Sarvenaz Tash's Blog, page 35

Strike a Pose, There's Nothing to It

Madonna--I'm pretty sure you're not used to hearing this but I have to say--I think you're wrong.

I spent part of my weekend getting professional author photos taken. I spent the other part of my weekend stressing out about it.

I have never been an in-front-of-the camera-girl. (I dare you, for instance, to try and find any photos of me between the ages of twelve and seventeen.) For a short while, I thought I might be a behind-the-camera girl before quickly realizing I was actually a behind-the-...

Reader for Life

Here is a non-surprising fact about me: when I was a kid, I spent about 90% of the time with my nose in a book. Excellent for my imagination. Not so great for my social skills.

Moving on.

I sometimes get asked why I choose to write fiction for kids and my answer is pretty simple. As much as I adore many, many books as an adult, I don't think I will ever forget some of the first books I read as a kid and the world of sheer wonder that they presented to me. Those books are in the fabric of who I ...

Books to Movies: What Adaptations Have Gotten Under Your Skin?

Yesterday, I got in trouble by saying that I hated Joe Wright's version of Pride and Prejudice (that's the one with Keira Knightley).

I have a screenwriting background and I'm now a novelist. From a technical perspective, I completely understand the difficulties and challenges of adapting anything from the page to the screen. There's basically no way to do it without cutting things or changing things around to suit the visual medium. But as a general lover of stories, I have very, very rarely ...

PB, MG, YA...What Does It All Mean?

When I tell friends that I've written a children's book, but that it's novel-length, they sometimes look confused. But once I mention Roald Dahl, they instantly get it.

Of course, almost everyone knows what a picture book is and I think, at this point, YA has made enough of a splash that most people know what it is, too. But there are books that fall in between that are called terms most people don't hear every day. For example, I am a middle-grade (often abbreviated as MG) writer.

Here is a ha...

Author Journeys: Diana Gabaldon

I first got introduced to author Diana Gabaldon when I was going on a trip to Italy and made a book recommendation request on Facebook with the following criteria: looking for a longish page-turner that will keep me entertained on a variety of flights, ferries, etc.

A very well-read friend came through for me by recommending Gabaldon's Outlander series. One ten-day trip later, I was hooked.

Outlander is a unique blend of romance, historical fiction, and time travel. It starts in the 1940s and c...

Editing on Spec

As I've talked about a little before, my now-editor, Stacy, was first introduced to me via another manuscript and my blog. When I submitted what eventually became The Mapmaker and the Ghost, it was only about 28,000 words (125 pages in Word) and did not have a ghost anywhere in it.

I was very lucky that Stacy was able to see the spark of something in that early draft. She decided to do something which I think is rather unusual. She told my agent and me that the manuscript was not publish...

Wanna Read the Opening Paragraphs of My Book?

Oftentimes, the advice you're given as a writer is to work on your opening more than you work on any other part of your book. This makes sense since, obviously, this is the first impression a reader will get of your work (and definitely the first impression a prospective agent or editor will get too). And if they're not hooked by page five or so, there's a good chance you've lost them.

My opening paragraphs of THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST have changed a bit from what I wrote in September of 2007...

Social Media and the Writer

As a writer, I have certain personality traits that I think are common to most of us. I'm innately shy. I have a very tight-knit and close group of friends, but it can be hard for me to let new people in. I can be socially awkward. I show my writing to a very, very select and trusted group of people.

Once I get published, I know that last bit is definitely going to change. People I've never met will likely pick up my book, read it, discuss it, rate it, and write whatever they'd like about it;...

Ta-Da!

I've spent the last week working on my official website and I'm proud to reveal that...

...it is now officially up and running! Check it out: www.sarvenaztash.com

I am a ."com" Which I think is a good thing? Since some of my heroes—including J.K. Rowling and Neil Gaiman—are also .coms, I'm going to go with a yes.

At my day job, I work with a team who creates websites all the time (I write the copy/editorial for it), but I've never been fully responsible for designing my own. I plunged into it th...

I Have a Title!!!

Okay, so I don't normally do two blog posts in one day, and I usually try to be a little wittier with my post titles, but I just got some exciting news that I needed to share immediately. That leaves little time for cleverness.

After many months and many long lists, my book officially has a title! Ready? [long-awaited drumroll]

It will be called: The Mapmaker and the Ghost

[cymbal crash]

This was always one of my favorite prospective titles and I'm so glad my editor and the marketing/sales team a...