Janet Fox's Blog, page 42

Announcing the Classof2K10 230-Book Giveaway!

Inspired by this post by author Teri Brown, the Classof2K10 is ending off the year with a massive book club giveaway.

Five book clubs around the country can win a prize pack of three to six sets of books written by the authors from the Class of 2K10. The pack includes TEN copies of each book, and in some packs one of the books will be signed by the author.
The contest is open to all book clubs associated with a nonprofit institution, a school, or a library. To enter, just comment on this entry, specifying which of the prize packs you are interested in and which nonprofit you are affiliated with. The giveaway will end on November 11, 2010.
If there are any additional questions, please contact Leah Cypess.The prize packs are:  Mid-grade fantasy:The Carnival of Lost Souls by Laura Quimby
Under The Green Hill by Laura Sullivan
Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams by Rhonda Hayter

Mid-grade contemporary:Fairview Felines by Michele Corriel
Island Sting by Bonnie Doerr
Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham
The Reinvention of Edison Thomas by Jacqueline Houtman
Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai

YA Fantasy/Paranormal Pack 1
13 to Life by Shannon DelanyFreaksville by Kitty Keswick
Mistwood by Leah Cypess
YA Fantasy/Paranormal Pack 2Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen
Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
Under My Skin by Judith Graves

YA Contemporary Pack 1Change of Heart by Shari MaurerFaithful by Janet Fox
Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride

YA Realistic Pack 2Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz
Party by Tom Leveen
Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards
The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
Split by Swati Avasthi
Rules:You must be a book club affiliated with a nonprofit, school, or library, and located in the continental United States.To enter, leave a comment at the original post at the Class of 2k10 blog. Specify which of the prize packs you are interested in – you may choose from only one, to all five, as we will be holding 5 separate drawings.  (However, no club will win more than one prize pack.)Leave an email in the comment where you can be reached should you win.If the email address is a not an institution address, please specify which nonprofit, school, or library you are affiliated with.If you are not sure whether you qualify, just leave the relevant information in the comment.

Before the Split Charity Auction

[image error] To honor National Domestic Violence Awareness month, author Swati Avasthi has combined a blog tour for her debut novel,  Split , with a charity auction. Over 40 authors, agents and editors have donated manuscript critiques, personalized books, and more to an online auction that anyone –reader, writer, booklover -- can bid on and buy.  All proceeds go to the Family Violence Prevention Fund. In addition to the auction, Avasthi is donating $1/comment on her 26-stop, month-long blog tour, coordinated by Kari Olson at Teen Book Scene. If we reach the goal and cap of $250, Swati will double the donation to the Family Violence Prevention Fund.  The CDC estimates that one in four women will experience intimate partner abuse during her life and UC Davis estimates that a child who grew up witnessing abuse is four times as likely to perpetrate abuse, 25 times more likely to commit rape and 6 times more likely to commit suicide. Family Violence Prevention Fund has some great initiatives, including Coaching Boys Into Men and Start Strong, that are about breaking the intergenerational cycle and preventing abuse.  

I'm very proud to be a participant in Swati's auction. I've donated a critique of the first 10 pages of your middle grade or young adult manuscript. To sweeten my donation, I'll throw in a copy of my first novel Faithful ...and, as soon as it becomes available, an ARC of my second novel Forgiven . Most importantly I promise to give your work my keenest editorial eye.
Click on the button to reach the auction (and check out the other wonderful opportunities, too.)

Fabulous New Fiction: 2k10 Debut Author Michele Corriel

I'm so pleased today to introduce my fellow Montanan Michele Corriel and her debut novel FAIRVIEW FELINES: A Newspaper Mystery. I can't wait to get my hands on my own copy this weekend at her signing at the Country Bookshelf in Bozeman, Montana (and don't you love the cover!?) but for now, here's our conversation.

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, FAIRVIEW FELINES: A Newspaper Mystery. It's such an intriguing title! Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?
FAIRVIEW FELINES is the first in a series of middle grade mysteries based on the main character, Thomas Weston, who loves everything about newspapers, ink-covered fingers and all. He dreams of having his own newspaper at school, so when all the cats in his town of Fairview start disappearing, he figures he can prove himself and solve the mystery. Oh, yeah, and he thinks in these really funny headlines.
Inspired? I don't know if it was inspired, but I worked for newspapers for years and before I started to freelance, I worked at a small weekly newspaper, so I knew a lot about how it worked. And I love reading mysteries (who doesn't?). Thomas' voice came to me right away and so did the headlines, the rest was putting it all together.
How long have you been writing for children/teens? Have you written other books or is this your first effort?
FAIRVIEW FELINES is my first middle grade novel. I have a non-fiction picture book coming out this fall called WEIRD ROCKS, published by Mountain Press, and my agent has another, more serious upper MG or young YA (however that works) that I hope will be out in the world soon.
Can you describe your path to the publication of FAIRVIEW FELINES?

My path to publication is more like a labyrinth! I actually wrote the first draft of this novel years ago but I couldn't seem to find the right home for it. I attended a SCBWI conference and met with Miriam Hees, the publisher at Blooming Tree Press. She asked to see it. I rewrote it again (and changed the ending) before sending it to her --  a year later I got the phone call.
Do you have any advice for beginning writers?
First of all, read, read, and read some more. Don't just read your own genre, but read everything you can. Then go to conferences. Go to workshops. You can never stop improving your writing. And most of all, never, never, never give up.
Can you tell us something about your personal life – inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?
I grew up in New York City and moved to Montana about 17 years ago. When I was in high school I won a Pen Women of America award for my poetry and that was that. I knew I wanted to be a writer but I didn't know how to get there. I traveled around Europe, managed a Rock n' Roll club in the East Village, in NYC, and had a poetry performance band. When I moved to Montana I got involved in SCBWI and found I loved writing for young readers. I'm currently working on my fourth novel and I have ideas all the time about my fifth. I love my life! 
Do you have any new writing ventures underway?
I'm working on the second book in the Newspaper Mystery series, besides the ones I mentioned in the previous question. And I continue to write about art for various national magazines.
Do you have a website where readers can learn more about FAIRVIEW FELINES? 
You know I do! It's www.michelecorriel.com From there you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and you can follow my blog called, "Playing with Words."

On a Personal Note: Grateful, Plus

Because I just finished a heavy-duty edit round on FORGIVEN, my second novel due out next spring from Penguin, I thought I break for a personal post. I'm going to list a few of my favorite things - some new to me, some reruns.

5. I discovered a new craft book, HOOKED , by Les Edgerton. Yes, he's talking about novel openings, but he discusses so much more. Here's a sneak peak:
"An opening scene has ten core components: (1) the inciting incident; (2) the story-worthy problem; (3) the initial...

Reading Like a Writer: Pacing

Lately lots of people I know seem to be talking about pacing in novels. Pacing was the topic of discussion on kidlitchat a few weeks back, about the same time that a thread opened on my Vermont College of Fine Arts discussion board. These conversations were roughly coincident with the release of the final installment of Susanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay . Perhaps that was accidental; but because I think Collins has mastered the art of pacing, I'd like to take a closer look ...

Voices You Should Hear: Amy Brecount White

Today I'm delighted to have Amy Brecount White (one of the sweetest people I know) as a guest, talking about her lovely debut novel FORGET-HER-NOTS . 

Thanks so much for being here, Amy! Please give readers a quick snapshot of your novel FORGET-HER-NOTS.
It's a new spin on garden magic.  In FHN, my main character discovers that whenever she gives someone a flower or herb, whatever it means in the language of flowers comes true.  For example, if she gave you rosemary, that would make you...

Voices You Should Hear: Mara Purnhagan

I'm welcoming back Mara Purnhagan, one of my 2k10 classmates, on the launch of her second novel in 2010. TAGGED debuted last March; PAST MIDNIGHT is now available, and Mara has a wonderful story to tell about her success.

I'm so impressed that you finished two novel-length manuscripts and managed to sell them both to appear in one year! More about that in a minute, but please tell us a bit about PAST MIDNIGHT first.
Hi, Janet! PAST MIDNIGHT is the first book in my new series. The books follow...

Fabulous New Fiction: 2k10 Debut Author Denise Jaden

Denise Jaden has written a gorgeous book about loss and faith and family: LOSING FAITH . I know it's gorgeous because I could not put it down. I'm so pleased to introduce her on the blog today.

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, LOSING FAITH. It's a beautifully written story. Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?LOSING FAITH is about Brie, a girl who loses her sister, Faith, in a mysterious accident. While grieving her sister's death, Brie discovers her...

Reading Like a Writer: Voice

The revisions on Forgiven are done (for now – there's always more to do!) and now on to "Reading Like a Writer" (RLAW, for short.)

Before I start, with Tell Me A Secret (Holly Cupala) and The Sky is Everywhere (Jandy Nelson), I'd like to point to blog posts by my friend Bethany Hegedus, who began her own RLAW segment not long ago (her first post: http://bethanyhegedus.livejournal.com/984.html ). Both Bethany and I are graduates of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in writing for...

Craft Issue: Revision Checklists

I know I promised a "Reading Like a Writer Series"... and it is coming! But I'm in the midst of the first major revision of Forgiven , and it's due on my editor's desk yesterday. Well, Friday, but the pressure's on. And RLAW takes some deep analysis.

Because I'm thinking revision, I thought I might share with you a few thoughts about how I work through a manuscript the second, third, fourth, umpteenth time.

In addition to smoothing all those plot inconsistencies, adding twists and turns, and wor...