Corrine Jackson's Blog, page 22
February 14, 2011
Best Valentine's Day Present. EVER.
The Sunday before Christmas, I finished my second book, a YA contemporary called IF I LIE. I sent it off to my agent and held my breath, waiting for her to tell me it sucked. Not because my agent is a jerk (she's actually AMAZING), but because my confidence had been swirling the drain for a while.
See, getting an agent and then going on submission is tough. In fact, it's the hardest thing I've ever voluntarily faced, and I like a good challenge. Most writers become well acquainted with rejection in all its various forms, from "no" to "oh, hell, no!" There were days when I brushed off the no's and vowed to keep at it. But then there were days when I cried and thought I was stupid for even trying. My family and friends would ask if I'd sold a book yet, and I'd launch into this diatribe about how maybe 1% of writers actually get published. And they would pat me on the back, and I'd act all fierce because I was still in the game, still writing and learning and sweating and bleeding on the page.
But secretly, I wondered, who did I think I was to even reach for that 1% with my grubby hands? There's nothing terribly special about me. If you asked me to describe myself, my first words would be "I'm a hard worker." Yay. Let's all high five on that one. I'm not the sparkling type that lights up a room. I'm not passionate about anything. I don't spend my weekends fighting for causes. When you get down to it, what could I possibly have to say that matters to anyone?
Do you want to slap me yet? Because I did. Seriously. What a huge, steaming load of crap all that is.
That garbage – all those nasty thoughts – are what a series of no's can do to you if you're not careful. Those are all lies you begin to tell yourself when you take every rejection of your work as a rejection of YOU. Okay, maybe I don't light up a room, but I laugh a lot and I'm a phenomenal listener. I'm passionate about lots of things, including writing and family and friends.
And I have so much that is interesting to say. My experience is unique and colorful and MINE. Did you know I was once in a body cast? Or that my parents' have nine marriages and eight divorces between them? Or that I used to play daredevil and jump off my roof – for fun? And I have a scar on my elbow from that time I got run over by a car? And what about that sister that I've never met?
Every time I sit down to write, I channel all that experience into my work. I take all that emotion, and I dig into it, so I can put it on paper like a mirror for others to look into and recognize themselves. I am so freaking lucky to have an ability that can move people. What a humbling, overwhelming thing.
If you have a gift and you love it and you're passionate about it, don't give into the no's. You have to keep growing and learning and writing. Do what it takes to get better. School, workshops, beta reading, taking criticism and turning it into gold.
Because if you finally get the call that you have an offer – or two (holy freak out) – those no's are going to become the rocks you had to climb to get where you are. And getting to the top of the mountain will mean all the more. And you will cry when your agent tells you the news. Then you will cry and laugh when you tell your sister and your mom and those people who believed in you. And if you are like me, you will lock yourself in your bathroom and sob when it hits you that the dream you've been slaving over is coming true in a very real way.
Trust me on this.
It pays to be a hard worker.
My super awesome, life-changing news…
My YA contemp IF I LIE will be published in Fall 2012 by the Simon Pulse imprint at Simon & Schuster!
February 13, 2011
YA Blogosphere Lovefest: Krista Ashe
Happy Valentine's Day!Today, a bunch of YA writers are spreading the love in a big ol' blogfest. We were each given a Secret Valentine to lavish some affection on. My Secret Valentine is Krista Ashe.
If you've ever visited the Old People Writing for Teens room on the Absolute Write forums, you've most likely met Krista. The unofficial welcome committee, Krista exudes Southern Magnolia charm as she greets all the newcomers and helps everyone settle in to the conversation. I know she was there to greet me when I first showed up and helped me ease my way into the group.
Krista is also one of the founders of the Got YA blog. She and her cohorts have tackled everything from query letters to censorship, while throwing great contests for their followers. Plus we get a peek at what they were like as teens when they take a trip to the past on Flashback Fridays. Krista also writes some very real characters, infusing her writing with the same passion she infuses in her life.
If you've met Krista for even five minutes, you know she has a fierce, loyal heart. She adores her puppy and her Grandmother. She also gives a tremendous amount of love and attention to her students, and has even been recognized with a WXIA 11Alive News Class Act Teaching Award.
You can find Krista on her blog, at Got Ya, or follow her on Twitter!
February 10, 2011
Bookanista Review: I Am Number Four
As you may have noticed by a few changes around here – namely the new tab up top – I have joined the Bookanistas. For my first week as part of this gracious and talented group of writers, I chose to review I AM NUMBER FOUR by Pittacus Lore.
This is Book One of the Lorian Legacy, a new sci fi action adventure series. Here's the official blurb from the publisher:
Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.
Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.
But they know.
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.
I am Number Four.
I am next.
An alien race with superpowers hiding on Earth from other aliens. Sounds exactly what I would like in a movie, but I wasn't so sure I'd love it in a book. From the very first chapter, though, the book turned out to be more than I expected.
The action scenes are alive and quick-paced – exactly how an action scene should be. I'm not a sci fi expert, but I loved the world building in this book. The Lorian race, their history, the devastation of their planet, and how the Nine ended up on Earth were fascinating. The Mogadorians are perfectly creepy in their many, planet-destroying variations. Plus, I loved the powers the characters developed in the story.
And while this is absolutely a book with a male protag that a boy would love to read for the action and some gore, I have to say the girls are not left out. Number Four falls in love with a human and becomes friends with another. Watching him try to reconcile his duty to the Lorians with his newfound feelings will satisfy the reader looking for romance.
Overall, I really liked I AM NUMBER FOUR, and I'm looking forward to its sequel. Also, lucky me, when I purchased the book I scored a pass to the Advance Screening. That's where I'll be tonight. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks again to the Bookanistas for letting me join the party! Check out the links below to see what the others are talking about.
Elana Johnson raves over BIRTHMARKED
LiLa Roecker is going bonkers for BETRAYAL
Christine Fonseca is dizzy for DELIRIUM
Shannon Messenger features WHERE SHE WENT plus an ARC Giveaway!
Carolina Valdez Miller is loco for LIKE MANDARIN
Beth Revis is remembering MEMENTO NORA
Shana Silver is pumped for BUMPED
Carrie Harris gets hexed by HEX HALL
Rosemary Clement-Moore is enraptured by WARPED
Katie Anderson covets the cover of Myra McEntire's HOURGLASS
Corrine Jackson is dazzled by I AM NUMBER FOUR
