Kristen Simmons's Blog, page 7
November 20, 2011
5 Weeks of ARTICLE 5!
It's begun... 5 weeks! 5 chances to win an advance copy of Article 5! Visit my website for more info!
http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/bl...
http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/bl...
November 6, 2011
Stuck and Sticky
Did you have a nice Halloween? I hope so. Your costume was lovely. I mean, spooky. Lovely in that spooky way. I did the witch thing. I know, I know. A witch. So original. The good news is my belt had super sassy rhinestone spiders on it. The bad news is the black lipstick didn't come off for days. Or rather, it did, but only halfway, so it kind of looked like my lips were rotting off. That was my post-Halloween gift to everyone in the supermarket when I went grocery shopping.
So anyway. I've been writing a lot. Okay, that's sort of a lie. I've been sitting in front of my computer a lot. And snacking a lot. Also getting up and pacing, walking Precious Rudy the greyhound around the block, reading, calling old friends, making collages from magazine pictures, thinking about how nice it would be if my house was clean, checking my email, rechecking my email, planning ARC giveaways, and engaging in a lot of angst-baking, as my special friend Julie from Rosewood Pencil Box informed me it was called.
So basically, I've been stuck.
Not blocked - it's not as if I'm going nowhere. I've been making progress. Just slow progress. Like walking through honey. I'm about 15,000 words in to book 3 of the trilogy, but have yet to reach that place where I just...can't...stop... Which will happen. At some point. (Please.)
So yes, I've been angst-baking. This week I made Mississippi mud bars, which have lots and lots of chocolate (like 3 different kinds), marshmallows, frosting, and pecans. So maybe the pictures don't do them justice, but they were fabulous, I'm telling you.
So that was my week. How was your week? Good, I hope. Did you bake anything fabulous?
Before I go I want to say two things:
1. In two weeks I'm going to launch a FIVE WEEK ARTICLE 5 GIVEAWAY! It will begin 11/21 and end the week before Christmas. More details coming soon. Hope to see you back!
2. Happy Dance Time! A few days ago I was absolutely overjoyed to receive an email from Stephanie at Book Reader Addicts, who made my day (Week! Month! Year!) with this review of Article 5. Thanks Stephanie! (Sorry, I just had to share!)
So anyway. I've been writing a lot. Okay, that's sort of a lie. I've been sitting in front of my computer a lot. And snacking a lot. Also getting up and pacing, walking Precious Rudy the greyhound around the block, reading, calling old friends, making collages from magazine pictures, thinking about how nice it would be if my house was clean, checking my email, rechecking my email, planning ARC giveaways, and engaging in a lot of angst-baking, as my special friend Julie from Rosewood Pencil Box informed me it was called.
So basically, I've been stuck.
Not blocked - it's not as if I'm going nowhere. I've been making progress. Just slow progress. Like walking through honey. I'm about 15,000 words in to book 3 of the trilogy, but have yet to reach that place where I just...can't...stop... Which will happen. At some point. (Please.)
So yes, I've been angst-baking. This week I made Mississippi mud bars, which have lots and lots of chocolate (like 3 different kinds), marshmallows, frosting, and pecans. So maybe the pictures don't do them justice, but they were fabulous, I'm telling you.
So that was my week. How was your week? Good, I hope. Did you bake anything fabulous?
Before I go I want to say two things:
1. In two weeks I'm going to launch a FIVE WEEK ARTICLE 5 GIVEAWAY! It will begin 11/21 and end the week before Christmas. More details coming soon. Hope to see you back!
2. Happy Dance Time! A few days ago I was absolutely overjoyed to receive an email from Stephanie at Book Reader Addicts, who made my day (Week! Month! Year!) with this review of Article 5. Thanks Stephanie! (Sorry, I just had to share!)
October 30, 2011
Top 10 Writerly Fears
Since it’s Halloween and all I thought I'd share my top 10 writerly fears. Or maybe I should say current writerly fears. I had plenty of fears before a contract came into the picture – I’m never going to find an agent, I’m never going to be published, my story SUCKS – and always thought that once I had an agent, had an editor, had a cover on those pages, all those fears would disappear. I mean, what did published authors really have to worry about, right? They had a flipping book! All their dreams came true! Happily ever after! Etc. Etc. Etc.!
Right?
Um...
Maybe. Maybe once A5 is released into the wild I will magically forget all my nail-biting, caffeine-binging, compulsive-email-checking moments. But I sort of doubt it. Because here, in this weird space between contract and publication, I'm finding myself anxious as ever. My fears haven't gone away. They've just changed. I've found new things to worry about. Hooray for me.
So without further ado, I present the ten thoughts that scare me on a regular basis:
(to read the rest of this post, go to http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/bl... )
Right?
Um...
Maybe. Maybe once A5 is released into the wild I will magically forget all my nail-biting, caffeine-binging, compulsive-email-checking moments. But I sort of doubt it. Because here, in this weird space between contract and publication, I'm finding myself anxious as ever. My fears haven't gone away. They've just changed. I've found new things to worry about. Hooray for me.
So without further ado, I present the ten thoughts that scare me on a regular basis:
(to read the rest of this post, go to http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/bl... )
October 24, 2011
NY Comic Con Appearance!
I have been working with a top secret, stealthy friend on a very special Halloween interview post for this week (going up Wednesday on Brave New Words), but in the mean time, let me just share this:
[image error]
Although I was not at the 2012 NY Comic Conference, it looks like ARTICLE 5 was! I was sent this fabulous photo - an A5 poster (POSTER! Like a cover but BIGGER!) - from last weekend. I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it...I'm about to lose control and I think I like it!
Also, don't forget that the Haunted Halloween is still going on at Confessions of a Bookaholic! The contest to win a signed ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of ARTICLE 5 will be open until 10/31/11! Good luck, and thanks for checking it out!
Have a wonderful week everyone!
[image error]
Although I was not at the 2012 NY Comic Conference, it looks like ARTICLE 5 was! I was sent this fabulous photo - an A5 poster (POSTER! Like a cover but BIGGER!) - from last weekend. I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it...I'm about to lose control and I think I like it!
Also, don't forget that the Haunted Halloween is still going on at Confessions of a Bookaholic! The contest to win a signed ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of ARTICLE 5 will be open until 10/31/11! Good luck, and thanks for checking it out!
Have a wonderful week everyone!
October 17, 2011
Haunted Halloween ARTICLE 5 Giveaway!
It’s the HAUNTED HALLOWEEN at Confessions of a Bookaholic, and I’m telling (kind of) scary ghost(ish) stories, filled with screaming and terror and wax figures and absolute mayhem. Come find me: http://www.totalbookaholic.com/2011/1...
You might just win an advance copy of ARTICLE 5!
Yes, that’s right! Go! They’re giving away an ARC of ARTICLE 5!
(BTW did you know that there are just four more months until ARTICLE 5′s BIRTHDAY – 2/14/12? Four months. I know. I know!)
Happy Monday everyone. Hope you have a wonderful week, filled with fabulous Halloween candy. Like Reese’s pumpkins. Those are my favorite.
October 9, 2011
Ride-Along Research
So here’s the awesome thing about being an author: you can do all this random stuff in the name of “research” and nobody really questions you (like sit on a stranger’s motorcycle – “Is it all right if I just see what this feels like…don’t worry, it’s for this book I’m writing.”). Although ARTICLE 5 is done – all 4 bazillion rounds of edits are in and pages are printed – the second book is currently in revisions, and I’m writing the third. Which basically means that I’m in a constant state of researchization.*
Without giving too much away, I’ll tell you that within the ARTICLE 5 series there are two main factions at odds with one another: the Federal Bureau of Reformation, which is implementing a set of Moral Statutes with lethal consequences, and a body of resistance, fighting against them. There were some necessary things I needed to learn for both sides – things about guns, for instance, and weapons in general. I wanted to learn what it was like for someone to dedicate their life to another’s safety, regardless the personal consequences, and what it felt like to be charged with the enormous burden of enforcing rules, because these are themes come up for all of my characters, regardless the side they’ve chosen. So I contacted the local police department, and asked if I could do a ride-along.
Read the rest at: http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/bl...
Without giving too much away, I’ll tell you that within the ARTICLE 5 series there are two main factions at odds with one another: the Federal Bureau of Reformation, which is implementing a set of Moral Statutes with lethal consequences, and a body of resistance, fighting against them. There were some necessary things I needed to learn for both sides – things about guns, for instance, and weapons in general. I wanted to learn what it was like for someone to dedicate their life to another’s safety, regardless the personal consequences, and what it felt like to be charged with the enormous burden of enforcing rules, because these are themes come up for all of my characters, regardless the side they’ve chosen. So I contacted the local police department, and asked if I could do a ride-along.
Read the rest at: http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/bl...
September 28, 2011
Revision Survival 101
Planning a trip to Revisionland? Or maybe you’ve taken a wrong turn on the road to publication, and found yourself wandering through its deserted wastelands and brain-sucking swamps. Either way, you don’t want to be caught ill-equipped. Revisionland is hazardous for even the most experienced writers, and careful preparation is crucial if you plan on making it out alive.
The US ARMY SURVIVAL MANUAL tells us we need to remember one word when faced with life-threatening situations, like those you most certainly will encounter in Revisionland.
SURVIVAL.
S – Size up the situation – Read through that revision letter more than once. Get a feel for it. Does it weigh more or less than two pounds? Can you stuff it under your clothes to protect yourself against the cold? Can it double as a seat on the hard ground? Enough paper will keep a fire going for hours. The uses for a good, solid revision letter are countless.
Read the rest at http://bravenewwordsdebut.blogspot.co...
The US ARMY SURVIVAL MANUAL tells us we need to remember one word when faced with life-threatening situations, like those you most certainly will encounter in Revisionland.
SURVIVAL.
S – Size up the situation – Read through that revision letter more than once. Get a feel for it. Does it weigh more or less than two pounds? Can you stuff it under your clothes to protect yourself against the cold? Can it double as a seat on the hard ground? Enough paper will keep a fire going for hours. The uses for a good, solid revision letter are countless.
Read the rest at http://bravenewwordsdebut.blogspot.co...
September 18, 2011
A5 Foreign Rights Deals
I'm so pleased to announce the following foreign rights deals:
Murdoch Books in Australia/New Zealand territory
Piper in Germany
Marco Polo Publishing in Taiwan, including Hong Kong & Macao- (Complex Characters),
and
Dolnoslaskie Wydawnictwo in Poland.
Thank you to all the dedicated people at Tor who made this happen! I am so grateful.
Learn more at http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com
Murdoch Books in Australia/New Zealand territory
Piper in Germany
Marco Polo Publishing in Taiwan, including Hong Kong & Macao- (Complex Characters),
and
Dolnoslaskie Wydawnictwo in Poland.
Thank you to all the dedicated people at Tor who made this happen! I am so grateful.
Learn more at http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com
September 11, 2011
Opening Lines
As my friend Fraulein Maria says, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”
I was recently rereading A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens, and was blown away (as always) by the opening line. You’ve probably heard it: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” etc., etc. In the history of literature that has to be one of the best first lines ever written.* I mean, the sheer physical size of the sentence (119 words) is enough to catch the reader’s attention. Then, on top of that, Dickens covers every emotion on the spectrum by pointing out that for every good thing that exists there is a dark side (Luke…I am your faaaather…) working against it. Glad it’s the “spring of hope?” Guess what? It’s also the “winter of despair.” Pretty excited that we have “everything before us?” We don’t. We have “nothing before us.” Maybe Dickens was Taoist, because he totally nailed the whole yin and yang thang.
(As an aside, Dickens uses a concept called anaphora (http://dictionary.reference.com/brows... ) in that opening line. I tried to work in this vocabulary wonder in a clever way, but alas, fell short.)
I agonize over first lines. I write them and rewrite them, knowing full well I’ll just be going back in revisions and rewriting them again. It’s like the hook line in a query letter; your one shot to win someone’s attention. It’s not only the reader’s first taste of the story; it’s the starting point for which the remainder of the manuscript is framed. It’s your first impression, your pick-up line, your hope that they’re interested enough to learn a little bit more.
So how do you make an opening line catchy without being kitschy? How do you tease, but not appease? There are a million and a half ways to do this (I know, I’ve counted). I don’t claim to be an expert on first lines by any means, but I LOVE to read them, so here are a few themes meant to inspire:
(See the full post at: http://yafusion.blogspot.com/2011/09/...)
I was recently rereading A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens, and was blown away (as always) by the opening line. You’ve probably heard it: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” etc., etc. In the history of literature that has to be one of the best first lines ever written.* I mean, the sheer physical size of the sentence (119 words) is enough to catch the reader’s attention. Then, on top of that, Dickens covers every emotion on the spectrum by pointing out that for every good thing that exists there is a dark side (Luke…I am your faaaather…) working against it. Glad it’s the “spring of hope?” Guess what? It’s also the “winter of despair.” Pretty excited that we have “everything before us?” We don’t. We have “nothing before us.” Maybe Dickens was Taoist, because he totally nailed the whole yin and yang thang.
(As an aside, Dickens uses a concept called anaphora (http://dictionary.reference.com/brows... ) in that opening line. I tried to work in this vocabulary wonder in a clever way, but alas, fell short.)
I agonize over first lines. I write them and rewrite them, knowing full well I’ll just be going back in revisions and rewriting them again. It’s like the hook line in a query letter; your one shot to win someone’s attention. It’s not only the reader’s first taste of the story; it’s the starting point for which the remainder of the manuscript is framed. It’s your first impression, your pick-up line, your hope that they’re interested enough to learn a little bit more.
So how do you make an opening line catchy without being kitschy? How do you tease, but not appease? There are a million and a half ways to do this (I know, I’ve counted). I don’t claim to be an expert on first lines by any means, but I LOVE to read them, so here are a few themes meant to inspire:
(See the full post at: http://yafusion.blogspot.com/2011/09/...)
August 28, 2011
ARC Giveaway!
Excitement! Elation! Lenore Appelhans, author of upcoming LEVEL TWO by Simon & Schuster (Fall 2012) and book blogger extraordinaire, has intervewed me for Dystopian August, a spotlight on dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction! And guess what else? She's giving away an ARC of ARTICLE 5! Learn more at http://presentinglenore.blogspot.com/.... Contest closes September 3rd. Thanks Lenore!
*me doing the happy dance*
Read the rest of this post at: http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/bl...
*me doing the happy dance*
Read the rest of this post at: http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/bl...
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