Cover and Contest!

My newest novel, NEVER THAT FAR, is published and released TODAY by Shadow Mountain.  a huge thank you to Jennifer De Chiara and Steve Fraser who represented me for this deal. And a big thank you to the amazing Lisa Mangum, my editor at Shadow Mountain.

A normal person could post a pic. I cannot. But, dagnabit, I will by end of today. So until then, imagine a pretty cover

 

 

HERE

 

 

Now! Here’s the contest! If you go to FB, you can add your goals under this post there.

I’m getting ready for a sing off! And I’m challenging Trent Reedy. And Claudia Mills, too! Yes! Where? At WIFYR this June!

We’re getting the ball rolling a little early with Getting Ready for WIFYR Writing Contest where you might win a book or two. My newest novel NEVER THAT FAR is one of the prizes. So is Trent Reedy’s book DIVIDED WE FALL.

Here’s how it works:

Say what your writing goal is for April AND May (I’ll reveal my goals tomorrow). And the most amazing Stephanie Moore will keep track of things for us.

You get to put your name in our virtual drawing if you sign up to play, if you complete your writing weekly goals, meet your goal, and every check-in on our Friday FB post. Invite all your friends! Got friends on Twitter? Instagram? Invite them, too!

The writing goals can be whatever you want them to be: 50 words a day, 5000 words a day or anything in between. They can be editing goals, if you like. Anything to help you get ready for our week-long writing conference this June.

The winner will be randomly drawn and notified on June 1, 2018.
Then we’ll pop the prize in the mail (US residents only), signed to you.
Woot woot!

But that’s not all.

Trent and I will have a sing off at WIFYR. Or we’ll sing a duet. Or something.
And Claudia Mills? That will be a flannel shirt wear-off contest .

Oh my gosh, this just keeps on giving.

So join us for our Getting Ready for WIFYR Writing Contest.

(You DO NOT have to attend WIFYR to play. But if you want to register, go here: http://www.wifyr.com. There are a few spaces open, but many of the classes are almost closed.)

Three Thing Thursday

Cheryl:

 

I just finished THIS MONSTROUS THING by Mackenzi Lee. What an absolutely incredible novel. 

It is, above all things, profound. As a reader, I was drawn in to the protagonist’s decision making process, trying to will him into making the choices I would make. Then I was forced to face judgment on my own decisions. It gave me a horrifying glimpse inside my own mind.

After all, am I good or am I clever?

The novel isn’t filled with flowery phrases or expansive vocabulary. It’s clear, concise, and to the point. The characters are not good or evil, simply human.

As I closed the book, all I could think was, “I wish I could write like that. I wish I could make people feel things like that. I wish I could create characters that come to life.”

I don’t know if I ever will be able to. But I feel a renewed determination to try.

Carol:

Mark your calendar!

Steve Fraser (Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency) is coming to town!

Hear his speech at BYU on February 24, 2016. It will be at 6:30 pm.

Room # to come.

Also, only a few morning spots left at Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers. (www.wifyr.com)

We have lots of classes to choose from in the afternoons and we’re excited about our faculty this year, like the AMAZING Trent Reedy.

Some of you may have heard him when he came to WIFYR a few years back. He was our keynote.

He and I were in the same graduating class at Vermont College and I love him. He’s smart, passionate, and he and I had a session or two of slow saunters around campus, talking books.

Brenda:

I’ll call this one “Sisyphus and His Rock”:

I just read a heart-breaking story about a college fellow who decided, finally, to share his novel with a trusted friend and able writing mentor. The student gave him a beautiful, thick, leather binder with tabs for each of many chapters. He sat on the student’s bed and read the first chapter, getting more and more excited, because — though long (34 pages) — it was good: opened well; had great visuals; pacing and language were both accessible. And the reader LOVED the characters.  Excited, he turned, finally, to chapter 2.

Twenty pages of blank paper.  Ditto for the other 18 tabbed sections.

The mentor said he thought this fellow “had been working on his story for rather a long time.” “Eleven years this February,” he answered.

And the entire time was spent writing, revising, rewriting the first chapter until it was “perfect.”  The mentor compared the work to Sisyphus’ trying to push a rock up the mountain only to have it tumble down again,  where he would start over.

I’m neither that good, nor that bad, I suppose: but I’m embarrassed to say I have 13 novels in various stages of “not-done.” Some are quite long. Some, not much more than a chapter or the barest essentials of an MC or two, and a couple of incidents to be fleshed out. I’m not like that college kid: I stop when something else catches my eye (or interest). . . “squirrel!” . . . And I may not get back to “it” (which ever “it” it may be) for months and months. Or even years.

How many “ROCKS” do YOU have? Are our rocks doomed to bury us, bring us down? Fortunately, my most complicated of stories (YEARS old by now, and heavily researched) has finally caught my interest again, and I’m trying to capitalize on the excitement which has re-entered my heart in its behalf.

I’ll go to my “next biggest” rock, as soon as I get through pushing this one to the peak. And I’m wearin’ my runnin’ shoes.

Three Thing Thursday

ALERT! MARK THE DATE!

 

We’re having a WIFYR kickoff  January 15, 2016, Friday. 6-9 pm. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

At this point I’m not exactly sure where we will be, but . . . this event is for all writers, published and almost-published and thinking about writing.

This will be ticketed, meaning you’ll need a number to get in the door, as there’s a limited space.

We’ll share a fantastic potluck celebration and, if you’d like, you may bring a new or gently-used book that will be donated to a library in need of books.

We’ll have a guest speaker (TBA), a few writing prompts (bring writing material), a chance to share a best line or two and a quick pitch session (just with each other!).

This kickoff is supported by SCBWI UT/ID chapter. We’re excited to work with Travis and Sherry in making UT the producer of the finest children’s lit ever.

 

FYI

For those who are interested, Steve Fraser, an agent at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency will be here in UT on February 24 and 25 for a day + workshop.

PM me on Facebook or email me and I can give you details.

Limited number for this event, too.

 

CHERYL

I admit, I haven’t been writing. 

But I have been reading. Not just fun reading, but critical reading. Deciphering what works, what doesn’t, what should have been.

And I’ve been thinking. It sounds like a cop-out, I know, but my process has always been to work things out in my mind first and then just transcribe it onto the page. By the time I physically write anything down it’s already on the third draft.

My big problem in my novel is the science. No matter what I do, I can’t make the science work in my favor. I need to make friends with some scientists. In another novel, it’s too short and too cliche. It needs a dose of reality, and I have no idea how to inject it.

But I haven’t given up. Someday something completely unrelated will happen in real life, and everything will click into place.

I can’t wait.

BRENDA

Carol wrote on the 7th about what the writing world had opened up for her: basically, a whole new world.  This after just having survived (like several of us, no doubt) NaNoWriMo, November, Thanksgiving.  And now we’re knee-deep in getting ready for Christmas.  Or, at least, getting ready to get ready.  I’m with Carol: time seems to speed up these days.

I refer back to the book I recommended last week and the week before: “TimeShifting”.  Try to hang on to the here, to the now.  Let the person who ignored you at the ward party go.  She probably was having problems of her own.

Let the family member (you know the one: the one who MUST have everyone’s attention) and stoops to coming “fashionably late” or fails to show up at all for a family gathering.  The guy who dominates all the conversation so that “significant others” belonging to this or that family member stumble through the evening trying to greet people they don’t even know, while the conversation has been hijacked by some needy friend or family member, and can’t stop railing about his/her misfortunes.

Concentrate instead on the attention paid to arranging the serving table.  Listen . . . REALLY Listen to the music playing softly in the background without calling attention to itself, even though it was carefully thought through and chosen by someone there.  Find that someone and give a thank you for the thoughtfulness of that gift of calming sound.  Talk to one of the small children whose parents are busy talking to other grownups.  REALLY BE THERE for any function you attend.  Look forward to it.  PLAN what you will do within the milling crowd of family, friends, and the occasional stranger.  Welcome that stranger by listening to him or her before moving on to others.

And thus create your OWN Merry Christmas Celebration, within the context of places you “MUST” be this holiday season:

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT ! ! !