Cristy Watson's Blog, page 2

Love the Cover

Once I hit send, you think I'd be relieved. The edits are done and my job, finished. But then, I wait... What cover will my publisher choose? What will the folks think who read the ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) and when it finally hits the shelves next Spring, what will the public think of my novel?!

So, I stress and worry until I get absorbed in a new story! This year, I am waiting on two books, one with Lorimer SideStreets and one with Orca Books. Orca has my novel up on their Spring list for 2016 and I love the cover and the tagline: Cue the conflict: family versus passion. Check it out here and watch for updates:
http://www.orcabook.com/On-Cue-P1113....

100 and counting

Wow! I just hit 100 ratings between my two YA novels. I am thrilled that so many people took the time to add my books to goodreads and took the time to give them a rating. Now if I could get onto my personal blog page I'd add a note, there as well!

A New Book

Thanks to my wonderful editor, Melanie Jeffs at Orca Books, my new YA hi-lo novel will be published in the Spring of 2016. This is my first time signing a book contract when the MS is not finished. Over this holiday break I worked hard and now have three chapters to complete by my deadline of April 15th. I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!

Thanks, Susan Toy!

I met Susan (online) while participating in the first Coffee Shop Author Contest, where I finished a book of poetry I now call, “Poetry from the Pelican”. It was on that site I was able to post about my YA novels getting published. I love the circle of writing – where connections come around again and again! I am so lucky to be part of this wonderful species we call ‘writers’!

Thanks to Susan for posting this promo message, especially since I am not that great at self-promtion! And please check out her blog for other writers being highlighted and for the wonderful information Susan shares!

http://readingrecommendations.wordpre...

Mark your 2014 Calendars!

Alexandra Neighbourhood House is excited to announce Lit Cafe, an evening of readings showcasing the work of five talented, award-winning local authors.

The event will happen Wednesday, January 15 from 7-9 pm in the newly-inaugurated Reading Room at Alexandra Neighbourhood House, 2916 McBride Ave. in Crescent Beach. Suggested donation for admission is $5, but none will be turned away for lack of funds. 

The individuals presenting their works will be Margo Bates, Ben Nuttall-Smith, Lois Peterson, Sylvia Taylor, and Cristy Watson.

See link for author bios - I am on page 2:

http://www.alexhouse.net/sites/defaul...

New Manuscript

Draft number three of my Picture Book is now complete. Three people have read it and given feedback. Three different people have heard the story and enjoyed it! I guess that means I should send it off in three days!

Editor's Choice

I am surprised and thrilled that my entry to the CV2 2-Day Poetry Contest, 'Vegas, Baby', was honoured with Editor's Choice. See all the winning poems here and from now until July 5th, you can also vote for the People's Choice Award: http://www.contemporaryverse2.ca/en/c...

First Skype Author Visit

Had a wonderful time yesterday visiting a grade 2 class via skype. The students had pre-written questions they asked about writing. Mostly, they wanted to know which one of my own books was my favourite. Length of books and whether or not there were scary scenes was also important to them! They were excited to hear that my first adventures into writing started at age 8 and now they are primed to become our next novelists!

Poetry Month

As Poetry month comes to a close I am happy to say I did my part! I hosted an open mic with poetry only, and the readings were amazing - from haiku and sonnets to free verse and slam poetry! I also attended a book launch that inspired me to write a poem about nature and the Han Shan Poetry project that Susan McCaslin started in Langley to save a forest. Finally, I wrote furiously to complete a poem in 2 days using the ten words chosen by the team at CV2. This year's tough words: sententious, gambit and scrubby! Dare I send off one more poem to the Ascent Aspirations contest?

January featured Author

Excited and thrilled to be one of the featured authors in January's Text2Reader Language Arts program for students in grades 6-8! Thanks to my wonderful editor, Melanie Jeffs, to my awesome publisher, ORCA books, and to LearnNowBC!! Check it out here:
http://text2reader.com/t2r/welcome