Judith Graves's Blog, page 12

Character Names, Delays, Cover Reveals and more

As a part of Pure Spec's fundraising efforts for a local charity via the GEEKS FOR GEEKS auction, several authors raffled off naming a character after one lucky winner. That's right, a character in SKIN OF MY TEETH will now be named after a certain Edmontonian. You'll have to wait for the SOMT release to discover exactly who and what befalls said character. I have warned the winner the character's life expectancy is not guaranteed and it is likely that he/she may suffer a painful death under the light of the new moon – or some such paranormal goodness.

I've also been informed that Second Skin's release date has been pushed back a bit. February 1, 2012 is the absolute latest release date, but I'm hopeful it will actually be sooner. I have big plans for both the online and live launch parties. So stay tuned!

In addition to the Under My Skin ebook being released VERY SOONish, it is going into second printing and gets a muted, moody new look. Check out the cover flat:

Speaking of shiny and new, my friends – and brilliant authors - Dawn Ius and Jessica Bell have started an online literary journal featuring short pieces of poetry, fiction, artwork and photography -think somewhere between short stories and flash fiction, otherwise known as vignettes. They've put out a call for submissions to their journal, Vine Leaves, and writers – I encourage you to submit a story. Check out their guidelines here.

Pure Speculation Festival

 

I enjoyed some inner geek soul food this weekend at Edmonton's Pure Speculation Festival –  a celebration of all things sci-fi / fantasy. I was thrilled to join author / playright, Marty Chan, author / graphic novelist, Gail Siddonie Sobat, as well as science fiction author, Nicole Luiken on the young adult fiction panel. Gail shared information from a recent study concluding there is a derth of female authors and female main characters within the science fiction genre. We spoke to this, providing sample titles and offering insights into changing trends we have observed in the publishing industry. Of course the best part – answering questions from the well-read audience.

"Every year, Pure Speculation features the Geeks for Geeks Charity Auction, in support of a local Edmonton charity. This is a great way for you to get a great deal on some exceptional and one-of-a-kind geeky merchandise, and show your support for a worthy cause, the Crystal Kids Youth Center."

The vendors were a sight to behold, costumed and crazy cool. I scooped up a few books at the publisher tables and a killer Steampunk choker necklace from the ladies at Dark Knits Boutique.

I hope to see YOU geeking out with us next year!

Pure Spec's seventh annual festival earned some well deserved press, from this Edmonton Journal article on Jason Kapalka, the Gaming Guest of Honour, and co-creator PopCap Games,  to the following Globle TV clip of event organizer Jay Bardyla (also owner of Edmonton's very cool, Happy Harbor Comics) and Holly Conrad, Costuming Guest of Honour from Los Angeles:

Pure Speculation Festival 2011

If there's one thing I love…it's a great con. It's no lie. Of course, I'm not referring to shysterly dealings…I mean conventions, baby! Great big nerdy comic cons, fantasy cons, gaming cons, book cons, etc. Edmonton is host to a small but growing convention, the Pure Speculation Festival. Here gaming and all things fantasy / sci-fi meet. I was fortunate to speak on several panels last year. Here's a pic of me with the Steampunk Scholar and Tanya Huff, author of the Blood series of books which morfed into the TV series, Blood Ties. 

I was thrilled to be invited back and this November 19th, I'll be speaking on the Young Adult Fantastic Fiction: Not Just About Boy Wizards panel with Gail Siddonie Sobat, Marty Chan, and Nicole Luiken. The blurb:

"Testosterone-filled fantasy continues to dominate the industry, yet there are any number of compelling narratives featuring the female protagonist and her particular strengths, trials and passions. Unfortunately, women writers of children's/YA SF novels with female protagonists are still all-too-frequently relegated to the literary backroom. Presenters will share insights about the female writer & the protagonist of speculative fiction, and their essential roles in righting the gender imbalance & the ghetto-ization that plague the SF genre."

As a part of Pure Spec's fundraising efforts for a local charity via the GEEKS FOR GEEKS auction,  I'm even raffling off naming a character after one lucky winner. That's right, a character in SKIN OF MY TEETH could be named after YOU. Although said character's life expectancy is not guaranteed and it is likely that he/she may suffer a painful death under the light of the new moon – or some such paranormal goodness.

If you're in Edmonton, I encourage you to check Pure Spec out. Loads of gamers, game designers, authors, artists, celebs – not to mention the COOL costumes. SEE YOU THERE!

November / NANO and the Writer Cave

It's been a crazy busy October. From the Crossroads Blog Tour to the ebook launch of SPIRITED, to Halloween preparations. Now things are about to get interesting. November is NANO month – more formally, National Novel Writing Month and I've decided to take this year's attempt seriously. Dreadfully so.

No daily posts of my word counts, no weekly check ins or pep-talk posts as per every other year. This November I'm going dark, stepping deep into my writer's cave and away from social media, my blog, and even conversational emails. And believe me, I know it's gonna hurt. I'm a social media junkie. But the projects I have lined up deserve my full attention and I'm DYING to tell those stories well.

I'll be back in full force in December for the launch of Second Skin and you'll be sick of me once more.

Have a safe and happy Halloween and a productive NANO adventure if you're one of the brave.

Interviews Are Dreadful Fun

I was thrilled to chat with several local (and amazing!) reporters last week to promote both the launch of SPIRITED, as well as the Crossroads Blog Tour. Interviews are nerve wracking…you dress up (yes, that's me being "dressy" in the photo – don't judge), then feel foolish for doing so, you say "um" more than EVER before and you just might clutch your coffee cup as if it and the tree you're leaning against are the only things keeping you upright.

Photo Credit: Melissa Barr, Bonnyville Nouvelle

Ah, dreadful fun indeed.

However, you also get to meet wonderful writers in their own right. Take Melissa Barr for example, intrepid editor for the Bonnyville Nouvelle. I think I asked her just as many questions as she fired at me…about her own writing. Her work sounds wonderful and I pretty much guilted her into joining my efforts to (once again) fail at NANO. It's not the finish line of 50k words in one month that's important, I assured her, it's the spark, the kick in the ass we all need sometimes to crank up our word counts.

Melissa is also starting a local writer's group. She's awesome…and not just because she managed to take a great photo of me during our interview – in a graveyard no less. If you're local – as in Bonnyville or Cold Lake, Alberta – and you write – I encourage you to join Melissa's group! I plan to attend whenever possible. But don't take my word for it, here's Melissa's article: Reasons Why You Should Join My Writers Group. Like I said, she's fun.

Here's a link to the Spirited / Crossroads interview: http://bit.ly/uGlk5S

SPEAKING OF MEETING COOL WRITERS…

Don't forget, this is YOUR opportunity to pick writerly brains (there's a lot of that going on in my life lately…lol…) and MEET the Crossroads Blog Tour authors (NY Times bestsellers to wicked cool debuts) during the LIVE chat TONIGHT at 9pm EST. Just go here to join us: http://bit.ly/vK8c9I

Welcome to the Crossroads

The Crossroads Blog Tour kicks off today! 15 young adult paranormal authors will tour a melange of amazing blogs and chat about their writing, the writing life, Halloween and share strange and fascinating stories about their roads to publication. It's guaranteed to be a scream. Plus – answer the daily research questions found HERE and you'll be entered for the grand prize.

I'm honoured to have a tour buddy, wicked cool author, Stacey Kade (The Ghost and the Goth, Hyperion). Here's our schedule:

Oct 22 – Just Your Typical Book Blog

Oct 23 – Late Bloomer Online

Oct 24 – Book Faery

Oct 25 – Confessions of a Bookaholic and A Simple Love of Reading

Oct 26 – Book Swarm

Oct 27 – Kid Lit Frenzy!

Oct 28 – Narratively Speaking

Oct 29 – Electrifying Reviews

Crossroads Blog Tour: Press Release

For Immediate Release

Authors, bloggers, readers meet at the virtual crossroads

Oct 21, 2010: Young readers will have unprecedented access to some of today's hottest authors of paranormal fiction this October during a seven-day virtual creep-a-thon.

Fifteen paranormal authors are slated to take part in the second annual Crossroads Blog Tour (October 22-29), joining forces with bloggers, librarians and youth to share a love of reading and all things that go bump in the night.

Judith Graves, an Alberta-based YA Author, (SKINNED series, Leap Books) has summoned some big names for the tour, including Shannon Delaney (13 to Life series, St. Martin's Griffin), Joy Preble (Dreaming Anastasia, Sourcebooks), Angie Frazier (The Eternal Sea, Scholastic), Carrie Harris (Bad Taste in Boys, Delacorte Books for Young Readers), Linda Joy Singleton (Dead Girl Walking, Flux) and Rachel Vincent (Soul Screamers series, Harlequin Teen).

Participating bloggers will give away ghoulish amounts of SWAG donated by the authors, as well as inscribed copies of books by touring artists and a chance to win a Skype author visit from bestselling author Rachel Vincent.

"It's all about the most bang for your buck, and with Crossroads, it's all bang," says Graves. "There's nothing NOT to like about this tour."

Participating authors couldn't agree more. Jackie Morse Kessler (Hunger, Graphia) says the tour promotes literacy, inspires young writers, and affords readers an opportunity to learn about new-to-them authors.

"Touring bloggers ask terrific questions and we get a chance to get our books in front of prospective new audiences. And I don't even have to put on make-up," she says. "Many of us are very nice. We hardly ever bite."

Except for on the page, of course.

How the tour works:

From October 22-29 readers will be invited to hunt for answers to a new paranormal trivia question each day. The answers are hidden within a different blog post daily, encouraging readers to visit each blog, each day of the tour. Bloggers will be giving away a bevy of tricks and treats donated by Crossroads Tour authors. At the end of the tour, on October 31st compiled answers are sent to bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com and a grand prize winner is randomly selected from those with correct and complete entries.

For the full list of participating authors, bloggers and giveaways, check out The Crossroads event page: http://judithgraves.com/events/the-crossroads-tour/crossroads-2011/

Follow the tour (get extra clues) on Twitter: @TheCrossroadsBT

 

Modge Podge of Goodies

WARNING: this post is random in nature.

This week I'll be appearing on YA Obsession as the featured author. Strange facts about my wacky writing process will be revealed daily with a giveaway of Under My Skin available to readers who survive the experience. Leah at YA Obsession is a new, and KEEN blogger, please show her blog some love and be introduced to a wonderful YA author each week!

Joy Preble, author of Dreaming Anastasia, Haunted, and Again and Again, as well as her upcoming, The Sweet Dead Life, was kind enough to read a draft version of Second Skin and provide a luscious book blurb. Joy is a fellow Class program alumni and has been a fantastic mentor to me, plus she's a high school English teacher and facilitates writing workshops – simply the BEST person to know if you need insight into teen / school norms or reading lists used in high schools. You can learn more about Joy and her books on her website and by following the Crossroads Blog Tour.

Here's Joy's blurb: "In Judith Graves' Second Skin, book two of her Skinned series, shapeshifter Eryn McCain is fighting the paranorm baddies again and cracking wise while she's at it. A wild ride of snark, chills and romance, Second Skin poses the creepy question: what if your worse nightmares came to life?"

Nice, eh?!

And finally, if you're like me and scrambling for spooky, quirky, COOL ideas for decking your tomb out for Halloween, look no further than Dawn Dalton's "Countdown to Halloween" where she's featuring a different ghoulish invention, craft, etc., EVERY DAY this month. I know my mason jars will never be the same.

SPIRITED Final Cover and Press Release

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T AKING A W ICKED L EAP FOR L ITERACY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Leap Books digs the importance of literacy – and they've unearthed 13 haunting tales to help spread the word. After all, there's no rest for the wicked.

More than a dozen young adult paranormal fiction authors are contributing to Spirited, a collection of steampunk, cyberpunk and downright spooky stories guaranteed to get your heart racing. Proceeds from the anthology will be donated to National 826, a literacy-based charity.

"Leap Books tends to lean towards the eccentric and snarky, so when we found an organization that's a little off-the-wall and dovetails with our goals – reading and writing – we couldn't resist," says Spirited editor, Kat O'Shea. "One of our goals is to get teens excited about books. What better way to do that than to offer stories by some of their favorite authors?"

The anthology features supernatural tales by bestselling writers such as Maria V. Snyder, Candace Havens, Shannon Delany, Linda Joy Singleton, Heather Kenealy and more.

"I was amazed at how many well-known authors were willing to carve time out of their hectic schedules to benefit charity," says O'Shea.

For bestselling author and leading entertainment journalist Candace Havens, Charmed & Dangerous (Berkley), the chance to be a part of Spirited was a no-brainer. Trying her hand at a ghost story was something she's wanted to do for a long time, and as the emcee for several literacy charity events, she hears amazing stories of literacy inspiration all the time.

"When my first novel came out, one of the nurses at my doctor's office bought my book for her daughter," she says. "The daughter was in her 20s and had never read a book all the way through. She read mine and told her mom she wanted more. She didn't know books could be so fun. A story like that will get you through those tough writing times."

As a school library technician, Judith Graves, Under My Skin (Leap Books), has seen the power of literacy awareness, promotion and support at work, and believes any organization that offers this is worthy of heralding.

"When I heard that the Spirited anthology had a paranormal theme and that proceeds would go to a literacy-based charity, I was ready to claw my way onto the roster," she says. "Luckily, my story made the cut and no editors were harmed in the making of this anthology."

That's not to say there aren't a few deaths involved. Albeit fictional. With the e-book launch slated for October 31, 2011, Spirited is the perfect read for young thrill-seekers. While many of the featured authors will be hauntingly familiar to fans of the paranormal, readers will be invited to discover new authors venturing into the genre.

New York Times Bestselling author Maria V. Snyder, Poison Study (Mira), says the opportunity to write for Spirited offered a creative challenge. "The subject or theme of an anthology is usually not within my comfort zone of fantasy and science fiction, and I always have fun playing in someone else's sandbox."

Leap Books is also thinking outside of the coffin with this release. In addition to a macabre and eclectic collection of stories, Spirited will feature some unique graphics, including AR (augmented reality) in a cyberpunk/dystopian story by award-winning author Shannon Delaney, 13 to Life (St. Martin's Griffin).

"Readers will be able to hold the story icons under a webcam to see some cool 3-D effects," says O'Shea.

Spirited manifests October 31, 2011, in e-book format, followed by a print edition of the anthology unleashed in March 2012. Copies can be summoned by pre-order via the Leap Books website at  HYPERLINK "http://www.leapbooks.com" www.leapbooks.com.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BOOK AN INTERVIEW WITH ONE OF THE SPIRITED AUTHORS PLEASE CONTACT :

Dawn Ius or Judith Graves Cathleen Cartwright

Bridge Social Media Leap Books

HYPERLINK "mailto:bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com" bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com cathleencartwright@leapbks.com

Ph: 780.938.2034 Ph: 717.497.0632

HYPERLINK "http://www.bridgesocialmedia.blogspot..." www.bridgesocialmedia.blogspot.com www.leapbks.com

HYPERLINK "http://www.bridgesocialmedia.com" www.bridgesocialmedia.com www.leapbks.blogspot.com

B ACKGROUNDER

Founded in 2009, Leap Books is a shiny new publisher specializing in teen and tween fiction.

Proceeds from the sale of Spirited will benefit 826 National, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting students, ages 6-18, to improve their writing skills. The 826 mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. For more information, please visit HYPERLINK "http://www.826national.org/"www.....

Spirited is not the only charity project Leap Books is doing. All of their authors have causes they care about, so Leap Books supports them in reaching out to others. October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, and they're donating 20% of the sales from For the Love of Strangers by Jacqueline Horsfall to the Domestic Violence Awareness project. Horsfall's book is about sixteen-year-old Darya, who helps her adoptive mother run a shelter for abused women. Leap Books is also donating free copies of For the Love of Strangers to shelters along with a frameable copy of "Libby's Lament," a poem from the point of view of a young abused mother, and a booklist for teens on domestic/relationship abuse. The poem and booklist are also available to any teens who would like them. Just send an email to  HYPERLINK "mailto:info@leapbks.com" info@leapbks.com.

Leap Books is also offering a free copy of Stakeout by Bonnie J. Doerr to any environmental organizations who are working to save sea turtles. In Doerr's eco-mystery Stakeout, teens endanger their lives to capture the poacher of sea turtle eggs.

Featured Author: James McCann

It's always a blast to meet a likeminded – CANADIAN – authors, and meeting James was no exception. A few months after reading his YA vampire tale, Pyre, I was lucky enough to meet James in person at the 2010 Book Expo in NYC when he interviewed the Class of 2k10 for his podcast show, Authors Like Us. James had a wicked, dry sense of humour which I loved and I've been stalking his blog/Twitter/Facebook posts ever since and finally convinced him to answer a few questions.

Welcome, James! As an avid comic fan, what's your take on graphic novels? Any current favs? Any plans to write in that medium?

I credit reading graphic novels with what made me a reader – and subsequently a writer. I'll admit that, as a preteen and even as a teen, my taste was a bit more tame than it is now. In my younger years it was all Archie and Jughead – still very popular today – but now I prefer writers such as 300, Batman, or the Watchmen. It annoys me when people tell me that graphic novels are not "really reading," because part of the story is told in pictures. My first thought is, "Wasn't our earliest writings told in pictures? Does that mean stories didn't really exist until we created text?"

I would love to write a graphic novel, but I just haven't come up with that story that would be better told in pictures yet. I have taken classes to learn how to write one, and I often script out parts of my novels in progress as a graphic novel. It's a great way to get unstuck when the ideas are not flowing as easily as they do on other days.

I hear ya on the graphic novel front – many of the students at my school simply DEVOUR GNs. I'm thankful they've found a reading niche. Off topic, but still fun…your dog's name is Conan (dog people rule!). How do classic fantasy characters like Conan, created by Robert E Howard in the 1930s influence your work today and did you see the recent film remake?

I actually named my dog Conan as a joke while working in a rescue shelter. He was a "drop off," as his previous owners were not able to care for him, and his name was "Barky." I knew no one would adopt a shih tzu named "Barky," so I renamed him "Conan" and then he followed me around the entire day. By the time my shift was over, he more or less had adopted me.

Classic characters such as Conan, Robin Hood and even Aragorn from LOTRs were huge influences on me as a writer. These were the characters that I could live vicariously through as a teenager, and if you read the character Rancour closely you can probably see hints of each one in him. Often people ask if I base my characters on me, but truth be told I base my characters on the people who most inspired me.

Brave of you to work in a shelter. I think I'd end up bringing far too many critters home. Speaking of critiques…you facilitate writing classes, as well as present workshops and at writing camps for youth – what are some of the key messages you wish to share with aspiring writers?

My biggest message to youth would be that while it's great to have a dream, a dream is useless without work. If you want to succeed in anything education, be it school or being out in the world, is the most important key to success.

Nice! Okay, now for the fun question, as a fellow writer of paranormal stories, how do you tackle the Twilight question…you know the one….do your vamps sparkle?

First, I always answer it with my opinion of Stephanie Meyer. The books were not written for me, so it should be no surprise to anyone that I did not enjoy them. However, that she could inspire so many kids to read who may have never otherwise picked up a book is fantastic.

Secondly, I point out that Rancour came out eight months before Twilight.

lol…ahead of the trend is the best place to be. Any events, appearances, new titles you'd like to share/announce?

I have the third book in the Rancour Chronicles finally coming out for May 2012. The whole series is being rereleased, with new covers and better editing. Rancour was rereleased this year, and Pyre will be combined into RENEGADE as a "part one" with "part two," Kane, as an entirely new story.

Can't wait to read the new editions and see how things have changed. THANKS so much for taking time to share your sage words!

Thank you for the interview.

Get more info on James via his website: and follow him on Twitter: @McCannJames