Mindy Hardwick's Blog, page 33
October 29, 2013
SCBWI’s New Website
SCBWI launched a new website last week. When I logged in, I was surprised to see I’d been a member of SCBWI since 2002! I first heard about SCBWI when I took my first writing for children class at Richard Hugo House. The class, Writing the Picture Book, was taught by Seattle author, Terri Cohlene. She encouraged us all to join SCBWI. It’s something I’ve continued to pass on as I teach classes and I always encourage new children’s writers to join SCBWI.
Over the years, I’ve attended everything from the annual Seattle SCBWI Spring Conference to the Fall Write on the Water Conference to the monthly meetings in the Seattle SCBWI (The format was changed this year to not include these monthly meetings). I’ve been a part of the Inside Story event in Seattle as well as spoken on a panel for the monthly meetings. I’ve also written articles for the SCBWI Bulletin (You get your yearly membership fee paid as a part of selling an article to them).
I don’t attend SCBWI events so much anymore as I’ve been attending some of the RWA Conferences(Romance Writers of America), but I still keep my membership with SCBWI as I sell and write in both in the children’s markets and the romance markets.
SCBWI is growing quickly these days. They’ve added a Book Launch Award given to two authors launching a new book and the Spark Award which is given to a self-published or non-traditional book. And, now the new website!
It’s a pretty cool website. There is a Members Bookstore here. Anyone can browse in the bookstore. You can search under type of book (Chapter Book, Picture Book, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, Young Adult or under a specific topic you want to read about. When you reach the book’s page, there are links which take you directly to the buy buttons in places such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, as well as back to the publisher’s buy page.
On the book’s page, there is also places for reviews.
Here are the links to STAINED GLASS SUMMER and WEAVING MAGIC at the SCBWI Bookstore.
There is also a new and improved listing for speakers. You can see my SCBWI speaker listing here.
There is also a new and improved place for the SCBWI Member Profile.Here is mine.
One thing added was an Artist Statement which is very great! Here was what I wrote:
Mindy Hardwick enjoys writing stories for all ages which connect kids, art and community. Her middle grade novel, STAINED GLASS SUMMER, is a 2013 EPIC Award Finalist in Children’s. The story is about artistic mentorship in glass art and set on a Pacific Northwest island. Mindy’s forthcoming picture book, FINDERS KEEPERS from MeeGenius Publishing, tells the story of the Lincoln City, Oregon community event, Finders Keepers, in which hand crafted artist glass floats are placed on the beach for winter beach walkers to find. Mindy loves to talk to kids about writing and creativity and is available for in-person events as well as Skype author chats.
Along with the new website comes access to industry podcasts, back issues of the SCBWI Bulletin, and Verla Kay’s Blueboard.
If you haven’t checked out SCBWI, or are new to writing for children, I do encourage you to look around the new SCBWI website! And if you’ve had a membership for years, be sure to check out all the new features. I am very happy with them!
October 26, 2013
Wounded Warriors and The Fleur-De-Lys Mansion
My fascination with old hotels doesn’t end with the Elmheart Hotel romance stories. I also love to stay in historic inns and bed and breakfasts when I travel. A few years ago, I returned to the St Louis area to attend a high school reunion. During that trip, I stayed at The Fleur-De-Lys Mansion.
The Fleur-De-Lys Mansion is a four-bedroom inn located in the Central West End of St. Louis. You can read a little bit about the history here.
Recently, I learned of a very special Veterans Day offer to Wounded Warriors from the Fluer-De-Lys Mansion:
The Fluer-De-Lys Mansion participates in the Professional Association of Innkeepers International to honor Veterans on Veterans Day by offering a free night stay to Veterans. However, this year, The Inn is honoring Wounded Warriors and their loved ones.
There is a very touching story of a Wounded Warrior here: http://www.thefleurdelys.com/pdfs/Love-Story-Wounded-Warrior.pdf
The Fluer-De-Lys is opening all four of their rooms to Wounded Warriors on Monday, November 11, 2013. If you know a Wounded Warrior that would enjoy a stay at the Mansion, please have them contact either by email at reservations@thefleurdelys.com or by phone at 314-773-3500. Names will be collected and there will be a lottery-type drawing one week in advance to select four couples. (Please note that all of the rooms in our historical home are on the second floor and there is no elevator.)
Now this is a real life hotel love story!
October 25, 2013
Halloween Candle Customs
In my latest sweet contemporary romance, HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE, main characters, Zach and Jenny, are encouraged to fall in love with the help of a little pumpkin carving. On Halloween night, carved jack-o-lanterns are placed on the porch of the Elmheart Hotel and candles lit inside.
But, candles have not always been used to light the insides of pumpkins on Halloween. Some other uses for candles on Halloween have included:
Light a single candle and jump over it. If the candle stays lit, there is good fortune in the coming year. If the candle goes out, the coming year will be bad luck.
Light twelve candles and place in them in a row. Each candle represents a month of the year. Jump over the candles. The candles that go out signify the months a woman will marry. If none go out, the woman will remain unmarried.
Light a tall candle and place it on a table. Walk three paces from the candle, then turn and try three times to blow it out. If the candle is still lit, it means the woman will not marry, three tries and the future spouse will be a working man, two tries and a man of rank, and one tries and he’ll be a rich man!
Excerpt from HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE:
“Jenny?” Zach reached over and picked up the carving knife. He turned the plastic knife over in his
left hand. He doubted the knife would carve much of anything. It was no stronger than a plastic knife used at
picnics. “What do you say? Can we carve this pumpkin?”
Jenny shook her head. “I’m sorry. I just don’t think I’ve carved pumpkins since…” Jenny’s voice broke
off suddenly.
Zach’s heart ached for her. Softly, he squeezed her hand. Zach wanted to tell Jenny nothing would ever
harm her again. He knew her childhood hadn’t been easy. She shouldered a lot of responsibility after her mom
died. It hurt Jenny when her younger sister, Allison, married right out of high school, moved to San Diego and
didn’t invite Jenny to visit. Jenny had seen more than her share of heartache. Zach wanted nothing more than to
take it all away and make sure she never hurt again. “We can do this together,” Zach said, his voice husky with
emotion. “Go ahead and cut the top. We’ll scoop the seeds out first.”
Very carefully, Jenny moved the knife into the hard pumpkin shell where it promptly stuck.
“Here.” Zach leaned around Jenny. He wrapped his right hand around the knife. “I don’t think this is
the best knife for carving,” he whispered against her cheek. “But let’s go with it. Maybe it will work with the
strength of the two of us.”
To read more of HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE go here.
HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE is FREE on Amazon this weekend.
October 23, 2013
Writing Holiday Stories
I’m working on my last and final story in the sweet, contemporary romance series about the Elmheart Hotel. This one will be a story which takes place around New Year’s Eve. (This is not the last romance I’m writing–just the last in this series which also finishes off the Sailor Series Romance stories). It’s the fourth holiday romance story I’ve written. Some of my others include: LOVE’S CHRISTMAS GIFT, VINTAGE VALENTINE, HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE, and ELF SHOES (a spin-off story to STAINED GLASS SUMMER). You can find all my holiday stories at my website here.
There are a lot of advantages to writing holiday stories.
Anthology collections: Romance publisher, Books To Go Now, bundles holiday stories in anthologies such as VALENTINES SAY I LOVE YOU and LOVE UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE
Holiday stories are great for spin-off stories to full length novels. Musa Publishing offers free holiday stories to readers every Christmas. Last year, I wrote ELF SHOES which is a novella spin-off to my full length upper middle grade, STAINED GLASS SUMMER.
Blog hops. I’ve participated in a lot of fun blog hops around specific holidays and promoted the stories.
Built in marketing. Holiday stories (any holidays) have a great audience who are looking for stories to read in that holiday. Christmas stories sell well all year long.
But one of the tricks of writing a holiday story is, most of the time, you are writing it in a season which is not at all close to that holiday. It can be very challenging to find the motivation to write a Christmas story when the sun is blazing and it’s more beach weather than hanging holiday lights weather! So, how do I approach writing a holiday story? These are some of the things I do:
1. Browse Pinterst. Yes….it’s true. I spend some time looking and searching on Pinterst for visual pictures to stimulate my imagination for a particular holiday. After the story is released, I also create Pinterst boards for the story. You can see some of my Pinterst boards for
2. Brainstorm a list of holiday words. This list includes everything from holiday customs and traditions, weather, clothing, decoration, anything I can think of to go along with the holiday I am writing.
3. Check out library holiday books. Before I start writing, I go to the library and sit down in the section of books for that holiday. For Halloween, I might browse things like costumes or food and crafts, for Christmas, the possibilities are endless in what to browse–crafts, foods, decorations, and the list goes on!
And finally, when thinking about writing a holiday story, don’t forget there are many small holidays to consider. You can find a listing of many holidays here and if you want to write about an off-beat and quirky holiday, check out this list.
Happy Holidays!
October 21, 2013
FREE Writing Feedback–Writers Helping Writers
Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi at Writers Helping Writers (formerly The Bookshelf Muse) have added two more books to their Descriptive Thesaurus Collection: The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes and The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws. To celebrate, they are hosting a race, and not just any old race, either. It’s the…
Photo Credit: Tharrin
Writing is hard, isn’t it? Create the perfect hook. Make your first page compelling. Craft an amazing 25 word pitch. Knock out a query that will blow an agent’s mind. On and on it goes. And sometimes, well, you just wish someone would help.
WISH NO MORE!
From October 21st until October 27th, Writers Helping Writers is posting an OPEN CALL for writers. You can fill out a form, requesting help with critiques, book visibility, social media sharing, blog diagnostics, advice and more.
How neat is that?!
An army of Amazing Racers are standing by (ME INCLUDED!) waiting to help with your submissions. How many people can we help in a week? Let’s find out!
Each day this week, there’s an AMAZING giveaway, too. So stop in at Angela & Becca’s new Writers Helping Writers website and find out how to take advantage of this unique, pay-it-forward event for writers. I’ll see you there!
October 18, 2013
Cooking with Musa Giveaway Winner
I’m very happy to announce Cordelia Dinsmore as the winner of the COOKING WITH MUSA!
Congratulations Cordelia!
October 17, 2013
Market News and Round-Up
Happy Thursday!
Last night, I had the great fortune to listen in on a webinar with Stacy C. Abrams from Entangled Publishing and sponsored by the SCBWI Carolinas. The webinar was all about ebooks and Stacy shared with us about Entangled Teen’s YA imprints. She talked about everything from price point, to marketing, to what she is seeking.
Entangled Teen is open to both agented and non-agented submissions. They have both a traditional print line as well as an ebook only line. Entangled is known for romance, so the teen line reflects this in all genres. (Dystopia and Paranormal are hard sells right now).
Find out more about Entangled Teen here.
Other market news….
Gemma Cooper at the Bent Agency has just posted her “wish list.” This is a great one and if you’re in the market hunt for an agent, these wish lists can be very helpful to know where to target your manuscript.
Agent, Jill Corcoran has recently started her own agency and she also has a wish list here.
And something fun to read...
On a fun note, over at the Stacked blog, there was a great post about weeding a YA collection. It’s interesting to see some of the trends in teen reading and what books get weeded and why. You can read that article here.
October 13, 2013
Halloween Love Fortune
HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE, a sweet, contemporary romance novella is now available here.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Kids dress in costumes, jack-o-lanterns glow on porches and mischief is in the air. But, Halloween wasn’t always a holiday designed to frighten and scare. Halloween used to be a romantic holiday. Before the 1930′s, Halloween parties were for single people to find love and for matchmaking. Between 1875-1935, Halloween parties included: masquerade parties, barn dances, progressive dinners and society balls. The parties involved kissing games, mistletoe and fortune telling.
The idea for my newest, published sweet contemporary romance, HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE evolved from this romantic history of Halloween.
Here are some ways of foretelling your future spouse on Halloween night:
Look into a well or spring by lantern night on Halloween and see the face of your future husband and children.
Melt lead and pour it into cold water. The shape represents a future husband’s trade
Walk into your bedroom backwards at midnight on Halloween. Look over your left shoulder and see your future husband.
Catch a snail on Halloween and keep it in a flat dish. In the morning, the first initial of your future spouse’s name will be written in the slimy trail. (mmm..in the Pacific NW, this might work with a slug!)
My sweet, contemporary Halloween story, HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE, is a story based on Halloween romance and party games. Jenny Piercy is excited to help with the Elmheart Hotel’s old-fashion Halloween barn party and enjoys nothing more than working side-by-side long-time friend, Zach Cullver. But, it’s going to take more than a fortune teller’s prediction of true love to bring these two together. Can a coffin and a mummy costume show Zach and Jenny the best romance is found in long-time friendship in this sweet, contemporary romance novella?
HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE is the second story in the Elmheart Hotel series. You can find out more about the series here.
You can purchase HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE here.
I hope on this Halloween night, you find a little romantic magic among the ghosts and goblins.
Happy Halloween!
October 12, 2013
GMC by Debra Dixon
I’ve just returned from the RWA Moonlight and Magnolias Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the big reasons I wanted to attend the conference (beyond spending a few extra days and visiting Savannah!), was I wanted to hear Debra Dixon’s three hour workshop on GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict).
At the first romance writers conference I attended, everyone was talking about Debra Dixon and her GMC.
GMC answers a lot of questions about plotting–something I have a hard time with! GMC asks a writer to identify:
What is a character’s goal?
What is a character’s motive for reaching that goal?
And what is the conflict of the story?
When I am writing a story (of any length or any genre), I always work out these questions before I start writing. It saves time when I am drafting from veering off onto paths that lead to dead ends!
When I got home from that first Seattle RWA Conference, I went on-line to order the book and discovered it was only available in print here.
But good news…..GMC by Debra Dixon is now available as an ebook!
You can buy GMC by Debra Dixon at
I highly recommend this book for writers in any genre.
October 10, 2013
Cookbook Giveaway–Cooking with Musa
For the last two years, Musa Publishing’s blog has had a regular feature called, “Tasty Tuesday.” Musa authors blog about their favorite recipe or a recipe which is a part of their Musa title.
My recipe, Dishwasher Fish, appeared on the Musa Blog in December 2011 when my upper middle grade, STAINED GLASS SUMMER published. (This was a meal I cooked with my Dad during his last visit to Seattle in November 2011)
To celebrate Musa Publishing’s two year anniversary, every time you buy a book (any genre) from the Musa Publishing website, you will receive a free Musa Publishing Cookbook. (Don’t forget to add it to your cart before you check out).
But, I’m also giving away one PDF of COOKING WITH MUSA to one lucky winner. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below and tell me your favorite thing to cook. (No recipes please, just the title).
Please be sure to leave your email address with your comment so I can contact the winner.
The winner will be drawn from all the people who leave comments below on Friday, October 18. (US and International entries).
Happy Cooking!
