Michelle Zink's Blog, page 38

Circle of Fire Virtual Tour Day Seven – International Giveaway!

A quick note before I announce today's tour feature; because I have given out a TON of stuff in the past couple of weeks, we're a little behind on mailing. We have packages going out every day this week and are slowly working our way through the pile, so please be patient with us if you've won something recently!

One of the things people are fascinated with on tour are the different editions for the different countries in which Prophecy is published. I try to bring foreign editions to events as much as possible. It really is interesting to see all the different covers. I thought I'd share some of them here as part of Day Seven of the Circle of Fire tour, in addition to hosting a giveaway just for international readers.

[image error]As many of you know, the Prophecy of the Sisters Trilogy is published in over 20 countries, including Germany, the UK and all its territories, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Brasil, Russia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Turkey, Vietnam, and China.

 

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Strangely, we don't get a lot of information from our foreign publishers beyond the fact that rights have sold rights. After that, it's sometimes hard even to know when its releasing or which cover they're using.

 

I consider myself fortunate, though, because I have an extremely loyal contingent of International readers. I speak with them regularly online and try to include them in as many giveaways as possible, but I'm not gonna lie; it gets expensive sending stuff all over the world.

 

 

 

[image error]So this giveaway's for you, International Readers (okay, with a little something thrown in for US readers)! I planned early this year to allocate a chunk of my marketing budget to sending YOU signed books.

So here's what I'm giving away;

 

2 UK paperbacks Prophecy of the Sisters + 2 UK hardcovers Guardian of the Gate (2 winners)

1 German audiobook Prophecy of the Sisters (1 winner)

2 German Guardian of the Gate hardcovers, aka Die Prophezeiung der Schwestern – Liebe und Verrat. (2 winners)

2 Greek Prophecy of the Sisters + 2 Greek Guardian of the Gate (2 winners)

1 French Prophecy and Guardian paperback, aka Maudites and Maudites, T2 (1 winner)

1 Brasilian paperback Prophecy of the Sisters (1 winner)

1 Russian hardcover Prophecy of the Sisters (1 winner)

2 Czech hardcovers Prophecy of the Sisters (2 winners)

1 Polish Guardian of the Gate paperback (1 winner)

2 Chinese Prophecy of the Sisters + 2 Chinese Guardian of the Gate (2 winners)

2 Turkish paperbacks Prophecy of the Sisters (2 winners)

5 US Original Hardcovers (this is the edition with the different cover)

5 US Guardian of the Gate hardcovers

 

Whew! That took a lot of figuring! I apologize if your country isn't listed. It just means I haven't received author copies of those editions. :(

I'll also include in each of the International packages one of each wristband for Prophecy of the Sisters, Guardian of the Gate, and Circle of Fire and a signed postcard with a message from me (I can't include the wristbands in the US packages because then I can't send them media mail and there are 10 of them, but many of you have received wristbands in other packages from me anyway).

You get one entry for each of the following;

Change your Twitter or Facebook picture to the Prophecy cover most recently released in your country

Tweet about the series in your language (be sure to @prophecypress so we can see it)

Post a Facebook status about the series in your language (be sure to tag @Michelle Zink so I can see it)

Blog about the series in your language

Post your number of entries in the comments section and the edition for which you are entering.

Example; You live in Germany and change your Twitter picture to the Liebe und Verrat cover. You also post an update in German on Twitter and on FB telling all your friends why you love the series and why they should read it. Then, you come here and post that you have four entries (and how you got them) and tell me that you're entering for the German prizes.

That's it!

Contest runs from now until Sunday August 14th at Midnight EST. Winners from each country will be chosen by Random Number Generator. Entrants must reside in the country each edition is published in (or close to it, in other words, my Norwegian fans can enter for the German giveaway because that's often the edition they read. Ditto Australia and Ireland for the UK editions).

Please spread the word!

 

Circle of Fire Virtual Tour Day Six – On Self Editing

In keeping with the virtual tour format of addressing questions I usually get on tour, I've got another writing one for you, this time on self-editing.

Self-editing is one of those things that sounds so straight-forward, so… self-explanatory. We've all heard other writers say (and have said ourselves), "I'm revising XYZ book."

But I have to admit that my idea of revisions and self-editing have changed since I started working with my agent and editor. In the early days, I looked for obvious problems. Slow parts, timeline errors, things that jumped out at me as being "off" in some way, and typos. Oh, the time I spent scouring my manuscripts for typos! If only I could have just THAT time back I could write at least three more whole books.

Working with my agent, and later my editor, to revise my manuscripts has taught me so much. I'm very aware of how fortunate I am to have that experience and how much better it's made me as a writer, so I'm going to share with you some of what I've learned.

Following are things that my agent and editor are mostly likely to point out as problems;

1. Pacing issues. a well-written book has a certain flow. It's not super fast in some places and super slow in others. It moves smoothly, pulling you through the book from beginning to end without feeling like your yawning sometimes and wondering WTF just happened others. In YA, a compelling beginning is especially important. I read a lot of adult literature, and I'm constantly amazed at the difference in pacing. It isn't at all unusual to spend 100 pages building up to something with an adult book. If you do that in YA, you're dead.

2. Don't start with a bunch of meaningless backstory to give the reader a "feel" for your characters before the "real" story begins. This plays into pacing. Start with the scene that's most important to the actual plot. Anything you're tempted to stick in before that scene can probably be woven into the rest of the book or isn't necessary at all. I'm not kidding when I tell you that I cut about 100 pages from my beginning before we submitted to publishers. I cut long past the point where I felt like I couldn't cut another word and still say what I wanted to say. I was wrong.

3. Character development. You may feel like you know your characters really well. How they speak, how they move, their mannerisms, the things they like and dislike. But does your reader? Because that's the only question that matters. Each of your characters should be distinct so that the reader has a clear idea who they are and what sets them apart from everyone else in the book. This is true even of secondary characters. Spend some time thinking about how fleshed out your characters are and how much your reader will feel like they really know them. This is especially true if you tend to "rush to write" like I do. That is, research and forethought aren't my favorite part of the writing process – writing is. So sometimes I stick a name and description in just so I can start writing. I have to remember to go back and add more detail as the character becomes more real to me.

4. Relationship development. Same as above except this applies to the way characters relate to one another. Is it realistic? Is there a basis for their interaction, a history or reason why there may be jealousy or love of compatibility or a particular fondness or dislike. Do the relationships show growth and change where it's applicable to the story?

5. Logic. This is a big one, especially in sci-fi and fantasy. Some things can be just because they ARE. But some things can't. Knowing the difference is critical. There must also be logic in the things a character does and says. They can't just decide to look in an old warehouse that magically holds the next clue to the mystery. There has to be a REASON they go there, and it has to be a reason that would hold up in real life.

6. Questions. If you or your reader have questions, they must be answered. This applies even to little things. You have to respect your reader enough to know when they will have questions and to answer them. Believe it or not, this was a tough one for me. I rebelled against it for a long time and found my agents questions in editorial letters maddening; Why would Edmund take Henry to the river? Why would this happen? Why would they go here? Why would she think this? Etc, etc! But he was right. If the reader has to stop to ask themselves these questions, you haven't done your job. Worse, the reader has STOPPED READING to try and figure it out. And your goal as a writer is to KEEP them reading. My agent really did ask why Edmund and Henry would be down by the river. And I really was maddened by it! I thought, "Because they like it there!" was enough. Turns out I needed just a little bit more, and now when you read that part in Prophecy (it's a teeny, tiny part), you'll find a very brief explanation that does the job.

7. Endings. The reader needs a satisfying ending. In Prophecy of the Sisters, I set out to create an epic, old-school trilogy, one in which each of the books was dependent on the others a la The Lord of the Rings. This was cause for much discussion and hand wringing between my editor and me. We needed to give the reader of Prophecy some kind of glimpse of what lay ahead and some kind of closure, but I was really adamant about ending the book where I did. We ended up adding some things, deleting some things, and moving some things around. Some readers were still not satisfied with the unresolved nature of the ending (though I imagine that's less of an issue now that book two, Guardian of the Gate, is available and they can just go out, buy it, and keep reading), but I think they're more satisfied than they would have been had I not made the changes I did.

8. Formatting and typos. I list this last for a reason. Obviously, you want to send out a professional, properly formatted, clean manuscript. But don't focus on these things to the exclusion of the bigger picture (like the things listed above). An agent will not reject your manuscript because of a couple of typos nor will an editor who otherwise loves your story decide not to purchase it because you have six spaces above the chapter heading instead of seven. Spend your revisions time where it matters.

I know a lot of this must seem obvious. But it wasn't to me. I spent a lot of time focusing on the wrong things. I wish I'd known more! I hope this does a little bit to clarify the types of things you should focus on when revising your own work. If you can give yourself a few weeks away from the manuscript before working on it, all the better. You'll always see more with a fresh eye. I was never able to do this! But I did have a couple of great critique partners along the way who helped me see things I wouldn't have otherwise seen.

Good luck and happy writing!

Tomorrow, we'll celebrate day seven of the virtual tour with a special giveaway for International readers (and a little something for US readers, too)!

Don't forget that you can still enter to win a FREE hardcover of my next book, A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS, if you send me a copy of your Circle of Fire receipt dated no later than tomorrow night at Midnight EST. I addition, everyone who sends in a receipt will receive a signed, Limited Edition bookplate for their copy of Circle of Fire.

Lastly, there's the hilarious Random Shite Giveaway! You can still play to win random shite up until Midnight tonight.

 

Circle of Fire Virtual Tour Day Five – REST!

Even on tour, an author gets an occasional day off. Usually, I spend mine sleeping, writing, reading, and exploring the city I happen to be in at the time.

So while today isn't exactly a REST day (I had to go to the nursery to find out why the cucumbers in my garden are sickly and then do a few other errands), I do plan to chillax by getting in some reading, writing, and maybe even a Mario Kart race or two with Caroline (I always lose – even to Baby Mario).

And now, a recap of the past week;

We kicked off a new feature called Mystery Monday with a video about the Bermuda Triangle.

The Song of the Week was Higher Window by Josh Groban, my way of sharing it with you since I was taking Kenneth to the concert that night for his birthday.

Wednesday was Circle of Fire release day. WOOT! We kicked off the virtual tour with a contest that could win you one of 25 hardcovers of my next book, A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS. All you have to do is buy Circle of Fire in the first week of its release and email me a copy of your receipt. As a bonus, everyone who does so will get a signed bookplate for their copy of Circle of Fire.

Thursday I wrote about my journey to publication, starting with my first book (didn't sell) and ending with my fifth (which ended up being Prophecy of the Sisters). I don't usually blog about writing, but since I'm so often asked about it on tour, I spilled all the details about agents, editors, determination, and frustration in this post.

Friday, Kenneth, Rebekah and I hosted a super fun podcast in which we had lots of listeners conversing on the chat and quite a few callers. We talked about movie reboots, brothels, and household chores (in no particular order). You can listen to the archived podcast here.

Yesterday I celebrated day four of the virtual tour by launching my Random Shite Giveaway. I'm having so much fun watching the entries. It's hilarious! You can participate through tomorrow night at Midnight EST.

Tomorrow, I'll have more in store for you on day five of the Circle of Fire Virtual Tour and I have more fun stuff planned for you through the 17th, including a post on self-editing, a slide show of things that inspire me, a video tour of my house and property, and a Livestream chat and interview with Kenneth, the composer of the original Prophecy music. I'm having a great time with the tour and hope you are, too.

Thanks for making Circle of Fire Release Week so much fun!

Circle of Fire Virtual Tour Day Four – Random Shite Giveaway

Kenneth, Rebekah and I had a great time talking to readers on the podcast we held last night to celebrate day three of the Circle of Fire Virtual Tour. We talked about movie reboots, SNK skits, a possible Prophecy of the Sisters movie, and brothels. Fun stuff! You can listen to the archived show here.

And now, time for day four of the tour!

So you know how I give away tons of stuff to my readers?

Well, there's an unpleasant side effect for my office. Namely, I buy stuff for this and that giveaway, and sometimes I forget to put it in the package or only three of five winners respond or I forget I have stuff. Because of this, I realized the other day that I have A LOT of random shite (as our Irish friend, Morgan, would say).

[image error]Rather than let it all gather dust, I've decided to give it all away in one massive Random Shite Giveaway. Included in the giveaway are things like;

Bubbles

Stickers

Candy

Tote Bags

A Relay for Life T-shirt from my town

Pom-poms

A Kazoo

A Party Blower

Bath & Body Works Exotic Coconut Bath Gel & Lotion

Prophecy of the Sisters Tattoos

Prophecy of the Sisters Stickers

A CD of Kenneth's Prophecy of the Sisters Score

And the most amazing prize of all; a spiral bound notebook with a picture of what looks like students from a Christian school on some kind of field trip. This was the item that inspired the Random Shite Giveaway, because it was accidentally packed into the box with the Circle of Fire notebooks I ordered earlier in the year. I feel bad, and I'd return it if I could, but there is literally no discerning marks on this notebooks.

So one of you will win it with a note from me to celebrate the beautiful randomness of life!

You could win any one (or more than one) of the things shown in the picture. Could be the kazoo, could be the bubbles. Could be both.

It's a surprise!

And all you have to do to enter is list three random things from one of the three Prophecy books. But you can't duplicate with any of the other entrants.

For example, I might say a cat, a river stone, a paintbrush. If your comment is posted after mine, you can't list any of those three things. You have to pick three DIFFERENT things.

Additionally, as part of the Random Shite Giveaway, I'm giving away a Prophecy of the Sisters paperback to the first person named Autumn who comments and a Guardian of the Gate hardcover to the first person named Rebecca who comments. This is because somewhere along the way at one of my many signings, I made a mistake when addressing the books to attendees and wrote the wrong name. Both Autumn and Rebecca must be verifiable as such on Facebook or Twitter, and all you have to do is tell me that's your name in the Comments section.

Contest runs from now until Midnight EST Monday, August 8th. This contest is open only to US and Canadian residents, but stay tuned International readers! Next week I'll unveil my International contest JUST FOR YOU!

Circle of Fire Virtual Tour Day Three – Podcast

Yesterday, I posted my publication story as Day Two of the tour. You can still read about it here if you're interested.

To celebrate Day Three of the Circle of Fire Virtual Tour, Kenneth, Rebekah and I will be doing a podcast tonight from 11pm-11:30pm. Since touring in real life gives me an opportunity to get to know my readers, I figure this is a good way for us all to get to know one another in a different kind of forum.

If you haven't ever listened to a podcast before, it's easy! Just click here just before the appointed time and turn the volume up on your computer. It's basically like an online radio show. You can ask questions and participate via the chat box at the bottom of the screen or submit questions on any topic – life, music, movies, family, etc. – in advance by sending them to prophecypress@aol.com with "Podcast" in the Subject line.

For Day Four of the virtual tour tomorrow,  I'm planning a really funny random giveaway. *teases* You'll have to check back to see what I mean!

Also, don't forget that you can still enter to win a hardcover of my next book, A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS, by emailing your receipt for Circle of Fire to prophecypress@aol.com. Receipt must be dated no later than August 9th (preorders count) and must be an official receipt from any store or online retailer. If you submit your receipt, I will also send you a FREE signed, limited edition bookplate for your copy of Circle of Fire regardless of whether or not you're one of the 25 people who win a copy of TEMPTATION.

Hope you are all enjoying Circle of Fire! Please post reviews to Amazon, B&N online, etc. It really does help other readers feel more comfortable taking a chance on a new series. Just don't post spoilers, okay?!!

Circle of Fire Virtual Tour – Day Three

Yesterday, I posted my publication story as Day Two of the tour. You can still read about it here if you're interested.

To celebrate Day Three of the Circle of Fire Virtual Tour, Kenneth, Rebekah and I will be doing a podcast tonight from 11pm-11:30pm. Since touring in real life gives me an opportunity to get to know my readers, I figure this is a good way for us all to get to know one another in a different kind of forum.

If you haven't ever listened to a podcast before, it's easy! Just click here just before the appointed time and turn the volume up on your computer. It's basically like an online radio show. You can ask questions and participate via the chat box at the bottom of the screen or submit questions on any topic – life, music, movies, family, etc. – in advance by sending them to prophecypress@aol.com with "Podcast" in the Subject line.

For Day Four of the virtual tour tomorrow,  I'm planning a really funny random giveaway. *teases* You'll have to check back to see what I mean!

Also, don't forget that you can still enter to win a hardcover of my next book, A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS, by emailing your receipt for Circle of Fire to prophecypress@aol.com. Receipt must be dated no later than August 9th (preorders count) and must be an official receipt from any store or online retailer. If you submit your receipt, I will also send you a FREE signed, limited edition bookplate for your copy of Circle of Fire regardless of whether or not you're one of the 25 people who win a copy of TEMPTATION.

Hope you are all enjoying Circle of Fire! Please post reviews to Amazon, B&N online, etc. It really does help other readers feel more comfortable taking a chance on a new series. Just don't post spoilers, okay?!!

Circle of Fire Virtual Tour Day Two – How I Got Here

As we kick off Day Two of the Circle of Fire Virtual Tour, I want to offer a big thanks to everyone who made release day so special yesterday. I had a great time talking to all of you on Facebook and Twitter and had a wonderful time as a guest on YALitChat last night.It was really heartwarming to hear how much Prophecy has come to mean to all of you and how much you will all miss it.

Don't forget that you can enter to win a FREE hardcover of my next book, A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS, by sending emailing a copy of your receipt to prophecypress@aol.com with "TEMPTATION Contest" in the Subject line. Receipt must be dated no later than August 9th (preorders count, too!). Please include your mailing address if you'd like to receive a signed Limited Edition bookplate for your copy of Circle of Fire.

When I'm on tour, one of the questions I'm asked most frequently is, "Was it hard to get published?" or some variation thereof. So for Day Two of the Circle of Fire Virtual Tour, I'm going to give you all the gory details about how I came to sell Prophecy, including my misses with agents and editors along the way. Those of you who follow me regularly know that I don't talk about writing a lot on my blog, but I'm making an exception over the next two weeks since I'm so often asked about it on tour.

I started writing with the intent to get published back in late 2004. I'd tried writing books before, but I'd never finished anything. I'd hit a certain point and either become bored or stuck or both and quit. This time, I promised myself that I'd finish something, NO MATTER WHAT. Despite the fact that I had no formal training or formal education in writing, I really believed I could do it. But I knew there was no way I'd ever REALLY know if I didn't actually finish a whole book.

My first book was YA sci-fi (I can't say more because I'm currently using the concept for another project). It was the book I'd always wanted to write and a story I'd always wanted to tell. Even then, I wrote fast, finishing the first draft in about three months (something that's become kind of standard for me). I was anxious to begin querying agents and did a quick round of revisions before I started sending out letters.

While I sent out queries on Book 1, I started book 2, a contemporary fiction novel a la The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. During this time, I wrote 6-8 hours every day. I wrote from 9am to 1pm while my kids were in school and again from 11pm to about 3am while the rest of the house slept. I really looked forward to my writing time, even though I had to wake up bleary-eyed at 6am every morning to get the kids to school and start the routine all over again. But I didn't care, because finishing that first book had been an epiphany. I was in a kind of first love euphoria with writing. I was never as happy or as fulfilled as I was while I was writing (which spoke to the state of my marriage at the time, but that's another story). We were in pretty severe financial straits at this point, and I spent almost every waking hour worrying myself sick about losing our house. Writing was the only thing that really gave me an escape, and became determined to get published so that I could be paid to do it more and more and more. It wasn't about prestige. It was just that if I didn't get paid to write, I'd have to get another "real" job", which I wouldn't have minded except for the fact that it would mean less writing time.

The response to my queries on Book 1 can best be described as, "Meh." A few notes on the queries saying they liked the writing, but not for them, a few requests for partials, and a whole lot of form rejections into which I tried to read everything from my publishing future to the date of the coming apocalypse. You know the drill. I think I'd gathered more than 55 rejections on Book 1 by the time I finished Book 2. By then, I was really, really in love with Book 2. In fact, I had a feeling it was special, and I began querying it right away, again after a quick round of revisions.

Turns out I was right. The difference in response to the queries on Book 2 over Book 1 was dramatic. Within hours, I had requests for partials, within a day or two requests for fulls, some of them from top tier agents and one from my #1 pick, Steven Malk at Writers House. After a few days of back and forth I'd narrowed it to two agents, Steven, who wanted extensive revisions and another agent who didn't. Anxious to get my work out into the world, I went with the other agent.

We did a quick round of revisions, and my new agent started sending the manuscript out to editors. While we waited, I wrote a sequel and then wrote and finished a chick-lit type fantasy. This would become a habit of mine (and still is); to have a "just in case" book. I was always writing (and still am). I never wanted to be caught without a book to query or sell should my current project fail. I liked having something else on the sidelines, just in case.

By now about six months had passed (see? I was still writing drafts about every three months) with Book 2 out on submission. I'd received lots of compliments about the writing and one very close almost-sell, but ultimately, it hadn't sold. While my agent went out to a few more houses, I started on my fifth book, a Gothic fantasy I called INDIGO SKY. Three months later, it was done, and I had the same feeling I'd had with Book 2. I just felt like it was special.

I made the difficult and terrifying decision to cancel my contract and go back out looking for another agent. I knew I had the instinct and raw talent for writing, but with no formal training, I decided I needed more editing pre-submission than my current agent routinely offered. So I canceled my contract and started the search all over. Again, I had responses almost immediately, and again, one of them was from Steven Malk at Writers House, still my first choice. He basically said the same thing he'd said with Book 2; INDIGO SKY had tons of potential but it needed tons of work. He was willing to put in the time if I was and see where it lead.

There was no guarantee. He didn't sign me then and didn't promise to sign me. But I really felt like the universe was trying to tell me something. I really felt like I had something to learn, and I reasoned that worse-case scenario, I would learn a lot and end up with a much better manuscript.

My first editorial letter was 15 pages of big changes. I'm not exaggerating when I say I cried. I just didn't think I could do it. It was so overwhelming. But then I remembered how much I loved writing and how bad I WANTED it. I vowed to give up TV (this was in 2006, and I was hopelessly hooked on LOST and Gray's Anatomy) in order to get two more hours of writing in every night and finish the revisions sooner (I don't watch TV to this day and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made).

I revised for 10 months. Much of that was spent waiting. As a non-client of Steven's, I understood that I was not top priority (and as a client now, I'm grateful that I get that consideration). Sometimes I'd send him my revisions and not hear back for three months. I was very involved with a few online writing forums at this point, and I had to tune out a lot of noise. A lot of people saying I was wasting time and making changes for a guy who might not even represent me when it was all said and done. A lot of people who wanted to spew statistics like the odds against ever selling my book and/or making a living writing. A lot of people who wanted to TALK about writing and being a writer more than they wanted to put in the work and DO it.

I tuned them out. I kept my head down, and I kept writing, working on revisions to INDIGO SKY when I had them and on my next "just in case" bookwhen I didn't.

Finally, after 10 long months, Steven said the manuscript was ready for submission. I almost didn't believe him. Submission and publication had come to seem like an almost unreal possibility. He told me to be patient, that it could take months to hear back from editors, especially since I was a new author. I prepared to wait, happy just to be moving on to the next step.

Turns out, I didn't have to wait long. Two days later on a Wednesday, Steven called to tell me there was so much interest, he was going to set up an auction on Friday. I had no idea what the possibilities were in terms of dollars. I just hoped it it would be enough to write full time.

By Thursday morning, I got a call in which Steven told me, "You might want to sit down for this." Little Brown had offered a pre-empt on the three book series that would become Prophecy of the Sisters. And it was more than enough to allow me to write full time.

I think I was in shock for a few days, at least, though my daughters and I did do the Girly Jump, something we reserve for first kisses and book deals. I's not an exaggeration to say that it changed my life.

When I feel unworthy (as I so often do when anything good happens to me), I try to remind myself of all the hours of lost sleep, the times I didn't hang out and watch TV with my family, the hours of fear and worry and self-doubt, the FIVE finished books it took to get me to Prophecy, the two-and-a-half years I kept my head down, tuned everything else out, and just kept writing.

There are a few take-aways I can give anyone aspiring to publication;

There will always be people who would rather discourage you than encourage you. Cull them from your life as much as possible and keep writing.

Nothing – no book, no degree, no online course – will teach you as much about the craft of writing a novel as writing one from beginning to end.

You may not – and probably won't – sell your first book. Consider it a learning experience. And keep writing.

If you find a knowledgeable person who wants to help you become better, take them up on the offer. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

When you find yourself defensive about criticism or critique, ask yourself; do I want the ego stroke, or do I want to be BETTER?

The internet can be your friend – and your enemy. Tune it out and turn it off regularly to focus on the only thing that's going to get you published; writing.

The minute one project is ready to query, start thinking about the next one. There is no better way to ease the angst of querying than working on a new project. It will help pass the time, give you a back-up project, and most importantly, it will remind you that YOU ARE A WRITER. If you don't get one book published, you can keep writing them until you do.

Talking about writing isn't the same as doing it. Yes, it can help. Yes, you can learn from others. And let's face it, it's FUN to commiserate with other writers. But commiseration won't get you published. Only writing can do that.

I didn't know anyone before I got published. I didn't have friends in high places. Even now, the friendships I form with other writers are based solely on shared interests and values and genuine connection, not on how much they can do for me or how big a name they are or vice-versa. I queried my agent (the best agent in the world, in my opinion) the old-fashioned way, through the slush pile. Ditto submitting to editors.

Debut books are sold every day. If I can do it, so can you.

Tomorrow for Day Three of the Circle of Fire Virtual Tour, I'll be doing a podcast with Kenneth and Rebekah from 11pm-11:30pm EST. This is a revival of our old Burn After Listening show in which we talk about all kind of random things (and laugh hysterically), so please join us! Just click here and turn up your volume. It's just like listening to the radio on your computer. You can submit questions about anything and everything – writing, publication, music, composing, movies, etc. – to any or all of us through the chat function on the show page or in advance by sending them to prophecypress@aol.com with "Podcast" in the Subject line.

We always have a great time on our podcasts! Hope to see you there!

Circle of Fire Release Day Celebration!

[image error]After four years (I sold the Prophecy Trilogy in 2007), the final book in the Prophecy of the Sisters Trilogy is out today.

It's definitely bittersweet. Bitter only because saying goodbye is never easy. Lia, Alice, Sonia, Luisa, James, Dimitri and all the other Prophecy characters have been a part of my life for a very long time now. They CHANGED my life. It is because of them- and you – that I have the privilege of doing for a living the thing I love most to do.

But it is sweet, too. I was able to tell the story I wanted to tell. I was able to see it through, to learn and grow as a writer and a human being. To meet so many wonderful readers who warmed my heart with their emails about how much Prophecy – and surprisingly, I – meant to them. That is really the biggest gift of all, to think that I may have made a difference, however small, in the life of anyone. There is a thank you in the Acknowledgments of Circle of Fire to those of you who have been ardent supporters. When you read it, I think you'll know who you are. Please keep spreading the word about the series. It makes all the difference.

And now for the fun stuff (and apologies for this epically long post)!

First, our winners for the Ipod Touch Giveaway.

The grand prize (including the Ipod Touch) goes to Keisha Natalee Cole!

It was no surprise to me that the Random Number Generator chose her name first. Keisha referred a whopping 80 friends to me on Facebook, giving her over 80 entries with all the other stuff she did. Referring me to your friends is kind of like inviting me home to meet your family – it's a big deal. Thank you, Keisha, for doing so. And congrats!!!

Our Runners Up are; Angela Prieto, Kathy Avery, and Grace G. Thanks so much for spreading the word about Circle of Fire and the Prophecy of the Sisters Trilogy. Congratulations!

Winners must email prophecypress@aol.com with "Winner" in the subject line by Sunday August 7th at Midnight EST. If we don't hear from any of the winners by then, new winners will be chosen. Please include your mailing address and who you'd like your books signed to.

And if you didn't win, don't despair! I have ANOTHER giveaway for you to celebrate the first week of Circle of Fire's release.

One thing many people don't know is that when you sign a contract with a traditional publisher, that contract usually includes a certain number of author copies of your book. These are finished copies, the same as any you would buy in the bookstore. As many of you know, I have a new book coming out March 20th, 2012 called A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS.

[image error]I'm a big believer in taking care of the readers I have. I love to get new ones, of course! But I really feel that I owe my loyalty to the people who consistently read, buy, and spread the word about my books. TO this end, I'm giving away ALL 25 COPIES of the Temptation hardcover to readers who buy Circle of Fire in the first week of its release or who preordered.

What would I normally do with these copies? Well, I'd normally give them to family members and to bloggers for giveaway, plus give away a few here and there on my own. I WILL STILL DO THAT, so if you're a blogger, don't worry! Those copies will just come out of my pocket this time.

But I want to make a symbolic gesture to those of you who support me buy purchasing Circle of Fire early on. So here's the deal; email your receipt (forwarded or scanned) to prophecypress@aol.com with "TEMPTATION Giveaway" in the Subject line, and you'll be entered to bit of delayed gratification, but when the time comes, you'll get to read my new book for FREE.

Additionally, everyone who emails a receipt and requests a signed, Limited Edition bookplate will receive one on me. I'll even pay for shipping. Just include your mailing address and the name of the person to whom you'd like the bookplate addressed. In order to qualify for both the free copy of TEMPTATION and the bookplates, your book purchase must be dated on or before August 9, 2011 and you MUST email your receipt no later than  Friday, August 12th.

I'm sorry, but I can only open the TEMPTATION giveaway up to US and Canadian readers. This is mostly because release dates are different for all of the 20+ countries publishing Circle of Fire, which makes it kind of unfair. But don't fear International readers, I'm going to make it up to you! There will be a VERY special giveaway next week for YOU ONLY, so stay tuned.

Lastly, today marks the kick-off of the Circle of Fire Virtual Tour. There will be all kinds of awesome events to celebrate the release over the next two weeks including a kick-off chat with YALitChat tonight on Twitter, a video tour of my home and town, writing-related advice and reminiscence, a LiveStream interview and chat with my son, Kenneth, the composer of the Prophecy music, a podcast, and more! Our normal weekly features will be suspended to make room for all this fun stuff, but they'll be back after August 17th when I close the Virtual Tour with a chat with the MundieMoms, some of my very favorite reviewers, bloggers, and people in the universe.

Thanks so much for sharing this journey with me. Sending much love to you all.

PS. Because I'm so swamped with release stuff, Rebekah will be answering any questions you have about the contest either here or at prophecypress@aol.com.

 

Circle of Fire Full Length Trailer Debut

After much hard work and many hours together, we're finally ready to unveil the full length Circle of Fire trailer.

This was truly a collaborative effort with Heather Gardner of Fire & Ice Photos providing the stunning photographs, Kenneth composing yet another gorgeous theme, and the "littlest Z", Caroline, putting the whole thing together by doing all the producing and editing. Rebekah even provided back-up on photo editing and resizing, so you can definitely say this was a family affair. (For those of you who are wondering, Andrew has no interest in any of this, something I completely respect.)

Hope you love the trailer as much as I do!

And guess what?! Circle of Fire comes out TODAY.

 

Order Circle of Fire from IndieBound

Order Circle of Fire from Barnes & Noble

Order Circle of Fire from Amazon

Song of the Week – Higher Window

Since we're taking Kenneth to the Josh Groban concert to celebrate his birthday (which was actually two days ago), I thought I'd post one of his songs this week. He has such a powerful, beautiful voice.

Hope you guys enjoy this!

And come back tonight at midnight EST for the unveiling of the full length Circle of Fire trailer and again tomorrow for big happenings on the blog to celebrate the release. I'll be announcing a totally different giveaway that starts tomorrow AND the International Giveaway (for international entrants only) that will happen next week. Plus, tomorrow I'll announce the winners of the big Ipod Touch giveaway!