Lucienne Diver's Blog: Lucienne Diver's Drivel, page 39

FANGTASTIC PRE-RELEASE PARTY!

You know how when someone throws a party, folks always ask what they can bring? Well, you can bring the fun! Bring your wit and wisdom! Enter to win fabulous door prizes!

This month I'm holding a get caught reading contest in celebration of the January publication of FANGTASTIC, the third novel in my Vamped series.

Facebook, Tweet (hashtag #Vampedseries), blog or otherwise post pics of yourself, your pets, your resident spirit or whathaveyou reading one of the Vamped books and be sure to let me know about it by January 7st and you'll be entered to win a $30 shopping spree at either Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com!  [Sorry, contests open to US residents only.]

Winner will be chosen at random, though I'd love to post some of the fun pics on my blog, so please send 'em my way at luciennediver @ gmail.com (eliminating the spaces) and let me know if they're good to go.  The best may inspire some extra special swag and signed copies of the new book.

Check back for the winner and more fabulous fun on January 8th, when I'll be looking for Fangtastic slogans and giving away a lightweight 6" Kindle with carrying case!  (Note: you can enter both, so no need to hold off.)

Auction for a good cause

An auction to benefit the family of the boy I mentioned in my "Why I Hate The Goonies" post.  Lots of good stuff that would make great holiday gifts.

Fun Fridays

Two great links to follow for Fun Friday.  I may already have posted "Trailer for Every Oscar-Winning Movie Ever," but I'm linking it again here just in case, because it is not to be missed.  In the same vein, a "Shocking Newscast" (warning: language).  Enjoy!

Revisions and critiques

Lots of great NaNoWriMo advice floating around Twitter, much of it revolving around the truism that once you finish those 50,000 words (or however much you've been able to accomplish), you have not =finished= the book.  First, 50,000 words is often too short to be considered a novel, depending on the age group for which you're writing.  Second, a novel is so much more than a first draft.  I'm asked all the time, "I've finished my novel.  Now what?"  My response is always to find a critique partner or group and workshop/revise the heck out of it.  I suggest critiquing because often we're too close to our own work to see it's flaws.  We know what we meant, so we don't necessarily know when we've been unclear.  We won't always call ourselves on the tough stuff or even see that there's something we've shied away from until someone points it out.  Once we know, we can't unknow.  Oh, we can do denial, but that's never helped anyone deal with the problems at hand.  That's not to say that all criticism will be useful.  You do have to run it all through your own filters, but listen with an open mind and approach the manuscript with the attitude that you're going to take the time and expend the effort needed to make it not just acceptable, but sensational.  Not just done, but done right.

Now, the above is not a lead in to my next note.  I don't think you have to pay for critiques necessarily.  However, Publishing for Vision & Hearing is holding an auction to raise money for the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Deafness Research Foundation.  Many great authors, editors and agents (including me) have donated critiques to benefit these great causes.  So, if you're so inclined, stop by and see if you want to place a bid or help us spread the word.

Around the block

As if I didn't already know the blogosphere could get along without me, here are some recent posts saying what needs to be said:

Chuck Sambuchino of Writers Digest answering 11 Frequently Asked Questions about Book Royalties, Advances and Money

and

Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware on Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistic

In other news, two of my authors are talking to each other (imagine that!) over at Magical Words today, in case you want to stop in and say "hey" or hear a bit about plotting for a single novel vs. a series and working within a historical setting vs. a fantasy world.

Happy Release Day!

Happy release day to David B. Coe, Marjorie M. Liu and David Mack for their latest!

THE DARK-EYES' WAR by David B. Coe (Tor Books)

The conclusion to the epic series Blood of the Southlands comes to mass market:

"I came across David B Coe's writing a little over a year, year and half ago, and I was amazed. He is one of my all time favorite fantasy writers. The Dark Eyes' War has been highly anticipated for myself for over a year. It didn't disappoint at all."        —Fantasy Book Critic

A bitter old woman's curse has set in motion events that have felled innocent lives across an already war-weary land. She has paid the ultimate price, and an end to the curse is at hand, but her evil has created chaos and destruction.

Qirsi all across the Southlands are dying from a plague that turns their own magic against them, allowing an Eandi army from Stelpana to boldly march into their territory. But magic has many faces, and the Qirsi aren't the only ones cursed; even as Stelpana's force wins battles, an insidious magic has corrupted the spells of their sorcerers, and what began as a military triumph is suddenly jeopardized. The future of the Southlands hangs in the balance, as the deeds of previous generations wreak terrible consequences on both sides in this misbegotten war.

WITHIN THE FLAMES by Marjorie M. Liu (Avon Books)

New Dirk & Steele paranormal romance:

"Within the Flames is another sterling addition to Marjorie M. Liu's Dirk & Steele series. Eddie and Lyssa set the pages ablaze, literally! … Within the Flames is a fiery explosion of action, adventure and beautiful romance." -Joyfully Reviewed

Joining the Dirk & Steele Agency turned Eddie's life around. A pyrokinetic and former car thief, he cannot refuse an assignment to cross the continent in order to rescue an extraordinary woman in peril . . . even though he fears losing control of the destructive power of flame at his fingertips.

The last of her shape-shifting kind, Lyssa hides in the abandoned tunnels beneath Manhattan, seeking refuge from those who murdered her family a decade ago and would now destroy her as well. Like Eddie, fire is her weapon, her destiny . . . and her curse. Yet she wants nothing to do with this mesmerizing stranger who seeks her trust while enflaming her passion. For beneath Lyssa's extraordinary beauty are dangerous secrets . . . and even darker, nearly irresistible urges. But she has won the heart of a fearless protector . . . and all the demons in the world will not make him back down.

STAR TREK: MIRROR UNIVERSE: RISE LIKE LIONS by David Mack (Pocket Books)

Miles "Smiley" O'Brien struggles to hold together his weary band of freedom fighters in their war against the overwhelming might of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. Each day pushes the rebels on Terok Nor one step closer to defeat, but with nowhere left to run, the time has come to make their last stand.

Light-years away, Mac Calhoun and his Romulan allies harass Klingon forces with devious hit-and-run attacks. But Calhoun has a grander ambition: he intends to merge his fleet with the Terran Rebellion and lead it to victory—or die trying.

Meanwhile, a bitter feud threatens to shatter the Alliance from within. The old rivalry between the Klingons and the Cardassians erupts into open warfare as each vies for the upper hand in their partnership.

Manipulating events from its hidden redoubts, Memory Omega—the secret operation initiated by Spock a century earlier—sees its plans come to fruition sooner than expected. But striking early means risking everything—and if the revolution fails, Spock's vision for the future will be lost forever.

TEXAS GOTHIC

A huge, super-congrats to Rosemary Clement-Moore, whose novel TEXAS GOTHIC (Delacorte Books for Young Readers) is on Kirkus Reviews' Best Teen Books of 2011 list!

So well deserved!  Anyone who likes mystery, romance, the paranormal or simply a wonderful read ought to pick it up.

But don't take my word for it:

"A deeply affectionate rendering of Texas landscapes and legends combines with an appealing cast of well-developed characters to give texture to this well-plotted mystery; truly scary moments are balanced by the humorous bumbles of the awkwardly developing romance between Amy and Ben, as well as Phin's sublime cluelessness about the way her eccentricities appear to other people. The mystery itself is a richly imagined interpolation on documented history and lore of the area; readers who've outgrown the silliness but not the adventure of Scooby-Doo will thoroughly enjoy this." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This engaging mystery has plenty of both paranormal and romance, spiced with loving families and satisfyingly packed with self-sufficient, competent girls." —Kirkus, Starred Review

"Teens looking for a rollicking adventure filled with paranormal events, dastardly evildoers, and laugh-out-loud moments as Amy and Ben argue and snipe their way to love will adore this book."       —School Library Journal, Starred Review

"Overall, an amazing book and Rosemary Clement Moore is definitely someone you guys should check out!" —Radiant Reads