Hilary Wagner's Blog, page 16

My Super Cool, "It Must Be Fate!" Story, From the IRA!!

So, of course I plastered my cheesy grinning pie face all over facebook, so everyone could see my pics from my first ARC signing at the IRA on Monday, so you knew I had to blog about it, right? I had such an incredible time and I really got in with a great group of folks! Holiday House = Amazing! They made me feel right at home and honestly, it was so hard to go back to reality on Tuesday! I met so many inspiring teachers and librarians as close as Chicago and as far away as Canada and...

Goodreads | Book giveaway for Signed ARC of Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner

Goodreads Book giveaway for Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner

Ends Mother's Day, but you don't have to be a mother to enter! :)


2 winners picked by Goodreads will recieve a signed copy of NIGHTSHADE CITY!


xoxo -- Hilary

Nightshade City Book Trailer 2010

Ack! Everything is Happening at Once!!!!

So it's been a crazy year so far and it's only getting crazier!
As of this weekend, Nightshade City's cover debuts, along with my new website and a book trailer! Yes, I made one! Is it super-duper and full of awesomeness? Hmmm...my husband loved it! Wait until you see the NIGHTSHADE CITY cover! Omar Ryyan is a total genius!
The Nightshade City ARC hits the mean and lean streets of Chicago on Monday! THIS MONDAY! April 25th kicks of the IRA (International Reading Association) convention. My...

WRITERS: It's All About YOU Day!

So, last week I got to have my "Big Fat Contest" and it was loads of fun! I met some new writers and hopefully connected you guys with some new ones too! In that same spirit, this post is all about YOU!
The concept is simple: Tell the blogging world who YOU are! Name, rank and serial number, soldier! All you have to do is leave a comment with your name, or pen name, whichever you prefer, a link to your blog and/or twitter and facebook, and last but not least something cool, funny or weird...

We Haz Some Good Looking Winners!!!!

Okay, it's been a crazy week, with 100+ entries for my Big Fat Contest! If I could, I'd have you ALL win, but alas, I think Marietta would drop me as a client! *sniff*
All winners were chosen at random, via the Randomizer website! So NO nepotism!
So, without further ado, our winners are...rock star drum roll please:
A 30 page critique, a query critique or 30 minute phone call from fabtastic Agent Marietta Zacker:
1. The charming, Harley May







2. The mysterious, Matthew Rush









3. The exquisite, Faith...

My Big Fat 300 Follower Contest with Agent Marietta Zacker! w00t!

The day has finally come! 300 brilliant, electrifying and I must say, quite fetching followers of my blog! It's been an amazing week for me and hitting the 300 follower mark is the icing on the cake! On Tuesday I received the first half of my advance for BILLYCAN: Book II of the Nightshade Chronicles! Wednesday I spoke with my editor and found out some really surprising things they're going to do to market Nightshade City! Yesterday I received the 1st pass galley, which included some of the n...

WRITERS: How do you turn Writer's Block into Writer's Breakthrough?

I received an email a month or so back, from a writer working on her first manuscript. She was stuck firmly in the middle of her manuscript and was unable to move forward. Her question: What do I do when I get writer's block? How do I work through it and could I give her any advice? My answer: Sadly, I didn't have one!

I never really thought about "writer's block" until now. When I come to a point in a story where I don't know where the story is going next, I set it aside for a day or two...

WRITERS: What are YOUR Great Expectations?

For me, Charles Dickens made me want to be a writer. In the first chapter of GREAT EXPECTATIONS, Dickens describes how Pip makes up images of his dead parents in his head, by nothing more than the shape of the letters on their tombstones.

In every book, Dickens always manages to capture my attention from page one, something I find wonderful and vital. There is nothing worse than having to struggle through the first chapter of a book.  We've all done it. When I read a shiny new book and see...

WRITERS: Can Fantasy turn into Farce? Toot Your Horn Friday!

As you know, my debut novel is an animal fantasy about rats. For the most part, my rats have kept their rattiness, but Nightshade City rats are very special creatures.  They have super intelligence and a lifespan parallel to humans, not the 3-4 years a normal rat lives, they're quite strong and sizeable compared to your typical rat, not to mention--they talk! There are reasons behind these humanlike qualities my brilliant rats' posses, but you'll have to wait to find out what they are!

So...