Cidney Swanson's Blog, page 5

Seen Any Good Movies Lately?

I rented The Words Friday night, looking to completely veg out for a nice way to ease into a relaxing weekend. I’d done my 2000 words for the day, answered all my emails, tweets, and FB notices. I deserved a nice evening with DH.

Which I did not get.

There are some things The Words got right—Jeremy Irons’ portrayal of a curmudgeon is nothing short of brilliant. Ben Barnes does a decent young Jeremy. (I know whereof I speak—I used to watch young Jeremy onstage in merry olde England when he and I were both . . . younger.) The cinematography is really luscious if you dig Paris now and in the late 40’s. And what’s not to like about Bradley Cooper’s brilliantly blue eyes and Zoe Saldana’s lovely brown ones?

But.

Here’s the thing. This is a movie that explores a couple of tropes about artists. About writers in particular. So I’m probably way too picky too close to qualify as an ideal viewer. The tropes go something like this: An artist, upon discovering that s/he is not as talented as s/he hoped when confronted by another artist’s more brilliant art-making, decides to pass off brilly-artist’s work as her/his own. The second trope is similar: An artist, after losing a brilliant piece of art and subsequently an important relationship, decides that rather than making more art, it is time to find a less painful occupation. I call them similar tropes because in both cases, an artist decides to stop making art.

Now, I don’t for one minute doubt that either of these things could happen. They could happen. They probably do happen. But why make a movie about writing and spend the entirety chronicling people who DON’T write? Arghh!!! It just made me want to chew nails! Two hours of writers who don’t write—lit with amazing lighting, living in gorgeous spaces, and done with some mighty fine acting to boot. Oh, and a clever three-layers of story like it was a chocolate cake or something.

Basically, I hate stories which perpetuate the idea that writing is about anything other than putting your butt in a chair and WRITING! Because that is what writing is. Butt. Chair. Times 10,000 hours. If you read something which you love so much that you wish you’d written it yourself (like Bradley Cooper’s character), then for goodness’ sake, study how the writer did it! Go to conferences! Read articles and books on craft! Set yourself writing exercises outside of your WIP! Get feedback! Don’t just sit there and stare into the camera with your big, blue eyes!

/rant.

How ‘bout you? Seen any movies that made you want to eat nails good movies lately? I could use a recommend for next weekend. Plus, I will send a signed bookmark to anyone whose reco I take!

Paper Copies, Anyone?

I am a very happy camper right now! This is the proof from Ingram and it is so pretty!

If you are a librarian, you can order copies from Brodart Company. If you are a reader wanting your own copy, it is available right now through Amazon ,and if you are willing to wait, it should show up at Barnes & Noble within the month. (Sorry, I have no control over when!)

The book’s having a nice reception in the e-world, meantime, which is how I assume someone found it and added it to their list of Hot New Sci-Fi titles! (Thanks, guys!)

So, I guess I should do another giveaway? Signed copy for US residents, e-copy for international. (And BTW, you can get it e-signed–see the linkie to the right for Authorgraph? Coolio!)

‘Kay, that’s all I got for today. Cuz, you know, busy on book three and all! Let’s see…for today’s question: Who is your fave character from FIREFLY? (Answer in comments via Rafflecopter for entry in the giveaway.) (And I’m going to have to think a spell on this one, myself.)

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What’s Your Favorite Read of 2012?

I’m going to be a cheating McCheater pants on this post. I know that it looks like I am going to blog about a favorite work of fiction that I read in the calendar year 2012. And I do actually have a few of these.If you are looking for some great reads, you can see what I loved in 2012.

But I’m not going to talk about those books today. Instead, I’m going to say a few things about the most influential-on-me book I read in calendar year 2012. Basically, this blog post will probably be very boring if you are not a writer. Readers, my apologies! Just skip this stuff and look for the giveaway at the bottom of the post. (I love my non-writer readers!)

Full disclosure: I read this book in 2011 before I read it in 2012. And I will probs read it again in 2013. And 2014. (Surely your interest is piqued by now!) What is this book of which I speak, and why was it so influential? (More full disclosure: I supported the Kickstarter campaign that funded this book.)

If you write for children or young adults, you need SECOND SIGHT. Period. You should stop reading this post right now and buy Cheryl Klein’s book. (If you are affiliate-code savvy, you’ll notice this URL has an affiliate code. Affiliate monies from your purchase go to Fill The Shelves–a program that sends books to libraries in Title One schools.) (So you really should buy this book not only because it is made of awesome but also because your purchase will put books on empty library shelves.)

Okay. Back to Klein’s book and a writing retreat trip I took in March, 2012 with my sister. I happened to bring SECOND SIGHT along with me on this trip. My sister, being a bookish sort herself, and having heard me yammer about SECOND SIGHT, decided to read the book.

The trip last March was intended as a “finish-up-Saving-Mars” retreat. And I thought the manuscript looked pretty good. Sure, it needed to go under my story-arc editor’s microscope. Sure it wasn’t done yet. But it was looking pretty good.

Well, one afternoon as we’re sitting by the pool (me marking up Saving Mars, my sister reading SECOND SIGHT), my sister looks up at me and the following convo ensues.

Sister: Where are your character sheets on Harpreet, Mei Lo, and Jess’s parents?

Me: *looks abashed* *mutters something about “secondary characters, not main characters, blah-blah-blah.”*

Sister: ‘Cause I think you didn’t do your homework. Look right here, on page 94 of SECOND SIGHT. Did you answer each of these questions for each of your characters?

Me: Ummmm….

Sister: Let’s make a list of all your characters and you tell me what each one loves, hates, fears, wants, and needs, okay?

Me: Ummmm….that will take a long time.

Sister: *glowers* It says right here in the book *stabs finger on page 94* that you have to do that.

Me: Ummmm…..Okay. I will do it.

(end of convo)

My sister had rightly noted that some of my characters were a bit flat on the  page in the version of SAVING MARS that she’d read.  And she found exactly the part of SECOND SIGHT that could cure that flatness. (My sister is uber smart.) Suffice it to say I did the homework which resulted in major reworking of my manuscript, to its benefit.

Now, if you’ve read the reviews on SAVING MARS and DEFYING MARS, many of them point to my characters as the thing that makes the books soar. So, all that to say: I would not have written a book that went on to receive accolades from Kirkus and placement on a “Best of 2012″ list if not for Ms. Klein’s book SECOND SIGHT. (And if not for having an uber smart sister.) And that, my friends, is why SECOND SIGHT wins hands-down as my “most influential read of 2012.”

Do you have a favorite book from 2012? Tell me what it is in the comments for a chance to win your choice of a signed copy of SAVING MARS or a (not signed) copy of Cheryl Klein’s SECOND SIGHT.

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Getting the Gold Sticker Star

Did you not love these as a kid?

I know I did. Well, apparently adults can get them, too. A couple of months ago I was all excited when Kirkus (who have a TM on this: The World’s Toughest Book Critics) (I am not making that up) gave my book a Starred Review.

I’m even more excited to report that they added my title to their annual list of 100 Indie titles to be named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2012. As far as I can tell, twelve of those are children’s titles. And mine’s easy to find! So skedaddle on over there and read the review if you haven’t already. (I’ll wait.)

And if you would like to read the book itself but you’re afraid you might not like it because it is Science Fiction (you know who you are), how about trying it out for FREE? Yup. I could only think of one way to celebrate my gold sticker star. So grab an e-copy and party with me today.

I’m curious if anyone actually uses gold sticker stars anymore. It has been . . . awhile since I was in elementary school. Anyone know if they are in circulation currently?I feel another giveaway coming on as well. Would you like to gift a SIGNED paper copy of SAVING MARS to someone for the Holidays? Chime in on the gold sticker mystery below.

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When First Lines Matter

I’ve been mulling over what to talk about at my upcoming Book Launch Party for my second book in The Saving Mars Series—DEFYING MARS. Now, I happen to know there will be a sizeable number of people there of whom it could be said, “Fans of Sci/Fi, they are not.” (Nor, I suspect, do their desks look like this.)

So that got me to thinking about how, when I wrote the first book, I told myself, “I’ve got to work extra hard to make sure the characters are front and center—and unforgettable.” Okay, that might have been something my sister said to me (in the imperative form) now that I think about it… But in either case, I wrote with the idea firmly in my mind.

I knew the book would have a title that SCREAMED Sci/Fi and was pretty sure the cover art would reflect that as well. But I didn’t have a following of people who were committed readers of Sci/Fi. No, I had readers who loved my contemporary fantasy and occasionally remarked upon its almost Sci/Fi feel.

What to do?

Well, it all came down to that first line, really. I figured I would either gain or lose readers based on the first paragraph, and even more particularly, based on that first line. Do any of you remember it?

She was the kind of girl who slept with books on her bed.

See what I did there? If you’ve read the blurb or looked at the cover, you know this is a book about a firecracker pilot obsessed with flying. Who lives on Mars. That makes her pretty hard to relate to for, oh, say, 99% of my readers. So I didn’t want to start my book with a line like, “She was the sort of pilot who took action first and apologized later.”

And while the above statement is true about Jessamyn, there are other statements that describe her in a way that is more relatable to my existing audience (and to new readers, as well.) So I went with a couple of paragraphs talking about her addiction to reading—something most readers can relate to.

This isn’t to say that all first lines must be relatable. Let’s take a look at the first line of my first book, RIPPLER:

The screaming was the first clue that I’d turned invisible again.

Now, most of us can’t relate to the kind of invisibility Samantha is talking about in that opening line. But Sam, unlike Jess, is a girl set in a very familiar world. We did a very recognizable kind of cover for that book: girl in flowing white dress facing away. This book’s cover and title appeal to an existing readership within YA. (Readers of paranormal romance and fantasy.) So I wanted that first line to be a bit more pick-you-up-and-shake-you-by-the-shoulders.

So there you have it. Even if you can’t make it to Eugene, Oregon for my Book Launch Party, now you can pretend you heard me give the above talk. (Read it aloud if that helps.)

What are some of your favorite first lines? Here’s one of mine:

“It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.”

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below for a chance to win a hardcover copy of the book which starts with those words. If I get over 25 comments, I’ll give away my signed and doodled copy, even. (Signed and doodled by the author—not by me!)

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Cover Reveal, Anyone? (Plus Giveaway!)

This post is crazy overdue. It’s like I totally forgot that I had a blog. (That is me, working at looking forgetful for you.)

Which isn’t as bad as forgetting that you had a dog or cat or child, but still. It’s pretty bad. Too make up for it, I tried to tweet and visit my facebook page a few times, but that’s not the same.

So I have some making up to do, wouldn’t you say, Internet? I propose a two part apology/make-up/love-fest. Part one: I reveal my NEW AND IMPROVED cover for SAVING MARS which includes a blurb from my Kirkus Reviews, uh, review. Part two: I reveal my BRAND NEW cover for the sequel to Saving Mars.

Oh. Uh oh. I said I had a two part thingamabob and I’m going to have to make that into a THREE PART-ER because Part Three is where I give away a GORGEOUS new paper copy of SAVING MARS to a lucky commenter below. I will sign it, of course, and gladly personalize it for you or a friend.

So! Less chatter! More revealing!

Here are my darlings, in order. You know you want them.

To win the one on the left, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. To get the one on the right, you will, sadly, have to wait until it is released. What’s that? You want to know when it’s coming out? Make sure you are on my New Release email list (which is different from the “subsribe to blog” sign up. Click the link.) With that, I bid you farewell. But only for a short time, this time. Promise!

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Looking for Great Guy Fiction in YA?

It is an oft-repeated complaint: there’s no YA featuring guy heroes. It’s not true, of course, but it sure can feel like it. If you haven’t read Lisa Nowak’s books and you like guy main characters, you are in for a treat. She writes ‘em funny, gutsy, and with lots of heart. I LOL quite a lot reading Lisa’s books.

Today, I’ve got a character interview with the girl in her latest book DEAD HEAT just so that you know she writes great girl characters, too. But the book really is about a boy. Read it and find out!

Seventeen-year-old Jade lives with her grandparents, is a scholarship student at an exclusive prep school, and finds herself inexplicably attracted to Alex, the hero of Dead Heat. Fortunately, he feels it, too. Even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

Okay, Jade, since you’re the love interest in Dead Heat, what do you look for in a partner?

Someone hot. Kidding. I guess the biggest thing is, can I be good friends with that person? Can I talk to them and trust them? Most of my friends are all about who’s cute, then they start going out and realize they have nothing in common. If someone had told me I’d end up with a guy who’d been abused all his life and didn’t know how to read, I never would have guessed it. But Alex is kind, gentle, and smart in his own way. I think he’d willingly die for anyone he cared about. But he believes that how he lives is who he is. It’s sad that he can’t see himself the way I see him.

That is sad. It’s a good thing he has you in his life. Okay, here’s an easy one, what’s your favorite food?

Mexican. I’d juggle cats in the shower for a good chili relleno. Oh, and anything with lime. Especially key lime.

What kind of car do you drive?

’59 Studebaker Lark. It’s because of my car that Alex and I met. He can fix anything. He’s a machine whisperer, y’know. He has a sixth sense when it comes to anything mechanical or electrical.

Interesting. But enough about Alex. I want to know about you. Do you have any special belief systems?

I belong to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

And if you had to die, how would you choose to go?

Chocolate overdose.

How would a stranger describe you?

Cute, full of energy, steady, a little snarky.

So I’ve discovered. Okay, let’s get a little more personal. What music do you sing to when no one else is around?

Theme songs from TV shows. Gilligan’s Island is my favorite.

And what are the things you like most about yourself?

I’m a hard-nosed realist. Not cynical, just brutally honest with myself and others. I don’t take crap from anyone. If you want something in life you have to go after it. You can’t let anything hold you back.

What’s your favorite smell?

Bourbon. I know, crazy, huh? But I remember smelling it on mom all the time when I was really little. It always makes me think of her.

Do you have a lifelong dream or aspiration?

To be a team mascot in college. Preferably the Oregon Duck. Alex says he doesn’t think they let girls be the duck. I tell him, “Yeah, well, how do you know? They never tell anybody who’s inside that costume.” Seriously, though, I want to be a lawyer. Mom always said I was good at arguing.

And what grosses you out?

Road kill. Especially when I’m innocently walking along, thinking of some school project, and I step right in it.

What’s on your bedroom floor?

A big mess. I just finished a school project, and when I get caught up in something like that, I get sort of obsessed. In your car? A cat butt air freshener, an after-market GPS courtesy of Grandpa because I could get lost in my own cul de sac, a bunch of empty Monster energy drink cans, my softball gear, and a ton of school books.

Do you have an obsession?

I don’t know if it’s really an obsession, but I’m fascinated with the paranormal. It’s the one extravagance I allow myself. Everything else about me is practical and premeditated, and I know I’m the master of my own destiny, so it doesn’t really make sense that I need an escape, you know? But from the time I was little, I wanted to believe there was something more, that some kind of magic existed that would make life less depressing. I eventually figure out how to do that for myself, but I never lost that fascination with the supernatural.

What’s your deepest regret?

No regrets, baby! Okay, I guess I have lots of little ones, but I try to get things right so I don’t have to feel bad about how I messed up.

~~~~~~~~

A man who longs for a son, and a boy who can’t escape his father’s violence. Even death can’t break their bond. DEAD HEAT

Alex is a machine whisperer. He can tell what’s wrong with a broken-down car with a touch. But his gift can’t save him from the brutality of his meth-addict father. For two years, Alex experienced kindness through Cole, his mentor. Now Cole’s dead, and the violence in Alex’s life is escalating.

When Cole reappears as a ghost, Alex clings to the tenuous link. Then he learns Cole might’ve sacrificed his chance to cross over. Jade, the first girl to look beyond Alex’s past, assures him Cole can reach the Other Side—if Alex escapes from his dad. But a previous terrifying attempt has convinced Alex it’s impossible. Unless he can find the courage to try, his friend may be earthbound forever.

http://bit.ly/DH-Amazon

http://bit.ly/DH-Smashwords

http://bit.ly/DH-BarnesandNoble

~~~~~~~~

About the Author:

In addition to being a YA author, Lisa is a retired amateur stock car racer, an accomplished cat whisperer, and a professional smartass. She writes coming-of-age books about kids in hard luck situations who learn to appreciate their own value after finding mentors who love them for who they are.

Website: http://www.lisanowak.net/

Blog: http://lisanowak.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LisaNowakAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Lisa_Nowak

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/LisaNowakNewsletter

 

Professional Vetting for the Self-Published

In the September/October issue of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Bulletin, there’s an article devoted to an issue faced by all writers choosing a path of self-publishing: What can these authors do to vet their books? The article mentioned two new-to-me paid reviewing services (grubstreetreads.com and blueinkreview.com) and suggested that the use of either service might benefit an author looking for that exterior stamp of approval.

Depending upon where you sit in your self-publishing journey, the $99-575 which such services charge for reviewing can look like a lot of money. For myself, I thought of it as a cost on the order of what I might spend to attend a conference, something I budget for several times a year from my writer income.

While I haven’t used either of those new services, I have used two of the older, more established options. Of the major review publications in the US,  two currently offer reviewing services for self-publishers, and both are available on a for-pay basis only. (They expressly exclude self-published books from being submitted through their non-pay channels which they reserve for publishing houses.) Publishers Weekly offers a $149-199 program and Kirkus Reviews offers a $425-575 program. (Quite comparable to the $99-495 fees for novel-length works in the SCBWI feature.)

Publishers Weekly devotes a supplementary magazine each quarter to self-publishing and includes paid-for reviews in the publication. I have not yet heard back from Publishers Weekly, so my experience with them is incomplete. However, here are some statistics from their last (quarterly) publication devoted to self-published titles. Of the 186 submissions they received, they reviewed 47 in their publication. Of those 47, 7 were starred reviews. What this tells me is that for authors who plunked down $149 (or $199) last quarter, they stood a one in four chance of having their title reviewed and a one in twenty-seven chance of having it receive a starred review.

Kirkus Reviews follows a different setup from PW. Kirkus promises that if you pay, your novel will be reviewed. They make a point of telling you there’s no guarantee of a positive review. The pool of reviewers is the same as the pool used for reviewing traditionally published novels. Kirkus created this service specifically so it would be economically viable for them to be able to review books from indie authors and/or small presses (which are not revenue-generating for them.) Because the review they offer may be negative, they give you the choice of publishing or not publishing the review. The vast majority of self-pubbed reviews are not published. Between their traditional program and their indie program, starred reviews are awarded to about 10% of all books reviewed, but fewer self-published works receive stars than do traditionally published works. (Current count of reviews indie authors who chose to publish their review puts the percentage at right around 5%–keep in mind most indie reviews are not published, so the actual percentage of starred reviews given to indie titles is even lower.)

For me, the experience was a bit terrifying. As soon as I hit the “pay” button for the Kirkus review, I began waffling between the extremes of muttering to myself, “It’s only one person’s opinion,” and, “But it’s Kirkus!” I think that anyone going into this needs to realize that both of those are true. To receive a positive review from Kirkus or any other professional review organization is a significant achievement, but in the end, you have received the opinion of one reader. If you can live with that, for-pay reviewing might be a good option for your self-published title.

Finally, a humorous warning for those who pay for a review with Kirkus and receive a starred review: they will not email you to tell you that your novel has received this distinction. I got my review on the exact day promised. I tried to read it. (This was difficult because all the air in the room seemed to disappear as soon as the pdf opened on my computer screen.) After reading it, I hit the “publish” button. Then I got to see my review looking all nice and shiny on the Kirkus Reviews website. I smiled at it for several minutes before noticing that they’d placed a star just to one side of the title. What did that symbol mean? Was it an asterisk thing-y intended to make me look lower on the page? And then the screaming started. My family rushed into the room to find out what was wrong with me. They saw me gesticulating wildly at the computer. A few inches away from my star was written this phrase: “For Books of Remarkable Merit, Look for the Kirkus Star.”

What do you think about pay-for-review services? Are they useful to you as a reader/author?

A Kirkus Starred Review!

Yup. I got one. For those who don’t know, Kirkus Reviews has been around since the 1930′s and they have a reputation for serving up tough criticism. In the last couple of years, they added a program to review self-published novels on a fee-basis. (They don’t allow them in their regular program.) Basically, by adding a fee program, they are able to provide reviews for those who are not going to be placing ads which is what generates their revenue normally. (I am not Random House and I’m not going to be placing ads in their publications for the next hundred years.) They can either (1) review self-pubbed books at a huge loss or (2) not review them at all or (3) review them at a cost.

I’m so glad they went with (3)! I’ll write up a post detailing the whole terrifying process next week, but for now, I present, My Kirkus Review, in its entirety.

SAVING MARS *

A 17-year-old pilot with a history of crashing her craft holds a planet’s fate in her hands when a human settlement on Mars runs low on food.

Flight-obsessed Jessamyn Jaarda faces the biggest mission of her life in the fourth YA sci-fi novel from Swanson (Unfurl, 2012, etc.). Fired from pilot training for crashing one craft and praised for doing the same to another, Jess inspires unpredictable reactions in people. Maybe that’s because Jess lives, as she flies, by pure instinct, and no one knows whether that trait will enable her to save her planet when, because of potential starvation for a human settlement on Mars, she must fly to Earth on a food raid. Along with her brother, however, the red-haired teenager has the courage to attempt the mission and stick with it when it goes terribly wrong. Swanson paces this story beautifully, weaving exposition tightly into the plot as disaster interrupts everyday routines. Despite the strangeness of the Martian environment, the novel quickly establishes the humanity of Jess and other characters, as when Jess tries and fails to help her brother resist a bout of claustrophobia or when she first locks eyes with her planet’s only dog and feels something sweep through her: “A something that reminded her of taking her craft toward breaking day or of watching Phobos as the swift moon zipped across the night sky. The dog was…wondrous.” At first, Jess sees everything through the lens of her obsession with flight, but she becomes far too multifaceted, distractible and passionate to be mistaken for an archetype. Watching her grow and struggle to survive makes this book hard to put down.

A sci-fi novel that soars along with a teenage heroine whose imperfections help make her believable and endearing.

*The Kirkus Star is awarded “to books of remarkable merit.” If you count the self-pubbed titles that received stars, they are given to about 5% of the reviews posted. In other words, SQUEEEEEEEE!