What I'm Reading

So many books to read, so little time!

Whenever I have a free moment, it’s hard not to fill it with writing. Add in that I’m a dreadfully slow reader, and you have a bad combination for my to-be-read pile. It grows and grows, and I just can’t keep up with it. But there are definitely some books that are living on the top of that pile. This summer, I plan to finally be able to devour a couple of them.

REAWAKENED by Colleen Houck

I adore Colleen—I’m pretty sure she’s one of the kindest, hardest working, and fan-friendly authors I’ve ever met. This book looks absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to dig into it. Thus, it’s at the top of my pile!

THE UGLY DUCHESS by Eloisa James

I love a great romance, especially historical romance. Eloisa James has a fun voice—there’s always a fabulous sense of humor in her writing. I’m also very interested in romances where the main character isn’t particularly stunning in the looks department. Love is deeper than that, and I’m looking forward to reading this one to see how the theme is handled.

A DESPERATE FORTUNE by Susanna Kearsley

It has a gorgeous cover and intriguing premise: Sara Thomas, an amateur codebreaker has been sent to Paris to crack the cipher on a cryptic 300-year-old journal written by Jacobite exile Mary Dundas. As Mary’s tale is revealed, Sara’s story also unravels—so really we get two stories in one.

What are you looking forward to reading this summer? Any beach reads you want to recommend?

Finding the Time to Write

When I tell someone I’m a writer, and they then find out I have three kids under the age of 12, they often ask: “Where do you find the time to write??” usually accompanied by an expression that says, “Are you nuts?” :-)

Sometimes, yes, I think I am. But I love what I do, and I’ve learned that when you love something, you make time for it.

I make time for my family. I make time for my friends. I make time to fix up my fixer-upper house. I make time to run. Writing is another thing I make time for—not just because I love it, but because it’s my career. And because it’s my career, I sometimes have to make less time for fixing up my house, or maybe I don’t go out to dinner with a friend, or maybe I skip a run.

Figuring out how to balance all areas of your life is something you deal with even if you’re not a writer. When you’re a writer, you just kind of…add that in.

How to use my time wisely and effectively is always on my mind. I read a great interview with author Kate Forsyth recently. I liked everything she said, and she gave me some great ideas. For example, she sets aside one day a week to take care of the "business" side of writing. Emails, mailings, blog post scheduling, etc. She also has set times for being on social media every day, so she doesn't find herself trolling for hours.

When I asked writers on Twitter how they view making time to write, @TheRapture said to wake up early or go to bed late. “It’s like working a muscle.” I like that. It’s very true. The more you do it, the more consistent you’ll be at it. It becomes a part of your routine.

@NicoleKLarson said something similar to what Kate Forsyth says: “Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day.” She also added, “Stay in the story.” I do this by thinking about my characters even if I can’t actually be writing. I plan out their next scene, or re-imagine their last one.

If I really think about it, having kids isn’t a hindrance to my writing at all. They are what inspire me to focus. They’ve taught me how to multitask. They also keep me going and make me really decide what is important and what isn’t important.

How do you find time to write? What’s your advice to aspiring writers who have a book to write but feel they have very little time to spare?

Summer Writing

Summer! It’s finally arrived. 

My daughters are very excited to be finished with school until September. And let’s be honest. I’m excited to be finished packing lunches every morning.

Summer is always a great writing time for me. I usually have a lovely babysitter lined up to come here a few days a week so I can go down to my little writing cabin for a handful of hours. I also usually have a specific writing project to work on. This summer, while I have a babysitter scheduled in (yay!) I don’t really know what my project is going to be.

This has been a strange year for me. I’ve seen the completion of my first trilogy, with the release of The Wondrous and the Wicked in April, but while I have a few projects with my agent and out on submission, there’s nothing really in the pipeline. Questions like What do I work on? and Do I want to shift gears and write for adults? Or for younger children? have been on my mind.

I can’t write the same thing again and again. Challenging myself with every new project is important. I think it is for every creative mind. But I also have to think about building my career and platform, and yeah, being a little consistent—even as much as my mind wants to buck against that thought.

I don’t really have any hard and fast answers. Sometimes I get a story idea that demands to be written right now. Others just sit back and wave at me as if to say, “Go on, do what you have to do right now. I’ll be waiting here when you’re ready.”

So right now the story that’s demanding to be written is the companion novel to a New Adult rom-com mystery that I’m kind of in love with. It’s totally different than anything I’ve written before and maybe that’s what’s making it so fun and exciting to work on.

I’ve been building as inspiration board on Pinterest for the first novel. Here's a hint: Scotland, scotch, and hot men in kilts. :-)

What are you working on this summer?

RT 2015!

I'm busy packing and getting ready for my flight to Dallas tomorrow, where I'll be joining in on the RT fun! Last year was my first time at RT, and the experience was amazing. I loved being able to meet other authors and talk to readers, and really, you can never go wrong with a whole week devoted to romance books :-)

This year I'll be on a few panels that promise to be a blast:

You're Never Too Old! (Thurs. at 2:45 p.m.), a YA trivia game event that will have a ton of other YA authors there, including some friends I can't wait to see, like Amalie Howard, Victoria Scott, Colleen Houck, Sarah Fine, and Jennifer Armentrout. 

Humble Beginnings: Your Favorite YA Authors Share Their Teen Writing (Sat. from 4:30-5:45), where I will be reading a truly embarrassing excerpt from a story I wrote in a black and white composition notebook when I was in the 5th grade. Oh. My. Goodness. I cannot wait to hear what the other authors are reading, but I am seriously wondering why I signed up for this panel! It's going to be awful! But hey…like the panel title says: Humble Beginnings. 

Here's a link to my RT agenda if you want to check it out. Hope you can make it! 

And then on Saturday, I'll be signing paperback copies of The Beautiful and the Cursed and The Lovely and the Lost, and brand-spankin' new hardcovers of The Wondrous and the Wicked in YA Alley! If you're coming to RT, swing by and grab one of my sparkly new bookmarks and say hi!

The countdown begins!

In less than one week, the final installment in the Dispossessed series will release into the world!
My blog tour is getting underway, with interviews, guest posts, and reviews on some of my favorite book blogs. I'm giving away a signed copy of each book in the trilogy, so be sure to check out the tour and enter to win.

It feels like I've been hearing a bunch of bad news about series being cancelled lately, and I can't help but feel extremely lucky to have had all three books published as planned, even though they haven't been bestsellers. The series has gained a steady readership through word of mouth and I can't thank all the readers and reviewers out there enough for sharing their love for these books! Every review, every social media mention, every email you've sent me has made a huge difference for me and the books, so THANK YOU!

I've spent the morning making some Wondrous Wicked quote memes and plan to share them over the next few days. Please take a moment to share them on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, your blog…anywhere you can! Visibility is a new book's best friend :-)

You're all the best!

YASH Scavenger Hunt! Team Teal

Hello, YASH Scavenger Hunters! I'm so excited to be part of the hunt again, and this time, on a shiny new team color!

If you're new to YASH or want in on the fun and prizes, visit HERE for all the information you need to get started!

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE RULES Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on Team Teal, and then add them up (don’t worry, you can use a calculator!).Entry Form: Once you’ve added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by April 5, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

I’m hosting author Courtney Alameda, author of SHUTTER. Hi, Courtney! 

About Courtney:

Courtney Alameda has spent her entire career trying to con and cajole people into reading great books. A veteran bookseller and librarian, Courtney now spends her days writing thriller and horror novels for young people. Her debut novel, SHUTTER, was hailed as a "standout in the genre . . . [and] sure to please thriller fans" by School Library Journal. Her forthcoming novel, PITCH DARK (Fall 2016), is a genre-blending science fiction/horror novel in the vein of Ridley Scott's 1979 film ALIEN.

Courtney holds a B.A. in English Literature with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Brigham Young University. She is represented by the talented John M. Cusick of Greenhouse Literary. A Northern California native, she now resides in Utah with a legion of books and a five pound cat who possesses a giant personality.

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About SHUTTER:

Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat—a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With an analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain. As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before . . . or die trying.

Lock, stock, and lens, she’s in for one hell of a week.

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SHUTTER sounds awesome and I love that cover. Now for Courtney’s BONUS CONTENT—it’s truly hilarious. In this link, Courtney tries Vegemite for the first time and captures it on camera!

VIEW IT HERE BECAUSE I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO EMBED A VIDEO! LOL.

I have to agree with you, Courtney. I’ve tried Vegemite before and I think my eyes watered too! I think the Aussies can find at least 26 things to put Vegemite on, but thank you so much for reminding me to never try it again! 

For more about Courtney, check out her website and Tumblr, and order SHUTTER for yourselves here! 

ALSO, dear Hunters, I'm giving away a personalized and signed copy of THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE CURSED! Leave a comment here and either follow me on Twitter or Google+! Let me know if you've already read TB&TC!! If you end up winning and want either THE LOVELY AND THE LOST or THE WONDROUS AND THE WICKED, I'll send you one of those instead! 

Now, Hunters, it’s time to travel on to the always awesome, Amy Plum! 

Best Mail Day!

Look at these beauties!

Spain's NOCHE OSCURA EN PARIS (A Dark Night in Paris, I think?) and Germany's GROTESQUE (they kept the original title!) are soooo pretty. I also now have a few copies of The Lovely and Lost compliments of Listening Library. What do you think?? That orange hair is something, but just like the UK covers, these covers capture the dark and dangerous elements of the series better I think.

A giveaway is coming up! Tell your German and Spanish blogging friends!