Jessica Shirvington's Blog, page 4

ANNOUNCING THE SUMMER YA SCAVENGER HUNT

AUTHORS ON THE BLUE TEAM!


This summer the Hunt will have two teams (RED & BLUE) of 27 authors each. We've added several new authors with some very exciting material. I'm really looking forward to not only getting to know these authors better but adding to my book collection! I will be on the BLUE team.

Check back in the next couple of days to see the authors on the RED TEAM!




HEATHER ANASTASIU





JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT






GWENDA BOND





TERA LYNN CHILDS





ANGELA CORBETT





GINA DAMICO





ED DEHORATIUS





LEIGH FALLON





MARLEY GIBSON ~ POSER





SHAUNA GRANGER





CYNTHIA HAND





NANCY HOLDER





COLLEEN HOUCK





TARA HUDSON





DENISE JADEN





MIRANDA KENNEALLY





SUZANNE LAZEAR





JODI MEADOWS





ALEXANDRA MONIR





E.C. MYERS





ERICA O'ROURKE





AMY PLUM





JESSICA SHIRVINGTON







CARRIE RYAN







J.A. SOUDERS





VICTORIA STRAUSS





DEBBIE VIGUIE

Check this out! ~ VH1 Celebrity ~

Okay, so before you ask… yes, there has been some speculation out there about the books potentially being turned into a TV series. First off – I totally agree with the article I am attaching below that this sounds like a truly awesome idea, and that it would offer many opportunities to see the characters develop.
I’d love to tell you everything, but for now the most I can do is confirm that we are in negotiations and updates will follow.

So for now, we will all just have to wait and see. But if I have news that I can share with you all, I promise I won’t be holding back!

In the meantime, check out VH1’s Celebrity Blog. They had a few words to say on who they think might make perfect casting choices for Lincoln and Phoenix. Can’t say I totally agree, but it is certainly interesting to see different people’s take on the characters!

Check it out for yourselves and let me know what you think!

http://www.vh1.com/celebrity/2012-06-...

Jess xx

AUSSIE ENDLESS TRAILER IS HERE! AND ... SEE THE ALL NEW US COVER FOR ENTICE!

To all the Aussie readers out there, the countdown to Endless has begun!
Only two and a half months to go until the release in Australia and NZ. And to give you a taste of what's to come - take a look at the new Endless Trailer.
As always I have to mention how amazing my publishers and marketing team at Hachette Australia are and thank them for putting together yet another fantastic trailer.
I hope you all love it as much as I do!!
And, to everyone who won't be getting this books until a little later on, don't worry, this trailer won't ruin the earlier books if you do happen to press play!

TO WATCH NOW, CLICK ENDLESS TRAILER

AND, if that wasn't exciting enough, I'm also completely thrilled to share with everyone the all new American cover of ENTICE, which will be out in the US & Canada in September as well! Yay!!!

Now, you might notice that when ENTICE was originally released in Australia and NZ it was called ENTICED (with a D), but the title has now officially been changed to ENTICE for a few reasons and the new black edition which is coming out in Australia will also be called ENTICE. Sorry for any confusion!!

Without further ado, here it is:











































I realise it sounds totally biased, but honestly, this cover completely struck a chord with me. I love that it is darker and grittier and whilst it is different from the US EMBRACE cover, it also shows the progression of the story now that Violet knows who and what she is.
So those are my thoughts, what about you?

And finally, I'm very excited to confirm that I will be over in the US in September and am looking forward to visiting as many cities as possible, so keep an eye on this website and also at www.embracetheseries.com for any updates.

That's all for now folks. xxx

EDITING - a rundown

So, I have to start by apologising for taking so long to post this blog. I know this is a total cliché – but something came up and I had to drop everything for a couple of weeks. Now I’m back at my computer and trying to catch up on emails and commitments. I have a firm belief that if you take the time to reach out to me, the least I can do is give you a wave back! Therefore, to anyone I may have missed relying to over the last couple of weeks, I’m sorry.

Onto my blog post following your requests for topics, one of the main things people were interested in knowing more about is the editing process, so that’s what I’ll focus on today.

The first thing to understand about editing is that there are many levels and often people cringe a little when they think of editing. But I have to start this explanation by saying I LOVE EDITING! Editing is a writer’s friend. It makes our stories better, makes us appear more intelligent than we really are, makes our books reader friendly, improves the integrity of our characters and scenery. To be a writer, you will have a very difficult time if you don’t embrace the editing process fully. That said, as a writer, we are also responsible for the overall outcome. We are responsible for our characters and their story and we will be judged in the end for the books content. Therefore, it is also really important to remain true to yourself as a writer throughout the editing process.

Bottom line, part of being a writer means finding the right balance of taking on board advice and standing your ground. If you have a good relationship with your editor, that shouldn’t be a major problem. (btw,I have excellent editors!)

When does the editing begin?
I suppose the editing begins immediately. For me, the more I write, the better I am at picking up problems as I’m going, so there is an element of it that happens naturally. But it is also very important not to over edit in the early stages. The first and most vital element of a story is to get the heart of it on the paper. If you are spending all your time self-editing, it is likely you will miss other things – like finding the right voice. So in the first and second draft, I try not to think about editing. I don’t delete big paragraphs or go back and make small corrections to scenes. Often, as I am writing, I will realise that the story has moved away from something I may have spent time setting up in the early chapters and as I’m writing I know I am contradicting what I have said earlier. But I know this. I know that at the end I can go back and correct the problem. The important thing for me isn’t to be perfect, it’s to find the perfect path for the story. If I veer all over the place in my early drafts, that’s a-ok with me.

For each book I write, there can be anywhere between 5 and 10 drafts before it even goes to my publisher. This is my way of writing. Some authors take their time, and I can appreciate that, but I’m a fast writer. I need to get what is in my head out and on the paper. When I hit a part of the story that is working I can quite easily write 10,000 words in that day. I need the multiple drafts so I can go back and identify the, often huge, mistakes I have made and also highlight the parts that have come out of nowhere and yet, work beautifully.

So when I finish a draft I simply go back to the beginning and start a full read through. It is important to read all the way through a draft and not get caught up fixing all the little things. Early on it is much more important to identify the major plot flaws and set about fixing them. On a read through, I take notes and I ask questions. I will often hit a scene and realise that I hadn’t addressed the issue later in the story – therefore, I need to either reintroduce the story thread later on and provide a resolution of some kind or, change the story if the scene isn’t entirely necessary. Notes I write will often be about timing as well – what day of the week is this? What time of the day? Hadn’t she already been to this place and that – she couldn’t have done all of that and be back at location A by breakfast time… And I start to look at the characters. Would he have really behaved like that? Would she have stood by and let that happen? They should be more active here. Hey, wasn’t that person in the scene two pages back – well, where the hell are they now? That sort of stuff.

Then I redraft attempting to address these problems. Then I do it all again.

Finally it goes into the publishers and their editing process begins.

The first stage is called a structural edit. This is where they might come back to the writer and say – we love it, but chapter 20 just seems out of place and we were thinking the events of chapter 7 would possible work better in chapter 2. A structural edit makes sweeping changes to the story.

As the writer, it is then our responsibility to go back and make these changes. If we don’t feel comfortable with the suggestions, that’s fine, but we can’t not do anything (my editor would change this – double negative!). The golden rule in editing is: there is always a reason. Editors don’t sit around twiddling their thumbs and working out how to make a writer’s day shit. They see the problems. That’s what they do best. So we have to trust that they are right when they say a change needs to be made – if we don’t agree with their suggested improvement, no problem, we come up with a better one that they also agree works. More times than not, this is the best outcome for everyone.

Once a structural edit is completed the manuscript then goes through a copy edit. This is when the smaller problems are tackled. Timing consistencies, calling writers on areas of tell not show, character traits, dialogue length and believability, language, grammar, it goes on… And most of all, slice and dice, people! Copy edit is a ruthless cutting of unnecessary words and repetition. Editors look at a sentence and find the words that aren’t needed. Truly, they are magical!
I mentioned ‘show not tell’ above. This is really important and I’m sure you have all heard of it before. What it means is basically this:

TELL
He was so angry to be put in this position. He never wanted to go back to that terrible place because his mother died there in a horrible car crash. And even worse, he couldn’t face it because he had been the one driving the car. But how could he explain that to her and expect her to ever look at him the same again?

SHOW
Jack’s jaw clenched and his hands fisted. “Going back there isn’t an option.”
“Why?” Lucinda asked, her tone cautious.
He closed his eyes. Just the thought of that place…of the crash…
“Tell me, Jack. I’m not letting this go until you tell me why.”
He slammed his fist down on the table causing Lucinda to leap from her chair. “Because that’s where the accident was. That’s where I killed my mother!”

Okay, sorry for the shoddy effort – but that might give you an idea.

A copy edit can have a couple of stages depending on how much work needs to be done. It is also the opportunity for the writer to identify problems as well, and when a copy edit comes in, often writers will also make considerable changes to scenes. This is also where your editor might pick out a line and question it – it may be a little quirky, or not grammatically correct etc – but, you always wanted it that way. You see, there are lines and quirks that writers are allowed to have. Little ways of saying things that are either unique to us as authors or unique to the tone of our story and characters. In these instances, it is important to be able to acknowledge our editors query but assure them, the line should remain as is – faults and all.

The other editing term you might have heard before is “Killing your darlings”. We all have to do it, and it always hurts. It is when it comes to killing our darlings that editors have a hard job. Writers will often fight for a few lines they are particularly pleased with, or a scene that has come out beautifully, but the question must always be asked – does this (as fantastic as it is!) move the story forward? If the answer is, um…well…ok…maybe not. It has to go. Deleting those words can hurt big time. That’s why I have a bits file on my computer where everything I delete goes. I often revisit the file and find something I want to use at a later date. I also often revisit the file and wonder what on earth I was thinking – how had that ever been considered one of my darlings? Lesson learned.

Okay, so after surviving self edit, structural edit, and copy edit – it is now time to go to proof edit. This is where grammar, punctuation, spelling and word repetition are the focus. It can be a little exhausting once we reach this stage, but it is super important not to drop the bundle here, because often these are errors readers really notice. Usually at this stage your editor will go through the manuscript and also another editor either within the publishing house or outsourced. This is to get a pair of clean eyes on the manuscript (very important!). As the writer, it is also your responsibility to go through the manuscript with a fine toothcomb.

Finally, once all of this is done, first pages come in. This is where the pages have been typeset and begin to look like the pages of a book. It is at this point that proofreading is completed. Again, you and your editor will proofread as well as another few sets of clean eyes (you would be amazed what you can miss!).

Done!

And then … your book is released and someone picks up that there is a typo on page 173 and … you want to throw yourself off a building!

But, alas, there is always the hope of a second print run!

I WANT TO BLOG ABOUT SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO READ ABOUT.

I'll be posting a blog next week and decided that I wanted to ask you guys what you would be interested in hearing about.

So, I'm taking suggestions and questions!

It could be about:
1. Writing - Starting a new story, drafting, structure, genre, developing characters, self-editing, editing, proofing - anything.

2. Publishing - finding a publisher, their expectations, the process, usual timing, decision making, covers and blurbs, different types of rights, how imprints work and their importance...

3. Getting an Agent - how to approach this, when should you approach this, how did I go about it, what does an agent do, etc...

4. My Books - questions about particular scenes in EMBRACE and why they were important to Violet's story. Questions about character profiles and why I wanted them to be one way or another. Anything really - but please be aware I need to be careful with giving away too much!!

5.
6.
7...... the list goes on....

Anything you are interested in. If you want me to talk about it, I'll do my best to give you an answer.

Note: These answers will just be my opinion. I'm not following a rule book here, just my own experience. The journey for every writer can be very different. :)

Please leave your suggestions in the comments.

YA SCAVENGER HUNT STARTS TODAY - FOR 72 HOURS ONLY!!!

TIME FOR A LITTLE HUNTING...and the chance to WIN BIG!

The 2012 Scavenger hunt officially begins TODAY! Don't miss your chance to get an exclusive look at bonus material from some of your favorite authors, including deleted scenes, teaser chapters, cover reveals, book trailers and more! PLUS, pay special attention along the way as, in addition to the GRAND PRIZE, many authors will be offering their own additional personal GIVEAWAY!

Starts at noon today (pacific time), March 29, and finishes at noon (pacific time), April 1.

Because we have a startling number of 60 authors participating this year we are breaking into three groups. We have a BLUE TEAM, RED TEAM and YELLOW TEAM!

Each group is made up of 20 authors and I am on:
TEAM BLUE!

Thanks to the incredible efforts of the hunt founder: Colleen Houck and the help of Beth Revis , this year a new (click>>>)  YA SCAVENGER WEBSITE has been launched that will help you navigate the hunt and show you the breakdown of the three teams. If you get lost on the hunt simply return to the hunt website and pick up where you left off.

Directions: There are THREE contests you can enter for the Spring 2012 YA Scavenger Hunt! You can follow the one team or you can enter all three contests!

Follow one at a time and gather together the highlighted letters in that team's color. Once you have all the letters, you have all the clues you need to create a specific phrase. That phrase is your ticket to enter for a grand prize--a signed copy of each book in that team!

For example: Let's say you want to enter the contest for the blue team (hint hint!). Go to the website of each author in the blue team. On each author's website, there will be a hidden blue letter. Find all the letters, and you'll be able to figure out the secret phrase. Then go to the YA SCAVENGER HUNT WEBSITE page and enter the phrase in the form for the blue team. (And then, of course, you probably had so much fun that you'll want to enter the contest for the red and yellow teams, too!)

Make sure you figure out the secret phrase for the contest you want to enter--because your entry will ONLY count if you get the correct phrase!


FEATURED AUTHOR:

S.R. Johannes ..... To read on go to my website now.

YA SCAVENGER HUNT!! ***INTERNATIONAL***

It's time to announce the final lineup of the Spring Scavenger Hunt! This year it will be bigger and badder than ever before with 60 count 'em 60 YA authors! With fabulous prizes around every corner you DO NOT want to miss this! This is your chance to have heaps of fun collecting all the hunt clues at each site, and enter in a staggering number of giveaways - not to mention the major grand prizes!! Trust me - you DO NOT want to miss this!

A gigantic thanks to the expertise of Colleen Houck who is once again putting together this awesome event! And, to Beth Revis who has created a website just for our Scavenger Hunts! Click on the YA Scavenger Hunt image below to be redirected there. Because we have so many authors this time we are breaking into three groups. We have BLUE TEAM, RED TEAM and YELLOW TEAM!




Each group is made up of 20 authors and I am on TEAM BLUE!

This means that my bonus material will be found on the BLUE team. If you get lost on the hunt simply return to the hunt website and pick up where you left off. While you check out the website, don't forget to vote on the polls, follow the site, and check out all the prizes. You can even tweet from there too!

On top of the amazing grand prizes that will be up for grabs, look out for my own personal giveaway - details of which will be posted soon!

THE YA SCAVENGER HUNT BEGINS THURSDAY MARCH 29TH AT NOON PACIFIC TIME AND ENDS SUNDAY APRIL 1ST AT NOON PACIFIC TIME! THAT GIVES YOU ONLY 72 HOURS TO COMPLETE THE HUNT!

GOOD LUCK!

Below is your sneak preview of the authors and the books they will be featuring on the hunt.







































































































































































"Getting Started" by: LISA NOWAK

























WOW! What an incredibly huge and amazing group of authors!

NEW BLACK EDITION OF EMBRACE HITTING AUSSIE SHELVES!

Hey everyone,

So, I know I have been pretty focused on the US release of Embrace over the last month, but I haven't forgotten all the amazing readers in Australia who have been supporting the series since the very beginning. So a big shout out and thank you to all of you!

And ... I have some really exciting news for those that haven't yet managed to get their hands on a copy of Embrace because my fab Aussie publishers, Hachette, are about to release a new stunning all black edition of Embrace.








Beautiful, right??

I'm totally in love with this new cover, which is also in a soft touch finish!

If you don't already own a copy - look out for this one -

AVAILABLE IN STORES FROM MARCH 13 AUSTRALIA WIDE

I love it how she has the tattoo's in this version!

Let me know what you think.

RELEASE DAY IN THE USA ... SQUEE!!

Time for my seriously goofy happy dance …

Because Embrace is now officially for sale in the US and Canada!

Yay!

Here is some of the exciting feedback Embrace has already received in the States:

"Shirvington's debut is smart, edgy and addictive—and sure to leave readers clamoring for the rest of the series . . . The story is rife with action and romance. A must-read for paranormal fans young and old."—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED



"One of the best YA novels we've seen in a while. Get ready for a confident, kick-butt, well-defined heroine. She is a woman who will let nothing get in her way. And the heroes! Oh my." — RT Book Reviews



"This absorbing debut, the first in a series, features an appealing, well-written protagonist; diversely drawn characters; intricate . . . mythology; and an exploration of free will versus destiny. . . .Fans of otherworldly stories will likely enjoy this edgy, suspenseful romance and anticipate its follow-up." — Booklist



“If angels are the new vampires, then "Embrace" is a worthy follow-up to "The Twilight Saga."” — LA Times

[image error]









Here is a small run down on the book:

Violet Eden is dreading her seventeenth birthday dinner. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. The one bright spot is that Lincoln will be there. Sexy, mature and aloof, he is Violet’s idea of perfection. But he’s never given a hint of wanting to be more than just her friend and kickboxing trainer.

That night he gives her the world’s most incredible kiss — and then abandons her on her front doorstep. Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for Lincoln’s explanation: he is Grigori — part angel and part human — and Violet is his eternal partner.

Without warning, Violet’s world is turned upside down. She never believed in God, let alone angels.  And now she’s supposed to accept that she’s some mythological soldier protecting humanity from heaven’s exiled angels? And sacrifice all of her hopes for a normal life forever?

But there’s no denying the strange changes in Violet’s body…or that Lincoln has betrayed her. He had a plan for meeting her, getting to know her and training her — without ever telling her the truth. How could she ever trust him again?

Enter Phoenix. He’s intense and enigmatic, but at least he never lied to her. As an Exile, he is not to be trusted, yet he’s the only one there to pick up the pieces and protect her after Lincoln’s lies. In a world of dark and light, he is all shades of gray. And he’s inspiring feelings that might just push her over the edge.

As Violet gets caught up in a world where angels seek vengeance and humans are warriors, she must choose her path. She’s always been strong, but will she be strong enough? Lincoln vs. Phoenix. Angel vs. Exile. Which will she…Embrace?

Click here to read the first two chapters now! :)

Quotes and Research in Embrace

Research is a vital tool for me, and on many levels.
It serves to introduce historical anchors and provide a source of inspiration for potential story threads. It assists in achieving an element of integrity and believability. BUT in some ways – most of all – I find it a platform for confidence. Research and knowledge is a way of arming a writer with as many tools as possible.

It doesn’t mean I use everything I research, in fact, I use very little. But it helps me make educated decisions with a little more background awareness. I also find that when I am in the flow of writing, small forks in the road appear where a choice needs to be made. There are thousands of them (a color, a phrase, the weather, a power selection, a setting, a dream sequence) in any story and I often find that I make these choices based on something I have researched. To the reader it is relatively unimportant to the story, but for the confidence of the story as a whole, I believe it makes a difference.

One of the big sections of research I have committed myself to is the sourcing and selection of quotes that lead each of my chapters.

Originally, I made this decision because I kept coming across amazing quotes or verses from the bible that I thought could apply to parts of my story – and sometimes with a very eerie result.

I’ll just say this: using quotes in this kind of quantity is a group effort. I never realized just how much work would be involved in having a small quote at the top of each chapter. Boy, was I wrong! First I find them – and since I obsess about them being just right, some quotes can take weeks to source – then with the help of the publishers, they must be checked, sourced, verified, and a multitude of copyright issues addressed. But I love having them there and I hope my editor will agree they are worth the hassle!

So with that in mind, I have jotted down a few of the quotes that I love the most from Embrace. I hope you find yourself as drawn to them as I was.

1. “Outside, among your fellows, among strangers, you must preserve appearances, a hundred things you cannot do; but inside, the terrible freedom!”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. “This is your fate, the destiny I have planned for you.”
Jeremiah 13:25

3. “Yet he was jealous, though he did not show it, For jealousy dislikes the world to know it.”
Lord Byron

4. “If it is nothingness that awaits us, let us make an injustice of it; let us fight against destiny, even without hope of victory.”
Miguel De Unamuno

5. “One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it.”
Sidney Howard

6. “You know that when I hate you, it is because I love you to a point of passion that unhinges my soul.”
Julie De Lespinasse