Look out for the Pitch Madness Snipers

It's here! Well, not quite yet. The submission windows for the semi-annual Pitch Madness go live on Saturday, September 1 at 12PM EST and 6PM EST. The game theme this time is Paintball. What's Pitch Madness, you ask? Well, its a game where Brenda Drake brings together a bushel of agents to compete for your pitches. My group blog, YAtopia, is joining three other blogs in this funtastic event. So I guess I'll start by introducing them first.

Brenda Drake

YATopia Blog

Shelley Watters

Erica M. Chapman

Here's the crazy awesome agents participating...

Dawn Frederick - Red Sofa Literary
Brittany Howard - Corvisiero Agency
John Cusick - Scott Treimel NY
Victoria Marini - Gelfman Schneider Lit.
Judith Engracia - Liza Dawson & Assoc.
Louise Fury - L. Perkins Agency
Sarah LaPolla - Curtis Brown Ltd.
Brooks Sherman - FinePrint Literary Management
Molly Ker Hawn - The Bent Agency

We'll have more about the agents up in our Meet the Agents' post coming September 4 and 5.

Now, here's the submission deets ...

Shine up your 35-word (exact-anything over will be disqualified) pitches and the first 150-words (if the cut-off falls in the middle of a sentence, go to the end of that sentence) of your finished Adult, Young Adult, and Middle Grade fiction. We'll pick 60 entries to move on to the Agent Pitch Match.

We've doubled the number of entries we're taking in this time. There will be a percentage of what genres make it in based on all the agents likes. You guessed it, there will be more YA in the contest than Adult, but the main thing we're looking for is the WOW factor. Only one entry per person.

We have two submission times, and this year we're holding it on a Saturday.

The windows open on September 1 ...

1ST SUBMISSION TIME: 12:00 pm EST for the first 100.
2ND SUBMISSION TIME: 6:00 pm EST for the next 100.

Only the best of the best will make it to the final round.

Here's how to format your entry ...

Name: Brenda Drake
Title: The Britanika Journals: Around the World in 80:45:07
Genre: Middle Grade Adventure
Word Count: 50,000

Max and Annika use a transporting globe to find her missing father. With evil men in an airship on their tails, Max must use his sleuthing skills with Annika’s inventor ones to rescue her father.

Maximilian Drayson knew that a masterful sleuth had to pay attention to one crucial thing—the details. He tightened his grip on the white apron he had snatched from the Britanika's laundry room. It took several hours into his investigation to find it, and most would think it was just a soiled apron, but he believed it to be a clue.

He paced the manicured lawn of the Britanika's residence, scratching the back of his neck and searching the ground. This particular mystery came about after he had overheard one of the Britanika's housemaids, Molly, sobbing to another servant about losing her mother's brooch. At hearing Molly's distress, he went into action.

Before beginning his investigation, Max interrogated Molly, asking her a series of questions: When had she last seen the brooch? Did she wear it while she worked? What were her household duties? He needed every bit of information he could obtain if he wanted to mark this case as solved.

For those that don't make it into Pitch Madness we'll be hosting a twitter pitch party on the hashtag #PitMad on September 13 from 8AM to 8PM EST. So get those twitter pitches ready!

That's it. We're so excited!

 

What do butterfly faces and Nermal have to do with a v'log?

Meet Nermal, my v'logging pal.

 

He likes sleeping,

 

v'loging and chasing plot bunnies.



And today we're v'logging about my face

 



Enjoy!

Critique Giveaway and a bonus!

MS editor extraordinaire, Aimee Salter, has stopped by today to give away a first chapter critique – yah! She critiqued my manuscript, so speaking from experience, her advice rocks.

Aimee also did interviews with me on my two group blogs YAtopia and Writing Teen Novels, so check them out for some great free advice on making your manuscript sizzle.

So some quick questions before the giveaway. 

Sharon: What’s the best thing about editing other people’s manuscripts? 

Aimee: Without question, the best thing about critiquing is what I learn about my own writing from identifying the problems in others. We writers are always too close to our own work to truly edit effectively. But by identifying structural, phrasing or plot problems in someone else’s manuscript, I’m able to better see where mine has gone wrong.

Sharon: And, what’s the worst thing about editing other people’s manuscripts? 

Aimee: Having to tell people their babies aren’t perfect.

Can I say, in defence of all critiquers / editors: We tell you what we see because we want your story to be even better. Don’t view suggestions for improvements as criticisms of your talent or your story. See them as the rungs on a ladder to making your story shine and revealing your true talent to your readers.

Sharon: So, how did you get into freelance editing? 

Aimee: I learned how to critically analyse a manuscript in a critique group which included published and represented authors. In any “clinic” we’d each give our full manuscript to the Administrator who assigned it to someone else, then gave us another manuscript to read in full. When I saw how much my writing improved as a result of being on both sides of that coin, I knew every writer should do it.  

Once I’d been doing that for a couple years, some of the authors approached me outside of the group structure because they’d found my comments helpful and wanted to start working as partners. I was excited – but I remembered how hard it was to find that group and gain credibility in those circles. I knew there wasn’t enough of that kind of help out there for everyone because most authors with that kind of experience already have a critique group they trust. They aren’t often looking for new blood.  

I also know most fledgling authors can’t afford a full editorial consultant. So I decided to offer critiques at an affordable price (usually in the vicinity of $225-275 for an entire manuscript up to 100,000 words) because I want to see more authors watch their babies grow up like I got to.

Sharon: What advice would you give to other people considering hiring a professional editor, such as yourself?  

Aimee: Do your homework. Make sure the editor can actually help you. Then make sure their style works for you. Everyone works differently and you need to make sure you can accept the tone and structure of any given editor’s work. 

Don’t pay money to anyone who can’t provide an editorial sample (and by that I mean a portion of an actual manuscript with their notes / marks on it as they would present to you in your work), or who hasn’t been recommended by someone you know personally.  

Keep in mind that online recommendations (especially Twitter / Facebook) could easily be dummy accounts set up by editors trying to drum up business. Don’t pay any money until you know what you’re paying for. 

If you can’t afford a super-reputable editor who freelances outside of a traditional publishing career, read self-published books until you find one whose prose and plot make you wish you’d written it, then find out who edited it. Hire that person – or someone they recommend.  

And if you weren’t able to anticipate the majority of my answers here, hire me. There are samples of my critique work on my website. I’m a lot cheaper than a qualified editor, and when we’re done, I guarantee your manuscript will be noticeably improved (if I can’t improve it, I won’t let you hire me).  

Most importantly, because I’ve worked with published authors, I know what a “submissible manuscript” looks like. And because I don’t believe in critiquing the same manuscript more than once, I won’t lie to you about how close (or far away) yours is.

Thanks Aimee!!

So, you can enter the competition below to win a first chapter critique from Aimee, and I've also thrown in a $15 B&N voucher. You've got until September 3, 2012 to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A new contest is coming!

Pitch Madness is coming up in September (genres tbd). We already have 8 agents signed up! Submission windows will be on September 1 and all the fun starts September 7-12 with a Twitter Pitch on the 13th open to everyone. Rules of the game, agents' bio, and instructions will be up the week of August 26.

Talking about YA can win you stuff!

My friend and awesome author, Jeyn Roberts, has started a new YA forum - The YA Book Club -  where you can connect with authors, share you writing and WIN STUFF!

Find out  more about the details in Jeyn's blog post.

For the love of eBooks

I must confess that I used to be so against eReaders. I just didn't get it. For most of my day I'm stuck looking at a computer why would I want to then spend my spare time reading off a computer instead of having a book in my hand. I thought it would be a fad that would die out.

But it didn't.

And then my husband bought me an iPad and I decided to download a couple of eReader apps. Well, then it was on. I realised how quick and easy it was. Now I've got more books waiting to read on my iPad then physical books around the house that I haven't read yet.

Here's what I love the most about it:

• My massive book addiction isn't on adding more weight to my already over flowing bookshelves.
• There's an automatic night light built in so I can read while hubby's sleeping.
• I've got books at my fingertips that I used to have to special order in (being in regional Queensland Australia for some reason means extremely limited book choices. I had to order in Beth Revis' A MILLION SUNS because no where in town had it in stock).
• I don't have to wait for the Australia release, which can be up to a year behind the US release date (we're Down Under, but we're not Mars!)
• The books are cheaper, so of course that means I can buy more books with money I'm saving.
• I'm finding books that I love that I wouldn't have otherwise considered buying (Lux novels, I'm looking at you).

I seriously doubt the physical book will ever disappear. But I'm so excited about the reading world eBooks are opening up.

So, what's your view on the rise of eBooks?

PS - keep an eye on the book as a competition is coming soon.

Sharing some lovin'

I have crawled out of my editing cave. My manuscript is off to my agent and I'm getting back into the writing groove with my work-in-progress, KARMA.

But before I get too buried in my writing I'd like to acknowledge my latest kick-arse critic partner and my new copy editor.

Aimee L. Salter and I met on Twitter when she put a call out for a critique partner. I had just finished a major write for a revise and resubmit for an editor and I wanted to make sure that I'd addressed the editor's notes. Aimee was one of the best critique partners I've had and her notes, while only requiring subtle edits to the manuscript, made a huge difference to the flow and impact of the story. She has a great eye for characterisation, plot flow and what will gel with a YA audience.

The other person who helped out was my mum. Retirement gives her some spare time and having read all the various versions of the story she was the perfect person to give it the final once over.

I know that a lot of new writers are apprehensive about sharing their stories with others, but if you network you can make the right contacts to help you find people who are eager to help out a fellow writer and are trustworthy.

Not only do you get great feedback on your manuscript, but getting to see another person's writing style can help improve your own. I really enjoyed the swap with Aimee. Her story was fantastic and I hope it finds a home with an agent or a publisher soon.

Agent Ahoy

A quick post guys to let you know that last week I signed with new Australian Agent Kelly Mclean.

Kelly is hungry to sell my work and she really gets my speculative fiction style, as weird as it is. Her passion for my story SLEEPER and my works in progress DIRTY RAINBOW and KARMA is why I decided to sign with her.

It's been a long journey for me being so close to being agented so many times. Thankfully, Kelly saw the potential in my work and the uniqueness of my storytelling and offered me representation. She gets an unbelievable amount of submissions and I'm only one of a handful of clients that she's signed so far.

I look forward to growing with her and moving my career forward as an author.

Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival Special Post

This is a special post for the people who attended my presentations at the Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival. 

Thanks so much for coming along to my session. I was so excited to be able to presenting to you and nervous (I think everyone could tell!)
Below I've put in a whole bunch of links to the various social media platforms that I discussed with you in the session, as well as links to various online posts about them to help you get more knowledge about the topics.

Here's a post on general internet etiquette and here's one about user names online and a general post on social media here.

We talked about Twitter and here's where you need to go to sign up for it. And here's some blog posts that will help you further with Twitter etiquette:

• Twitter: Please stop this
• When Aspiring Author's Attack
• Don't be a twit on twitter
• Twitter Twaddle
• The case for Twitter

There's not much out there about Facebook, but just remember to try and work out if an account is private or public before asking for a friend request. Instead, look for author, publisher and book pages as a way to connect on Facebook.

Blogging and book reviews can be a great social media experience. Blogger and Workpress are the two most common blog formats. Here's some posts relating to blogging. If you enjoy reviewing, then you can share your reviews on Goodreads.

• Tips on interviewing authors
• Conducting author interviews
• The art of commenting
• ARCs and how to get them
• Blogging Platforms
• Blog design
• Happy Owl Books

Writing communities can be a great way to start off your writing career. US HarperCollins authors Leigh Fallon and Wendy Higgins were discovered through a writing site. Figment and Wattpad are two of the most popular writing communities that cater for teenagers. Pros and Cons of Writing Communities post here (remember, Inkpop has closed down).

Here's where you can find some of the emerging media platforms:

• Pinterest - post on the platform.
• Tumblr
• Google+
• Instagram 
• Pottermore

Aspiring Writers:

• Help increase you word count - for a bit of fun.

You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Wattpad, Figment, Tumblr, Pinterest, Goodreads, Google+, YAtopia, Writing Teen Novels, Sleepless Writers and you can read my story Karma, which placed second in the Australian Literary Review's YA short story competition. The beginning of the novel version is on my Wattpad account.

On Pottermore you need to search for me under the user name PhoenixIce25831.

I hope you enjoyed the session. If you have any questions you didn't get to ask in the session please drop me a line in the comments section.

My week in LOL cat pics

My Week in Pictures

I watch drama unfold on the Internet

I did some Beta editing

I got sick - ugh

I got a nice surprise in my email.

Next week I'm hoping to have some news to announce so stay tuned, while I find the right LOL cat pic to express it.

Social Media takes flight

I announced last month on YAtopia that I will be a guest speaker at The Whitsunday Voices Youth Festival this year - "Words Take Flight". I must confess I was rather excited to see myself on the program along side some of Australia's best YA and Children's writers. Cath Crowley (Graffiti Moon), Steph Bowe (Girl Saves Boy), Andy Griffith (too many awesome books to pick just one to highlight!) and Kate Forsyth, with many others.

The festival committee deciding to put me on the program was a definite different direction for the festival. It's the first time that the festival has featured a session on social media and it's proved to be a great move. My two sessions on effective use of social media for aspiring authors and passionate readers has sold out, so yesterday the festival coordinator asked me if I'd be able to do a third. Last night she told me the third session had nearly sold out too, which inspired a 0.o face from me.

She said there's been a lot on interest from the schools involved, which I think it fantastic. In 45 minutes I'll be squishing in information about how  to engage authors, agents and editors in the various social media platforms (which will include when not to engage them as well), the opportunities available to aspiring writers on social media, navigating online writing communities and blogging.

It's all rather exciting.

So over to you - what topics would you like to see covered at your local literature festivals?

A giveaway! That's Sweet!

Two good friends of mine have joined up for a giveaway!

Novelist Deena Shoemaker has a Sweet Evil promotion on her blog You're Absolutely Write at the moment. 

Deena is giving away a copy of Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins. And Wendy is offering up a critique as well. Check out Deena's blog for more details.

Give in to sweet temptation

My good friend and critique partner, Wendy Higgins, has her first book Sweet Evil coming out 1 May - Squee!


I will be doing a giveaway to celebrate next month, but for now feast your eyes on this trailer goodness.

The axing of the Queensland Premier Literary Award saga continues

Over the past day and a bit, I've been reading a lot on the debate about the scrapping of the Queensland Premier's Literary Award.

I believe having these awards in some form is important. It's about celebrating outstanding Queensland Literature. It's the recognition of those writers' contribution to the culture of our state.

It's disappointing that the new government didn't make an effort to consult with stakeholders on this and look for a workable solution. I don't believe there would have been as much outrage if the awards stayed, but with private enterprise funding the categories - even if that meant the prize money dropped. Or if the awards continued minus the prize money at all.

That certainly is what appears to be what could be happening for starters with some dedicated people  launching the Queensland Literary Awards.

Here are some of the quotes I've found most interesting that have come out of the debate:

Stuart Glover on ABC: What most of the awards are about are about signalling a valuing of literary activity and an encouragement of cultural and literary discourse. And what this signals, in the particular context of Queensland is that that isn't valued.

Tanya for TLC Books: Awards are important to writers as many many books get published every year and the awards and those books that are long and short listed get recognised as works worth reading, of being in a bookstore, or library, or a school text. The most prestigious awards not only give honours but lead to significantly increased sales. They are an important part of the business. (I really loved this whole article - a very well thought out and non-political piece).

Sue Abbey on ABC: It's such a unique award and opportunity in Australia. Out of it came writers such as Doris Pilkington, of course the author of Rabbit Proof Fence, which went on to become the film Rabbit Proof Fence and premiered all over the world.

Chad Parkhill on Meanjin: It’s hard to put a fiscal value on these benefits, but given that the breadth of Queensland’s awards was unparalleled amongst state literary awards—it gave prizes across 14 separate categories compared to NSW’s 13, Western Australia’s 10, South Australia’s eight, Victoria’s seven, and Tasmania’s three—it seems to have performed very well for a minimal investment. $244,475 is a strikingly small amount in a state budget that runs to $4.6 billion deficit. The cost in terms of Queensland’s cultural reputation is impossible to calculate, yet already inevitable comparisons between Newman and Joh Bjelke-Petersen been aired. In the meantime, writers are already seeking to rebuild. The Unaipon seems most likely to survive, as it previously existed independently of the other awards. Queensland authors Matt Condon and Krissy Kneen have announced their intention to run independent awards structured along much the same lines as the old awards, albeit without the state’s imprimatur. UQP’s general manager, Greg Bain, has pledged his support for the new awards and reaffirmed UQP’s commitment to publishing the recipients of the Unaipon and Emerging Queensland Writer awards. Just how successful these new awards will be in a hostile political climate and without access to the state’s resources remains to be seen.

For more blog posts, news and opinions check out the Queensland Writers Centre's Queensland Premier's Literary Award page.

Newman won't recognise QLD writers

It's Australian Author Month and Premier Newman has shown how much he appreciates his state's author by scraping the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards.

In the month where we should be celebrating the achievements of our country's writers, we have instead been greeted with this.

It shows that he doesn't value the importance of having a strong local publishing industry so that children, teenagers and adults can read stories by Queensland writers. The awards give valueable recognition to a section of society that contributes greatly to our culture.


This also shows that Newman has little understanding about how hard it is to be a writer in Australia and how little most writers earn from their craft. Awards, such as the now defunct QLD ones, and scholarships provide writers with a way to supplement their income.

As an emerging Queensland writer I'm disappointed that Newman has made the Arts a target. The savings that are being made are very small in the overall picture of the budget. It's equivilent to the base pay of two local MPs, yet the prize money is shared amongst multiple authors.

I want a head of state who embraces the Arts and Literature and supports local writers. I want a head of state who acknowledges the importance of books with local content and by local writers. I want a head of state who doesn't cut a small amount of funding to an already underfunded part of the community.


I urge who loves books to make your views known.

Sign this petition to the Premier.
Vote in this poll (open until 5 April).
Email the Premier: thepremier@premiers.qld.gov.au
Write on his Facebook Wall.
You can also join in the comments and poll on the Courier Mail.

I hope the awards in other states and the Prime Minister's awards will be kept safety and not follow this poor example.

Feel free to vent with me in the comments.

Aussie Author Month

I'm not shy about the fact that I'm a proud Australian and I'd love to see Aussies more prominent in the international literature scene. A vital step to get there is making sure that we support Australian authors locally through buying their books and spreading the word about their awesomeness.

So in April I'm going to be discussing Aussie authors that I love and their works, Aussie authors that I'm hanging out to read and other aspects about the Aussie publishing industry that I've picked up along the way.

I invite you all to join me in this journey. The first step is to get out there and buy a book by an Aussie Author. I'm going to be buying Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. If you're into YA like me, then check out the Aussie YA Reading Challenge Group on Goodreads for some options.

Question: What Aussie book are you going to buy or read next?

Winners of the Novel Description Contest

Last month I held a contest for the best way to describe a novel using other novels, movies or shows. I judged it on accuracy for when I had read the book or how much it made me want to read the book if I hadn't already done so. So here's the winners of the Novel Description Contest:

$30 B&N Gift Voucher:

Name: Vivien
email: deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
Book: Inside Out by Maria V Snyder
Description: Across the Universe by Beth Revis meets Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Blood Song:

Name: Lexie B.
E-mail: nerdfighterwriter@gmail.com
Book: Before I Fall
Description: Groundhog Day meets Mean Girls.

I'll be in contact with the winners in the next couple of days. Congratulations.

After the Madness Workshop - sign up now!

Brenda Drake, Shelly Walters and Cassandra Marshall recently help a PitchMadness contest where agents got to bid on 60 pitches posted on three blogs.

When reading the PitchMadness entries, they noticed the entries that didn't make it to the agent match was because the first words weren't hooking them. There wasn't a unique element to pull them in, the setting was right but the action was too familiar, or the story started in the wrong place. So they decided to do another workshop focusing solely on the opening page.

And YAtopia (my group blog) jumped in to help, joining Brenda Drake, Shelley Watters and Erica Chapman in critiquing your opening words on the four sites this month. On YAtopia you could get a critique from either myself, Sarah Nicolas, Kelley York or Leigh Fallon.

YAtopia 

Brenda Drake

Shelly Watters

Eric Chapman

 Here how it's going down...

If you want to join in sign up on the linky below. Remember your entry will be placed on the blogs and critiqued not only by us but also by your peers. We're accepting up to 40 60 participants. We'll be critiquing two each per day starting March 26. Depending on the success, we may open another round at a later date. After you sign up on the linky below email your first 250 words of your manuscript (finished or unfinished - any genre) to brendadrakecontests@gmail.com. Again, don't wait. Email your entries right away.

Only the first 40 60 will make it into the workshop, so hurry and sign-up now!

Tribute to inspiring female authors

This is a belated International Women's Day post.

I've been noticing a trend. There are so many inspiring female YA authors out there at the moment, so here's my top five.

1) Beth Revis. Her perseverance inspires me. She had a goal and never gave up, and it resulted in one of the most amazing YA books EVER. Her insights into society and humanities short-comings just astounded me. Then there's Ms Revis' social media presence. She's giving with her fans and takes a stance on topics she feels strongly about.

2) Veronica Roth. Being published at younger-than-most age and then taking everything that goes with that in her stride shows that she is all kinds of awesome. I also admire that she's not afraid to put her Christianity out there, without being preachy in her writing.

3) Tara Moss. Apart from the fact that I really love her writing, both her Mak series and Pandora English series, I admire how active she has been for women's rights. Her role as a Unicef Goodwill ambassador and breastfeeding advocate is inspirational.

4) Emily Rodda. What an amazing Australian author Ms Rodda is! Her Deltora Quest series has made an impact internationally AND has become a cartoon. But what I love about her the most is that she wrote stories that enticed my son to read when he was younger and struggling to find stories that captured his attention.

5) Julie Davies. Ms Davies is not a name that people will know readily. She's been published in a few anthologies in Australia and is working on her first novel. But she was my boss and mentor when I worked for the government. Neither of us knew that the other one wrote. We lost touch after she moved jobs and reconnected recently. She had only recently decided to pursue her writing and I admire her for following her dreams.

So that's my fave inspirational female authors. Who are yours?

A novel description competition

I recently let my new writing friend Rhiannon Hart know that I thought her book Blood Song was a YA version of The Game of Thrones. I don't say it lightly. The imagery it conjured up for me was amazing, and it had that whole fantasy feel that TGoT has.

Another book I love, Across the Universe, I've described as a YA 1984 set in space.

So I thought to myself, why not have a little bit of a competition. It's so simple. Pick a book that you've read and describe it by comparing it to other books or television shows.

Another example: The Selection by Kiera Cass is being called The Bachelor meets Hunger Games.

Up for grabs is a $30 B&N evoucher and a copy of Blood Song - one prize per winner (so at least two winners). You don't need to follow this blog or promote to enter - but it would be nice if you did.

So you entry needs to look like this:

Name:
Email:
Book:
Description:

Entries will close on 14 March and the winner will be determined by the most creative (and accurate) entry. You can enter as many times as you want.

Authors - Why you should have a website & Winners announced.

I already had a blog set up, but when I saw this interview with Sara Megibow on YA Highway, and in other interviews, it prompted me to look into developing more than just a blog. To summarise, Sara said that her ideal client is publishing ready, not just with their manuscript but also with their website, social media, teen networking and overall professionalism.
It was a leap of faith to sink money into a website when I don't have an agent and have a very small publishing resume. But it was an investment in myself and my career-in-waiting. And it was actually a lot less than you would expect.

To create a domain name website through Blogger is only $10 a year and through Wordpress it's not much more. All you need is a credit card and you're set.

If you don't know how to make it all work - like me - then there are plenty of people with the know how who do freelance work. I was fortunate enough to have a friend, Evie, who speaks code as a second language and has stylish skills as well. There are also lots of blog specialist sites that offer basica layouts for free or at a small cost. But make sure what you have created in the layout has the same feel as your writing.

My website is using blogger and check out Kelley Vitollo's website for what can be done using Wordpress. You can also see the difference between the ambiance of our websites - Kelley writes YA contemporary and her site is fresh and vibrant, while I write YA speculative fiction, scifi, steampunk and have a lot of dark elements to my work.

So, why should you have an author website:

• To show agents and editors that you're serious about being a writer and are on board for the promotional aspect of the job.
• To improve your online presence, which flows onto the points below.
• To help create a following that will help you with the hype with you do have news to share.
• To create an image that reflects your writing and who you are.
• To provide people an opportunity to connect with you (make sure you have your contact details on there, including social media).

There's no excuse not to have something. So get out there and shine.

And now here's the winners from my website launch giveaway:

(Winners were picked using random.org)

•  Meagan: A $50 Barnes and Noble e-gift card.
• Michelle Scheponik: A query critique from YAtopian and kNight Romance author Chanelle Gray.
• Katherine Amabel: A chapter/first ten pages critique from YAtopian and Entangled author Kelley York.
• Lori M Lee: An ebook copy of Angelfall courtesy of YAtopian and member of YA Rebels. Sarah Nicolas.
• Laura "Burgandy Ice" Armstrong: An ebook copy (preorder) of Sweet Evil courtesty of YAtopian and Crescent Moon author Kelley Vitollo.
• Laura "Burgandy Ice" Armstrong: Sweet Evil bookmarks courtesy of YAtopian and HarperCollins author Wendy Higgins.
• Jasmine Williams (Isabel Davis): A copy of Carrier of the Mark courtesy of YAtopian and HarpCollins author Leigh Fallon.
• Nicole Zoltack: Additional prize in! A first chapter critique from YAtopian and Pendrell Publishing author DJ DeSmyter.

I'll be in contact with the winners over the next couple of days on how to get their prizes.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered. If you have a blog, my mate Chanelle Gray is looking for bloggers to help her with a cover reveal - there are 31 prizes up on offer.

Interviewing 101

Interviewing an agent, author or editor can make great posts, but a lot of people get stuck on what to ask their interviewees. I did get a good grounding in the area because I studied journalism and was a cadet for a while, but there are a few easy tips that will make interviewing easier.

Step 1: Secure the interview

Most figures int he publishing industry are happy to be involved in interviews. An important thing is to develop a good platform for yourself, have a professional looking blog layout and ensure you've conducted yourself professional on your blog.

Step 2: Research
You should google your subject, looking for specific information such as:

• Bios
• Their website
• Their Twitter Feed
• Other interviews they've done
• Any unusual or interesting facts about them that aligns with your audience.
• For authors research their stories, and preferably have read them.
• For agents and editors, know their client list, preferred genres and wish list.

Step 3: Compose your questions

Your audience should be foremost of mind here, but you also need to remember that the person your interviewing will want to have key points they'd like to get out too. So you'll want your questions to:

Be relevant to the audience, which is likely to be readers for authors and writers for agents and editors.

• Cute and interested fact questions can be woven in,
• For authors include things like: key release dates, inspiration for stories, WIP information and also give the the opportunity to plug anything you don't know about.
• For agents and editors focus on their wish list, views on trends and any key client work.

A really important thing is to ask open ended questions, being questions that require a lengthy answer. The key words/phrases in questions that help you do this is: Why, How, What and Tell us about.

So you want to ask questions like(but personalised):

What was the inspiration behind...
What do you see as....
Why did you decide to...
How did this idea come about...
Tell us about your book

There is a time for one word questions. Rapid Fire questions at the end of an interview are a great way to show a more personal side of the interviewee and can be a lot of fun. Don't for to ask for photos and links.

Step 4: Putting the post together
You should try to ensure there is a natural flow to the interview by grouping similar questions together. You don't want to chop and change between topics. Make smooth transitions where ever possible.

If you think the responses need plumping up, or you find that the answers given have created more questions then don't be afraid to go back and ask them.

It is also important to include an introductory paragraph to set the tone of the interview. Include any important links as well, such as website, blog and twitter (plus any that the interviewee requests).

Example: Beth Revis

I haven't interviewed Beth Revis (just occasionally stalked her Twitter feed and fallen totally in love with her writing) and she's someone who I'd love to interview, so I thought she'd make a perfect subject matter to illustrate how it all ties in together.

Here is the questions I would ask Beth and why:

1. Congratulations on the success of A Million Suns. Tell us a bit about where the Across the Universe sequel takes us? (give the interviewee a chance to plug their wares)
2. I know that originally ATU was designed to be stand alone, why did you expand the series? And talk us through the process of expanding a stand-alone to series? (I knew about the stand alone from an interview Beth did here and thought the process would be of interest to other writers?)
3. What's next for Amy and Elder with Shades of Earth? (another change for her to pitch her upcoming release dates etc).
4. You are a fan of Star Wars, Firefly and Doctor Who. How much of an influence were those shows on your work? (The information is straight from Beth's bio and an interview, so it's a fairly logical conclusion to draw that the space shows would have influenced her space dystopian).
5. Space wasn't a big seller in YA when you pitched ATU, but now it's hailed as the next big thing. What's your thoughts on being a YA genre trendsetter?
6. What's it like writing a story in dual POVs?
7. Research is such an important part of developing a novel with technical aspects. How did you go about getting the information you needed? (Interviews here and here talk about research a bit and Beth comes off as being passionate about it, so I'm hoping it's something she's still passionate to talk about).
8. I find writing is an organic process, have stories taken on a life of their own for you as you write, and if so, how? (Well, I already know from this interview that her original synopsis for the trilogy has changed)
9. You "lust" after books. What titles are you hanging out to read and why? (Beth says on her own website that she lusts after books on Goodreads. It's a fun thing to throw in. Readers who enjoy her writing would be interested to see what Beth wants to read and will probably check those books out too).
10. What do you miss the most about being a teacher? (This should be an interesting question for readers as the majority of them are teens and probably still at school).
11. You're a very accessible author to your fans through social media, what made you decide to have such a strong presence?
12. If you could travel through space, what job would you want on the ship and why? (try to let the interviewee have some fun questions that still relate to their area of expertise/subject matter).
13. How has watching Game of Thrones impacted on your writing time?

(To be honest, twelve questions are too many. You probably want 10 max. There are so many more things I could have asked - like the Beatles references, how life has changed for her - but the interview shouldn't be a chore for the person).

Rapid Fire Questions:

Peanut Butter or Nutella? (cause I saw crunchy peanut butter and nutella mentioned in interviews)
Unicorns or Griffins? (I thought I saw unicorns mentioned on Twitter once)
Purple or Pink? (just cause they're the two main colours on her ATU cover)
Paper and pen or computer (gives an insight to her writing style)
Serenity, Tardis or Millennium Falcon? (Oh, that's mean making her choose)

Other examples:

My interview with John Cusick.
Sarah Nicolas' interview with Jodie Meadows on YAtopia.
My interview with Jeyn Roberts.
My interview with Amanda Rutter.
My interview with Mandy Hubbard.
My interview with Vickie Motter.
Angela Slatter's interview with me.

And finally, a question for you? Who would you love to interview and why?

PS. Don't forget there's still time to enter my website launch giveaway.

Website Launch and Gigantic Giveaway

To celebrate the launch of my new website "The Weird Writing World of S.M.Johnston" I'm having a giveaway.
Firstly I'd like to thank and acknowledge my great friend Evie who is responsible for this amazing creation. I look at code and tremble, where as Evie owns it and bends it to her will. She is beyond awesome. Secondly, I'd like to thank my fellow YAtopians Chanelle Gray, Kelley York, Sarah Nicolas, Kelley Vitollo and Wendy Higgins who have donated prizes for my site launch giveaway.

So, the giveaway. Up for grabs is:

•  a $50 Barnes and Noble e-gift card.
• A query critique from YAtopian and kNight Romance author Chanelle Gray.
• A chapter/first ten pages critique from YAtopian and Entangled author Kelley York.
• An ebook copy of Angelfall courtesy of YAtopian and member of YA Rebels.  Sarah Nicolas. 
• An ebook copy (preorder) of Sweet Evil courtesty of YAtopian and Crescent Moon author Kelley Vitollo.  
• Sweet Evil bookmarks courtesy of YAtopian and HarperCollins author Wendy Higgins.
• A copy of Carrier of the Mark courtesy of YAtopian and HarpCollins author Leigh Fallon.
• Additional prize in! A first chapter critique from YAtopian and Pendrell Publishing author DJ DeSmyter.

Note - this is not all the prizes for one winner. There will be a winner for each prize and you can win more than one prize, so extra entries help.

To enter you must be a follower of this blog and promote the competition either via a blog post, twitter post or Facebook status. But there are ways you can get bonus entries:

• Subscribe to posts via email +1
• Follow me on Twitter @S_M_Johnston +1
• Follow Evie's blog +1 (and see who made this awesome website)
• Follow my group blog YAtopia +1
• Follow my group blog's Twitter @YAtopia_blog +1
• Follow Chanelle's blog +1
• Follow Chanelle on Twitter +1
• Follow Kelley York's blog +1
• Follow Kelley on Twitter @elixing +1
• Follow Sarah's blog +1
• Follow Sarah on Twitter @sarah_nicolas +1
• Follow Kelley Vitollo's blog +1
• Follow Kelley Twitter @KellyVitollo+1
• Follow Wendy's blog +1
• Follow Wendy on Twitter @Wendy_Higgins +1
• Follow Leigh's blog. +1
• Follow Leigh on Twitter @Leigh_Fallon +1
• Pre-order Wendy Higgins' debut novel Sweet Evil +1 (cause I've had the pleasure of being a Beta reader for her and it's awesome beyond belief). You can find it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
• Follow DJ's blog.
• Follow DJ on Twitter @LifeinFiction.

So to enter include:

A comment on what books you would buy if you win the e-voucher and a note of which critiques your interested in (everyone is entered for all other prizes)
Name:
Email:
Follower confirmation:
Promotion confirmation:
Entries (if you have a + for a pre-order or email subscription you will need to email me your receipt if you win):

Entries close on Valentine's Day, February 14th, at midnight. So feel the love and get your entry in.

Something is coming

Something is coming.

Something will be revealed

There will be prizes

Come back to Down Under Wonderings on 1 February to find out what is being unveiled and what you could win.



Deadly Hemlock Cover

YA writer, geek and self-professed probably fodder in the event of a zombie apocalypse, Kathleen Peacock, wonderfully gave Australian bloggers a sneak peak at her Australian/UK cover for her novel Deadly Hemlock. DH will be released in July.

Here's five things I love about this cover:

1.  The red coat. Apart from the contrast of colours being gorgeous, and the fact it ensures it's not a clone of other covers, the link to Little Red Riding Hood is so much fun.
2. The Wolf in the branches. OMGoodness! How awesome is it.
3. The colour of the sky - it's so iridescent and eye catching.
4. The fact we can't see Mac's face - it allows us imagine her ourselves. I love that.
5. The author name - why don't I have a cool surname like Peacock.

If you want to find out more about this cover came into being you can read an interview with cover designer extraordinaire Nick Stearn who worked on the artwork, here.

Thanks so much Kathleen for sharing this with us and I look forward to seeing Deadly Hemlock on the shelves and reading it.

Take that Writer's Block

I'm back from my blogging vacation. And I've got a question for you all.

Have you ever found yourself staring blankly at the computer wondering where the words have gone? Well here's some tips for battle an author's enemy - writer's block:

1. War Words - I am so addicted to these now. You and your writing buddies set up a time to be online together. It can be on facebook, via email or on a community forum like inkpop. You set the start time in minutes (as in :30) and how long you'll write for (fifteen minutes), write like crazy at the start time then post what you wrote in the time with the word count and get feedback from your buds.
2. Relocate - get off your butt and write outside, preferably AWAY from internet access. If you don't have a laptop then you can write the old fashioned way (and I don't mean lug a typewriter with you.)
3. Meow - Written? Kitten! is a website that allows you to be rewarded with a new picture of a kitten for ever 100, 200, 500 or 1000 words you write depending on your preference. You will get to see pictures like this and this  because images are randomly selected from Flickr's “most interesting” photos matching the tags “kitten” and “cute.”
4. Create a writing play list and then listen to it - keep a note pad handy because those creative juices are often stimulated by melodic sounds.

And if you are still stuck after those, try google fun cat pics. It won't cure your writer's block, but it's a lot of fun.

What's you're cure for writer's block?