Jessica Brody's Blog, page 11

The Making of A WEEK OF MONDAYS

A WEEK OF MONDAYS, my new young adult novel is out in the world! Hoorah!

A Week of Monday is about sixteen-year-old Ellie Sparks who finds herself reliving the same horrible Monday over and over again, in which her boyfriend breaks up with her. And although yes, that does sound horrific, it’s actually a comedy!

You can read more about it and download the first 9 chapters for FREE here! 

After every book release, I always get a ton of questions about the writing process of the book, so I decided to put together a little “Making of” post, with links to lots of behind-the-scenes looks at the making of this book.

Behind the Book – My live blog experiment when writing the first draft

When I wrote this book back in 2014, I decided to try something a little different. Every week, I live blogged (with charts!) my experience of writing the first draft. It was a lot of fun and an interesting view point to actually see my ups and downs throughout the drafting process. You can find all the “Behind the Book” posts by clicking here. 
An Introduction to Ellie Sparks (the main character of A WEEK OF MONDAYS)

Find out how Ellie came to life in my mind and on the page. 
Podcast interview about the writing of A WEEK OF MONDAYS

Click here to hear my “Author Talk” episode of the Swoony Boys podcast in which I talk about the process of writing A Week of Mondays and the reasons I actually LOVE Mondays!
Podcast Interview about my writing process in general

Click here to listen to my 88 Cups to Tea interview about how I write 4 books a year!

More behind the scenes stuff will be posted soon so be sure to check back!

 

 

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An Introduction to Ellie Sparks (A Week of Mondays)

ELLISON “ELLIE” SPARKS: An idealistic, ambitious sixteen-year-old junior with a lot on her plate.

Those were the first words I ever wrote about Ellie Sparks. They were written in a synopsis for my publisher when I was first trying to sell them on the idea for a book called A WEEK OF MONDAYS.

Of course, you can’t write an entire book about a one-sentence character. Just like you can’t live your entire life as a one-sentence person. But every character has to begin somewhere. And this is where Ellie began for me.

As an idealistic, ambitious sixteen-year-old junior with a lot on her plate.

In my mind, this is who she had to be. I thought, if you’re going to write about a girl who relives the same horrible Monday over and over again, trying to “get it right,” these are the adjectives that must describe her. She has to be idealistic enough to think she can fix everything in her life. Yet, she also has to be ambitious enough to try it. And how else are you going to fill seven Mondays with interesting storylines if the main character doesn’t have a lot on her plate.

So there was Ellie. And there was me, ready to write her, thinking I understood her. Thinking I knew everything I needed to know about her.

This is the writing process for me. I start with an idea of who someone is. I draw a box around them, like an identity fence. I stuff them inside and I lock the gate. I tell them, “This is who you are. Don’t try to change that. Don’t try to be or do anything else. I don’t have time for detours. I’m on a deadline.”

I never learn.

A WEEK OF MONDAYS is my tenth published novel and I’m still trying to lock characters inside fences. Eventually, though, they always break free. They always get bigger than their boxes. And even though I try to adjust, I keep drawing bigger and bigger boxes around them, trying to contain them to the world I built, the world I envisioned, they never quite want to stay inside. Just like people. You can try to identify them, label them, build a fence around them that makes you feel safe, and yet they’ll always surprise you. Because no character—no human being—fits inside a box.

One of my favorite reviews of A WEEK OF MONDAYS says, “Watching Ellie relive her horrible day is something like peeling an onion. Each Monday, a piece of her people-pleaser facade melts away, revealing more of her real self.”

I smiled when I read that because it wasn’t until then that I realized exactly what had happened in the writing of this book. I had done it again. I had tried to put yet another character in a box, and she had slowly, word by word, page by page, Monday by Monday broken free.

This book is ultimately a story of self-discovery.

Seven days. Seven chances to completely reinvent yourself. Wear different clothes, make different choices, explore different paths, say different things, be different people.

Because sometimes it takes a whole week of Mondays to figure out who you really are.

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A WEEK OF MONDAYS is now out in the world! I hope you all enjoy it!

Click here to read more and download the first 9 chapters for free!

 

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New Book Deal: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel!

I can’t believe this is actually happening! I’ve been in talks with the lovely people at Blake Snyder Enterprises for over TWO years about writing an installment in the Save the Cat! series geared exclusively toward novelists, and now it’s FINALLY real! Last month, we sold SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL to the amazing Ten Speed Press (A Division of Crown/Random House) for publication in Fall 2018!

**Excuse me while I scream for a second**

Here is the official announcement from Publisher’s Marketplace:

Author and Save the Cat! workshop instructor Jessica Brody’s SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL, the first-ever novel-writing guide from the beloved Save the Cat! screenwriting and storytelling series, to Lisa Westmoreland at Ten Speed Press, at auction, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel & Goderich.

 

**Excuse me while I scream again!** GAH!

I’m so freaking excited to bring you guys this book and to share all the wisdom of Save the Cat! with other novelists. I’ve been using Save the Cat! for over ten years to help me plot my novels and it has been a complete life changer for me. In fact, it wasn’t until I found Save the Cat! back in 2006 and first started using it to plot my novels, that I actually SOLD a novel. Until then, I’d received the same feedback from agents and editors over and over again: “Great voice, no story.” Because clearly I didn’t truly understand what “story” was. Until I found this methodology. Since then, I’ve sold over 15 novels for teens, tweens, and adults, and I owe it all to Save the Cat!

Here’s a bit more about the new book and the existing books in the series. Also, you can visit SavetheCat.com to learn even more!

 

ABOUT SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL:

SAVE THE CAT!® by Blake Snyder is a popular screenwriting book series and storytelling methodology used by screenwriters, directors, and studio execs across Hollywood. Now, for the first time ever, bestselling author and writing teacher, Jessica Brody, takes the beloved Save the Cat! plotting principals and applies them to the craft of novel writing in this exciting new “workshop style” guide, featuring over 20 full beat sheets from popular novels throughout time.

Whether you’re writing your first novel or your seventeenth, Save the Cat! breaks down plot in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step method so you can write stories that resonate! This book can help you with any of the following:

Outlining a new novel
Revising an existing novel
Breaking out of the dreaded “writer’s block”
Fixing a “broken” novel
Reviewing a completed novel
Fleshing out/test driving a new idea to see if it “has legs”
Implementing feedback from agents and/or editors
Helping give constructive feedback to other writers

But above all else, SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL will help you better understand the fundamentals and mechanics of plot, character transformation, and what makes a story work!

WHAT IS THE SAVE THE CAT! METHOD?

At the heart of all three existing screenwriting books in the SAVE THE CAT! series is the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet, or commonly referred to by insiders as “The BS2.” This is the “soul” of the Blake Snyder methodology. The BS2 breaks down every great story ever told into three acts, and furthermore into 15 “beats” or plot points that map out a compelling story with a satisfying character arc.

 

Can’t wait until 2018?

Sign up to receive a FREE “Save the Cat! Writes a Novel”Starter Kit! (Includes an introduction to the 15 beats plus three beat sheets from popular novels!)

You’ll also be signed up to receive additional novel beat sheets which will be released (only to subscribers) between now and publication of the book,  plus special coupons for Jessica’s online writing workshops, updates on the book, and more exclusive content for writers!

 

Sign Up to Get Your FREE “Save the Cat! Writes a Novel” Starter Kit!
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Come See Jessica Brody On Tour for A WEEK OF MONDAYS!

I’m super excited to get back on the road and share A WEEK OF MONDAYS with all of you!

Here is the official tour graphic…feel free to post on all the things!

And if you’d like information about each individual event, click here to go directly to my Appearances page. 

Hope to see you at one of the stops!

XO

Jess

 

P.S. If I’m not visiting your city on release week, fear not! There are more future events currently in the works!

 

 

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Introducing My New Book Series for Disney’s Descendants!

Book 1 – Coming 8/30/16!

YOU GUYS! I’m so so so excited to announce that I’m writing a brand new original series for Disney Press based on the hit Disney Channel movie, DESCENDANTS!

If you know me, you know I’m a HUGE Disney fan (see photo evidence below). So this opportunity was literally a dream come true.

The series will be called “School of Secrets” and the first two book covers have just been revealed! The first book, CJ’S TREASURE CHASE will be released in stores on August 30, 2016 (That’s like in a month!) and the second book, FREDDIE’S SHADOW CARDS will be released in stores on November 1, 2016!

 

Book 2 coming 11/1/16!

Here’s the official info from Disney Press on the series:

 

The School of Secrets series of chapter books continues the story of Mal and her friends, plus new Villain kids and Auradon kids introduced in the popular Wicked World short form videos. Enjoy these all-new tales of mystery, magic and adventure from the world of the hit movie Descendants!

 

 

Proof that I am a hardcore DISNEY NERD!

Here’s me at age 15, surrounded by my DISNEY ROOM!

Hamming it up with Chip at WDW!

“For who could ever learn to love a beast?” (Apparently ME!)

Keep your eyes peeled for more information about the books and more books in the series!

 

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Join the Online Flashmob for A WEEK OF MONDAYS!

Ever wanted to be part of one of those amazing dance flashmobs? Well this is ALMOST as cool!

We’re using a platform called THUNDERCLAP to flood Facebook and Twitter with news about A WEEK OF MONDAYS on its release day (August 2). Sign up between now and August 2 at 12:30 pm EST to join in the online flashmob and help spread the word about my new novel!

Click on the “Join This Thunderclap” button below be part of the fun…and I’ll love you forever! Well, okay, I already do, but still.

A Week of Mondays, A Week of Looks!

My new book, A WEEK OF MONDAYS, hits stores on August 2 (WOOT!) and to celebrate, every Monday leading up to release week, I’ll be unveiling one of Ellie’s 7 different “looks” from the story!

When Ellie Sparks realizes she’s reliving the same horrible Monday over and over again (in which her boyfriend breaks up with her), she decides to use her unique situation to try to save her relationship. So every Monday she essentially “reinvents” herself in attempt to figure out which version is the best.

Because sometimes it takes a whole week of Mondays to figure out who you really are.

At least it does for Ellie!

So without further ado, here is Ellie’s first look:

 

Be sure to check back every Monday until August 2 to see Ellie’s other looks and watch how she “evolves” as she relives each Monday! And of course, we’ll be voting on everyone’s favorite look at the end!

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Productivity Hacks for Writers – New Online Course!

Hey fellow writers!

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU COULD:

Write twice as much as you do now…in half the time?
Get into the “writing zone” effortlessly every single day?
Feel inspired to write every time you sit down?
Easily meet all of your writing deadlines?
Write more books per year?

I used to struggle to stay focused and productive every day. But after years of researching and experimenting with all different kinds of productivity strategies, techniques and tools, I’ve managed to curate an extensive list of “hacks” that have helped me become a more productive writer.

How productive?

LAST YEAR, I WROTE 4 NOVELS (over 350,000 words) AND A SCREENPLAY…

IN LESS THAN 12 MONTHS!

When I tell people this, they usually say something like…

“How do you find the time???”

But in actuality, it’s not about the amount of writing time you have, it’s how you use that time.

I WRITE 4+ BOOKS A YEAR…WRITING ONLY 2-3 HOURS A DAY!

In this course, I teach you how to minimize the time you put in, while maximizing what you get out, so you can get the most out of every writing day.

I’ve been writing professionally for over 10 years and here’s what I’ve discovered about the creative process:

Our brains are like computers. They can do amazing things but they can also get bogged down by all the various programs we open during the day. With all these other programs eating up RAM in our brains, we barely have any processing power left to do what we writers love to do: write!

Which is why I developed this course: to teach you my tried and true strategies, tips, tools, and techniques for eliminating distractions, freeing up brain processing power, and focusing your attention and energy on what’s most important, so you can get more done, in less time.

I call these strategies: PRODUCTIVITY HACKS. Because similar to how our brain functions like a computer, we can also hack it like a computer. We can apply simple yet effective tricks to BOOST BRAIN FUNCTION, INCREASE FOCUS, BE MORE INSPIRED, and WRITE MORE!

Check out the trailer for the course below and if you’d like to learn more, click the button for an exclusive coupon to get lifetime access to the course for only $19!

Sign Up for only $19!

 

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COVER REVEAL and ARC GIVEAWAY – Addie Bell’s Shortcut to Growing Up!

For years, I’ve been dreaming of writing a middle grade (tween) novel and last year, that dream finally came true. I sold my first middle grade novel, ADDIE BELL’S SHORTCUT TO GROWING UP, to the lovely people at Delacorte/Random House. And now I’m thrilled to share the first ever peek at the amazing cover (plus an excerpt from the book!)

You guys, I can’t tell you how much I simply LOVE this cover. It’s hands-down the cutest thing I’ve ever seen and it fits the style, voice, and humor of the book so perfectly! I just can’t stop looking at it!

To celebrate this exciting moment, I’m also giving away 3 autographed ARCs (advance copies) of the book! That means 3 lucky winners will be able to meet Addie a whole NINE MONTHS before the book releases to the public! WOOT! Scroll down to enter the giveaway!

So without further ado, here is the amazingly awesome and adorable cover for ADDIE BELL’S SHORTCUT TO GROWING UP! I hope you guys love it as much as I do!

 

 

And in case you’re wondering, here’s what the book is about!

Addie Bell’s Shortcut to Growing Up

Everyone makes wishes…Addie’s just happened to come true…

Seventh grader Addie Bell can’t wait to grow up. Her parents won’t let her have her own phone, she doesn’t have any curves, and her best friend Grace isn’t at all interested in make-up or boys. Then, on the night of her twelfth birthday, Addie makes a wish on a magic jewelry box to be sixteen…and wakes up to find her entire life has been fast-forwarded four years! Suddenly she has everything she’s always wanted (including a driver’s license and a closet full of cool clothes)! But Addie soon discovers that a lot more has changed than she expected—including her friendship with Grace. Can Addie turn back time and take back her wish…or has she lost the chance to experience what could have been the best years of her life?

Coming February 2017!

Add in on Goodreads!

 

First-Ever Sneak Peek from the Book!

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A memory flashes in my mind. It’s faint and cloudy, faded with sleep, but it feels like it happened just last night. Or was it longer than that?

I remember writing words on a piece of paper. I remember placing the words in the box. I remember turning the key.

I peer down at the jewelry box in my hands. The keyhole is empty. I try to lift the lid, but it’s locked.

The words on the page come flooding back to me.

I wish I was sixteen.

My chest rises and falls in heavy breaths as I stare numbly at the box. I think about everything that’s happened this morning—the strange bedroom, the strange reflection in the mirror, the strange dog in my bed—and suddenly my brain starts to empty, until I’m only left with one single, mind-blowing thought.

It worked.

##

And finally, the ARC Giveaway! 3 lucky winners will be chosen to receive autographed advance copies of the book! (Note: ARCs will be printed in June and will be shipped to the winners as soon as they’re received!)

ARC Giveaway!

 

 

 

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YA Scavenger Hunt: Spring 2016 Edition

Welcome to the Spring 2016 YA Scavenger Hunt! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize–one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! (THE GOLD TEAM!!) But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are six contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the GOLD TEAM— but there is also RED, BLUE, GREEN, ORANGE, TEAL, PURPLE, SILVER, & PINK teams for a chance to win a whole different set of signed books!

If you’d like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt Author List.

If you get stuck or need help, you can check out the How to Hunt page.

Scavenger Hunt Puzzle

Directions: Below, you’ll notice that I’ve listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the GOLD team, 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 Sunday, April 3rd, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Welcome, Carly Anne West!

Today, I am hosting Carly Anne West on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!

Carly Anne West is the author of YA novels THE MURMURINGS and THE BARGAINING. She lives between the ocean and the trees in Seattle, Washington with her crazy family. She also loves your face a whole lot.

 

About The Bargaining

The fact that neither of her parents wants to deal with her is nothing new to Penny. She’s used to being discussed like a problem, a problem her mother has finally passed on to her father. What she hasn’t gotten used to is her stepmother…especially when she finds out that she’ll have to spend the summer with April in the remote woods of Washington to restore a broken-down old house.

Set deep in a dense forest, the old Carver House is filled with abandoned antique furniture, rich architectural details, and its own chilling past. The only respite Penny can find away from April’s renovations is in Miller, the young guy who runs the local general store. He’s her only chance at a normal, and enjoyable, summer. But Miller has his own connection to the Carver House, and it’s one that goes beyond the mysterious tapping Penny hears at her window, the handprints she finds smudging the glass panes, and the visions of children who beckon Penny to follow them into the dark woods. Miller’s past just might threaten to become the terror of Penny’s future …

 

Exclusive Content

Hi there, YASHers! When I do book events, I always get the best questions from readers. I’ve pulled together a few of my faves about THE BARGAINING, along with (spoiler-free) answers to give you a peek into the totally messed up way my imagination works. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you read THE BARGAINING, or my other book, THE MURMURINGS (both standalones, so not to worry if you read them out of order). Okay, on to THE BARGAINING …

Where the heck is Point Finney?

It’s in my brain. I’d been living in the Seattle area for a little under a year when I first started THE BARGAINING, and I was swimming in isolation. I’d moved from east Oakland, where we could practically reach out of our windows and touch the neighboring houses. I also had friends and a community. Then I had none of those, and our house was a little bigger, and our yard was a lot bigger, and there were just so many trees. Every time the wind blew, their leaves clacked like tiny rattles and their branches creaked. And I was desperately lonely, which was surprising since I thought I liked being alone. But that’s the difference between loneliness and aloneness, I guess. Anyway, I knew my next setting would be in Washington, and it would have to be among the thickest knot of trees I could find. I tried visiting various islands and tiny towns around the state, but none of them quite captured the insular vibe I’d imagined for this setting. Luckily for me, I write fiction. So I made it up.

Do children scare you or something?

Sometimes. I have two of my own. Sometimes kids say incredibly chilling things. I think there’s at least one Reddit thread dedicated to this. And the only thing scarier than real children is children who may or may not be real.

What’s with those tiny handprints on the window?

It’s not a spoiler. Just a component of the plot. There are handprints. The idea came from my witnessing a tiny handprint in the window on our front door. The house we were living in at the time had one of those crescent-shaped windows at the top. Tall enough for an adult to reach, but not nearly tall enough for my then-two-year-old son to touch. Now, what’d probably happened was my husband had lifted him up at some point to see out of the window, and my son had touched the window like kids are known to do, and bam. A handprint on a window. But that’s not where my strange brain went at first. I thought about children of the less-alive sort, peering out of windows or into them, leaving handprints where they shouldn’t be able to leave them.

You seem sort of chipper. You wear bright lipstick. And yet you write horror.

This is one of those questions in the form of a statement … you don’t want to accuse me of having a sinister side, so you just let me fill in the blank, yes? Yes. I have a sinister side. I’m not alone in this. It’s therapeutic for me to write about it, and really, I think there’s so much truth in stories that scare us.

Happy hunting, YASHers! I can’t tell you how thrilling it is to participate in an event that attracts such rabid readers.

*****

Thanks for stopping by my blog, Carly! Don’t forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me (Jessica) and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 11. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the GOLD team and you’ll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

Continue the Hunt

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author on Deirdre Riordan Hall’s blog.

 

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