Author: kiperoo

kiperoo

Sucker Literary Blog Hop

To celebrate the Sucker Literary Volume 3 release, the writers, readers, and friends of those who worked on the volume are participating in a blog hop. A huge shout-out to Justine Manzano for tagging me in the hop!

As a reader, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed these stories. The creativity in this volume is amazing. You are going to love them!

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As a writer, I’m thrilled to share something about my own writing process. I’ve been enjoying the posts from other bloggers, and can’t wait to read the ones to come. We are all so similar and yet so unique! I’m convinced that even if two of us had the same pitch or story concept that we’d end up with two completely different stories in the end.

What am I working on?
Right now, I’m focusing on my YA LGBT historical that takes place in a cabaret in Berlin in 1930. However, I also have a draft of a short story to get back to, and–as always–several other shiny new ideas percolating. 🙂

 

How does my work differ from others of its genre?
When I started to look up comp titles, I came across the fantastic mystery for adults. A TRACE OF SMOKE by Rebecca Cantrall takes place in Berlin in 1931, and I absolutely loved it. In spite of the very similar setting, there are many differences from my story of course. Most of all, I wrote mine for a teen audience with two teens as main characters.

 

Why do I write what I do?
I tend to write what I love, including German literature and history, ballet and yoga, and unique and interesting places and times. I find that I have to make a pretty huge commitment to any of my writing projects, so it’s really got to be something I love for me to want to stick with it.

 

How does my writing process work?
After brainstorming the who/when/where of the story (setting is hugely important to me), I like to write out a few scenes or chapters if I can before getting an outline down. I love outlining, and am positive my plotting improves with each outline I do, but I also really need a sense of the characters and their stories before deciding where to go with them.

Next up are the three writers I’m tagging! Check them out and get ready for their posts next week!

Charity Tahmaseb has slung corn on the cob for Green Giant and jumped out of airplanes (but not at the same time). She spent twelve years as a Girl Scout and six in the Army; that she wore a green uniform for both may not be a coincidence. These days, she writes fiction (long and short) and works as a technical writer for a software company in St. Paul. Her novel, The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading (written with co-author Darcy Vance), is a YALSA 2012 Popular Paperback pick in the Get Your Geek On category.  Find her on her blog  and on twitter.

Michelle Mason is a full-time writer focusing mainly on middle grade and young adult fiction, with some freelance PR writing and editing on the side. When she’s not reading or writing, Michelle hangs with her husband and two kids, watches too much TV, cross-stitches, bakes amazing brownies, and plays the violin in her church orchestra. Find her on her blog and on twitter.

Julie “J. C.” Phillipps is an author/illustrator who lives in West Hartford, CT with her husband, son, and an anxious cat that licks the fur off its belly.  Her books include Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed, Monkey Ono, and The Simples Love a Picnic.  Julie has a nice hot cup of cocoa every day while she sits down to work. Find her on her blog and on twitter.

Road Trip Wednesday: Inspiring Author

This week’s topic over on Road Trip Wednesday really spoke to me:

Tell us an author who inspires you.

On the one hand, this is a difficult question because there are so, so many authors who inspire me. Heck, most people who make it all the way through to get a book published inspire me.

But then I thought of an author I recently discovered after asking on twitter for recommendations for beautiful, literary YA, with bonus points if set in another country. From the responses to this call-out, I got a great stack of delicious books. This author’s book was one of those. Thanks again to Dahlia Adler for the recommendation!

SMALL DAMAGES by Beth Kephart was everything I had hoped for. It was gorgeous; it was moving; it was set in Spain. I highly recommend it. Beth has published many other books, and I’m looking forward to reading all of them someday.

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But on top of that, I began following Beth on twitter, and I have been so impressed by how kind and gracious she is, and yanno, that actually inspires me more than anything else. I want to be like that. I want to write gorgeous, moving books, and be nice.

So check out her work! You won’t be disappointed. And have a wonderful, uplifting day. 🙂

ONE, TWO, THREE Cover Reveal and Giveaway!

I’m thrilled to participate in the cover reveal for ONE, TWO, THREE by Elodie Nowodazkij today!

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Title: One, Two, Three

Author: Elodie Nowodazkij

Publication Date: June 26, 2014

Blurb: Last year, Natalya was attending the School of Performing Arts in New York City. Last year, she was well on her way to becoming a professional ballerina. Last year, her father was still alive.

But a car crash changed all that—and Natalya can’t stop blaming herself. Now, she goes to a regular high school in New Jersey; lives with her onetime prima ballerina, now alcoholic mother; and has no hope of a dance career.

At her new school, however, sexy soccer player Antonio sees a brighter future for Natalya, or at least a more pleasant present, and his patient charms eventually draw her out of her shell.

But when upsetting secrets come to light and Tonio’s own problems draw her in, Natalya shuts down again, this time turning to alcohol herself.

Can Natalya learn to trust Antonio before she loses him—and destroys herself?

Definitely be sure to add ONE, TWO, THREE to your Goodreads list! And in the meantime, have a look at the full, gorgeous cover!

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About the Author: Elodie Nowodazkij was raised in a tiny village in France, where she could always be found a book in hand. At nineteen, she moved to the US, where she learned she’d never lose her French accent. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Modern Language & Linguistics, and later earned master’s degrees in German Cultural Studies and European Studies. Unbeknownst to her professors, she sometimes drafted stories in class. Now she lives in Germany with her husband and their cat (who doesn’t seem to realize he’s not human), and uses her commuting time to write the stories swirling in her head. She’s also a serial smiley user. ONE, TWO, THREE is her first novel.

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Visit Elodie’s website and find her on Goodreads, and be sure to follow her on twitter!

Giveaway:

To celebrate the cover reveal, Elodie is giving away the following items via a Rafflecopter giveaway:

  • 3 gifts cards $15 to Amazon/Apple/B&N (your choice)
  • One autographed ARC of ONE, TWO, THREE…
  • 3 ARCS (ebook)
  • $25 donation to the classroom book project of your choice on DonorsChoose.org

Best of luck!

Sucker Literary Volume 3 Cover Reveal

 

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Sucker Literary Volume 3

Available April 15, 2014

Add it on Goodreads!

Book Trailer

 
Bullied and alone, Ainsley seeks refuge in the arms of a strange boy. Time is slipping away for overachieving Sadie Lin, but reigniting an old flame might help. Scarred by a pressuring ex, Alexandra finally faces the rain. “Pasty and chubby” Charlotte makes a public play for the “Tan and Smooth” king. The beautiful girl in the black, lacy push-up bra says that it’s time for Brenn to stop lying . . . at least to herself. A halfway house is no home for Dawn—or is it? How will Dana survive knowing everyone at school thinks she’s a monster, when they just may be right? JJ and her crush finally get a moment alone—at his girlfriend’s hottest party of the year. Sixteen-year old Sarah prepares for her first day of school by chaining up her Mamí in her bedroom. Alyssa’s life is a well-rehearsed ballet until a tragedy sends her hurtling towards a fall. Loving a boy is as simple as chemistry . . . unless that boy is an unstable element.

 

Eleven stories that delve into the depths of our experience—driven by fierce and untouched love that makes us seek, lose, fear, desire, long, reflect, survive, steal, protect, fall, and confess.

 

Founding Editor:

Hannah R. Goodman

 

Contributors:

The H8TE Lilliam Rivera

Valentine’s Day Claudia Classon 

Halfway From Shelli Cornelison

Her Tree Boy Blaze Lina Branter

How To Fall Kacey Vanderkarr 

If it Rains Kristina Wojtaszek

Black Lacy  Kimberly Kreines

Superpower Mary Malhotra 

The Chemistry of You and Me Evelyn Ehrlich

Just a Matter of Time Charity Tahmaseb

A Different Kind of Cute Hannah R. Goodman

 

www.suckerliterary.com
 

Twitter: @suckerlitmag

 

 

 

To Blog or to Website?

This is the question I asked myself before attending a great workshop at The Writer’s Loft in Sherborn, MA on Saturday. That, and, where the heck is Sherborn, MA?

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I admit I got a little worried as I passed 128 and started to see signs for Albany, NY, but I made it to the Loft in once piece and even found a handy eatery nearby to pick up a nice greasy sandwich and chocolate frappe. *thumbs up*

The workshop, “Creating an Author Website,” was led by Ray Brierly, and was a great chance for me to find out what I wanted to know. I’ve been blogging here on WordPress since 2008, and I’ve gradually figured out lots of the bits and pieces that give my blog the look and feel I wanted. But yanno, what I’ve got isn’t a website; it’s a blog. Before the workshop, I was pretty sure I decided I wanted to convert to a website, once there, I realized it didn’t seem to be anything to be afraid of.

As Ray described the steps, one must:

  1. Get hosting
  2. Get a domain name
  3. Install WordPress
  4. Customize website

Since I’ve been blogging with a wordpress.com address, it turns out I’ve done the last step first–and it seems like this is the most time-consuming, complicated step, so yay, me! However, I still have to do steps 1-3 if I want an actual website. If I only had a few blog posts, it wouldn’t be a big deal to just start up a fresh website and copy the content over, but because I have six years of content (*gasp*), once I got home from the workshop, I decided to look up how it’s done, and luckily it doesn’t seem horribly complicated:

  1. WordPress has a nice how-to on the process that I plan to take for a spin in the near future: move to self-hosted.
  2. They also have a list of recommended hosts that are known to work well with WordPress.
  3. One of the hosts they list is the same one Ray mentioned in the workshop, and I found they’re running a special!

Best of all, now that I realize I’ve been doing the more complicated part all along, I should be able to actually help friends and family members who’ve been asking how to set up a website who’ve been scoffing at my, “Get a free WordPress blog!” responses. Now I know exactly what to tell them and will even be able to walk them through it. Who knew making a website could be so much fun? 🙂

#WriterRecharge Last Week!

All hail the last week of #WriterRecharge!

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Joining in for the month of February definitely made a cold, snowy month pass more quickly, so a huge thanks to the gang responsible: Sara Biren, Katy Upperman, Alison Miller, Liz Parker, and Elodie Nowodazkij,

I was so deep in the Revisions Cave that I only popped my head out for the Monday check-ins, but I’m grateful for the accountability nevertheless, and I promise I was hard at work and thinking of you all doing the same. 🙂 And thus, progress!

How did I do during the third week?

Writing: I switched my goals/rules up a bit again (because I can), and it was just the thing I needed this week. My First Five Pages workshop finished up, and I tweaked the beginning of my WIP again based on the last fantastic feedback before taking another spin through its first 50 pages for big-picture issues. Not exactly what I’d intended to do, but I’m calling it a success!
 
Swimming: For the first time, I joined the snow instead of letting it beat me. I only got to swim twice this week, but I went cross-country skiiing once and ice skating once, and both of those were well worth getting out into the cold.
 
Reading: I only read one book this week, but it was a great one: BECOMING JOSEPHINE by Heather Webb (about Napoleon’s wife, the Empress Josephine). I was lucky enough to win a copy of the book, and I also got to attend a reading/signing, so I couldn’t let this one sit on my TBR stack any longer. What fantastic details and what a compelling character!
 
Bonus Awesomeness: My six-year-old twins had school vacation this week, and one of the things they did was to prepare their submissions for their first writing contest (for children in Kindergarten through fifth grade). They each made a beautiful picture book with five illustrations and five pages of text. I am so proud of them! Take a look at their snazzy covers:

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What are my goals for this week?

I’ll be sticking with my same goals for the week with swimming (four times a week) and reading (one more book), but I’m planning on tackling the writing task I’ve been avoiding: taking a pass through the rest of the WIP and marking where I need to change or add the POV to the alternate POV character. I won’t actually be making any changes/writing new scenes, so just figuring it out should be totally doable, right? *blinks*
 
Hope the last week of #WriterRecharge treats you well!

#WriterRecharge Week Three

Welcome to Week Three of #WriterRecharge!

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If you want to learn more about this month-long motivational writing challenge co-hosted by Sara Biren, Katy Upperman, Alison Miller, Liz Parker, and Elodie Nowodazkij, just click here. And be sure to include the link to your update on Sara’s blog or tweet about it using hashtag #Writer Recharge!
 
At the beginning of the month, I set my goals here.
 
How did I do during the second week?

  • Writing: I met my goal, working through another round of great feedback from the mentors and participants from the First Five Pages workshop. My second revision goes up for review later today, and after one last revision round, those pages should be ready! I also revised my next five pages, taking that same feedback into account.
  • Swimming: A repeat of last week: I only ended up swimming three days instead of four, because once again, I was thwarted by a snowstorm.
  • Reading: I finished the next book in my stack of award-winners (YAQUI DELGADO WANTS TO KICK YOUR ASS by Meg Medina)–not surprised at all that it won the Pura Belpré award. I also finished a research-y book (BERLIN! BERLIN! by Kurt Tucholsky) and the Newbery honoree (DOLL BONES by Holly Black).

What are my goals for this week?

  • Writing: Revise first five pages once more as part of the workshop and revise ten more pages in a similarly meticulous manner.
  • Swimming: Swim or winter exercise four days!
  • Reading: Read the next book in the award-winning stack (THE LIVING by Matt de la Peña).

Hope #WriterRecharge is going well and that you have another great week in store!

#WriterRecharge Week Two

Welcome to Week Two of #WriterRecharge!

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If you want to learn more about this month-long motivational writing challenge co-hosted by Sara Biren, Katy Upperman, Alison Miller, Liz Parker, and Elodie Nowodazkij, just click here. And be sure to include the link to your update on Sara’s blog or tweet about it using hashtag #Writer Recharge!
 
Last week, I set my monthly goals here.
 
How did I do during my first week?

  • Writing: Instead of plowing through my next 50 pages of draft two, which had been my plan for the week, I slowed down. Really slowed down. But that’s a good thing. I was lucky enough to get into one of the monthly First Five Pages workshops, so I spent the entire week on my first five pages: digesting comments from others, brainstorming solutions, researching (it’s a historical), and finally, revising. By focusing on the tone and details of those first pages, I think I just saved myself a boatload of work down the road …
  • Swimming: I only ended up swimming three days instead of four this week, but in my defense, I was thwarted by a snowstorm. Hopefully the weather cooperates better this week. 🙂
  • Reading: I read the next book in my stack of award-winners (THE NAZI HUNTERS by Neal Bascomb) and started the next (YAQUI DELGADO WANTS TO KICK YOUR ASS by Meg Medina). So good!

What are my goals for this week?

  • Writing: Revise first five pages once more as part of the workshop and revise next five pages in a similarly meticulous manner.
  • Swimming: Swim four days!
  • Reading: Finish YAQUI DELGADO WANTS TO KICK YOUR ASS and start the next book in the stack (THE LIVING).

Hope your first week of #WriterRecharge went well and that you have a great week in store!

Time for a #WriterRecharge!

Welcome to February! And welcome to a well-deserved #WriterRecharge! Brought to us by the same merry band of writers who sponsored #ReadySetWrite this past summer, #WriterRecharge is all about the following:
 
We’d like to invite you to join us for Writer Recharge 2014, a month-long motivational challenge similar to last summer’s Ready. Set. Write! So many of us benefited from setting goals, connecting with other writers, and social media-based accountability. So, hey, let’s do it again! Whether you’re delighting next to the crackling fireplace of a Shiny New Idea with a warm cup of tea and a sleepy puppy at your feet or spinning out on the ice-covered roads of revisions in an attempt to avoid the snow-packed ditch, we want to write with you! What do you want to accomplish this month? Hit a daily word count? Revise a certain number of pages or chapters each week? Complete a draft by the end of the month? Let’s get this party started!
 
Sounds pretty wonderful in the midst of winter, right? Check out more deets with the friendly hosts: Katy Upperman, Alison Miller, Liz Parker, Elodie Nowodazkij, and Sara Biren, and sign up to play along on Sara’s blog here:

http://www.sarabiren.com/2014/02/writer-recharge-challenge.html
 
The timeline:

  • First week of February: Post your goals for the month on your blog, website, or Twitter. Use the hashtag #WriterRecharge. Link your blog post here (below)
  • Every Monday in February: Update your progress via your blog or twitter. Link your blog posts on myMonday posts.
  • Throughout the month: Use the hashtag to connect with other writers, have writing parties, and cheer one another on!
  • February 28: Post your final update via your blog or twitter.
  • Anyone who uses the hashtag or links their blog posts will be entered to win one of five query or 3-chapter critiques.

My goals for February:

  • Finish the second draft of my WIP!
  • Swim four days a week. Swimming clears my head like nothing else.
  • Keep reading. I read 13 books in January, but since February is a shorter month, I’m going to at least commit to reading these seven award-winners. I started in on the stack on Saturday, and have already devoured the top two.

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That’s it! My goals are simple but huge for me, so I am really looking forward to cheering along with the rest of the group. My February just started looking a whole lot better!

2014 Debut Author Challenge

I’m not super-active over on GoodReads at the moment, but it was so much fun perusing this list of 2014 YA, MG, and NA debuts! So many authors I recognize–some of them from back when they were entering contests or signing with their agents, some from writer friends I’ve been cheering for even longer, and some I hadn’t heard of before and am thrilled to have discovered them here! I will probably read even more than the ones I’m listing in this post, but I picked my top twenty I’m really looking forward to reading.

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  • No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown. I cannot wait for this book. Yes, Jaye is one of my critique partners. Yes, I’ve read this book before. Still, I am so excited to read it in its final form! Ahhhh!
  • Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman. Munich in the 1930s? This book sounds so up my alley I can’t even. Is it April yet?
  • A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller. I pretty much love turn-of-the-20th-century anything, but throw in dreams of a career in the Arts, and I’m a guaranteed reader. Can’t wait for this!
  • The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton. I have to admit that the title grabbed me with this one. The description makes it sound like just the sort of literary novel I love, so I’ve got high hopes!
  • Strange Sweet Song by Adi Rule. I hadn’t heard of this one before, but a fantastic singer and magic coming from the woods? Sounds like a mysterious page-turner!
  • The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer. Another one I hadn’t heard of before this list, but it also sounds gorgeous and delicious.
  • Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy. Love the way this sounds like a kind of reverse-Fault-in-Our-Stars.
  • Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis. I’ve really been waiting for this one, and seeing the spooky cover and blurb made me want it all the more. Looks like a total page-turning mystery!
  • Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin. As if Bourne Identity meets Divergent isn’t enough, I was already a huge fan of this author for her writerly perseverance. Plus, she’s really funny on twitter.
  • The Chance You Won’t Return by Annie Cardi. This sounds like such a moving read, but on top of that, I’m psyched to dig in because I was lucky enough to read the author’s first chapter of a different story at a workshop with Nova Ren Suma at NESCBWI last year, and I absolutely loved her writing. Can’t wait for this!
  • Gilded by Christina L. Farley. I love international settings, so Korea with some magic thrown in sounds pretty cool to me!
  • All Four Stars by Tara Dairman. This just sounds totally adorable. An 11-year-old restaurant critic? I can’t wait for the hijinks!
  • Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis. Snow White in space? Yes, please.
  • At Your Service by Jen Malone. Ahhh, Jen’s first published book! Like ALL FOUR STARS above, this just looks like a super-fun read, and I can’t wait for it!
  • Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schulz. I have been waiting for this one since I first saw the deal announced on twitter. Captain Hook’s daughter in a Lemony Snickett voice, people!
  • Any Way You Slice It by Kristine Carlson Asselin. This one had me at the Mystic Pizza comparison. I’m pretty sure I know what I’ll be eating when I read this one.
  • Nil by Lynne Matson. The stakes totally grabbed me–a year to escape the island or, um, DIE? Sounds like a total page-turner to me. I’m already invested before I’ve begun reading!
  • Pointe by Brandy Colbert. I’m a sucker for anything with ballet, and I’ll admit that the cover totally drew me in even more, so I’m hoping I love it!
  • The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine. This sounds like a cute, fun romance, but on top of that, I was lucky enough to hear the author read from this book a couple of months ago. So funny! Looking forward to reading the rest.
  • Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler. Again, I’m a sucker for anything with the Arts, so I was already interested in this, but I also happen to know that some of the author’s favorite books are some of my favorite books, so that makes it all the more enticing.

Like I said, I’ll hopefully end up reading even more than these, so please share what debuts you’re most looking forward to this year!