RED BUTTERFLY Winner

Mary, you've won a pre-order for A. L. Sonnichsen's RED BUTTERFLY! Congratulations! Please contact me with mailing information.

The book's release date is February 3, 2015.

Happy Monday!

"My Writing Process" Blog Tour

Krista Van Dolzer tagged me last week in her post, so I'm going to answer some questions about my writing process.

What am I working on?

I'm splitting a YA fantasy in two and adding two more POV characters. There are three main characters, and I think that giving each of them a voice will eliminate inconsistencies.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I haven't read any other ghost stories with sea serpents. Have you?

Why do I write what I do?

I write different things for different reasons. I'm still revising THE BINDER'S WEB because I want to understand the characters and find out what happens. Basically, I'm in love with the world and the characters. If I could visit, I totally would. But I'd want to schedule that visit before or after the events I'm writing about take place.

How does your writing process work?

I have to have a character and an idea before I start, and I always think I know how it will end. Ha! The story always comes out differently than I think it will. Characters come and go, and everybody evolves as I revise. In other words, my first draft is an unsightly thing that bears little resemblance to the finished product. I don't usually let anyone see my work until the third draft.

And maybe I shouldn't admit this in public, but I use gimmicks to get through tough drafts. The first draft of a novel I ever finished, I put up a post-it note every 1,000 words to show how far I'd gone. I wish I'd taken a picture those post-its when I finished. For the draft I'm working on right now, I used Excel to print out a bunch of plain (painfully boring) calendars. For every hour I spend working on TBW*, I get to put a Sandra Boynton sticker on my calendar*. I love Sandra Boynton.

This tour has been going around for long enough that a lot of people have already been there, done that. If you haven't been tagged, and would like to participate, let me know in the comments. Thanks!

* Just writing doesn't count because I write nonfiction almost every day for work.
**Laini Taylor has a sticker calendar. Only, if I remember right, she has to write 1,000 words to get a sticker. Anyway, I found the idea on her blog.

Cover Reveal and Giveaway!

I'm excited to share a critique partner's middle-grade debut with you today. RED BUTTERFLY releases next February. Yay! :o)

So, here's Amy's official bio:

A.L. Sonnichsen grew up in Hong Kong and then spent eight years in China as adult. She now lives on the dry side of Washington State with her dashingly handsome sidekick, five talented children, and a luxury cat. Red Butterfly is her first novel. Learn more at alsonnichsen.blogspot.com.

And this her debut:

Kara never met her birth mother. Abandoned as an infant, she was taken in by an elderly American woman living in China. Now eleven, Kara spends most of her time in their apartment, wondering why she and Mama cannot leave the city of Tianjin and go live with Daddy in Montana. Mama tells Kara to be content with what she has … but what if Kara secretly wants more? 

Told in lyrical, moving verse, Kara’s story is one of a girl learning to trust her own voice, discovering that love and family are limitless, and finding the wings she needs to reach new heights. 

Isn't that a beautiful cover? Laurent Linn designed it, and Amy June Bates illustrated it, as well as the inside of the book. I can't wait to see the rest of it.

I also can't wait to see what's become of the early draft I read that already had tremendous potential. It's had quite the journey. If you want to add the book on Goodreads, you can find it here. Krista Van Dolzer interviewed Laurent Linn about the love and detail that went into it here (Great interview!), and she's also giving away an ARC.

I'm giving away a pre-order. If you'd like to be entered, just let me know in the comments. The contest is also open to my international readers (as long as Book Depository delivers to your address) and will end on Friday, June 20, at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

Have a great weekend!

Plot Twist

A couple of weeks, the owner of a local newspaper offered me a writing job, and I took it (assignments, and deadlines, and paychecks, oh my!). I started work last week, and so far, it's going well.

I should still have time to write fiction and poetry, especially during the summer months. Journalism is a different type of writing in that it allows little time for agonizing over word choices. I think it'll be good for me.

I still plan to teach preschool during the school year. It's only two days a week, and I love it. Teaching builds me up emotionally and mentally. I don't have time to second guess my decisions, so it's pretty much the opposite of writing novels. If I find that my new job conflicts with teaching, I'll make a decision then. But I'll definitely be teaching this fall.

Are you trying anything new this summer?