megan Curd who was hired as the very first YALITCHAT.ORG intern. Though she is no longer an intern, Megan and I became very good friends and colleagues. We can talk about anything. She's a good egg!

Maggie Mo is always encouraging and friendly. That she is somewhat local to me but not close enough to visit makes me sad. She's the kind of person you see and just want to hug because life and love radiate from her.

Finally there is the 1700+ community at YALITCHAT.ORG. You complete me. Never before have I been so happy to engage with people and feel like I can just let my virtual hair down and be myself online. To my MODS, I love you for letting me be myself with all my imperfections. Lee-thanks for letting me know when I look like a fool with my pants on the ground!

Community makes writing better. Knowing that others out there are going through what you are is so powerful. Take time to reach out to others like you, who write in your genre. Maybe you won't need to use Google so much. Maybe you can ask someone who has been there and done that. Maybe they can tell you better which is the best choice or how to do something you've been struggling with. Make connections so you be a writer and a better you.

And in case you're wondering--all of the above people I've met initially online and then (some) in person. You CAN make real connections online. But be sure to get off the computer and pick up the phone, write a handwritten note, see a film, go to lunch, be a contributor to society beyond your writing. Beware of cyber stalkers and emotional drains on your energy and time. Most of all, have fun. If this has helped you in any way or you have something to contribute, comment and share!

xoxo-

Georgia

What's In a Name?

People often ask me how I name my characters and truth be told I prefer astrology and Greek or Roman names. No, I don't do the whole baby names site but for those writers who do--more power to you. I feel a certain kinship when I find an author with a protag named Grace. I'm sappy that way.

I think about successful YA books of recent years and the names of their protags or leading men--even antagonists. I believe that great character names make great characters even greater. And great characters make a great book amazing. Even quirky characters with great names can leave a lasting and memorable impression. One thing is for sure, a HORRIBLE name can also leave a lasting impression too--can you say, "Renesmee?"

Whether named for a plant, star, planet, ancient Greek or Roman figure, old friend, ex-boyfriend, soap opera star, musician or favorite pet; character naming can be hard and fun. It can also make or break your book. A hard to pronounce name or one that the reader dislikes interrupts the flow of your lines and story. An annoying character with an equally annoying name makes reading...annoying. Get my drift?

When naming your characters, be original but don't be hard on the reader. There's nothing wrong with Mary (The Forest of Hands and Teeth), Grace (Shiver) or Bella. Yep--I said it. What are you gonna do? How about Edward or Jacob? Hah. Bet you're really mad now, eh? And no, I'm not Canadian. Not that there's anything wrong with being Canadian.

What I'm trying to say is, if YOU can't pronounce your character's name, chances are your reader won't be able to either. Make sure you let betas or critique partners have a look and that your choice of names flows just as smoothly as the plot, voice, pacing, character development, etc. If you can read your sentences out loud and get stuck on the name of one of your characters, it may indicate a need to change it.

Below are some of my favorite character names of recently released YA books. Can you name the book?

• Katniss Everdeen
• Ever Bloom
• Clary Fray
• Katsa and Po
• Grace Ann Miller
• Lia Milthorpe

Write well-

Georgia

Hindsight is 20/20

Or so they say...

Writing is like life--in that there is a beginning a middle and end. While working on my latest book, it became quite apparent about midway through the story that past tense wasn't the best way to tell the story. Well, not quite midway but about a third of the way. Still--it was a significant chunk of the way in--36,000 words.

The previous 3 books I'd written were done so in past tense and they all made perfect sense. However, this particular book did not. It begged for the present. I read from it aloud in the middle of chapter ten in the present tense--just to try it on. It flowed so much better. I knew then what I had to do.

It got me to thinking about life and do overs. How often do we think about our lives and the things we could possibly change that would make our it flow better? Simple things that if we took a minute to say out loud to ourselves, "hey, this isn't working," perhaps maybe we could go back and change it--make it better.

In writing, as in life--you can go back and change things. You can recognize mistakes, missteps or minor tweaks that if altered even slightly can make a huge impact on the overall outcome. You can have a do over. You can change it. Revision is a bitch. It takes time and a lot of patience. But it can be done.

So if there's something you're thinking about changing about yourself or your life--think about this: you can do it. It'll be hard and it may take some time. But you can do it. And while you're working on that, I'll be here revising 36,000 words, changing each sentence from past to present tense.

Talk amongst yourselves.

xoxo-

Georgia

The YA-5: REWIND

So, the weather's getting warmer and you know what that means. Or, maybe you don't. Here at The YA-5 it means, less is more. Or as my mom would say, "give a penny, take a penny."

In other words--Sara McClung and Steph Bowe have bid us farewell. School, life-balance and editorial demands require them to leave us to our own devices (forgive them--they know not what they do). But no worries, we shall not leave you with only Justina, Kari, Cristin, Kelly and myself to entertain you. Heaven forbid. Instead I bring you E. Kristin Anderson, The Hate-Mongering Tart (I swear, she calls herself this--I didn't do it). She promises to keep us all entertained with even MORE shenanigans.

I will leave it up to "E" to introduce herself when it's her turn. For now, I'll leave you with a link to her official blog and remind you of how this all began! Watch with shock and awe (or simply laugh out loud at my silliness).

xoxo-
Georgia

WHITE CAT Review

When Holly Black's WHITE CAT arrived I must admit, I didn't know what to expect. I'm not one of those people who actually enjoys reading review copies. I don't enjoy the pressure of feeling like I have to like the book. Honestly, I expected it to be good.

When I read the synopsis of WHITE CAT on the official website, I figured this was no ordinary YA book. This was something I hadn't seen before--something smart, engaging and fun. I figured this was going to be exactly the kind of book that I was going to fall in love with. I was right.

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

WHITE CAT reads like a thriller, family-saga, crime drama and coming of age YA all rolled into one. Cassel is the perfect main character even with all of his flaws and we love to cheer him on even as he gets into trouble, makes bad choices and shows us his imperfections.

The relationship between Cassel and his family is one of the more interesting I've seen in YA. Everyone has an angle. Mother, brothers and grandfather all there with some sort of influence--good or bad. I'm looking forward to seeing how things play out with the mother in the next book.

In WHITE CAT, nothing is truly as it seems and yet, everything has a wonderfully reasonable explanation--well--in the world of curse magic--that is. The world Black has built is completely compelling and alluring and only slightly unlike that of our own. It is those minor yet incredible differences that make Cassel's world so amazingly intriguing.

The book has a very cinematic flow from opening to ending. I could easily visualize every scene as I read. The intricacy of the world in which the characters lived was so well developed--that you almost forget that their existence is not normal.

I finished the book in a day and a half and am genuinely disappointed that I will have to wait so long for the sequel. WHITE CAT is the best book I've read this year. I challenge you to come up a book that is as original, evenly paced, well put together and solid overall in terms of a YA offering. It will appeal to boys and girls as well as those interested in both contemporary and paranormal content. With a little romance sprinkled in, it has something for everyone.

Simon and Schuster says the book works for ages fourteen and up. There is some some under age drinking but it's done well. I highly recommend WHITE CAT. I can't say enough great things about it. I may even be gushing.

Visit the WHITE CAT official website here.

Visit Holly Black's official website.

visit Simon and Schuster.

Visit our wonderful tour hosts, MundieMoms.

Super Heroes V. Super Villains

When I received Hero.com and Villain.net in the mail I had no idea what to think. It was two books in one--an ARC (advanced reader copy)--one of those one book on one side and flip over and turn upside down (or upside right) for the other book dealies.

I was not all that impressed.

But then I read the premise. "What if there was a website that let you download super powers? Which ones would you choose? Who would you save? Who would you hurt? In this new super-charged action series, adventure is just a click away."

That was all I needed. I was hooked! Sign me up. I mean, who wouldn't want to down download super powers from the internet? I order pizza online!

The heroes of Hero.com Rise of the Heroes Tom, Pete, Lorna and Emily stumble upon the website which allows them to download cool abilities like flying, x-ray vision and teleporting. Suddenly, life just got a whole lot better.

Of course, the good times don't last long. A super villain kidnaps Toby and Lorna's mom and they must work together to save her. What the kids don't know is that Villain.net is out there recruiting kids for the other side--the evil side.

Laser vision and super strength can be had for a price.

Which side would you choose?

Author Andy Briggs creates an awesome and totally believable world in Hero.com Rise of the Heroes and Villain.net Council of Evil. All of a sudden Sci-Fi is fun again and kids are having a blast. He's also managed to turn this amazing world into an online playground with an accompanying website where visitors can choose sides. Undecided? Take a survey and let the computer decide if you're good or evil! With stunning high-end graphics and video, the site truly mimics the feel of the books.

Also, writers, take a look at the vlogs Andy has posted on his site. Most interesting to me is the book signing done on the day of the release. Andy is a master at hand-selling books to kids who have never heard of the books. He is sitting there passionately selling the concept of his companion books to these kids who are eating it up. He is obviously pumped, approachable and easy to talk to. Its a great lesson on how to do signings and talk up your book.

I enjoyed these so much, I'm giving my copy to a promising student I met on a school visit recently. He is very into Sci-Fi and was super active in the classroom on the day I visited. This is his reward for participation and I really hope he enjoys the books as much as I did.

Visit the website!

Buy the books!

Follow Andy on twitter or myspace.

Which side which YOU choose?!

xoxo-
Georgia