M.L. LeGette's Blog, page 35

Guest Author Linsey Demicco

Today my guest is Linsey Demicco, an upcoming writer. Her first book is not yet published, but when it is, I will update this interview with a link so everyone can snatch it up.

If you are an author and would like to be interviewed, check out more at Be My Guest.

What’s your name? Where can we find you? Blog? Twitter? Facebook?

My name is Linsey Demicco. I’m on Facebook.

Give me a random tidbit about you. It could be anything. Anything at all.

I love to sing—anywhere, anytime.  I would love to sing and dance on Ellen!

How long have you been writing? How many books have you written? They can be published or not published.

I have been writing my whole life.  Journals, letters, mixed media paintings, and currently a YA novel.  I have written one book, which started out as a children’s story, but it was suggested to me by a friend in publishing that I expand it to YA.

What genre do you like writing the most? What challenges do you face in this genre?

I’m really enjoying writing for YA, I want to get teenagers excited about reading.  Teenagers are wiser and more intelligent than they get credit for—my goal is to write something that challenges them emotionally as well as intellectually.

Tell me a little about your current work in progress.

I am writing a story based on my family.  I have a sister who came to us from Africa when she was 15.  At the time I was in my 20′s so imagine my surprise when I felt feelings of jealousy and being misplaced! Now I love her so much I can’t imagine life without her in the family. But, it got me thinking, how would a teenager feel?

How do you typically begin your project? Do you create outlines and character profiles or jump in head first with the initial idea?

I  jump in and the story just unfolds for me, it’s like watching a movie in my mind.   Unless I’m having a day of writers block! hahah

What aspect of your writing do you consider your strength? Your weakness?

My strength—I love language and creating beautiful, striking sentences.  My weakness—I get frustrated when things don’t flow and I take too much time off of working instead of going back to it the next day.

Do you focus on one project or do you work on multiple manuscripts at once?

I’m focusing on this one project now, it’s been a dream for 10 years now. 

Probably the editing process is our most challenging. How do you go about editing your work? Do you have any tips you’d like to share?

I read it aloud after taking a few days off.  This helps my mind to stay fresh and see things with new eyes.

After publishing, the next trouble facing writers is marketing. What do you typically do when marketing your novel? Do you have tips you’d like to share?

I have no clue about marketing.  I’m looking for tips!

What advice would you give a writer who is starting out?

Write from a place of passion.  Don’t let others discourage you.  Remember the only difference between you and a published author is the courage to begin and the dedication to stay the course.

Thank you so much, Linsey! I’m looking forward to your book!

Want more Be My Guests?

Briana Vested

R. G. Dole

Joseph Lallo

Bianca Sloane

Get Interviewed ~ Be My Guest

Fellow writers, I’d love to interview you. Just answer a set of questions listed here and email them to me at creative.legette (at) gmail.com. Simple as that. I’ll then post your interview on the blog, on twitter, facebook, and pinterest.

Here are a few writers who have participated in Be My Guest already:

R.G. Dole

Bianca Sloane

Stephanie Payne Hurt

If you’re interested, find out more and send me an email.

The Orphan and the Thief :: The Making Of, Part 1

Welcome to a series of posts, detailing how my third novel came to be. The book is set to be released Early 2014. Early Review copies are available. Sign up here or contact me: creative.legette (at) gmail.com.

The Orphan and the Thief has been my most challenging book yet. It very nearly broke me and I seriously considered never writing again. But as you can tell, I made it through and I’m really pleased with how the novel turned out. I just ended up taking a very long detour in the writing, as you’ll read below.

The Idea

We’ve all got our favorite board games from our childhood. You can probably name yours right now, without hesitation, even if you can’t bring back all the rules. Mine is a game called The aMAZEing Labyrinth.

This game was one of our (my sister, brother and myself) favorites. A few Christmases ago, we were playing it once again when I was struck by inspiration. An idea for a potions hunt sparked into life, simply inspired by the game’s marvelous artwork

The First (and painful) Draft

The big reason Orphan was so difficult to write was that I was trying to mesh two very different plot lines together into one cohesive novel. And they weren’t having any of that.

Plot A: A Potion’s Master and his assistant are uprooted from their work when the assistant’s mother is brutally murdered.

Plot B: A lonely orphan, who works in an apothecary, stumbles upon a discarded bit of paper with potion ingredients on it.

I loved the writing that stemmed from Plot A. It was fabulous stuff. The characters were glorious and the writing came as easily as eating a box of chocolates. Plot B wasn’t half bad either.

Brainstorming is always the most fun. I came up with so many exciting things: a talking beer mug named Ol’ Joe, a web-traveling spider called Agatha, a group of thieves dubbed the Ramblers, a potions book with a most fitting title: The Guide to all Things Potion by Edgar Bartholomew. Ogres and ballads and dragon hunting pirates! Proper, good stuff.

But it was when I tried to weave the murder plot into the potion hunting plot that I started getting into trouble. There was literally a chapter I could not get past. I’d re-read the manuscript from beginning up to that chapter, with the hope that I would have a brain wave while doing so. When no such wave hit by the point I reached chapter 10, I repeated the procedure.

I reached the point where I was facing a serious problem. The book wasn’t going to work they way it was. I had spent a good part of a year (perhaps the entire year) trying and failing to find the golden thread that would weave Plot A and Plot B into perfection.

There was only one solution. One of them had to go and this made me physically sick to my stomach. I had spent so much time and work on Plot A. I loved the characters. I loved the writing. And I knew that if I deleted it, the writing and most of the characters would never be seen. But if I wanted book 3 to become an actual book and not just a half-finished manuscript, Plot A had to be removed because I knew it was causing the problems.

I fought this. I removed half of it and tried to bend the remaining bits into something more malleable, but that was worse. Finally, I removed all of it and I’m incredibly proud of myself for having the courage to do so. The book is far, far better without Plot A.

Now that Plot B stood on its own, the writing became easier, but the story still needed major adjustments. With some reworking, it became the new starting line and I could finally get past that dratted chapter 10.

This photo is of my first official planning board. I filled it up rather fast—planning boards are never big enough. I apologize for the misspellings. If you zoom in, you’ll be able to see them more clearly. Most of the ideas on this board were deleted when I changed the plot, but some stuck: Ol’ Joe is there (but what he says isn’t), Melena Snead’s hometown was changed (she’s now always and only lived in the big city of Hickory), Phineas McDougall was the Potion Master who met the axe along with Plot A, but his assistant, Izzie Groot, survived to be included by the skin of her teeth. There was also a newspaper in the original drafts called The Rabbit. The owners of the paper were York and Sons. I ended up dropping The Rabbit, but keeping York and Sons, as I loved the sound of it. Instead of printers, they’re now private detectives.

Next up: Part 2.

Join the Read & Review Group

Hi all—Just wanted to pop in that Abigail over on Goodreads has been so kind as to set up a Read and Review Group for my next book, The Orphan and the Thief. If you’re interested in getting your hands on an early (electronic) copy in exchange for a review, sign up here.

You can also contact me directly for a copy.

Be the First to Read The Orphan and the Thief!

Early Review Copies of The Orphan and the Thief are now available. The book is set to be published early 2014, but reviews can be loaded onto Goodreads right now. If you’re interested in being one of the very first people to read it, just email me with the format you’d prefer: ebook, mobi, or pdf.

My email: creative.legette [at] gmail.com

Please note that this is an uncorrected proof. Changes will be made to it before publication.

By reading this early copy, you are agreeing to review it, whether on your blog, twitter account, facebook page, or Goodreads. (I would much more prefer if you posted on Goodreads, but if you dislike Goodreads or don’t have an account, no biggie.) If you do post your review elsewhere, just let me know, so I can link to it.

Here’s the book description and THANK YOU so much for giving up your time for my silly little story.

The quest is about to begin!

Toad thought it’d be easy to steal from Mr. Edward P. Owl. Unfortunately for Toad, he isn’t the best of thieves. Caught in the act, he’s in more trouble than ever before. Now to save his hide, Toad must track down five rare ingredients for a potion for Mr. Owl. Or else.

All Melena Snead wants is her family back, but after the Miggens Street Fire, that isn’t very likely. Orphaned and miserable, forced to work in an apothecary, she’s determined to find Milo, her missing brother. No matter what.

When Melena finds Toad ransacking her apothecary, Toad gets a nasty shock: apothecaries don’t carry Mr. Owl’s ingredients. Luckily, Melena’s willing to help, for a price.

With Melena’s pet Spit-Fire dragon and Toad’s enchanted talking beer mug, they embark on a fantastical journey, traveling the country in search of the potion ingredients. But can they gather all of them in time, what with monsters, pirates, and axe-wielding thieves? And if they do, is there an even greater danger waiting for them at the end?

Spotlight on the Review #5

Happy readers make happy writers

Linsy’s full review:

I think first I should say that I had initially misjudged the intended age group for this book. While I do not usually read books targeted at a younger age, I did enjoy this book and found its innocence refreshing.

The book follows a young girl, Mally Biddle, who lives in politically-corrupt kingdom seemingly run by a power-hungry head knight and likewise oblivious king.

Mally is approached my a member of a rebel group and is persuaded to go into the castle as a servant and spy to help find the missing princess. The book takes a very linear progression as it follows Mally and her comrades in their venture to save and restore the kingdom.

As I have said before, the book is very clean and innocent and resultantly lacks any substantial action, suspense, or thrill. It would be entirely false to say the book is free of mystery, as it pretty much is meant to be one big mystery — however, it is a very, very predictable mystery (which you can probably guess prior to reading), so it leaves little else to be revealed.

There is a tiny bit of a romance woven into the book, but it is not enough to appease anyone looking for a good love story. While this was really the main disappointment for me, I do not believe a strong romance is really necessary for this book’s target audience.

Overall, I thought this book was very well written and told a very good story with a strong female lead who has good morals and values. A definite recommendation for anyone looking for a sweet story for children.

The Tale of Mally Biddle is available on Kindle, iTunes, Oyster, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

See what others are saying:

Spotlight #4

Spotlight #3

Spotlight #2

Spotlight #1

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

My Rank: 4 Stars

Note: For Adults

Synopsis:

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

My Thoughts:

Good Lord. This book is like a hurricane. Or like one of those horrible spin rides at a fair. You are left completely off-balance. Did Nick kill Amy? One page you think “absolutely”, but the next page leaves you scratching your head pondering “on second thought” only for you to change your mind all over again.

This is a murder thriller that is very captivating. The story is addictive, told through both Nick’s and Amy’s voices, which would leave you to feel that there will be no surprises knowing so much about the pivotal characters, but actually, Flynn does a marvelous job keeping you in the dark.

Though I found the end rather disappointing, it is still a book that I would happily recommend to lovers of murder mysteries and thrillers. You are in for a serious ride.

My Favorite Lines:

There’s something disturbing about recalling a warm memory and feeling utterly cold.

***

He did apologize profusely. (Does anyone do anything profusely except apologize? Sweat, I guess.)

***

The worst feeling: when you just have to wait and prepare yourself for the lie.

***

There is an unfair responsibility that comes with being an only child—you grow up knowing you aren’t allowed to disappoint, you’re not even allowed to die.

***

The Orphan and the Thief :: Official Book Description

The quest is about to begin!

Toad thought it’d be easy to steal from Mr. Edward P. Owl. Unfortunately for Toad, he isn’t the best of thieves. Caught in the act, he’s in more trouble than ever before. Now to save his hide, Toad must track down five rare ingredients for a potion for Mr. Owl. Or else.

All Melena Snead wants is her family back, but after the Miggens Street Fire, that isn’t very likely. Orphaned and miserable, forced to work in an apothecary, she’s determined to find Milo, her missing brother. No matter what.

When Melena finds Toad ransacking her apothecary, Toad gets a nasty shock: apothecaries don’t carry Mr. Owl’s ingredients. Luckily, Melena’s willing to help, for a price.

With Melena’s pet Spit-Fire dragon and Toad’s enchanted talking beer mug, they embark on a fantastical journey, traveling the country in search of the potion ingredients. But can they gather all of them in time, what with monsters, pirates, and axe-wielding thieves? And if they do, is there an even greater danger waiting for them at the end?

You can now add The Orphan and the Thief to your Goodreads shelf, even though it’s not yet published.

Maybe Not…

I’m back from vacation/Thanksgiving on the beach, and it was lovely. We gorged ourselves on oysters and crabs and fish (and turkey) and took more walks than I can count.

And pictures. I took lots of pictures. (Mostly sunsets.) They’ll be popping up on my photo blog in the next couple of weeks.

We’ve been so starved for the beach (we used to go every year, but not for a good long while) that we started having the most amusing conversations during our walks.

My personal favorite:

Me: What’s THAT?

Mom/Ben: Where?

Me: (pointing ten feet away) There. It’s a jellyfish!

Mom: It’s a man-of-war!

Ben: It’s a bag!

Bag was the correct answer.

Mom and I also made the mistake in thinking a palm frond undulating on the waves was a sea turtle coming on shore.

Book Humor of the Day [7]

Keep the Giggles Coming:

Book Humor of the Day [6]

Book Humor of the Day [5]

Book Humor of the Day [4]

Book Humor of the Day [3]