Elana Johnson's Blog, page 77

July 16, 2010

WriteOnCon

Dude, okay. I've heard some rumors out there about this wicked amazing online conference. Yeah, okay, I may or may not have started the rumors. *wink*



I've also heard a few things that I'd like to clear up.



1. Yes, WriteOnCon is being geared specifically toward the children's market. The six of us organizing it are children's writers. We had to have some sort of focus, or everything would spiral out of control.



However, ANYONE can (and should) attend the conference. The kinds of classes a...
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Published on July 16, 2010 04:00

July 15, 2010

Bookanistas -- Cover Love!

So for our weekly installment of The Bookanistas (not sure what this is? Click on the words) today, I'm going to be giving out some major cover love to Carrie Harris and her debut novel (which comes out next spring), BAD TASTE IN BOYS.



Here it is:



Now tell me you don't want to stroke that. Breathe it in. Lick it. (I soooo want to taste that mouth, badly.)



I totally do. I cannot wait to read this book!! Which books have grabbed you by the cover alone? And while we're on it, do you...
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Published on July 15, 2010 04:00

July 14, 2010

I Wanna Be A Billionaire...

...and not for the reasons you think. Oh, no. For one reason.



You see, my husband drives a 1994 Ford Escort wagon.



Go ahead. Read that sentence again. Try to stifle the laughter. Then let it all out. It's okay, I've heard it before.



The piece of crap has many problems.



People's Exhibit A: The fabric on the ceiling (yeah, you read that right) is falling down. So he stapled it back to the roof.



People's Exhibit B: Someone backed into the passenger door (and didn't bother to tell us) and...
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Published on July 14, 2010 04:00

July 13, 2010

Adjust Your Thinking

Sometimes, when in that deep pit of despair, all you need to do is change the way you think about something. For example:



1. When you get a rejection, instead of thinking, "I suck. My book sucks. This s-u-c-k-s." you might try thinking, "Dude, this sucks, but you know what? S/He wasn't the agent for me."



2. When you get a critique back from a beta, instead of thinking, "Holy crap! They hate me, my book, my dog and the color orange!" you might try thinking, "This will make my book stronger. ...
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Published on July 13, 2010 04:00

July 12, 2010

This Is Why You Wanna Come to my Party*

Okay, so I cleared my post for today because of the epicness that happened last Thursday night. Hopefully it's not too long, but if you look up EPIC...



First and foremost, if you are in a 2000-mile radius of Salt Lake City (which means everyone in the U.S. and most of Mexico and Canada) you must eat at Mazza Restaurant. It's right next door to The King's English where Kimberley Griffiths Little had her book signing last night, and they serve the best Middle Eastern cuisine I've ever eaten.



...
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Published on July 12, 2010 05:00

July 9, 2010

Answers To Your Deepest Questions

You guys. I had the. Best. Time. last night. Full details coming on Monday -- complete with pics!



All righty, then. Here's round two of Ask Elana. I'm going to archive these on that handy "Ask Elana" page up there. Got a question for me? Ask away!



Question #1:

I attended a couple sessions about online marketing for authors at a writers' conference. Both speakers said aspiring authors don't necessarily need a blog, but they certainly need a website. I like the idea of a website, but I...
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Published on July 09, 2010 04:00

July 8, 2010

Bookanistas -- Books are the New Black!

Today is launch day for a new team of book review bloggers - The Bookanistas: Books are the New Black! *insert fangirl screaming*



We are a group of writers in various stages of the publishing process, and we've decided to band together and review books. We--as fellow writers--will only post positive reviews, because The Bookanistas are all about spreading the love!



Starting today, we will post every Thursday covering various topics: upcoming ARCs, books we love, special diamonds in the...
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Published on July 08, 2010 04:00

July 7, 2010

Querying is a Game

It really is. If you're querying right now, you're playing a game, one where you don't have all the pieces.



If you're feeling down about some rejections you've received recently, try to remember these things (these are the pieces you don't have to play with):



1. You don't know the agent's full client list. They may have a client that writes similar books to yours. They may reject you for this.



2. They may have just picked up an author with a similar plot line to your book. They may reject ...
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Published on July 07, 2010 04:00

July 6, 2010

Tell the Truth Tuesday: So Sue Me Edition

So it's Tuesday and I've been buried under like, forty thousand pounds of whatever. Edits, laundry, cleaning out the garage, we've been doing it all here at my house. So I'm feeling a tad snarky, which means today's version of Tell the Truth Tuesday is going to be extra-entertaining. Yeah, entertaining.



The Truth:

1. I jump to conclusions, even in situations where I know I shouldn't. So sue me. Twice.



2. I have two tubs of red vines. One is 5.5 pounds, the other 4. So sue me.



3. I have...
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Published on July 06, 2010 04:00

July 5, 2010

The Healing Spell Giveaway

Dude, you guys, you need to get and read The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little. I was lucky enough to get an ARC and I'll be posting my review on Thursday this week.



But today it's all about you. Not only is Kimberley the nicest person ever, and I'm going to see her again at her signing in Salt Lake on Thursday night, but she sent me some swag for The Healing Spell!



And my son totally wanted this gator, and he's pretty mad that I'm going to be giving it to one of you.



First...
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Published on July 05, 2010 04:00