Sweet Peril Cover Reveal and Giveaway!

My wonderful friend and critique parter, Wendy Higgins, has a new book coming out, Sweet Peril, and we've got the cover reveal going on! Isn't it gorgeous!

To celebrate I'm holding a giveaway - yah! A preorder copy of Sweet Peril, a copy of Sweet Evil - for those of you who haven't read this awesome book yet-, a Sweet Evil bookmark and, for the aspiring authors out there, a ten page critique.

Book Blurb:

Anna Whitt, daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a claim. She’d been naive about a lot of things. Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

 

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

 

Book 3 of The Sweet Trilogy, Sweet Reckoning, is slated for spring/summer 2014.

You can find Wendy on her website, on Facebook and on Twitter. You can also stalk the lush love interest Kaidan Rowe on Twitter (character account). You can fan the Sweet Evil trilogy on Facebook too.

 

Sweet Peril bookish locations:

 

Goodreads 

Preorder on Amazon

Preorder on Barnes & Noble

Preorder on The Book Depository

 

Author Bio:

Wendy Higgins was born in Alaska, grew up an Army brat, and lived all over the United States before settling in the Washington, DC area. She attended George Mason University for her undergrad degree in creative writing, and Radford University for her masters in curriculum and instruction. Wendy taught 9th and 12th grade English in a rural school before becoming a mother and author. She now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, daughter, and son. Sweet Peril is her second novel.
 

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Life and Times of Chester Lewis Blog Tour

Today I'm talking to Steve Rossiter, editor of the Australian Literary Review about the new integrated short story collection The Life and Times of Chester Lewis.

Sharon: How did you come up with the concept for The Life and Times of Chester Lewis?Steve: I came up with the initial concept of an integrated short story collection spanning the 100 year lifespan of the main character via a story leading up to the character's birth then one story per decade in the character's life.
I asked Michael White (internationally bestselling and major-award-winning author of thirty something books) to write the first story. Michael developed Chester's parents, a British couple living in Beijing in 1931 for Chester's father's career with a multi-national company, and established the circumstances in which Chester would be born in Perth in 1932. Michael's story was bookended a scene set in 2032 with Chester about to turn 100. This gave Bernadette Kelly (children's fiction author who was awarded the May Gibbs Fellowship for Children's Literature in 2010) a lot of material to draw from for her story about Chester at eight years of age in Perth in 1940. The characters and the life story of Chester Lewis evolved as Lia Weston (whose first novel was published by Simon & Schuster in 2010), Kerry Brown (author of three children's picture books), and each subsequent author read the previous stories and added their own.

Sharon: Tell us a bit about the process of putting the integrated short story collection together?
Steve: My role was developing the initial concept for the book, selecting contributing authors (which involved reading each story as it came in and choosing an author who I would thought would do a good job of writing the following story), ensuring consistency from story to story, editing, and writing the final story.

Sharon: How did you choose the contributors?
Steve: I chose contributors whose fiction I had some familiarity with and who I thought would suit a particular part of the book. For example, I thought Michael White would bring his historical and scientific interests to create a starting point with a lot of interesting things subsequent authors could pick up and build on, I thought Bernadette Kelly would do a good job of writing an endearing childhood Chester in an original way, I thought Lia Weston would do good job of creating a lively adolescence for Chester and showing the emergence of strong personality heading toward adulthood, and so on.

I had also interviewed a number of the authors previously or had become familiar with their work through short story competitions I had run.

Sharon: What were your thoughts as you saw the story come to life with each author's contribution?
Steve: From the first story, I saw a character and life story emerging which was original and epic-yet-personal. The contributing authors did a great job of building on what was there while also bringing their own style and unique contribution to the character and life story of Chester Lewis.
When I was recently interviewed by Kelly Inglis, she asked me what makes a compelling character and I responded that it is a combination of purpose and personality. This is what each contributing author brought to the characters in their story.

Sharon: Without giving too much away, tell us a bit about what readers can expect from The Life and Times of Chester Lewis?
Steve: Readers can expect a journey of just over 100 years through the life of Chester Lewis, from the 1930s to the 2030s, taking in locations including Perth, the Whitsunday islands, Prevelly Beach (near Margaret River in Western Australia), England and Shanghai.

When Chester's mother flees Shanghai amidst the pre-WW2 Japanese invasion she makes a new start in Perth, where, from humble beginnings, she builds a business which will play a major role in the future of Chester, the Lewis family and humanity.

There is family, love, ambition, responsibility, betrayal, secrets, successes, great deeds and great misdeeds.

 

 

Sharon: Fan fiction is definitely a growing force in literature. Tell us a bit about the Chester Lewis fan fiction competition?
Steve: The fan fiction competition (and the book itself) is part of an effort to help fiction writers in Australia and beyond to develop their skills. Readers can enter their 2000-4000 word stories set in the story-world of The Life and Times of Chester Lewis for a chance at official recognition as a Top Ten or Top Three finalist and the 1st Prize of $2000.

Entry is $10. This also gains the entrant access to a private Chester Lewis Fan Fiction Group on Facebook, where they can meet like-minded fiction writers, discuss story ideas and their writing with other entrants, receive fiction writing tips and where contributing authors from the book and some of their publishing industry friends will drop by from time to time.

Sharon: What's next for The Australian Literature Review?
Steve: More interviews with fiction authors, publishers, editors, etc; more articles on fiction writing; more short story competitions; and more initiatives to help fiction writers develop their skills and connect with readers.

I also have several novel writing sites which will be launching or getting a major make-over from Jan 1st. Writing Novels in Australia has an Australian focus, whereas Writing Teen Novels and Writing Historical Novels have a global focus (primarily North America, the UK/Europe, Australasia and India for 2013). This recent blog tour post on Jo Hart's author site, The Graceful Doe, has more details on the novel writing sites.

Contest and Shadow of The Mark Cover Reveal

 
Leigh Fallon on the new cover: I know, there's no mistaking it. This is definitely a Carrier Series cover, but that was the intention. After the amazing reception to the cover of Carrier of the Mark, HarperCollins wanted Shadow's cover to be instantly recognizable. And it is, but the new darker color palette reflects the darker tone that this installment brings, and the pink and purple really make it pop. I love it and think HarperCollins have done another amazing job. I hope you like it too.

Shadow of the Mark

Life for Megan Rosenberg just got a lot more complicated. While she evoked the air element, and her feelings for Adam intensified, a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal has been spun around her. With the Order tightening its hold, and the reinstatement of the Mark Knights, Megan has more questions than answers as the Marked Ones grow in strength. New people arouse suspicion, the DeRises start behaving strangely, and Megan begins to unravel a destiny shrouded in mystery. It's a destiny the Order has struggled to hide, and a destiny someone from the past, far in the past, has already laid claim to. Alliances will be made, and friends will be lost, as the Order's dark secrets are revealed by the very thing they sought to destroy.

Like what you've read? You can pre-order Shadow of the Mark right now.
 
Leigh is also hosting a giveaway! Books and swag are up for grabs.
 
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Possessing Freedom interview with Rhiannon Hart

Today I'm talking with the Australian author, and contributor to Possessing Freedom, RHIANNON HART.

 

As part of the Possessing Freedom launch, Australian Literary Review Editor, Steve Rossiter, is holding a Fan Fiction Competition where you could win $2,000! To enter you need to have read the book, so we're giving away three copies over three interviews. There's this interview, an interview with Steve Rossiter on YAtopia and an interview with Belinda Dorio on YAtopia on October 27.

Sharon: So what attracted the team to a ghost story?

Rhiannon: I came aboard quite late in the process and the theme and plot had already been decided. I'm a YA paranormal nut, thought, so as soon as I read the proposal I had to be involved.

Sharon: What were some of the steps the team took to ensure consistency in characters?

Rhiannon: We had several meetings and lots of discussion posts on Facebook. The main character I write, Emma, appears first time in thread three, the thread that I wrote with Beau. Beau had given her her basic voice, and I got to expand on that. Emma's 15, doesn't like "weird" food and she's got some stroppy friends. It was easy to picture her from that.

Sharon: Who was your favourite character to write and why?

Rhiannon: I only write from Emma's POV, but I loved writing the scenes with her and Mark. I could picture him very clearly. He's a calm, easy-going sort of guy who doesn't get ruffled when things get crazy. He will, however, admit when things start to get weird. It's a nice combo.

Sharon: If you were a paranormal being, what would you want to be?

Rhiannon: Probably a witch. They're close enough to mortals to blend in but get to have all these powers. Plus they read a tonne of books. I could get into that.

Sharon: During this process did you ever break out into the Ghostbusters song?

Rhiannon: I was getting a more Charmed and Buffy vibe actually! I busted out How Soon Is Now a few times.

Sharon: Did you have an imaginary friend growing up (if so tell us about him/her):

Rhiannon: No, unfortunately, but I did have a vivid imagination. I liked to imagine there were ghosts in my room. My friends and I even started a sort of paranormal club when we were nine or so. We were convinced we all had ghosts in our houses.

Sharon: I believe Maria V Snyder workshopped the opening story, what was that like?

Rhiannon:I wish I'd been there to meet her! I hope she enjoys the final product and I look forward to dropping her a line.

Sharon: What is the biggest learnings you've taken away from the process?

Rhiannon: It's not as hard as you might think to manage a group project. You need the right sort of people first, and be open to each other’s ideas. It's also a lot of fun. I don't know of many group-written novels so I can't wait to see how this one will be received.

Rapid fire questions:

Latte or cappuccino? Cappuccino. It's all about the chocolate.
Note pad and pen or computer? Both. I work on the train.
Magic or fists? Ooh toughie. I have to say both again.
Blue or green? Blue.
Sixth Sense or Ghostbusters? Ghostbusters all the way, baby.

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Get Your #PitchOn requests!

Thank you so much to all the people who entered Get Your Pitch On. Marisa has been through the entries and the requested manuscripts are below. These writers should have received an email with the instructions. If you're on the list below and you haven't received an email yet, please get in touch with Marisa at hgesubmissions@hardiegrant.com.au

For the Aussies, there will be an interview soon with Marisa for the AMPERSAND PROJECT, which is specifically for debut Australian YA authors. So keep watching the blog for that.

Here's the pitches that caught Marisa's eye:

Name: Helen Patrice
Email: helenpatrice@hotmail.com
Country of Residence: Australia
Title: NIGHT THINGS
Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy
Word count: 48,000 words
Pitch: Puff, an eighteen year old homeless girl, is hunted through Melbourne’s parks and beaches. Night Things - their touch burns like freezing fire, rips away skin, flesh, bone in an instant. She must find safety, all the while doubting her sanity. Home – with a step-father willing to sacrifice her to them in exchange for magical power – is no option. Will John, also homeless, offer sanctuary, or even more complications?

Name: Fiona McLaren
Email: fionamarie1981 [ @ ] gmail.com
Country of residence: UK
Title: STARTING WITH AMBER
Genre: YA Contemporary
Word-count: 50,000
Pitch: Teenage Seth and his family are thrown into a media feeding frenzy when his child-star sister is abducted from their grandiose family home. As the investigation deepens and the time for finding his sister runs out, Seth must decide if being the only person who knows where she is and why is worth the price of the family secrets.

Name: Leiann Bynum
Email: slbynum3 [@] gmail.com
Country of residence: USA
Title: DAY OF NIGHT
Genre: Science-fiction
Word-count: 52,000
Pitch: Some people believed the world would end in 2012, and now the sun has gone out, causing major weather disasters. Vanessa, an eighteen-year-old African-American, has followed in her dad’s footsteps of being a firefighter, and her skills are put to the test during this worldwide catastrophe. When strange nocturnal carnivores also start emerging from the darkness, Vanessa must unite with a group of survivors in a fight to stay alive.

 

Name: Ellen Rozek
Email: ellenmrozek@gmail.com
Country of Residence: USA
Title: THE RECRUITED
Genre: YA thriller
Word Count: 76,000
Convicted murderer Naomi expects a transfer to an adult prison for her eighteenth birthday. Instead, she gets a job offer. Recruited by the government to help fight domestic terrorists, Naomi learns quickly that trusting anyone outside her organization is an easy way to die. But if that’s the case, why can’t she keep from befriending an outsider—a boy with dangerous connections who could either kill her, or help her?

 
Name: David Purse
Email: pursedavid(at)gmail.com
Country of residence: Scotland
Title: The Tainted Ones
Genre: Urban Fantasy (YA)
Word-count: 67,000
Pitch: Seventeen-year-old Connor expected to see a lot of things at his first college party. A demon wasn’t one of them. After being saved from a vicious attack by teenage demon hunters, he learns that he now carries the mark of a demon, which basically puts him on special at the demon cafe. Connor has seven days to kill the demon that marked him or he will transform into one himself. And he thought high school was hell.
 

Name: Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Email: melissa [ @ ] peaceandprojects.com

Country of residence: USA

Title: THE CHANNELS

Genre: YA Paranormal

Word-count: 62,000

Pitch: Sixteen-year-old Hannah Clare can hear people’s thoughts, but a family history of mental illness creates a fine line between what is delusion and what is paranormal. Only Colin’s touch can make the voices melt away, but Hannah’s already heard the one secret she can’t keep: Colin’s cousin is stalking his next prey.

 Name: Beck Nicholas
Email: beck.nicholas[ @ ]hotmail.com.au
Country of residence: Australia
Title: FAKE
Genre: Contemporary
Word-count: 73000
Pitch:
When 16-year-old Kath McKenny is publicly dumped, seducing the boyfriend-stealing new girl with a fake online guy seems like the perfect revenge. Until Kath falls for her victim’s brother. When the new girl goes missing, Kath’s the only one with the answers, but the truth could cost her both her new boyfriend and her deepest secret.

Name: Camilla Laurel
Email: camillalaurel(at)gmail(dot)com
Country of residence: Canada
Title: LITTLE LIES
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Word-count: 75,000
Pitch: Mia is the world’s most famous superhero but she’s hiding a secret—she’s lost her powers. After an attempt on Mia’s life by deadly foe and first love, Dr. Destroyer, she’s forced to seek protection from The Federation, a secretive, underground superhero agency.The Federation’s offer isn’t all that it seems. Mia becomes an unwilling pawn in a dark scheme which threatens to destroy her and the superhero world forever.

Name: Alex Fox
Email: alexfox@mail.com
Country of residence: Australia
Title: PLEASE FORGIVE ME
Genre: YA – mystery/romance
Word count: 55,000
Pitch: Tormented by her sister’s horrific death, Riley Benjamin begins to question everything she once wanted – hot boyfriend, killer style and the worship of her peers. Then Dean Jagger shows up at her school; he understands her like no one ever has. But he’s a boy with a mysterious past. If he’s the murderer people say he is, Riley will face the toughest decision of her life.

Name: John Back
Email: mrjohnaback [@] gmail.com
Country of residence: Australia (Brisbane)
Title: One Hundred Moments of Beautiful Doubt
Genre: YA Contemporary
Word-count: 51,000
Pitch: On Pluto Greene's fourteenth birthday, colour disappears from his life: not from the world itself, only from the skins of other people. His father has run away and his mother is unable to cope, leaving only Pluto’s two sisters – also colourless – for support. These so-called Blanks now surround him. A year and a half later, a girl with violet eyes becomes the subject of his attraction, and surely enough he becomes obsessed with the possibilities of change. If only he can find the courage to say hello.

Name: Will Klein
email: oslowe@yahoo.com
Country of residence: US
Title: JERSEY DEVILS
Genre: contemporary fantasy
Word-count: 70,000
Pitch: When Nick Syn meets the devil on his fifteenth birthday, he expects things will get interesting. He doesn't know he could become the bad guy. Thrust sideways into a mystical world he'd only hoped existed, whispered folklore and superstition come to life and Nick discovers the world is darker than he had any reason to think.

 Name: Tlotlo Tsamaase
Email: rosewentberg [@] ymail.com 
Country of Residence: Botswana
Title: EDEN FALLS
Genre: YA Fantasy
Word-count: 90,000
Pitch: Sixteen-year-old Emma Blekbyrd has twenty-two days to live. Every winter, winged men in the skies hunt humans. Emma knows this because she has a scar from an attack that’s slowly killing her. She realizes that people in her town are being kidnapped to be body donors for a possession scheme, and the winged men intend to have her body for someone else . . . without her in it.

Name: Candice Montgomery
Email: candicemontgomery2 [ @ ] gmail.com
Country of residence: America
Title: BREAK
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy
Word-count: 96,000
Pitch: Sixteen-year-old Karsten Summers discovers her ability to Break into and manipulate the dreams of others in any way she chooses, in addition to learning her father’s kept this a secret from her all her life. While simultaneously managing the normal aspect of her life (social cliques; the dark secret of her high school crush, Noah; the death of her parents; recovering from self-harm habits) Karsten must learn the ins-and-outs of her power and choose how she’ll use it—for the people who are like her, the society of Breakers, or for the Aphotix, a team of nightmare-inducing scum, who promise to show Karsten what real power is like.

 

Get Your #PitchOn Submission Window 1

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

This is the first submission window for GET YOUR PITCH ON with Commissioning and Managing Editor of Hardie Grant Egmont, Marisa Pintado.

Marisa is looking for YA in any genre and is accepting submissions from any where in the world. It's your chance to skip the slush pile and put your pitch right under the nose of a fantastic editor. There's even better news - there is no limit on how many requests Marisa will make from the contest. Marisa will contact writers directly if she wants to see more and we will aim to have a summary post as well once Marisa has been through all the entries.

Only 100 entries will be taken via comments.  Any after the 100 entries will be deleted.

Here's the rules:

• Your manuscript must be complete, polished and ready to query - this means no first drafts or almost finished manuscripts.
• It must be YA.
• Your entry detail needs to include a 50 - 70 word pitch.
• You can enter more than once if you have more than one complete, polished, ready to query manuscript.

Your contest details should be formatted like this:

Name: Sharon Johnston
Email: smjohnston [ @ ] live.com.au
Country of residence: Australia
Title: SLEEPER
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Word-count: 58,000
Pitch: Seventeen-year-old Mishca Richardson is a sleeper soldier with a weak heart. She has no idea that a life saving heart transplant has accidentally triggered her programming. In the search for answers, she discovers the truth and that her creator, Wirth, has classified her remaining "sisters" from her experiment group as defective, scheduling them for termination. Mishca sets out to save them before they're eliminated.

The second window will open up on YAtopia today:

New York: 8 am
London: 1pm
Brisbane: 10pm
Sydney: 11pm


I'm so excited to bring this competition. So now it's time for you to Get Your Pitch On!

Get Your #PitchOn Editor Interview Part I

Today I'm talking to Commissioning and Managing Editor of Hardie Grant Egmont, Marisa Pintado, will be poised and ready to take your pitches both here on Down Under Wonderings and on my group blog YAtopia on October 15th. Submission window times are at the bottom of this interview.

Marisa is looking for YA in any genre and is accepting submissions from any where in the world. It's your chance to skip the slush pile and put your pitch right under the nose of a fantastic editor. There's even better news - there is no limit on how many requests Marisa will make from the contest.
 

Sharon: What did you want to be when you were young?

Marisa: Definitely either a teacher or a journalist or a world-famous scientist or a writer. I feel like my job now as an editor borrows a little from all these professions.

Sharon: How did you get into publishing?

Marisa: I got very lucky. I knew that I wanted to be an editor, and also that my chances of finding work were limited without any experience. So I started off as a volunteer proofreader for publications like Voiceworks, and that gave me enough experience to land a job as an editorial assistant/dogsbody at a religious magazines publisher.

I hated that job, except for the proofreading and copyediting bit – it allowed me to start developing my editorial eye and pick up some other technical skills. Then when Hardie Grant Egmont advertised for a junior editor, I had just enough experience to land a job with my now-publisher (and editor extraordinaire) Hilary Rogers. She trained me beautifully from the ground up.

Sharon: You wear a couple of hats at the moment with editorial duties and working with festivals. How do you balance your workload?

Marisa: I think every editor struggles sometimes to manage their time and balance their workload. On a typical day you might be working on the structural edit for a seventy-thousand-word manuscript, drafting a ten-page editorial letter, checking endless printer proofs, trying to squeeze the publishing schedule, stalking interesting writers online, worrying about your colleagues’ workloads, proofreading final pages or wondering who the hell stole your hole-puncher – all the while eyeing the ever-growing pile of manuscripts on your desk. Most of the editors I know simply work incredibly hard to make sure everything urgent and important gets done, and try not to let the other stuff slide too long.

Attending writers’ and literary festivals is a really fun and rare privilege, though – a nice break from ‘real’ work. It’s a great opportunity to step back and observe how the children’s publishing world looks on the outside, and review the work that other houses are doing with their authors. And if you crash the schools’ program, it’s also fun to eavesdrop on kids and teenagers and remind yourself of how they experience the world.

Sharon: I know you loved that Family Circle childhood ailment guide when you were young, but what fiction did you enjoy reading?

Marisa: Ha! I loved the What Katy Did books, The Secret Garden and Little Women – although now that I think of it, these books also involved sick children. As a kid, I thought the notion of bed-rest was so romantic. Just imagine all the reading time you’d get! (I was obviously pretty healthy and robust, despite being so silly.)

I read up and down a lot, and didn’t feel too restricted by recommended reading ages. I moved between Aussie classics like Seven Little Australians, Playing Beattie Bow, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and Blinky Bill, and modern American series like The Babysitters Club, Animorphs, Sweet Valley High, as well as anything by R.L. Stine and Judy Blume.

Part II of this interview is on YAtopia.

Window submission times for October 15

Submission Window 1
Down Under Wonderings:
New York: 12 am
London: 5am
Brisbane: 2pm
Sydney: 3pm

Submission Window 2
YAtopia
October 15:
New York: 8 am
London: 1pm
Brisbane: 10pm
Sydney: 11pm
Remember - there will only be 100 entries per blog.

If you want to enter your own pitch to the workshops then this post will tell you all about how to submit your pitch. It's a good idea to do this if you're planning to enter the competition.

 

 

Jeyn Roberts Rages On: Win a copy of RAGE WITHIN

My good friend and amazing author, Jeyn Roberts, has stopped by to talk to us about her latest novel RAGE WITHIN and some other things she's been up to. Check out the bottom of the interview for how you can win a copy of her latest book.

Sharon: A lot of writers talk about how hard it is to write that second novel after their first one has been published. Did you experience this issue at all for Rage Within?

Jeyn: I think every novel is hard, no matter how many you write. I'll admit, I had a few nervous breakdowns while writing Rage Within. I was so worried that everyone would hate it. I worried that it would suck and that Dark Inside was a fluke (and I'd never compare to it), and I worried that I wouldn't be able to make it better than the first one. As I said, lots of breakdowns. There were tears and rants to friends and family.

Funny enough, the actual book didn't feel that hard to write. It took me about five months (DI took me three) so I felt I was moving slow. It was really great getting back into my characters and I fully understand why so many authors write trilogy's and sequels. Some stories just can't be told in a single book.

Sharon:  Tell us a bit about what's in store for readers with Rage Within?

Jeyn: The story focuses on a few months after Mason, Michael, Clementine and Aries join forces. They're hiding out in a safe house in Vancouver. The Baggers are getting more organized. They've started searching for survivors and they're rounding them up and putting them into work camps. Clementine is still searching for her brother, Heath and Michael is helping. Aries is still trying to be the leader but it's harder when she's constantly afraid of making a bad mistake. And Mason and Daniel have joined forces (which I thought was hilarious since they really don't like each other) and are fighting for a certain someone's affection. 

Sharon:  There's been a lot of buzz about Aries and Clementine being such strong female characters for a YA book. How did you ensure they were?

Jeyn: Simply put, I like strong female characters. Wimpy girls are so last century's fairy tales.  And I think girls are way tougher than people give them credit for. Being that I'm a bit of a strong force myself, I think I find it easy to create girls who are independent and willing to do whatever it takes to survive.

 Sharon: You said Rage Within took a bit longer. Tell us a bit about your writing process for the sequel?

Jeyn: Writing the sequel was a bit more difficult because I was still doing edits for Dark Inside. So every now and then I kept having to drop the book and go back and fix problems from DI. But my process didn't change much. Everyone has their own ways of writing. I tend to start from the beginning without an outline and just write straight through. It works well for me.

Sharon: Who would be in your dream cast if Rage Within was made into a movie (not sure if you have put this out there already?

Jeyn: Yes, I've been asked this before and these were my answers.   Mason - Jeremy Irvine. Aries -Hailee Steinfeld. Michael - Douglas Booth. Clementine -Ella Purnell.

Sharon:  What can readers expect from you after Rage Within?

Jeyn: No idea. haha I'm currently working with my editor on a few new ideas. So hopefully something new will emerge soon.

Sharon: What are you hoping to see come out in YA over the next 12 months?

Jeyn: I'd like to see more horror, mostly because I'm such a big fan myself. Also some realistic ghost stories would be cool.

 Sharon: You've started a new Forum, the YA Book Club, what prompted you to start it?

Jeyn: It was a friend who convinced me to do it. We sat down and started talking about whether or not I wanted to do one. And I did but as we talked, we started talking about how cool it would be to have other authors involved. We liked the idea of having a Q&A section where readers could come in and discuss the books and ask authors questions. It's just kind of grown from there.

Sharon:  What can YA lovers find in the forums?

Jeyn:  It's great. We've got a lot of authors now who have joined the mix. There is a large variety from well known to up and newcomers. We've even got a self-published author now who is willing to discuss alternative choices. There is also a section where we discuss publishing and querying for aspiring authors. And there's also places to post your own work for bragging rights or critiques. So far it's been great. Still a bit quiet but new people are signing up every day. And we're having some great giveaways right now.

One lucky blog follower will win a copy of RAGE WITHIN!

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Win a 10 page critic or a query critic! Get Your #PitchOn

Workshops for Get Your Pitch On are on now!

For each critique you leave in the comments, you get an entry in the draw for one of eight 10-page critique from me and workshop hosts Larissa Hardesty, Stephanie Diaz, Catherine Scully, Jodie Andrefski, Paula Sangare, Talynn Lynn and Kaitlin Adams. Please use the exact same names for all of your critiques. Also Sarah Nicolas will be giving away three query critiques. The opportunity ends October 14.     
If you want to enter your own pitch to the workshops then this post will tell you all about how to submit your pitch. It's a good idea to do this if you're planning to pitch to Commissioning and Managing Editor of Hardie Grant Egmont, Marisa Pintado, as part of Get Your Pitch On.

Want to win $2K for a short story?

First off - I'm so excited to announce that The Life and Times of Chester Lewis is out today and features my New Adult short story AN ISLAND ENCOUNTER. *claps excitedly*

So what does that have to do with winning $2K? Everything! My publisher, The Australian Literature Review, are hosting a The Life and Times of Chester Lewis short story/fan fiction competition.

The fan fiction competition for The Life and Times of Chester Lewis is for short stories of 2000 – 4000 words and is open to writers worldwide.

Each short story should be identifiably set in the story world of The Life and Times of Chester Lewis with an identifiable connection to at least one of the major characters in The Life and Times of Chester Lewis.

So to enter you really need to know about the anthology, and on October 1 and 2 you can purchase The Life and Times of Chester Lewis  for just $0.99 on the kindle.

Prizes:
1st Prize – AU$2000
Top 3 – your story featured in full on ChesterLewis.net
Top 10 – your name listed as a top 10 finalist on ChesterLewis.net

For more information check out the competition website.

Get Your Pitch On Workshop submissions OPEN!

Workshops for Get Your Pitch On will start on October 1, but you can send your pitches through now to secure your spot with a host blog.

There is no date deadline for the workshops. Each blog has allocated a set number of pitches that they can host and once those spots are full then no more submissions will be taken.

Important Rule: If you want to participate in a workshop, you must be prepared to comment on at least one other pitch.

Also! For each critique you leave in the comments, you get an entry in the draw for one of eight 10-page critique from me and workshop hosts Larissa Hardesty, Stephanie Diaz, Catherine Scully, Jodie Andrefski, Paula Sangare, Talynn Lynn and Kaitlin Adams. Please use the exact same names for all of your critiques. Also Sarah Nicolas will be giving away three query critiques. The opportunity ends October 14.     

How to submit: Email your draft pitch to pitchonws@gmail.com and include PitchOnWS and the title of the manuscript in the subject line. Pitches must follow the formatting as specified for the Get Your Pitch On contest. If you missed if before check out this post here and you can see the list of blogs participating here.

Draft pitches will be evenly distributed between host blogs.

And interview with Commissioning and Managing Editor of Hardie Grant Egmont, Marisa Pintado, will be coming up soon on my blog so that you have an idea what she's looking for before she takes your pitches both here on Down Under Wonderings and on my group blog YAtopia on October 15th. The exact contest opening times will be included in that post.

Have fun honing your pitches!

Great opportunity for bloggers!

I have some sad news, which actually equates to an opportunity for you bloggers out there.

YAtopia is changing. Wendy, Leigh, Kelley, Nyrae, and Chanelle are stepping down from active duty at YAtopia. They’ve promised to come back to visit us on major YAtopian holidays and to share their good news.

Even though some of the founding members are leaving, DJ, Sarah and I are keeping things going.

Three new bloggers have already signed up to take on the role of new YAtopians:

• Ryan Greenspan
• Davey Beauchamp
• Aimee Salter

But we want a few more! Cause we're greedy like that - we want ALL the bloggers. Well actually, we want another four so that we have ten members.

If you want to join me and the rest of the YAtopia team, check out the post on how to apply.

There's really only one criteria - a love of YA! You can be:

• An avid reader.
• A blogger.
• A writer (aspiring or published).
• An editor
• An intern
• A publicity
• Anyone in the YA publishing world!

And you can be from anywhere! We've got an American living in New Zealand, a Canadian, an Australian and a couple of Americans. So if you love YA and want to blog with us then join on up.

Oh - and there's also a gift card up for grabs on the YAtopia post - so check it out.

Cover reveal: Pantomime

 

Cover Art: Tom Bagshaw

Strange Chemistry's got another great title on the way! Pantomime by Laura Lam. And here's her gorgeous cover.

The Plot:

R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass – remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone – are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimeras is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide.

Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star. But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.


Like the sound of it? Then add it on Goodreads!

You can buy or preorder Pantomime in early February 2013:

UK Print & Ebook
Amazon.co.uk | Book Depository | Waterstones | WHSmith

US Print & Ebook
Amazon.com | BarnesandNoble.com | IndieBound.org
 

 

Get Your Pitch On precompetition details

Here's the details you've been waiting for!

Commissioning and Managing Editor of Hardie Grant Egmont, Marisa Pintado, will be poised and ready to take your pitches both here on Down Under Wonderings and on my group blog YAtopia on October 15th.

Marisa is looking for YA in any genre and is accepting submissions from any where in the world. It's your chance to skip the slush pile and put your pitch right under the nose of a fantastic editor. There's even better news - there is no limit on how many requests Marisa will make from the contest.

EDIT: Submission window details can be found HERE as well as an interview with Marisa.

Here's the rules:

• Your manuscript must be complete, polished and ready to query - this means no first drafts or almost finished manuscripts.
• It must be YA.
• When the contest goes live on October 15th, post your entry details in the comments section of either YAtopia or Down Under Wonderings - each blog is accepting 100 entries only.
• Your entry detail needs to include a 50 - 70 word pitch.
• You can enter more than once if you have more than one complete, polished, ready to query manuscript.

Your contest details should be formatted like this:

Name: Sharon Johnston
Email: smjohnston [ @ ] live.com.au
Country of residence: Australia
Title: SLEEPER
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Word-count: 58,000
Pitch: Seventeen-year-old Mishca Richardson is a sleeper soldier with a weak heart. She has no idea that a life saving heart transplant has accidentally triggered her programming. In the search for answers, she discovers the truth and that her creator, Wirth, has classified her remaining "sisters" from her experiment group as defective, scheduling them for termination. Mishca sets out to save them before they're eliminated.

Just as it's important to get someone else to look over your manuscript before you query, it's a good idea to get feedback on your pitch before you post. We have about twenty blogs who are ready to help you hone your pitch. These workshops start on October 1 and you can find the list of blogs participating here.

I'm so excited to bring this competition. So now it's time for you to Get Your Pitch On!

Want to host a Get Your Pitch On Workshop?

It's not long to go now until Get Your Pitch On details are revealed. Yah!

Get Your Pitch On is a chance for YA writers to pitch to an editor! She has told me that she's looking for YA in any genre and the writer can be based anywhere in the world.

Right now I'm looking for more bloggers to host workshops prior to the contest opening. Here's what's involved:

• Workshops run from October 1 until the contest opens 15 October.
• Take on 5 to 10 pitches on your blog - pitches are to be between 50 - 70 words.
• Each pitch needs to be a separate post to allow for feedback in the comments.
• Provide feedback on improving the pitch and encourage other people to provide feedback.

It's up to the host blogs if they want additional requirements, such as writers much be a follower of the host blog to be part of the workshop.

 The blogs that have signed up so far include:

• Sarah Nicolas
• Peculiar Light
• Stephanie Diaz 
• Marieke Nijkamp
• Zap's Lobster Tank
• Leigh Ann Kopans
• Gina's Writer's Blog
• Finding Joy in the Journey
• Jamie Grey
• Maggie Hall
• Howdy Girl 
• The Sleepless Writers
• The Write Words
• Of Cabbages and Kings
• Stacey Nash
• Kaitlin Adams
• Ellie Writes 2
• Larissa's World
• 2000 Words
• Ink in the Book
• StaceyO'Neale
• C Sully Write, C Sully Run
• A Novel Journey
• Pen to Paper 
• Whimsical Quests of a Curious Mind

The competition will have a maximum for 100 entries per blog over Down Under Wonderings and YAtopia - so 200 in total. Which means we need lots of blogs to be involved to help writers hone their entries.

You can host a workshop and still enter the competition. So if you're interested, go to the contacts page on my website and shoot me an email or add your details in the comments (blog and email).

Do I talk funny? The Accent Challenge!

I did this for some Facebook friends of mine who insist I have an accent. I don't know what they're talking about. You tell me - do I talk funny?

My #PitchMadness Final Selections

So now the actually entries have all been revealed, I can talk about the entries I chose, and why, a bit more candidly.

I do want to say first that I loved more than 15, but unfortunately I couldn't chose anymore. Hopefully all entries will join in the Twitter Pitch Party #PitMad on 13 September and that YA (and possibly MG - waiting to confirm) entries will post in the Get Your Pitch On (#PitchOn) contest in October.

Y1: PRIME GRADE -  YA Speculative Fiction
First off, I love SpecFic. I was searching for a great entry in this genre and did with this one. It was a late swap in because it ended up in a weird folder and was discovered just before we were due to post.

I noticed there was a lack of Dystopian feel stories (not that I wanted them specifically) and I felt this one had a shot of standing out. A strained relationship with the father, a government initiating population control and a group of teenage rebels all intrigued me.

Y2: Mirror of Sand and Flame - MG adventure with fantasy elements
This was one I'd love to read with my seven-year-old. The MC is definitely no Gary Stu, having destroyed his hometown. I like rooting for the underdog. Then having to go into a fantasy novel - like a reverse Inkheart - I loved the whole concept. Then the writing was so outstanding, I just couldn't pass this one up.

Y3: Thunderbird Dreams - Middle Grade Historical Fantasy

I know that agents have MG and historical high on their lists, which made me really look at this one. I can't help imaging a stiff moving puppet trapped in the mountain (Thunderbirds are GO). This is another one I'd love to read with my youngest and the writing was just gorgeous.

Y4: MIRE - YA paranormal mystery
This one called and called to me, even though it took me until after the last round to move it into my list. Firstly, I'm a HUGE believer that teens are thinking more globally and they want to have MCs that aren't always American white girls. I took a guess that the MC was of Indian descent given the pitch. Then there was the intrigued - why was she kidnapped? It made me think of TANGLED.

Y5: PALADIN - YA Fantasy
YA Game of Thrones anyone? I believe Fantasy will be making a comeback, thanks to the success of GoT. I love it in YA. Australian Author, Rhiannon Hart, has a YA fantasy Blood Song and this one reminded me of it. Again, an imperfect and conflicted MC with stakes so high. And then there was that writing - wow!

Y6: CHILDREN OF THE GODS - YA Steampunk/Mythology (Mythpunk) Romance

Why isn't there more Steampunk in the world? There should be. But then to add in Greek mythology - I'm ready to explode. I love the idea of the old and new gods set as real people (something I've done myself)  Then add in the Romeo and Juliet factor at it's a winner.

Y7: AN UNCOMMON BLUE - YA Sci-fi w/ fantasy elements
I went through the entries with my fourteen-year-old-son and I knew he would love this one. And, as I predicted, he thought this one was the coolest of them all, which may have something to do with him being a rugby player. I really struggle to find books that he likes to read (a lot of stories he would like are told from girl POVs). Even though he's a very advanced reader for his age, he's very fussy on storylines. Finding a story that gets his interest is hard. But this one combines two of his loves - rugby and SciFi.

Y8: Beneath the City of Lights - Forensic Mystery/Suspense

A forensic archaeologist - how cool is that! Adult fiction has to be brilliant to catch my eye (for some reason I'm more YA orientated). I loved the conflict possibilities with the death of her ex's brother. The writing really grabbed me in - I wanted to know more, more, MORE!

Y9: Jo - New Adult Sci-fi/Horror

None of the agents had New Adult on their wish list, but a couple had horror. I know that agents can pitch this as either adult or YA, depending on the MC. I love the idea of an MC that's a monster. And the stakes are great. The opening line was fantastic. I just wanted to read this.

Y10: UNDERCOVER - Young Adult Thriller

As I said above, I'm a strongly against white washing the publishing industry. My MC in my manuscript that's out on sub is an Australian of African-American descent. So the MC in this one caught my eye. It still took me a bit to put it in my 'yes' pile as I just wasn't sure if it was my own personal biased. But I know agents have been looking for YA mysteries that aren't cosy mysteries - something along the lines of Veronica Mars. This storyline fits perfectly.

Y11: Singularity - YA sci-fi
Did someone say Cyborgs? Woo Hoo. I nicked this one before the slushies even put it in the 'yes' pile for the host bloggers to look at. I have a soft spot for cyborgs, and then add in an alien invasion and I'm sold. I love out-of-the-square storylines, and this one has it.

Y12: Charley Cross and the London Dead - YA historical thriller

This is one that I'd classify as Speculative Fiction. The historical aspect was a huge hook for me and I think it will be for agents too. Then add in the undead (zombies?) and it kicks it up a notch. The pitch made me think of The Infernal Instruments series. Very cool.

Y13: Stealing the Sun - (New) Adult Sci-Fi

Starships! Space Opera SciFis are so cool. Yes, the agents didn't ask for New Adult, but I am so confident this will still get splattered with paint. As I said in my last post, I did a lot of Star Wars make-believe play as a child, which might explain my love of SciFi. The pitch for this was was solid and add in the high concept of a ship that 'thinks' and I'm just about drooling.

Y14: Jack and the Bones - YA paranormal
I love retellings, and so do agents and publishers. I think this one should be YA Speculative Fiction. Paranormal is a bit out of favour in some circles.Short, sharp, but such a strong pitch, Having your soul fused to a harp!

Y15: Sylvan Legacy - Historical Romance with Paranormal Elements

This was actually the first one I picked. I think this genre will be a big trend, although I think it's more like a Historical Fantasy as elves are fantasy beings, not paranormal beings. It could come under the Speculative Fiction umbrella (yes, I know, I love SpecFic). It reminds me a lot of the pitch for The Falconer by Elizabeth May (not yet released). I think the agents are going to love this one.


These fifteen, along with some on the blogs and some that didn't get picked, are ones that caught my eye and held my attention. If I were an agent I would ask to see more of these. I would read them with my children or read them myself. I would love to see these on bookshelves. That's why I picked them.